...REVIEWS !!
THE KIDNAPPERS
"Will Protect You" CD/LP
THE KIDNAPPERS "Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls" CD/LP
ENGLISH
ONE
WAY TICKET (UK) July 2013 here
Now, if as I am, you are an assiduous fan of powerpop/punk classics, you always
seem to find new releases in this genre somewhat dubious. Generally it’s
nothing to write home about; same old stale formula used by bands years ago,
everyone still goes on about The Real Kids and so forth and how great they were.
These days, good music is sparse, it keeps on going back to the classics. I
mean fair enough, you get the odd pearls for swine’s deal, in this era
were superficial and constant dullard’s politically correct whingeing
surrounding you at every waking moment, so finding ones sacred cow so to speak
might seem like a hindering experience, but hey not all is lost even in this
day and age. This cloud still has its silver lining.
Now let’s get on with what I initially wanted to talk about before my
mind wanders again and another babbling tirade comes to fruition. Do you remember
when you used to get a semi as you accidently stumbled on your neighbour’s
teenage daughter undress, as you glanced out of your window and she was wearing
next to nothing except those white cotton socks? No use denying it, who are
you trying to fool?! The Kidnappers, I will protect you is the perfect soundtrack
for these low life impulses that we all love and cherish as happy memories from
our youth. So, a few months ago I stumbled by complete accident on this exceptional
manifesto of girls, girlfriends and whores by The Kidnappers - a three piece
of twins hailing from Germany no less. I could have sworn they were American.
I picked up this record and on the front cover was some dude sticking a sausage
down his gob in some convenience store. I was intrigued and thought to myself
this record is either going to be really, really good or really, really shit!
Just goes to show, never judge a book by its cover or in this case, record.
I must admit that after a few listens I was surprisingly impressed with what
I had just heard. Some of the best song writing I have heard in a long time.
Grabbing background choruses and attitude coming out the yin yang…. As
I came to the sweet conclusion that these dudes weren’t just a one trick
pony but had a gem packed album full of future classics, not a bad song in there….
No not one. This album was released in 2010 on Alien Snatch Records, and was
the much anticipated follow up to Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls released
in 2003, how could it be ignored for so long? Now whilst young, they are not
new to the scene, even before the name change to what is now The Kidnappers,
they were The Highschool Rockers and released quite a few 45’s of note
while they were still in school (this is before they dropped out, obviously).
I can only blame the blind, deaf and dumb amongst us, (myself included in this
equation) so in an attempt to redeem my lack of perception I will try to guide
you through what to my ears is near perfect pop music.The opening track milkshake
will have you bouncing off the walls with a 79 power pop motif with what seems
like an effortless rendition of youth. I particularly love the “tell me
something and kiss me” line, just seems oh so familiar to any of you hopeless
romantics out there, making mix tapes for girls and all that stupid malarkey
you do when you are young and foolish. It struck a note with me and reminded
me of all those hyperactive hormones one is consumed with as a young lad. Out
in the city, a timeless classic if ever I heard one , about going out in town
getting wasted, trying to get laid and not wanting to go home, because you are
having way too much fun. Who can’t relate to this? Seriously outstanding
guitar hooks and melodies that are just pure gold, just so catchy that you’ll
be singing along, even before the song has even finished. Now your ears are
in for a treat as Message on my mirror hits home, song writing bliss here, yet
again. Rough around the edges, but about as loose as their morals. An eventful
portrayal of boy meets girl and the next day ordeal. She won’t come home
is another one worthy of mention here, just another outstanding tune on this
rollercoaster of hits. But the cherry on the cake is off course I will protect
you, yes they saved the best until last and just named the record after the
last track on the album, who does that?! I’m not even going to start on
this one, let’s just say it is one of the most played songs on my ipod.
There you have it, pop gold in a nutshell. Powerpop is not dead and if anything
alive and well, thriving in the depths of Hamburg. (JOE)
CRKO (Germany) July 2011 I admit it, I am a dork! The KIDNAPPERS are my favorite band from Germany and when I finally met them at a show last December, I only blabbered about how I do not exactly enjoy the cover of their new LP. Instead of being thankful for that they finally released a bunch of brilliant new songs after five years, I acted like a drunken monkey. Anyway, regrets came next morning. I felt like I told Bob Dylan that I just don’t like his hairdo... Okay KIDNAPPERS, your new record is great! I like it how »Milkshake« reminds me of »Lost in the supermarket« and I like the energy of »Sally« and how only a few bands can pin down a tune like »Out in the city« that pop up in your mind every now and then and give you a good feeling even if it’s 6 a.m. on a Monday. So, I will play this record on a daily rate and I will come to your shows and be a pet. In summer I will wear that blue shirt I bought, though my girlfriend was right and it looks like I have a juicy pair of boobies in it. I am your fan! (Pacino)
fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.com (USA) June 2011 The Kidnappers have been one of my favorite rock and roll bands for a very long time, but they haven’t exactly been the most prolific group of recording artists. We waited three years for their second album to come out and almost five for their third. And although Will Protect You has now been out several months, it’s still just sinking in that a new Kidnappers LP actually exists and that I didn’t just dream that I heard it after a night spent drinking too much dunkel. But what do you know? I’ve been pinching myself, and it’s 100 percent real! And they’re back on Alien Snatch Records! Was it worth the wait? You betcha! So our favorite German twin brothers Philipp and Chris, along with drummer Netzhemd-Timo, have followed up 2006’s Neon Signs with an album that takes the group’s long held Stiff and Bomp! Records fixations to its logical conclusion. The lo-fi recording aesthetic has been ditched. And although a few full-blown rockers are thrown in to avert monotony, the prevailing theme is power pop a la 1979. So if you liked songs such as “Trainticket” and “How Long Will It Take” off of Neon Signs, you will straight-up LOVE Will Protect You! Opening number “Milkshake” could pass for a long-lost late ‘70s classic unearthed for a Teenline or Power Pearls comp. If this is your re-introduction to The Kidnappers, you will not be disappointed. It’s just so cute and sweet and immediately infectious, like a great power pop song should be! It’s up there with “Spanish Girls” as my favorite Kidnappers song ever. Hell, with songs like “Heartbeat”, “Message in My Mirror”, and “Out in the City” all delivering the goods in a similar manner, these three have made half of a Teenline comp on their own! But lest you assume that The Kidnappers have mellowed in recent years, songs like “Sally”, “Chickenhead and Cigarettes”, and “Nothing’s Gonna Change” find these handsome lads even more raging than they were as teens - tearing it up like some nefarious mix of the Hives and Dictators. Songs like these remind us that regardless of their ever-advancing mastery of classic power pop, the Kidnappers will always at heart remain a loud and crazy rock and roll band, as at home in a dingy Hamburg bar as they would have been opening for Nick Lowe on his Labour of Lust tour. I can practically taste the bratwurst and smell the flowing doppelbock (I’d like some of each, please!). And judging from the lyrics to “Nothing’s Gonna Change”, the twins enjoy American cuisine and adult beverages every bit as much as I enjoy the culinary delights of Deutschland. If you’ve been waiting your entire life for a punk band to sing about eating chicken sandwiches and Texas brisket, your ship has come in! Appropriately enough, Will Protect You brings it on home with a chivalrous title track completely in keeping with the ’79 power pop motif. At times a bumpy ride (“Sally, “Nothing’s Gonna Change”), for the most part it’s smooth sailing on this outstanding third LP from The Kidnappers. Yeah, they can still rock balls out when they want to. And no doubt, they will never take themselves seriously. But the twins are more than ready to assume their place in the pantheon of world renowned pop idols! Songs about hookers and floozies notwithstanding, they have made their most female friendly album to date. Nothing wrong with that, man. Nothing wrong with that at all! Truth be told, I think this band is actually getting better. Power pop lovers of either gender will not want to miss this one.(Josh Rutlegde)
ROCTOBER (USA) April 2011 You have to be pretty fucking golden to sing English love lyrics about short skirts and cigarettes in a German accent and not sound sinister. That these Teutonic toetappers never bring to mind Col. Klink fronting Material Issue is testament to some powerful power pop powers! (x)
RAZORCAKE
DEC 2010 It’s
a wonder why these guys aren’t bigger than Christ at the moment. Super catchy
power pop that’s as powerful as it is sugary and, well, poppy. A quick reference
to throw out is The Boys, and more currently, The Impulse International. Definitely
rooted in the ‘70s, with songs about girls, girls, and one about a prostitute
(“Sally”). Strong riffs, infectious melodies, and it’s all fun, fun, fun. A
good mix of cookers, like “Milkshake,” “She Won’t Come Home,” and my favorite
of the album, “Nothing’s Gonna Change,” then there’s the slightly reserved type
songs, “Heartbeat,” “Tomorrow you Feel Better,” and the like. Great album, without
a doubt.(MA)
Examiner
Nov 2010 go read it here.
