Just when you thought the world had plum run out of blasphemy, along comes this heretically titled collection of pop-punk gems from Austin, Texas. Peppered with twenty-three tracks split between half as many bands, God-Stripe Gum reveals the glistening, DIY underbelly of Austin music. While the shadows of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson continue to capture the popular imagination of what Texas music is all about, the bands herein tell a different story.
Ten Speed's "A-town", with its grinning banjo and country harmonies, presents what some outsiders might think of as typical Texas music. However, the song's tale of Austin's growing too big for its britches is a distinctly urban lament. Other cuts, such as PlayDoh Squad's "Planet Melody", take a more distorted turn. Driven by a crunchy guitar line and gloriously geeky vocals, the song evokes old school Devo more than any cosmic cowboy twang.
If nothing else, Austin has always fostered a hearty if underappreciated music underground despite the popular notion that it's all kickers and crooners down here. For a few years in the '80s, twisted punk and refreshingly funky bands such as the Butthole Surfers, the Big Boys, Bad Mutha Goose and Poi Dog Pondering eclipsed blues and twang as the imprimatur of the state's capitol city. But when those acts and others like them collapsed, so did the hope of a full-blown redefinition of Austin music.
More recent bands such as Coco Candissi, who have two tracks on this CD, have inherited the mantle and are fighting to throw a wrench in the works again. Coco's Buzzcock-ish power-punk epitomizes a growing movement deep in the heart of Texas: punchy pop music is coming on strong. From the garage rock of Hotwheels Jr. to the more sensitive Girling, this sampler reminds the world that the soul of punk rock is alive and well in Austin. Let's hope this collection is a sign of more yummy treats to come.
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