The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Survival Sickness

This is T(I)NC's debut album and it is a much more fully realized group than the one who recorded the singles that were compiled in The First Conspiracy. The sound is powerful and the mix of garage, punk and noise is in full force, as is their lyrical bent, which is described in fuller detail in the liner notes.

Frantic, rollickin' riffs launch "I Wanna Know About U", that mixes singalong lyrics with punk rock energy and dynamics. The rhythms in "Subversive Sound" are somewhat off-kilter, but still damn catchy, even as they switch segments of the song and damn near smash the chords out of the speakers. "Smash It Up" (not the Damned song, but it does steal from B-52's "rock Lobster", of all places!) starts with a slower, mellower groove that percolates and pulsates and alternates with some raucous screams, "(I've Got) Survival Sickness" moves from almost a ballad to a garage rocker with plenty of proper accents, "The Reproduction of Death" is somewhat Kinks-y in its frenzied garage-ness (dig the quiet mid-sections and repeated "Yeahs!"), and there's a plethora of punk in the garage of "Impostor Costume".

"Intermission" is pretty much ambient sounds, "Only Lovers Left Alive" is a tough, rhythmic rocker, "Do I Have To Spell It Out" is kinda bouncy, of all things, and reliant on an insistent bass drum and percussive vocals, "Will It Ever Be Quiet" is, appropriately enough, an atmospheric ballad but they are back with an agitated pace in "Enslavement Blues" and the delirious off-time of "Ready Steady Go!" (nothing to do with any other song of that title).

These cats are highly original, highly political and highly rockin'! Really dig what they were doing and hope that they will do more one day.