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Exploding
Fuck Dolls: Crack the Safe
The Exploding Fuck Dollsgot your attention enough to check out the review, eh? The name itself raises some sort of curiosity in the back of your head that nagging, damned curiosity. Turns out that they were (and are) an Orange County street punk band consisting of a core of two brothers, the Godoys, and a revolving cast of transient musicians. There were three main incarnations of the E.F.D. beginning sometime in 1991 around the streets of southern California, on up until a forced change in 93 and then another in 97. The band reunited yet again sometime in 2003, but whether or not they have recorded any new material is beyond me. This record, Crack the Safe, is a collection of their recorded material studio, 4-track and some live between the years of 91 and 97, capturing their changes in lineup and sound. Although its a bit spotty (the songs are not in consecutive order), the track arrangement on the disc works pretty well, and as a whole the album moves coherently. Personally, I find that some of the later tracks on the album are the better ones. Unfortunately, these tracks are from the bands first incarnation with Kevin Edman as the frontman. This lineup did not last too much longer than a year, as a result of Edmans battle with heroin. Fusing fast-paced Johnny Thunders influenced rock n roll with gritty, cali punk, the E.F.D. had a great, unique sound. In October of 1992, Edman was found by his band members lifeless, staring fittingly at a Thunders poster on his wall. Next up to bat was now well-known Duane Peters (US Bombs and The Hunns), who after being bumped from bass found his voice and leadership in this band. He assumes a Johnny Rotten sneer and a semi-preachy punk role as the frontman. These tracks I find myself having a bit of a hard time with; this incarnation is straight up snotty cali punk. On Peters departure, the band toured as a three-piece for a bit sharing all duties. Their next frontman was found randomly when the band, weary from the road, approached a stranger slinking down their street late at night. He was asked to sing, and that he did. Chris Swanson adopted a Joe Strummer snarl to fit his look and hit the road with the band. Again, the band seemed to transform themselves into a slight, little brother version of a grander band, losing a bit of their previous uniqueness. This said, if youre looking to bulk up your tattooed Cali snot-punk collection or youre a sucker for O.C. punk history, this collection is for your stacks. The liner notes, jointly written by the Godoy boys are a nice little documented glimpse into another west coast scene with which Im not all too familiar. For me, its just a nice piece of the past.
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