It´s a full write-up!(JC)
DEGENERATION OVERDRIVE FEB 2007 This CD compiles the group's 2003 debut LP of the same name as well as their out of print "Spanish Girls" single (originally released by Quebec's own Zaxxon records), and frankly, this is some of the best stuff I've heard all year! Snotty, no frills punk rock at it's best delivered with unrelenting high energy and great melodies that'll have you humming along as you give grandma her nightly enema. Whatever, go pick this up at your local record shoppe, and while you're at it, look for their "Neon Signs" LP out now on Rip Off records. F**king glorious. (HC)
...Josh
Rutlegde SEPT 2003 Sure,
I can tell you that the WHITE STRIPES are overrated and that The KIDNAPPERS
are currently the best rock n’ roll band on the planet. But I can’t really tell
you WHY. All I know is that every time I drop the needle on the KIDNAPPERS LP,
I’m compelled to sing along, tap my feet, bob my head, shake my booty, crank
up the volume, flip off my neighbors, and shout “Fuck yeah!” at the top of my
lungs. When I hear the WHITE STRIPES, on the other hand, the only thing I’m
compelled to do is switch the dial to the classic rock station in hopes that
they’ll be playing “Highway to Hell” or “Satisfaction”. It’s like being a horny
teenager and seeing that super-hot girl at school. Is it really necessary to
try and explain WHY you think she’s hot? I mean, really, who cares? All that
matters is that she gets you off. It’s the same way with music. If I wanted
to, I could sit here all night and write about the KIDNAPPERS. But reading a
review is a poor substitute for actually HEARING the music...
CARBON14
#23 (USA) AUGUST 2003 THE
KIDNAPPERS play totally enthusiastic and energetic rock and roll without the
slightest bit of pretension or hipster posturing, which in this day and age
is gawd damn miracle. Plus, these guys are barely outta their teens and
can already play circles around half of their punk peers! Their hyper-speed
UNDERTONES-meets RAMONES sound infects your stereo as soon as the needle pricks
the first vinyl groove. The blitzkrieg blast of " A bit of your love"
begins the album, then runs right into the snarling "Midnight Ritz"
then pops into " close to you", quite possible the best power pop
punk rawk song THE BOYS never wrote. The A-Side closes out with the pure primitive
punk of their cover of Loli and the Chones "everybody hates me" and
the frantic "teenage fever". Side B doesn´t let up, with cuts
like the agitated angs pop of "break my heart" and "hard to say"
as well as the full tilt Chuck berry chord driven rockers "marky nimrod"
and "maximum rock and roll"
TENAGE DEPRESSION (CANADA)
JANUARY 2004 These guys used to play juvenile,
lo-fi Rock'n'Roll under the name, The High School Rockers…they put out a couple
Ok records, matured, started writing better songs, and decided that a name change
was in order. So, here it is, The KIDNAPPERS
first release…and it's a really decent record. Some people can't seem to get
over the fact that The Kidnappers blatantly rip-off a Teengenerate song, giving
it a different name…with no credit to Teengenerate. Shit, call it a tribute…and
forget it! I mean, how many bands did Teengerate rip stuff off from? One does
have to wonder though, why Loli and the Chones get credit for their song covered
on this album, but Teengenerate don't. Whatever, it doesn't bother me. So anyway,
they cover Loli and The Chones and Teengenerate, and come off sounding like
a ore polished version of either of those bands...or pretty much any of the
earlier Rip-Off Records roster. Th songs are catchy enough AND rockin' enough
to catch and hold your attention, and the production is decent enough that you
can distinguish everything in the mix. As far as this type of stuff (Mid-Fi,
punk -rock with hooks) goes, this is probably the best record I've heard in
ages. The songs are hot, and the record sounds really good. I especially like
the first track on the album, "A Little Bit Of Your Love". I say pick
it up…you already know if this is something you'd like. Hell, I can't find a
bad thing to say about this. (TK)
HIGH HEELS SLUT #6 (BELGIUM) JUNE 2003 Since the very first time I heard the HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS debut 7" on Alien Snatch! (including the superb "I Love Anna Kournikova" -check it!) I got hooked to this young and fresh German threesome. For their debut album they changed their bandname into THE KIDNAPPER, but you'd better check the interview for more details on that. Let's just say this album isn't as lo-fi recorded as the HSR 7", but they make your R'n'R heart bop in just the same way. These 12 tracks are a fuckin' cool blast, totally up the alley of stuff like the mighty RIP OFFS, SHRINKS and LOLI and THE CHONES (great rendition of "Everybody Hates Me"!). It has this cool 70's punkrock approach fuelled up with an overdose of genuine R'n'R and teenage kicks, so I'll bet you'll find yourself rawking out like a monkey when you put this under the needle. Better pay the ransom to get acces to this vinyl-only gem, right on!! (RW)
MAXIMUMROCKNROLL #241 (USA) MAY 2003 I dare anyone to make a better record this year.Seriously, this LP is the embodiment of what makes rock & roll great.It's catchy, it's trashy, it's fun and it's so fucking good that I am jealous. THE KIDNAPPERS are the all-grown-up incarnation of Germany's HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS. Beat-it, Chris and Steve, they aren't as lofi and have incorporated the MURDER CITY DEVILS' boom-swagger brand of rock and roll(as well as their keyboard lines) to their Rip Off records sound.They even throw in a LOLI &THE CHONES cover that exceeds my expectations.This band can do no wrong in my book.This band could be one of my all-time favorites (BM
SMASHIN
TRANSISTORS (USA)
JUNE 2003 STORY!!!!
