Anonymously submitted EP
Punk is a word often used to describe music that may sound a little crap but promises a band sweating it out onstage to give you one of the best performances you'll ever witness in your life. Recently, Rancid's very own Matt Freeman was diagnosed with lung cancer and with this I realised how punk is slowly dying out and mutating into something totally different. When Radio 1's the Lock Up hits the airwaves every Tuesday night, we're not treated with real punk bands such as the legendary Subhumans or even the UK Subs. Instead the slot is plagued with the likes of washed out pop bands like Green Day or the men in make-up, Avenged Sevenfold. So what has happened to our underground punk scene? Why are we no longer entertained at our local pub by crusty punk bands? I believe that in their new EP 'Greetings From Wasteland', Anonymous Tip give us the definitive answer.
Recorded in their South-West London homes, the Anonymous Tip guys show us that anyone can make an EP without having to buy into recording time at some Mayfair recording studio but alas this is where the sound suffers. All parts of the EP were recorded at different places. For example the Bass is recorded at vocalist Sanj's bedroom in Shepperton. This makeshift recording certainly gives the general sound of the record a distinctive tone but unfortunately the sound is nothing to be impressed by and is somewhat discomforting. Still this is punk...
'No frills punk' best describes the general attitude of the band in each song, each track seems to have been composed without any intention in making the song vibrant or interesting to listen to. Some of the tracks have the classic 'moon-ska' moment in which the band shoves a ska break down into a song. Opening track 'Big Brown Bear' is a good example of this, cutting from indigestible, fast paced punk to a lighter ska moment, which brings a flash of comedy to the piece. Obviously you're not supposed to take a band like Anonymous Tip too seriously, especially when they sing about Marge Simpson and Octopuses.
Although I have found it hard to appreciate this EP for what it's worth, I have noticed the drumming supplied by Taran Spear is nothing short of being tight and insane. It's a shame the rest of the music cannot live up to the great solos the band's drummer provides.
So Anonymous Tip are a great example of why punk is slowly dying. Since it's beginnings back in 1960's, punk music really hasn't progressed or improved and if it does progress, it loses that mentality that punk traditionally carries. The reason I rate this EP so low is not on how punk the band are but on how they are stuck in the mud. They can either continue to be a band playing punk and not progress any further in terms of success or change their sound and let punk die in the suburbs.