Buzzcocks - Flat-Pack Philosophy
The Buzzcocks, after 30 years of producing exciting and influential punk-rock, are poised to tour again in support of their latest album, Flat-Pack Philosophy. They will...hold on...30 years?! Blimey...
The Buzzcocks offer a well-balanced blend of the two typical punk sounds found on either side of the Atlantic: the roughness of British punk and the catchy choruses more readily associated with American punk-pop. The resultant songs are thus memorable whilst also retaining an edgy, dangerous tone. 'Wish I Never Loved You' is a fantastic pop song, with its glorious, almost Beach Boy-esque harmonies and feel-good solos. 'God What Have I Done', a vaguely haunting, pounding song, boasts the album's best lyric: "Breakfast in the room was continental // so I went to find a small café". Genius. 'Soul Survivor', which seems to tell the story of a car crash, is another stand-out track.
Lyrically, it's nice to see a fairly old band getting their teeth into a bit of an attack on modern society. 'Credit' begins with a recording of one of those monotonous talking self-service counters you get at Tesco. As the recorded voice jabbers away, asking the listener 'have you swiped, or scanned, your clubcard?' the guitars jump in staccato and the band launches into an attack on "Designer clothes" and "Videophone with all the latest ringtones", as the vocalist laments "Wish I could get something I really needed". The song closes with the same women repeating over and over "Please wait for assistance" which, I would sincerely like to believe, is because the customer has become frustrated and attacked the machine...here's hoping.
Weighing in at just over thirty-six minutes for fourteen tracks, which averages out a typical song to be two-and-a-half minutes, Flat-Pack Philosophy is a fairly short affair. Many of the songs seem to come to a rather abrupt end just when you were getting into them and you're often left feeling: "Eh? Is that it?" Additionally, it's not as though each song is a new and original piece of work - but then again what did you expect from a punk band?
Flat-Pack Philosophy is a consistent, listenable and meaningful record. Over the years the Buzzcoks have certainly learnt how to write a good song, although they may not be doing anything notably new. Enjoyable.