READ THIS!!! The KIDNAPPERS "Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls"
(Alien Snatch! LP) The twin brothers in this band almost led me to getting a
beating once. I don't know 'em-I've never even met them but here's how it happened.
A few years back when the Smashin' Transistors radio program still existed-the
two of them were in a band called the High School Rockers. On their first EP,
"Danger!" there was a song called "I Love Anna Kournikova".
The entire record was a kickin' out of the tape hiss that made Rip-Off records
releases sound like Warp Tour productions but there was that something that
made that song stick out. This was at the time when Miss Kournikova and Sergie
Federov were an item. Federov's little brother (who's name I don't remember)
played on Port Huron's glorified Triple A hockey team the (now defunct) Border
Cats. He sucked but because of his name he had some marquee appeal so people
would come out to games just to watch him play. Even Sergie would take a ride
up from one of Detroit's poshier suburbs to these sticks to catch a game. It's
just so happens that one of the evenings that I was on the air and played the
song-He was here. After the record ended me and my co-host for the evening discussed
the finer points of the tune like lyrics such as "She's so pretty/She's
so cool/I want her to play/with my balls too" and how she's not even that
good of a tennis player but is one that is very easy on the eyes. During the
conversation the phone starts ringing and keeps doing so until we shut the mic's
off and play another song.
If that song is ever to be played again you will find yourself very hurt"
the voice yells over the line.
"Man, that's the worse Eastern Bloc accent I've ever heard" I tell
the person.
"I am from Russia!" the brogue voice tells me. I laugh nervously realizing
that the person who is notorious for doing weak accents is my co-host for the
evening "I AM SERGIE FEDEROV OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS! If that song is
ever played on your airwaves I will hunt and find you and a lesson will be learned
to you."
"Yeah, whatever."
"This is not a joke!" he screams as I hang up the phone. A couple
of days later the program director left me a message concerning a cease and
desist letter from someone claiming to be Federov's attorney. He seemed to think
it was a joke too. A couple days later I was in the bar across the street from
the arena and the bartender was telling a story about how Sergie and his brother
(he didn't remember his name either) were in the place a couple weeks before
and were talking about how they were gonna "hunt down that punk rock disc
jockey and smash his music across his face." It didn't really matter either
way because the season was ending, the owner of the team was teetering on bankruptcy
and Sergie's brother was already long gone outta town.
Who knows if Sergie spent the off season stalking around Germany look for these
guys. Maybe that's what brought on the name change. It could also be that they've
recently left the teenage years behind and wanted something more "mature"
sounding. Ahh yes! Maturity….It happens to the best of 'em. It's happened here.
No worries though. There's a lot more oomph than their early incarnation but
still no six figure recording budgets…probably closer to three figures actually.
Beat-It's voice has stopped cracking and he sounds like keeping it fit with
a steady diet of cigarettes and vodka. The bowing to the Supercharger altar
has stopped and now the rituals take place in in crowded roms where the gospel
of Little Richard is blaring (If "Teenage Fever" wasn't inspired by
"Ohh! My Soul!" I'll eat my hat), the KIDS lead the choir (Check out
the nod to "I Wanna Get A Job In The City" on "Break My Heart")
and Loli & the Chones are sitting in the corner for bad behavior ("Everybody
Hates Me" is covered here). Still hung up on young love it sounds like
the KIDNAPPERS are getting advances from Converse shoe'd and leather jacketed
trollops instead of trying to talk girls into going for a walk underneath the
bleachers. (Dale Merrill)
LOW CUT MAG (Denmark) DEC 2003 Former members of the great Teenage Rockers kick more old school punk rock butt with the same Supercharger/Rip-Offs/Havenots style rock’n’roll inspired rock’n’roll. This is slightly harder and tighter and even more catchy. Reminds me a bit of fellow German legends the PACK and also with a healthy dose of the KIDS thrown in for good youthful ambience and overall coolness. Includes covers of “Teenage Letter” and Loli & the Chones’ “Everybody Hates Me” so you know the heart is in the right place (and the brain probably fried). Shouted out vocals and super cool sound and a fucken cool cover. Catchy as Hell and rocking like a motherfucker. Pitch black padded inner sleeve a good quality production throughout I seriously doubt you’ll find better value for you hard-earned dole than this: 9.50 from the German mail-orders! Wow!(JG)
BLANK GENERATION (USA) MAY 2003 I was a huge fan of the two HIGH SCHOOL ROCKERS singles so when I heard that they had reformed as The KIDNAPPERS and had an album out on ALIEN SNATCH!! I got pretty damn excited. And for good reason - this record is top notch! The absolute basics are still the same with a simplistic 1-4-5 chord structure to a lot of the songs, but instead of going for a more toned down RAMONES meets SUPERCHARGER overall feel as the HS ROCKERS did, The KIDNAPPERS make everything louder, faster and about twenty times more exciting. It sounds like they're no longer constrained by the feeling that they had to sound a certain way and can now write songs that are much better suited to their talents. There's a lot more of a rockin' swagger to this record which makes things more interesting and the vocals by Beat-It are totally screamed now as opposed to being "sung" as they were before. They even have the sense to do a spot on cover of LOLI and THE CHONES "Everybody Hates Me". This album is a total adrenaline shot right to the heart!!! Highly recommended (JG)
VINYL
A-GO-GO (USA) JUNE 2003 I must be a fucking, pissing, shitting, dick
carving moronic retard. A month ago I was bitching about how many LPs ALIEN
SNATCH! kept sending me. Two packages, a month or so apart, of like three of
four LPs and a few ten-inches each. I love vinyl, I love my record player. For
the past three months all I did while in my bedroom was listen to vinyl and
work on elementary art projects. In the car I blasted my CDs. In my room it
was wax time. And yet I couldn’t ever find enough time to listen to all this
German promotional wax piled up from Alien Snatch!. Everyone who owns a car
and does a lot of driving (ME!) knows that driving is the best time to listen
to music. You can crank the dial without fear of neighbors or moms and dads.
You can stomp one foot and drive the other. You can take in several albums in
one trip and devote most of your time to truly listening (cuz who pays a lick
to the road signs and instant death-to-the-left anyway?). So, until the advent
of a tape deck to dupe my records (which happened right at the time that the
tape deck in my car crapped out) I was unable to listen to records frequently
and/or successfully. And so I pitched a fit. I whined. I cried. “I CAN’T review
all this wax! I can’t!”
My roommate Andy didn’t
understand.
It’s free isn’t it?
”Yeah.”
”It’s good isn’t it?”
”Well, I don’t know. I haven’t listened to much of it yet. It’s too daunting
a task.”.
”Then stop bitching and start listening. You’re so fucking procrastinatingly
obsessive.”
”Stop talking like I write.”
”Stop talking and write.”
”Right.”
I was being so retarded. ALIEN SNATCH! puts out good fucking shit. I mean, really
good fucking shit. You can’t find better punk rock and garage, in its raw and
poppy forms anywhere else aside from a few of the better U.S. labels. The fact
that nearly all of it comes in full-color sleeves with thick as a cock wax and
often with extra trimmings (posters, etc.) is pretty awesome.
