Thrills

N.A.F.I.T.C. (2004)

Jesse Raub

Saddle up folks, and get ready for another trip down memory lane with another Bacchus Archives release. No this isn't that country/pop act that's breakin' up the airwaves, but rather a '77-'81 rip-off punk outfit from Boston. This band's connection to fame would be that Kevin "GG" Allin had a short lived stint as the drummer. As always with Bacchus, this release is collection of songs spanning the groups short career, some recorded live, some from a studio.

Rather than being compared to The Ramones or fellow female fronted group, Blondie, the Thrills sound a lot more like the grungy side of The Pretenders coming out it full force, something that I always wanted from The Pretenders. Barb Kitson's vocals are gorgeously rich clear, even in the dirtiest live recordings. While the influence of The Ramones is a lot more clear in their earlier material(I mean, c'mon, everything was recorded from late '77-early '79), song structures are more characterized by walking bass lines and loose-high hat drumming with intelligent, fills as the band matured.

This CD offers a good mix of songs. Fast burners like "Drano Enema" or "David Berkowitz Blues" blaze through four chords faster than most bands could even imagine at that time, while "Hey" and "I'll Be the Heartbreaker" have much more of a 50s-60s throwback sound, complete with undistorted guitar. "Nothin' But a Two Bit Whore" stands out as a poppy rocker with raw energy.

Overall, it's a solid release of lo-fi recorded material. Recommended for fans of the '77 punk scene, or The Pretenders.