CULTCHA Clash Outer National Record Review:

Jello Biafra & Guantanamo School Of Medicine - No More Selfies / The Ghost Of Vince Lombardi

(Alternative Tentacles - 7" Singles Club - July 2021 entry)

Reviewed by Jon "Selecta J-Cut" Soldanels

Jello Biafra & Guantanamo School Of Medicine - No More Selfies / The Ghost Of Vince Lombardi (Alternative Tentacles Virus 487)

Let me start this off by apologizing for being such a terrible procrastinator, been sitting on this one for about a month. It was last months entry from the Alternative Tentacles - Vinyl 7" Singles Club (more on that later), and my favorite of the 10, or so, that I've received.

"No More Selfies" is fun, albeit serious, high energy punk rock, not too far off from the output of Jello's previous well known band. A surf / western sounding guitar builds along with the lyrical energy to a thrashing crescendo and back down to accommodate Mr. Biafra's anecdotal evidence of the song's complaint, including incidents, from mild annoyance, to rude and insensitive intrusion, up to and including perceived assault, ending in "whaddaya know... a phone in my face!"

The author of "Where Do You Draw The Line?" thinks that "it's time to make some rules" and I don't think that he's wrong. He really drives it home with his usual, high dosage of comic appeal and strong sense of irony, ultimately with the refrain, "Think of how you'd feel," which doesn't seem to be too extreme of a request, to me. The band is on point and delivers the punch to really drive his words to their full impact potential.

I hate to bring up the past, but it's all of the quirky energy (the kind that incited me to start a hardcore band with my junior high school friends) of Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982 Alternative Tentacles), when that was my most-listened-to LP (the first "hardcore" album to hit my young ears, the summer before 7th grade). It's both amazing and inspirational, to me, that they can record and perform with so much exuberance after doing it for so many years. The build-ups and tempo changes and unconventional song structure is sure to pique the interests of young and old listeners, alike. The 7" single includes insert with lyrics and animation, pressed on clear vinyl with a '40 Years of Anti-Social Media' Alternative Tentacles logo, and the cover graphics are subversive-fun, as to be expected from this lot.

Both of these songs were released, digitally, along with the last J.B.G.S.O.M. LP, Tea Party Revenge Porn, which I haven't purchased yet, but intend to, especially after hearing these tracks.

"Ghost Of Vince Lombardi" is a commentary on the hyper-masculinity, the alpha-male mentality, coupled with extreme competitiveness and crass capitalism, separating "winners" from "losers," in turn forfeiting the soul of our nation and any ability to enact compassion on a communal level. As on the A side, the musicianship leaves nothing to be desired, this one rips! Band members include Jason Willer on drums, metals and vocals, Larry Boothroyd on bass, and Ralph Spight on guitar, keys, vocals (the latter two are founding members of Victims Family). The rhythm is tight, hard an driving, just sparse enough to leave room for Spight's inventive solos. Altogether feels like a natural, fitting, combination for Mr. Biafra's quips and his unique vocal stylings.

This stuff isn't groundbreaking, not that I think that it was recorded with intent to be that, but it's simultaneously thought-provoking and visceral, and ultimately, pretty entertaining. Grab a copy if you can get your hands on one.

Buy from Alternative Tentacles here

Sub-Feature: The Alternative Tentacles Vinyl 7" Singles Club

The 7" single is a cherished artifact and sacred carrier of musical data to be passed along through modern ages. I reminisce of the mid-eighties, perusing through a handed-down Toxic Shock catalog at all of the records that I couldn't afford on my 14 year old budget of zero dollars a week. I was fascinated by the sheer quantity of 7" eps and singles, the records stores that I went to generally focussed on 12"s, but as I started going to shows I would see 7"s available at the merch. tables. There were a few that I had at the time, but looking back at all of the treasures that I missed along the way (and the hefty price tag that accompanies a lot of those original pressings) makes me wish that I had acquired more of them.

Well, bands are still pressing music on these little plastic disks, and Alternative Tentacles, a label that has been alarming parents and provoking independent thought in youths for forty years, has an 'Anti-Social' club just for the type of fetishists who have this kind of vinyl-kink.

So, If you're an individual who happens to enjoy hearing random, eclectic and obscure sounds, and wish to have selections delivered to your mailbox, then join the Alternative Tentacles Vinyl 7" Singles Club and the label will send you a new single every month for a year.

Here is a photo of the entries, thus far.