And so three months after I nearly begged Daniel to send me some of his releases
(which he thankfully did) I am finally slagging through the stacks. And I’m
learning one thing. I’ve been missing out on a cataclysmic rock and roll high
that’s been steadfastly stalling in my box, waiting to be ripped to needle and
aurally imbibed. Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls being one of the most lethal
of the vinyl injectants wasting time next to my table. This is top-notch manic,
catchy, fuzztinged, infectious, punk rock/rock and roll.
To put out good shit you gotta know your shit and so the press releases accompanying
ALIEN SNATCH! releases are always right on the money, citing the exact influences
you hear when the plate hits the plat. So they mention Teengenerate and other
Japanese garage rockers. This is true, even if these three very white guys are
in fact from Germany (right? I think.). I guess perhaps it’s in the lips. They
sort of sing like a Japanese garage band. But not unlike a German garage band
(maybe they just steal Japanese hooks? I dunno. Or care really. It rules. That’s
all I care about.) And the songs have that fuzzy tunefulness of Japanese garage.
That cataclysmic catchyness. The kind of songs that, when at their fastest,
you can’t really understand how time is found to keep the hooks intact.
Not many albums blow your shit from first spin. Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls
definitely does and that’s due to its studied approach to making “catchy” garagey
punk rock. So it’s like a power-pop band knocked to its knees bleeding and spitting.
For fucks sake, they cover a Loli and the Chones song, and I love Loli and the
Chones and I don’t know anyone who does that. I sort of love this band. I mean,
they deserve your love too. Any smack it down and beat it up, shake it out and
trash it up, pop it out and crop it in, stand it up and sit it down, murder
it and shove it around rock and roll/pop/garage/whateverandwhathaveyou band
still prodding on in this desperate age deserves more love than my love stick
can bear to give. Give it! (LH)
CYCLOPS
ZINE (USA)
MAY 2003 “Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls”
is the debut LP from the KIDNAPPERS on ALIEN SNATCH! Records. The KIDNAPPERS
are from Germany and are a three piece containing two twins. These guys play
TEENGENERATE style trashed up punk rock. “A Bit Of Your Love” has a great riff
and sing-along chorus. If you like your punk rock nice and trashy the Kidnappers
are for you. “Close to You” has a real pop feel with a nice melody and real
singing. “Teenage Fever” is a 50’s style rocker with some funny lyrics “I want
a teenage fever. Hey, girl you really make me hot. Hey girl you really make
me hot. Hey girl you really make me hot.” I love the way “Break My Heart” builds
steam to a blistering rocker. “Excuse Me” is just a great song, the best on
the record. The chorus will be burned in your brain for days. The record ends
with another great 50’s style rocker. I am a sucker for this stuff. I guess
it was because I was raised on Elvis. It has a great guitar solo to boot. If
you like your punk rock nice and trashy the KIDNAPPERS are for you. Another
winner from ALIEN SNATCH!
NOW
WAVE MAGAZINE (USA) April 2003 The
thing about garage punk is that it’s a hit-or-miss style. The raw power, savage
fury, and stripped-down, simplistic charm of the music are all givens. If the
songs are catchy, then the style is great. But if the songs aren’t catchy, it
totally sucks.
The KIDNAPPERS play trashy, balls-out rock n’ roll that oozes sex, sweat, and
bawdy adolescent attitude. And their tunes are, thank God, catchy. Catchy as
fuck, in fact! The band’s debut LP is now on the street, and I haven’t heard
such an infectious, wildly-thrilling garage album since The HIVES’ last album
came out. Hell, these guys are even BETTER than The HIVES! Their lo-fi rock
n’ roll onslaught kicks it in the tradition of The RIP OFFS, TEENGENERATE, and
LOLI and THE CHONES (whom they cover here). After hearing
about 500 mediocre garage releases over the course of the past few years, it’s
a true pleasure to finally be floored by a band that totally GETS IT RIGHT!
This is sheer genius rock n’ roll---a primitive, melodic basement blitzkrieg
played with the joyous, million-miles-an-hour, thrashing exuberance of youth.
Singer Beat-It
screams like he’s having the time of his life, and every song is a rousing,
propulsive firecracker of an anthem that makes me want to jump up and down,
dance around my room, shout “Woo!”, and fuck all night! These guys are flat-out
incredible: the ferocity of their playing could wake the dead, and lying beneath
their raging wall of noise is a remarkable pop sensibility.
Just when I was ready to give up on garage punk altogether, this killer trio
comes along and completely reenergizes a played-out sub-genre. This LP
is just PERFECT! Fuck
The WHITE STRIPES. SCREW THE DATSUNS. The KIDNAPPERS ought to be the ones to
save rock n’ roll. (JR)
MESSABE BOARD MADNESS (HOLLAND) April 2003: ...Danny the King o' Snatch sent me some records right, and one of them was the KIDNAPPERS "Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls" LP. This record is amazing. If you kids haven't picked it up yet, do your self the favor and buy it right now. Right now, dont wait to read the rest of this. Just go buy it... i'll wait.... Got it? Good. So now you know how fucking genius this record is? Can you hear the way Beat-It's voice tetters between Spencer from the MURDER CITY DEVILS' boom swagger howl, to Fink TEENGENERATE´S scream? The way he croons like Trent MUMMIE? Dear god the man is enough to make the most anti-choice ganny's pantie's moist!!! The rock and roll insanity, the hooks, the scream along choruses!! This is everything great about rock and roll on 12"s of black plastic bliss. You kids know it, i know it, this is perfect. The world need more bands like the KIDNAPPERS
UNDERGROUND MEDICINE (USA) March 2003: Holy shit! I just got your box today. That Kidnappers is AWESOME!!!
