Why haven't I heard of Fabulous Disaster before this week? I feel as though I've been missing out on something. Sounding like a fusion of the Go-Gos and Joan Jett with a little bit of Sleater-Kinney on the side, Put Out Or Get Out immediately captures the style that Sleater-Kinney has taken a handful of albums to perfect -- that is, they create a blend of full-on, driving punk contrasted with consistent melodies and harmonies. This becomes especially impressive when you learn that this is Fabulous Disaster's first official release after being together for little more than two years. It should be noted, however, that the women of Fabulous Disaster are far from novices in musical mayhem; they boast ex-members of Fiction, Piston and Inside Out.
Lyrically, Fabulous Disaster partially nixes the usual punk-girls-trying-to-be-tough subject matter of angst and anger. It's certainly represented in the mix, but they've balanced it, rather smartly, with some sweetness and softness. This creates an album with a more realistic personality and heaps-worth of relevance. Picking only a few stand-out tracks has proven to be a bit of challenge, but I'll try. The opening track, "Down The Drain", should be noted simply because it managed to grab me from the first chord. Other highlights include "Gia", which I imagine refers to the dead supermodel by the same name, and "Spoiled", with lyrics resembling Michael Stipe's frenzied and never easily recited "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" (but in a pleasing, punk manner, of course).
To label Put Out or Get Out as infectious would be nothing short of an understatement. From "Down The Drain" to "April Fools", and throughout the wealth of roughly-two-minute gems in between, Fabulous Disaster maintains a tempo that does not let you take a rest from rocking. The millisecond pause between tracks probably helps that cause. The entire album is over in a little more than thirty minutes, but it's the best half hour I've spent all week. Time to press repeat one more time...
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