Semi-legendary German hardcore oldies the Spermbirds have a new record. I have to admit, I had no idea they were still going, so I reacted with a certain sense of trepidation when this landed through my letterbox (yes people, it is still all about physical CDs for review!). I sat on it for a while, giving it plenty of opportunity. And what I will say is, this is a damn fine record.
It seems from a brief glance online that the response to this record has been uniformly positive, people slightly caught off guard by how good, how relevant, ‘A Columbus Feeling’ actually sounds. (And no, I have no idea what the title means either.) To sum the record up simply, it straddles 70s, 80s and 00s sounds in a curiously effective way. It’s a nod to Dead Kennedys or TSOL, but it’s just as much Good Clean Fun-esque and even a little bit Anti-Flag. It’s the sound of a band that seems like they have not sat on their laurels, they have been listening – as fans – to records old and new and using all the ideas they wanted to. It sounds like well-read hardcore.
It’s hard to pinpoint standout tracks when the record seems to work as a single unit, but ‘Meet Me In The Middle’ is quite the tune. Slightly clichéd subject matter infringes on an otherwise easy ride, with ‘Can’t Live Without It’ a tired diatribe against Facebook and the ever deteriorating Myspace. This aside, this is a fairly flawless record. Proof yet again that the old guys are usually still doing it better.
Mike