[U][R][U] (SWEDEN) March 2003: I got it just the other day and I've only been able to listen to it a few times because i've been playing live quite a lot lately. It's different from your old stuff and i like the poppier stuff on the record the most. It definitley stands out as a great punk r n' r record though. Despite your youth it's obvious that you guys are great songwriters and the world certainly could use more off those, right? (Frederik)
FLYING REVOLVERBLATT (GERMANY) FEB 2010 Auch wenn die Kidnappers bei der Wahl ihres Bandnamens sicherlich nicht bedachten, so konnten sie mich mit ihrem Sound stets fesseln und gefangennehmen. Als Teenager starteten sie im Ländle als The Highschool Rockers und brachten alsbald unter ihrem heutigen Namen ein phänomenales Debütalbum heraus, welches geprägt war von 90s Garage-Punk Bands, die rüden Punk Rock mit eingängigen Melodien jenseits von Ramones-Clone-Langeweile verbanden. Nach einem Ausflug mit ihrem zweiten Album "Neon Sighs" zum legendären Spezialisten-Label Rip Off Records von Greg Lowery, sind sie nun wieder "zu Haus" bei Alien Snatch, zu dessen Affinität zu packendem Power Pop sie zudem bestens passen. Während die Kidnappers noch recht trashig und rasant im Sinne von Bands wie Teengenerate waren, sind sie längst mehr midtempo, poppig und emanzipierter und damit auf dem rechten Pfad. Auf "Protect You" verstehen es die jetzigen Hamburger, griffige, schmissige und legere Melodien mit Punk-Energie zu kombinieren. Diese zehn Songs werden gerade auch durch den markanten, heiseren, desperaten Gesang veredelt. Der eine oder andere Freund der ersten beiden Platten wird sich gewiß nicht mit dieser deutlich ruhigeren Platte anfreunden können, ich empfinde dies jedoch als als nachvollziehbare Linie und nicht einmal als Weiterentwicklung, es ist ein passendes Statement und ein formidables Hitalbum, welches rund-um-die-Uhr laufen darf. Mehr als je zuvor dominieren Girls-Themen die Platte, das erklärt vielleicht auch die fehlende Wut, die nun wechselnd Optimismus und Frustation ersetzt. Es ist ein Auf-und-Ab mit den Girls! Das passt jedoch zum Power-Pop Genre - Mädchenmusik für Jungs!. Und hierzu können die Kidnappers wahrlich ein auftrumpfendes Album hinzufügen, mit dem sich wenige messen lassen können. Würdigt diese Band und lasst Euch gefangennehmen! (CC)
OX
#94 (GER) FEB 2011:
Die gibt
es noch oder wieder? Kaum zu glauben, denn immerhin ist es schon vier Jahre
her, seit ihre letzte Platte „Neon Signs“ bei Rip Off Records erschien und die
Band mitten im Budget-Rock-Garage-Punk zwischen RIP OFFS und SUPERCHARGER platzierte,
obwohl sie dafür eigentlich schon immer zu viele Melodien unter den ganzen
Rotz gepackt haben. Inzwischen sind die Melodien mehr geworden, und der Rotz
wurde etwas zurückgeschraubt, solange das aber ganz im Geiste der MANIKINS
passiert, die zum Ende ihres Daseins hin einen ähnlichen Weg gegangen sind,
soll mir das absolut recht sein. Endlich wieder Bierspritzen in stickigen Jugendzentren
kurz vor dem Kreislaufzusammenbruch, Schwitzen, Rauchen, Rock’n’Roll und stinken
wie ein Iltis. Mitnichten ist es an den DICTATORS, Rock’n’Roll zu retten, das
Zepter wurde an die KIDNAPPERS weitergegeben. (8) (dk)
FLYING REVOLVERBLATT (GERMANY) SEP 2008 Die 2003 erschienene Debüt LP dieser süddeutschen Band wird hiermit als CD wiederveröffentlicht und als Bonus die drei Songs der Single bei Zakkon Records mit hinzugefügt. Inzwischen sind die drei Jungs bei Rip Off Records gelandet und haben vor einer Weile dort ihre „Neon Signs“ veröffentlicht. Ich kann leider nichts über diese Platte schreiben, aber ihr Debüt war phänomenal und kam für eine Band aus Deutschland absolut unerwartet. In entsprechenden Kreisen wurde das Album somit auch kräftig gefeiert. In perfekter Weise wurde zündender 70s Punk Rock mit R´n´R Appeal und Power Pop Melodien ala The Zeros mit In-Your-Face Garage Punk vom Schlage Teengenerate verkuppelt. Sträflicherweise habe ich die Platte lange nicht mehr gehört, aber nun nach einiger Zeit, brennt die Luft vom ersten Ton an. Schnell, druckvoll, bissig und absolut ansteckend zusammen mit souveränem, heiserem, desperatem Gesang reiht sich ein Hit an den anderen. Die drei Bonus Songs geben sich etwas langsamer und mehr noch in die Power Pop Ecke gehend. „Spanish Girls“ ist wieder ein verdammter Hit, während „Good Morning Cigarette“ etwas abfällt, „What The Cool Kids Say“ aus der Feder von Brian Hermosillo von The Fevers ist dann allerdings wieder ein Power Pop Smasher erster Kajüte …(C)
3RD
GENERATION NATION MARCH 2004 #27
Also das muss man dem Kollegen Rod Stewart aus Untergruppenbach ja zugute halten.
Für sein Alien Snatch Records kramt er immer wieder Bands hervor, die noch
nicht so in der internationalen Punkrock-Szene Fuß gefasst haben, aber
dennoch voll zu überzeugen wissen. So auch die Kidnappers, von denen ich
bis dato - trotz des populär anmutenden Bandnamens - noch nichts zuvor
gehört hatte. Hier wird das voll Rock'n'Roll-Brett gefahren, dass man sich
an glohrreiche Zeiten von Crypt- oder Ripp Off Records erinnert fühlt.
Der Sound dieses Trios ist irgendwo zwischen TEENGENERATE, BRIDES und PROBLEMATICS
anzusiedeln und dürfte sich dort auch pudelwohl fühlen. Innovationen
gibt es keine, dafür aber voll auf die Zwölf. Das reicht ja auch voll
aus. Und das gleich zwölf Mal ohne Ausfall. Grandiose Platte. (Abel
Wild, Fünf Sterne von Fünf!!)
TRIGGERFISH.DE
MARCH 2004
Dieses Trio aus deutschen Landen lässt es auf ihrer ersten Langspielplatte
in bester Teengenerate Manier gehörig krachen. Klar, das ist nicht neu,
denn das haben auch schon dutzende von Bands vor ihnen gemacht. Doch die Kidnappers
heben sich wohltuend von der Heerschar der Epigonen ab durch verdammt gutes
Songwriting, energisches Spiel und einer Produktion, die trotz des Stemples
"lofi as fuck" gehörig kickt. Erinnert mich stark an die Problematics,
neben Teengenerate wohl die einzige Band auf Rip-Off Records, die je was getaugt
hat. Trotz klar vorgegebener Marschrichtung verstehen es die Kidnappers ganz
ausgezeichnet, ihren Sound durch einen dicken Tupfer Bubblegum-Pop hier und
wirklich kleine Sprenkel von New Wave-Punk da immer frisch und - innerhalb der
natürlichen Grenzen des Genres Garagenpunk - auch abwechlungsreich zu halten.
Macht von vorne bis hinten Laune und Lust auf mehr. Gecovert wird übrigens
"Everybody Hates Me" von Loli & The Chones und heftig geklaut
wird bei der bereits zweifach erwähnten Japsen-Combo, was aber gar nicht
nötig gewesen wäre, sind die band-eigenen Songs doch wirklich gut
genug, um auf fremde Federn locker verzichten zu können. (Heiner
Eden)
OX
#50 (GER) MARCH 2003:
Hervorgegangen
aus den HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS, sind die KIDNAPPERS doch glatt nochmal ein gutes
Stück besser - alleine für die unglaubliche Killernummer "Close
to You", eine von Schmalz nur so triefende Nummer, ist die Platte ihr Geld
schon wert. Und sonst ziehen die KIDNAPPERS ihr ing, eigentlich poppige Punksongs
in einer krachigen und dabei doch sweeten Weise runterzurotzen, unglaublich
souverän durch. Mich erinner das in den besten Momenten an HUSKER DÜs
verzweifelten Kracher "Diane", wobei die KIDNAPPERS jedoch keinen
zweifel daran lassen, dass ihre Helden viel eher die RAMONE sind. Und natürlich
TEENGENERATE und nicht nur die RIP-OFFS, sondern auch LOLI & THE CHONES,
sonst würden sie deren "Everybody hates me" ja nicht covern.
