With go-getting quality and brash assertion, the Dishes come up with a fresh new look at punk while still being able to maintain their genuine feeling. Featuring themes of aggression and political motivations with racing spirit tunes like the catchy "Shotgun" and the feverish "Fishnets," the Dishes rival the best of punk's finest. Bringing out their influences, such as the Ramones, the group fires away the melodies with gripping hooks and intense percussive statements. In a word, they seem to catapult their music with great fervor and zest, tasting its rewards with raw power. The Dishes play with spunk -- call it spunk punk if you will -- with a gritty feel. They are unique in their presentation, with their own sense of rambunctious individualism. The powerful throat of vocalist Sarah Staskauskas delivers genuine messages for true punk fans, sometimes extreme and haunting. "Fishnets" is powerful and cocky, with "Are You Free" violent and filled with groans. "Outta Sight" provides the theme of a terrible love feud. Through tunes like "This Box" and "Fishnets," the Dishes have no trouble expressing the misrepresentations of sex and spirit -- sexuality as physical and the body as spirit. With these songs mixed in a soup of fun-loving and energetic punk, the listener is left with no choice but to absorb this meaningful and noteworthy achievement of a record spinning on their turntable. A crowning work for the Dishes, who with 1-2 have put the spark back into punk rock.
© Shawn M. Haney /TiVo