Roughly 25 years after the influential band
Huggy Bear split up, one of the group's vocalists,
Chris Rowley, returned to music in the band
Adulkt Life. Teaming with two members of
Male Bonding (guitarist
John Arthur Webb and bassist Kevin Hendrick) and drummer Sonny Barrett,
Rowley makes the most of his comeback. He yells, shouts, cajoles, croons wickedly, and sneers his way through the band's debut,
Book of Curses, like barely a minute has passed since
Huggy Bear's heyday. His lyrics are bitingly political, his stance is revolutionary, and he commands the center of the mix like a tiger stalking around his cage looking for someone to tear to shreds. The band have a tall order keeping up with
Rowley; they give him exactly the kind of background his words and voice deserve. Alternately thrashing like the offspring of
the Nation of Ulysses ("Stevie K") or
the Birthday Party ("JNR Showtime"), spreading their wings on avant-garde punk explorations ("Room Context," "Clean [But Itchy]"), or doling out almost poppy tunes that give the listener a brief respite ("Whistle Country"), they fill each song with enough riotous energy to power a fleet of screaming ambulances.
Webb's guitar playing is especially impressive; he blasts out power riffs, wrangles wild bolts of feedback, and generally plays each song like it was a chance for him to battle
Rowley to the bloody death. Behind that raging duel, Barrett plays like a possessed Muppet who, despite not even being born until after
Huggy Bear disbanded, fits perfectly with
Rowley's vision. This is avant-punk for the ageless with songs that could appeal to the crustiest post-punk fanatic and those young enough to be living through their first global crisis. ~ Tim Sendra