Musik so cool und basal wie Lederjacke, Jeans und Chucks, das passt immer. (jh)
INCOGNITO
(GER) March 2003:
Nachfolgeband
der HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS, die mittlerweile auch schon in die Jahre gekommen sind
und deshalb ihren Namen in KIDNAPPERS geändert haben. Musikalisch hat man
sich auch beachtlich weiterentwickelt ohne jedoch die rohe Energie der frühen
Tage zu verlieren. Mit "Ransom Notes & Telephone Calls" legen
sie ein absolut zeitloses Punk Rock Album vor, das musikalisch stark an die
belgischen KIDS erinnert. Schon der erste Song "A Bit Of Your Love"
ist ein absoluter Hit, mit "Close To You" ist ihnen eine druckvolle
Punk'n'Roll Hymne gelungen, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" könnte auch vom
ersten REAL KIDS Album sein, dann gibt es mit "Everybody Hates Me"
(LOLI & THE CHONES) die einzige Coverversion. Harten Punk Rock im DEAD BOYS
Stil gibt es bei "Hard To Say" und "Hit The Road", das von
einer Orgel angetriebene "Marky Nimrod" besitzt eine ordentliche Portion
Popappeal und der letzte Titel "Maximum Rock'n'Roll" trifft den Nagel
bei diesem Album auf den Kopf. Kommt in extrem stylischen Artwork mit professionell
gemachten, coolen Poserphotos
GREEN HELL (GER) March 2003: Auf ALIEN SNATCH! erscheint zur Zeit eine geile Platte nach der anderen, aber das Debüt der KIDNAPPERS (ex- HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS) dürfte die Krönung sein: Schön schnoddriger Rip Off -style Punk mit ordentlicher Produktion und absolut eingängigen, toughen Chucks & Lederjacken Hymnen wie "Midnight ritz", "Maximum rock-n-roll" und "Close to you". Das klingt immer sau ausgelutscht und nach eingebautem Minderwertigkeitskomplex, aber mit "Ransom notes..." brauchen die KIDNAPPERS den internationalen Vergleich in keinster Weise scheuen!
FLIGHT13 (GER) March 2003: Geiler Scheiß Teil 2. Die neue Band um die Ex-Highschool Rockers Members mischen den Garagen-Markt auf. Nehmt den rauhen Garage-Punk von TEENGENERATE, etwas Rock der frühen MURDER CITY DEVILS und RAMONES-Punk und ihr habt den Kidnappers-Sound. Einfach genial! Wahrscheinlich würden Bands wie AGENT ORANGEheute so klingen ... 12 Tracks inkl. "everybody hates me" Cover. Natürlich super Aussehen.
MOLOKO PLUS (GER) March 2003: "PLATTE DER WOCHE" Verdammt gute Platte zwischen Rip Off-Bands (ohne den beschissenen Sound) und britischen 70er-Jahre-Bands wie RADIATORS und -ja- SKREWDRIVER. Nicht ohne Grund gibt's ein "Teenage Letter"-Imitat ("Excuse me"). Hinzu kommt ein wenig New Wave-Geschepper, so dass unter dem Strich ein 1A-Qualitätsalbum bleibt, das durch den rattenscharfen Gesang weitere Punkte gut macht. Tut euch einen Gefallen und schlagt hier zu. (tb)
mas alla del punk (SPAIN) AUG 2011: Bastante desapercibido ha pasado el nuevo disco de los Kidnappers, lo cierto es que el grupo parecía medio muerto y no se sabía mucho de ellos, además de que Alien Snatch ya no es un sello tan puntero como pudo ser hace unos años que estaba más de moda digamos. En cualquier caso los Kidnappers siguen evolucionando en la misma onda que han ido marcando durante sus discos anteriores, es decir, cada vez más pop. Como la publicidad del disco dice es muy del estilo del punk-power pop del 79 y tal. Guitarras en muchas ocasiones sin distorsión y bastante light, pero también es cierto que la forma de cantar de Beat It les dá un toque un poco más fuerte, además, sigue trayendo algunos rompe-pistas más agresivos como "Sally" o el super-hit de "Nothing's gonna Change". También han mejorado en producción, aunque tengo entendido que grabaron las baterías en su local de ensayo y el resto poco a poco en casa, les ha quedado muy muy bien producido. Parece de estudio. Por lo demás, no te asustes, si te gustó "Neon Lights" este te encantará igualmente, menos agresivo pero está mejor hecho, no se decantan tanto por la velocidad pero mantienen el mismo tipo de melodías. Muy bueno, engancha a tope. Esperemos que para promocionarlo un poco les dé por visitar la península.(Raul)
oscarkotj.blogspot.com (SPAIN) AUG 2011: Hace años me quede con la copla de su primer disco al ver la portada en uno de los millones de catalogos de discos que pululan por la red, una portada que llamaba la atención y una caída en el olvido de millón de discos que jamás comprare. El caso que una copia de este disco aparece en mi buzon y tras ponerlo en el tocadiscos, el trio alemán no me deja impasible, temazos de power pop de esos que te tocan la fibra, temas que te traen a la memoria lo mejor de sello Stiff , temas que les valio que Rip Off les editara su segundo disco en los Usa, con el empaque que eso puede dar a una banda, de vuelta a la discográfica que los vio nacer, ponen tu corazón de rock and roll a latir como un teenager enamorado desde que “Milkshake” abre el disco, un tema que no me canso de escuchar y que se codea con lo mejor de Gentlemen Jesse, la inmediatez de los Clash, la melodía de los Buzzcocks, la entrega de los Beat de Paul Collins y el fantasma de los Ramones dejando constancia de que fueron una de las bandas mas influyentes del mundo, todo eso se encuentra en este disco, que tiene temas tan recomendables como “Heartbeat”, “She won’t come home” o “Message on my Mirror” con un estribillo brutal, además de chulesco rock and roll lleno de punk rock “Nothing’s gonna change”, un disco que no me canso de escuchar y a cada nueva escucha, cada uno de sus temas me parece memorable. Quedate con su titulo “I will protect you” yo mientras tanto voy a localizar sus anteriores discos.(Oscar)
NDF
(SPAIN) JULY 2003: Siempre
tendrán mi eterno agradecimiento estos tres señores (dos de ellos
gemelos) por crear ese clásico del rock"n"roll (si, dentro
de algunos años te arrepentirás de no haberlo pillado) llamado
“I love Anna Kournikova”. Esta señorita no ganará ningún
torneo de tenis, pero quien lo necesita, con su cuerpo y esta canción
su existencia esta más que justificada. Ahora estos tres chavales holandeses/alemanes
han vuelto con nuevo nombre y nuevo sonido y lo han hecho abandonando aquella
música predominantemente ramoniana para abrazar la religión que
hizo grande a los TEENGENERATE y Rip Off Records, con mención especial
para los LOLI AND THE CHONES, de los que hacen una salvaje versión del
“Everybody hates me”, y los REDS, de los que en ciertas ocasiones la voz tiene
bastantes trazas. Doce canciones en las que cohabitan con inusual simpatía
la ferocidad, el salvajismo y la potencia con una señalada sensibilidad
pop. Rock and roll primitivo, básico y excitante con toneladas de melodía.
Abre el álbum una fantástica “A bit of your love” que te hará
saltar como un energúmeno en tu habitación. Más tarde te
encontrarás con, para mi, el mejor corte, “Close to you”, que te dejará
reventado de gozo. Para cuando llegues a “Break my heart” tus piernas apenas
te mantendrán de pie. “Excuse me” y “Marky nimrod” te remataran para
acabar en el suelo roto de satisfacción con un ultrarrápido R"n"R
llamado como la famosa revista, “Maximum r"n"r”. Solo de pensarlo
estoy agotado y exhausto. Una inyección de pura adrenalina adolescente
que ayuda a hacer este mundo mas habitable. ¡¡¡¡¡Guauuuuuuuu!!!!.
