S.E.X. DEPARTMENT - review added 9th November 2009
Album Review: Rock N' Roll Suicide (2009)
For fans of: Alt Rock... and squeaky voices
Gosh, what a rude name! But wait...the sex part is an acronym! What can it stand for? My money is on something involving xylophones, mainly because it's more likely than x-ray, xenon or xanthium.
Anyway, S.E.X. Department come from Italy and describe themselves (on their own website) as having a 666% rock ’n’ roll attitude and a spaghetti accent. I would be bloody impressed if the spaghetti actually spoke in Italy. By the time we get it here in the UK it's had its head chopped off so it's hard to examine the mouthparts.
The band is (are you ready?) Captain of S.D. Kelly "Trash" Mendess on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Master Sergeant of S.D. Nasty Lane on bass and vocals, and finally Sergeant of S.D. Justin Sandler on drums and vocals. I hope for the sake of humanity they don't take themselves too seriously. If they do they really are very silly. If they don't, they are still very silly but in a good way.
The sound is punky and sleaze-inspired rock 'n' roll madness with with occasionally insane vocals. If you've ever had the pleasure of hearing the cartoon madness of 'The Morality Squad' on GWAR's America Must Be Destroyed, you'll have a perfect idea what Kelly's vocals sound like on certain tracks of Rock N' Roll Suicide. They're often squeaky, cartoonish, totally un-rock-like, but also (for my ears at least) cool. I can imagine a lot of people hating them, but I like their leftfield nonsense.
When Kelly isn't doing his crazy singing, he emits a characterful punk-tinged voice that suits the music well. Highlight songs include the ultrasonic opening track, 'Heroin', the W.A.S.P. baiting 'Wasted In Texas', the anti-anthemic ballad 'Back My Uniform' - a song that should be terrible but is strangely brilliant. The Sex Pistols simplicity of 'Gypsy Nazi' is likeable too.
I really like this album. It defies all logic as, realistically, it's terrible. But there's just something about it that keeps making me want to hear it one more time. Maybe it's an overwhelming desire for self-persecution, I'm not sure, but maybe, just maybe, you'll like it too...
Check out... That GWAR track as comparison.
Track List:
01. Heroin
02. Wasted In Texas
03. Back My Uniform
04. Don't You Change My Life
05. Sexy Cab
06. Gypsy Nazi
07. Memories Of The Sea
08. L'Italiano
09. S.E.X. Department (remix)
Label: Perris Records
Artist's website(s): S.E.X. Department , MySpace
