Dead End Kids - I’m So Bored with the UK (No Front Teeth, 2004)

Sometime in the mid to late  90's I bought a split 12 inch by The Spent Idols and The Dead End Kids. The Spent Idols side consisted of punk covers and made my shorts dirty with pleasure. The Dead End Kids side included mostly originals and probably the best Stanglers cover I've ever heard ("London Lady"). I eventually tracked down full lengths by both of these acts and over the years The Spent Idols have been the background music for a number of debauched evenings in and around the suburbs of Cleveland and wherever else I've had the displeasure of living. But, Mike Spent has fallen off the face of the earth - he might be in a retirement home by this point. The Dead End Kids, however, continue on in the spirit of those evenings, even though I doubt that they're ever about to come anywhere near my home for a show. Regardless, they released a new slab subsequent to that 12 inch. I first plopped it down in my portable cd player, tossed it in my pocket and hopped on my bicycle. The voice was that same nasally-snotty yelp that I recalled for years prior. The effect on the guitar was roughly the same and the songs were short as all get out. I'm So Bored with the UK clocks in at less than 45 minutes and includes five live tracks on top of the 14 studio-style. So, they skimp on quantity. But what about quality you may well inquire. Unfortunately they skimp on that as well. "Johnny Thunders Killed My Friends" is the first offering and unfortunately the title is more intriguing than the song actually is. Following that, the ubiquitous tracks about crappy radio culture and speaking without any substance pour in. Fortunately there is a song titled "Dinosaur". And while the track is nothing more than punky drivel, it at least made me think about Jonathan Richman. And I like him - well the Modern Lovers. 

None of this whole damned record is mixed well either. But I guess that's punk, though.  Each track sounds muddled in a completely different way. I feel pretty freakin' awful sayin' this considering the fond feelings that I have regarding the band, but that's how it goes. The guitar and bass are on par with any average punk band, but the drumming can make ya wince every once in a while - if not on every track. Perhaps the years between my introduction to these folks and my re-acquaintance has made the difference between appreciation and horror, but that just means that the Dead End Kids haven't changed and perhaps I have. At least they're still making music that doesn't sound like it belongs on the radio. But seriously, go find that split 12 inch with the Spent Idols.  There have to be some out there still. Maybe by the time ya'll find a copy, the Dead End Kids will have put out something new that doesn't make me wanna listen to a metronome.