(Paco Blan B)
RUMORE 140 (ITA) SEPT 2003: Chiudiamo, infine, con i tedeschi KIDNAPPERS e il loro debut LP Ransom notes and telephone calls (Alien Snatch Records):12 meravigliose tracce viniliche, che sputano autentica passione rock'n'roll, con il trio germanico che si diverte a suonare un mix esplosivo di 50's rock'n'roll, power pop,lo-fi garage punk.Teengenerate-style meets Rip offs e Registrators.C'é pure la cover di Everybody hates me,pezzo di una mitica lo-fi punk'n'roll band dei 90's, i Loli & The Chones. Se volete farvi un regalo,concedetevi quest'eccitante abbuffata e orgia di suoni rock'n'roll.(Gabriele Barone)
THE HIGHSCHOOL
ROCKERS
"I love Anna Kournikova"
(Teentrash Series Vol. 1) 7"
UP YOURS Nov. 2000 Belgium: What actually was my first encounter with this label was a 7" out of a series, called 'Teen-Trash', featuring a local German band, THE HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS. Besides being cool pals and gig-attending friends of main headhoncho Daniel, this 3-some blow my mind. Infact they sort of gave a renewed faith for me in bored teenagers and down-to-earth urging primitive lowfi punk'n'roll. Cause that what The Highschool Rockers are all about : blasting, pure adrenaline, energetic spewing PUNK'n'ROLL spelled with huge capital letters. Teengenerate, Supercharger and a shitload of hidding 'KbD'-obscurities are all pretty well absorbed in the minds of Beat-It High, Crizzy High and Arne High. This is material who needs to be expose to the world by labels like RipOff, HighSchoolReject, KenRock, … These 4-track were recorded in one day, they way it was done back in the late 70s, when the only aim of the dozens of punkunits was to reach their 3 minutes of fame the sooner the better. The tracks are plain gorgeous, full of snot, backed with grabbing background choruses and blowing fire and brimstone from the basic 3-chord wonders they produce. The review I gave this 7" in the last AFM created a haze around these addicted fans of A. Kournikova and introduced me to the hidden treasures of ALIEN SNATCH! Records
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL # 202 March 2000: One of the first things I learned in German class is that there ain´t no high school in Deutschland, rather, teenagers attend either the Gymnasium or a trade school if they´re not up the snuff. The STIPJES meet the STEVE McQUEENS or any number one of those European RIP OFF-ish bands that populated the barren landscape of the 1990s. Rough and fuzzy around the edges, youthful, earnest. FUN. The cargo pants are unfortunate choice, but one we can overlook (jh)
HITLIST Vol.2/Nr.2 June/July 2000: Vol. 1 in a series called "Primitive Twin-Twist Teen-Trash Series". That title pretty much does my review for me. Sped up, cranked SUPERCHARGER. 4 songs, real shit, fetch !(BAM)
BLANKGENERATION.COM, e-zine: Part 1 in German label ALIEN SNATCH's "Teen Trash Series." Makes me misty-eyed for the early Rip Off lo-fi trash. A few years ago, this stuff came out every time you blinked, not anymore. Sounds like LOLI & THE CHONES' "Straightjacket Baby" 45, if that helps. Side A kicks the crap outta' Side B. 600 copies, 4 tunes. If you have any interest in the genre, this'll be just what the doc ordered.. (Todd Trick Knee)
FLIPSIDE # ??? June 2000: Mid tempo punk that is just about as crude as it gets. i like this. high energy, no fidelity, good time slop. This is volume #1 of this German label's teen-trash series and i hope they can keep crankin' out more of the same. If this trio ever learns too much finesse, however, it is all over. this four song blast of controlled incompetence reminds me of SUPERCHARGER, from the cheap outer space graphics, to the beyond simple rock and roll riffage, to the untrained harmonies, right down to the use of some of the cheesiest piano imaginable on the closer, get drunk. "I love Anna Kournikova" and "Move Your Feet" could pass for RAMONES demos....if they weren't so trashy. Bonus points for using the same last name.(?)
NOW WAVE MAGAZINE #11 Jan 2000: Here's an idea i love: an underground rock label decides to unleash a tasty series of trashy, juvenile, spirited garage rock 'n' roll records! Cool, man! ALIEN SNATCH records is very quickly rocketing to the top of the "rock labels that matter" mountain, and its "Teen Trash" series is sure to delight rock 'n' roll fans all over the globe! The concept seems so simple, but its appeal is undeniable: capture a whole slew of young, raw, exuberant garage punk bands doing their thing with vigor and fury! There is likely to´be very little sonic difference between the highschool rockers and any of the other "Teen Trash" bands. But so what? It's not like fun, catchy, primitive, lo-fi rock 'n' roll is ever going to go out of style! The highschool rockers open the series in unruly fashion: they blast out four feral, spirited, sloppy, upbeat wild punk smashers in the classic lo-fi tradition (i would compare them to other bands, but i'm trying to cease such lameness. The highschool rockers shouldn't have to be the "next supercharger". Let them be the one-and-only highschool rockers!). Tap your toes! Shake your hips! Sing along! The highschool rockers kick out the loud frenzied jams that you lo-fi enthusiasts cannot possibly resist! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yow! This is an unqualified good time! (Josh Rutlegde)
ANOTHER FINE MESS #7: Stuttgart based blast-o-rama on a primitive lowfi layer, but nonetheless grabbing and sticking inside your overdosed brain like the first STEVE MCQUEENS, SUPERCHARGER and TEENGENERATE 45´s. There´s several things besides the before mentioned brackround that speak in a favour of THE HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS. One we´re dealing with 3 real teens, who´ve decided that the actual worthwhile things in punknroll hat to be searched in the past decades. Second the 4 tracks here were recorded and done in one day and still maintaned in a good enough songfeel about them, keeping the "RADIO X" - " RIP OFF RECORDS" spirit in mind. Third the outcome is fast, full on bloodpumpin´and hyperactive neurotic, but´s it´s loud and there´s no time wasted trying to work on overdubs and shit like that. In other words it´s raw and pure in its bare naked debut format ! And fourth songtitles such as " I love Anna Kournikova" , " Get Drunk", "Move your feet" THE HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS clearly show they´ve got the attitude, the nerve and the balls to shove their blend of primitive, twisting, raging danger teentrash up the throats of the waiting audiences. Do yourself a favour and get THE HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS in the house. Your house will be crashed, but you´ll end up with a fine feel anyhow ! (bowy)
