Taxi, can I get I ride to the 90s? The longest way possible. I am not a fan of the people who are nostalgic, those wise braggers who have lived through everything and who separate music by eras and genres based on subjective reasons. We often yearn for the past without even being aware that it wasn’t always that good. On the other hand, punk-rock of the 90s was something that made your eyes sparkle, your ears wet and your balls empty. When I was growing up, this was probably my favorite type of music. I didn’t fully understand it, but I really appreciated the fashion that went along with it.
Descendants were formed in 1977 and Hypercaffium Spazzinate is their first album since 2004. The clocks are turned upside down. In 2016, you can dive in into 16 simple, energetic, emotional, melodic and fun punk-rock tunes that resemble the glorious days of the punk, only a bit softer. Descendents have hiatus for fetish, with their career peaking in the 80s when Milo Goes To College and I Don’t Want To Grow Up earned them a cult status. Anyway, this album smells like the 90s.
All the current members of the band operate with nostalgia in the greatest manner possible. They use it as an instrument for their talent. The themes are the same as they were 30 years ago. Emotions are not suffused with pathetic lines and the self-joking approach is spot on. Anger, energy, velocity, seriousness, self-awareness. Lyrics are not attached to a certain names, places or times so you can apply them to everyday situations and use them as mini punk therapies.
In composing, they sound impressive, especially the bass of Karl Alvarez. I don’t think I have ever heard something like that in punk. Considering that Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton produced the album, this is a true collective piece of punk art. Milo Aukerman, the band’s icon and caricature from the covers sings powerfully and melodically at the same time.
Hypercaffium Spazzinate stands as a proof that Descendents are the funniest seniors who don’t want to grow up.
