Published on Dec 4, 2000
Good intentions doesn’t necessarily accomplish goals. But you
have to admire the intentions of New York’s Lower East Side
Stitches. In an interview, the band said they wanted to get some of
the seediness back into the Lower East Side of New York City.
Apparently, the new-yuppified district does not settle well with a
band whose roots are firmly established in the smart ass traditions
of the Ramones.
Well, a good start to scruff the starched shirts in the Lower
East Side would be to play
Lower East Side out every single rusted-out car and through
the windows of every rat-infested apartment complex in the area. If
you’re a casual fan of punk, you may be inclined to write off the
Lower East Side Stitches. And you would have good reason to, with
the first two tracks.
“Desensitize,” and “TV Zoned Out,” are textbook punk tracks that
would fit perfectly on any Operation Ivy or Sunny Day Real Estate
type of album. True to form, “TV Zoned Out,” seems like an update
of Henry Rollins’s classic, “TV Party Tonight.”
But give those songs a second listen, as well as the other 12
tracks on
Lower East Side and you will hear a band with the makings of
a great punk band: strict attention to song structure, great lyrics
and most importantly: a killer, sick sense of humor.
Songs like “Miss You” and “Lisa” are detailed songs about
failing/failed relationships. “No no, I just can’t seem to miss
you/And all the fucked up shit you always seem to do,” Mick Stitch
appropriately spits out in bile on “Miss You.” The creative word
play steers the song just short of “my ex-girlfriend is a raging
bitch” mentality, but not too far from that territory. And nothing
kills the pain of a breakup better than beer, and the band even
gives the drink its own songs with, “1st beer of the day.” The beer
theme surfaces again, somewhat on “Grudge.” It isn’t directly
mentioned, but the sneering chorus of “I got a grudge” sounds an
awfully lot like “I got drunk.”
The band isn’t all concerned with getting drunk and raging on
about relationships, however. “Badge To Kill” and “TV Zoned Out”
are good socio-political songs. Most of the songs on
Lower East Side, however, deal more with the sheer emotional
energy of being really, really pissed off more than any concrete
political agenda. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The rhythm section of Lower East Side Stitches makes most of the
songs memorably catchy and pulverizing. “What’s Going On” seems
like a perfect marriage of street-tough punk and 80s
guitar-worshiping metal. “Lisa” is abrasive, but the chorus and the
poppy structure of the song make even the noisiest moments on
Lower East Side easy to listen to.
“What’s The Story,” possibly the best song on
Lower East Side, showcases the best elements of the band.
It’s a great mix of clap percussion and pulverizing guitars. It is
no wonder Spike Lee recruited the band to play a part in his
slice-of-New York movie
Summer Of Sam.
True to punk form,
Lower East Side is a quick listen. More importantly, the
talented playing of guitarist Mick Stitch, drummer James Baggs and
bassist Damian (appropriate name for a punk band), make enough of
an impact to make you want to give the album repeated listens. With
Lower East Side, the Lower East Side Stitches have sewn a
tight addition to punk’s proud, but tattered cloth on the New York
music scene.