CARBON14 #17 July 2000: Damn, i had to check to see if this was playing at the right speed before i started writing. yep, 45 rpm. fuck, what's up with this band? i mean, the shit is good, but man, get into a studio with at least one microphone instead of a pair of headphones taped together. The sound is basic, like amped-up '50's rockabilly filtered through snotty punk. Oh.... .recorded at the NEW WAVE HOOKERS' headquarters. that explains everything. a good song is a good song, and this slab has four of 'em. but it's really hard to apprecitate them with a recording this poor. Ah shit, maybe my needle is broken again. (erik caplan)
MOSHABLE #20 April 2000: What a uncool name but what a 7" Rocking SUPERCHARGER crossed with GAUNT type lofi-punkrock. Four cool tracks about booze, Anna Kournikova and other very day desires. FUCKING GOOD SHIT ! Hope we hear more from this trio (sn)
USELESS EARLYRIPES #13: Phew, also allmählich läuft ja Deutschland Amerika den Rang ab, was das Release von von musikalischen High-Quality-Produkten angeht. Nach den Nordlichtern von Fanboy Records macht sich jetzt das kleine aber feine ALIEN SNATCH ! RECORDS Label daran, wirklich exorbitantes Tonmaterial unter der Trashgemeinde Deutschlands zu verstreuen und sich so binnen von Monaten eine feste Fan- und Käufergemeinschaft zu rekrutieren ( hoffentlich !!!!). Die Teen-Trash Serie Vol.1 geht dann auch gleich mit DEM Überhammer schlechthin an den Start - der primitive Twin-Twist der Zwillinge Beat-It ( guitar, vox) & Crizzy High (bass) läßt in Zusammenarbeit mit Trommelfell-Terrorist Arne an energetischen, kurzweiligen ( die Songs sind allesamt unetr 2 Minuten !) Punk Rock Blast Offs in klassischer RIP OFFS Tradition nix zu wünschen über. Titeltrack " I love Anna Kournikova" ist vielleicht noch der melodischte Tune der Vier und erinnert in seiner gnadenlosen heruntergeschrubbten Melodiösität an selige TEENGENERATE Tage. Track 2 und 3 - " Move your feet" und "She don´t care" könnten so durchaus aus der Feder des ZODIAC KILLERS Greg Lowery stammen. Track Numero 4 -"Get Drunk" setzt dem ganzen dann mitdem hämmernden JERRY LEE LEWIS Piano eines gewissen Herrschel Martian die Trash-Krone auf. Aufgenommen wurde diese im wunderschönen SUPERCHARGER- Collagen-Saurier-Sägezahn-Design daherkommende Single an nur einem tag im NEW WAVE HOOKERS HQ, dass sich als wahres LOFI-Mekka entpuppt. Und so lassen sich gt. Pecker-Blitzman und Boom-Boom Valdez natürlich nicht nehmen, auch nochihr musikalisches Scherflein zum Gelingen dieser auf 600 Stück limitierten Single beizutragen, Mitch meinte nach 9 Takten, ob ich da die neue STATICS laufen hätte... wenn das mal nicht qualitätsbekundung genug ist (1,0/SC)
Ox-FANZINE #38, April 2000: " I love Anna Kournikova" ?? YOU GODDAMMN ´FUCKIN´ KIDS, YOU !! Ok, jetzt paßt mal gut auf, Junior ! Seit Beginn der Menschheit war die prädominante Triebfeder hinter jeglicher Form sonoren oomphs einzig und allein jene, welche ich dir mitteilen werde, sobald ich ma Doppelpunkt angekommen bin: SEX !!! GUTER SEX !! LITTLE RICHARD hatte guten Sex, die HELLACOPTERS haben schlechten SEX, YOUTH OF TODAY hatten überhaupt keinen Sex. Ya dig ? Was ist aus kulturellen Werten wie Mamy van Doren und Kitten Navidad geworden ? Wie soll ich die Kraft aufbringen, mich jeden morgen aufs Neue aus dem Bett zu quälen, wenn ich weiß, dass der Jugend von heute beim Anblick blonder, bolschewistischer Filzballbimbos die Suppe im Sack zusammenläuft ??? Fuckin´ Kids !! Öööhm, gute Platte ansonsten, die " Teentrash 45" der HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS. Die Lettern des Bandnamen bei der TEENGENERATE-Rip Off 45 geborgt, die ditties aus den SUPERCHARGER und STATICS Nachlaß entwendet... das riecht nach kollektivem Moutty. Jetzt wo Greg Lowery´s ex-Freundin mit seiner Kohle durchgebrannt ist, werden LOFI-Bands gefragter denn je sein. Für den Erwerb dieses geschmackvoll aufgemachten Produktes sprechen ferner: 1) Die Knaben High sind zu jung, um zur voherrschenden " bad hair band gone lofi" Garde zu zählen 2) zu jenem Zeitpunkt, als den HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS die ersten Pickel auf dem Popo sprossen, war LOFI eigentlich bereits komplett passé, weshalb er jetzt wieder gnadenlos angesagt ist. Aber Dreadlocks ? Kinnbärte ? FUCKIN `KIDS !!! (nj)
PlASTIC BOMP #30 April 2000: 4 Teenage-Trash-Hymnen, von einer klassischen Drei-Sonnenbrillen-Besetzung. Ganz in der Tradition der SUITERS und STEVE McQUEENS. Daß die Aufnahmen von den NEW WAVE HOOKERS gemacht worden sind verleiht dem ganzen die notwendige Authenzität. Liebhaber des Genres werden begeistert sein (Swen)
HEARTBREAKER #1 , ezine: Nachdem uns ALIEN SNATCH die JOHNNIES und DEMONICS auf Vinyl präsentierte, sind die HIGHSCHOOL ROCKERS nun die zweite geile Band aus heimischen Gefilden (first ODDBALL´S), die auf diesem kleinen aber umso feineren Label gelandet sind. Das mit den Highschool Rockern könnte auch stimmen. Die sind verdammt jung und wer über unsere Lieblingstennisspielerin einen Song macht ("I Love Anna Kournikova", wenn sie wüsste wie ich auf dem Eis rumflitze) hat schon gewonnen. Garage Punk wie er mir gefällt. Sich ein wenig auf die Schippe nehmen und alles nicht ganz so verbissen angehen, scheint mir das richtige Rezept zu sein. Die Songs passen durch die Bank weg in eine der feinen Pizza & Coke Sendungen. Wie wär's Barny? (SickSpice77)
FLYING REVOLVERBLATT #21 , Sep. 2000 : Deutschlands Supercharger Möchtegerne von den STEVE MCQUEENS haben mit dieser Band aus dem Schwabenländle jetzt Konkureenz bekommen, denn diese drei Teens bratzen hier 4x scheppernden LOFI-Punk herunter, der sich echt blciken lassen kann. Einfach und ohne Schnörkel , aber doch eingängig ! Stilecht ist das Ganze in einem schwarz.weiß Cover mit dem Godzilla und den Rockern mit Sonnenbrillen verpackt.( Karl)
RIVERSIDE JUNIOR #5 , Aug. 2000 : Deutschlands neue Hoffnung in Sachen Drei-Akkorde-LoFi-Punkrock. Kommt gut uns steht in der Tradition solcher Bands wie TEENGENERATE und aufgrund des jungen Alters könnte man vielleicht sogar von männlichen DONNAS in ihrer Frühphase sprechen. "I love Anna Kournikova" ist direkt schon mal ein Knaller und ich muss gestehen, auch die Anna selbst ist ein Knaller. Um´s Kurz zu machen: Der Rest ist genauso überzeugend, wobei bei "Get Drunk" das primitive Piano noch mal einendraufsetzt Rockt ! ( Karl)
