The Hammerbombs - Goodbye, Dreamboat
Punk rock that refuses to grow up and get real jobs
The Hammerbombs are Oakland's answer to The Queers- punk rock that refuses to grow up and get real jobs, but a sound that has been sorely lacking in today's all too friendly music landscape. One of my fondest memories as a young punk was being gifted a copy of The Queers' compilation CD A Day Late and a Dollar Short. Comprised of short, snotty, fuck you type of punk rock songs, I was forever drawn to the Shakespearean scrawl of lyrics like "I want c*nt / I want it now"- and I was a punk forever. The Hammerbombs don't quite get as in your face as the Queers did, but they do have songs like "Full of Shit" and the eloquently titled "Mother Mother Fucker Fucker"- and that's good enough for me.
Goodbye, Dreamboat is what snotty punk rock should sound like- a little lacking in the production, but made up for it by the snotty attitude, short songs, humor, and healthy amount of well-placed "woah woahs". While the Queers influence is clear, there are elements of The Eyeliners- all of who trace their lineage back to the Ramones. The male/female vocal combination already means that vocally, it's better than The Queers (sorry Joe), and songs like "Stupid Love Songs", powered by Jen Louie's terrific vocals, are a great example that punk rock attitude is an equal opportunity "fuck you" of the best kind.
Most of the album is without fuss, without self-indulgent, pretentious BS- and best of all, only one song clocks in at over 3 minutes. It's all very welcomed- and a blast from beginning to end without it ever letting up. If you miss snotty punk rock in today's overly saccharine punk music landscape, rest easy knowing there are still plenty of bands like The Hammerbombs to kick that notion swiftly in the ass. And while Goodbye, Dreamboat isn't quite Love Songs for the Retarded, it's pretty close.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3005636007 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=1440694026]