When punk rock took the music world by storm in the late '70s, punk bands ranged from angry socio-political agitators like
the Sex Pistols,
Sham 69, the Dead Kennedys and
the Clash to bands with fun, goofy lyrics such as
the Ramones,
Stiff Little Fingers and
the Dickies. Twenty years later, punk bands still ran the gamut -- some were angrily political, while others just wanted to have fun.
Stisism, an East Coast punk band, favored the fun and the humorous on
Coping with Society, which first came out on Intensive Scare and was reissued by Man's Ruin in early 1999. Recalling the Pistols,
the Buzzcocks and others,
Stisism brings a lot of exuberance and bratty aggression to this engaging album. The Pistols have had a heavy influence on
Stisism, although their influence is musical more than lyrical. The singing and playing is Pistols-influenced, but lyrically,
Stisism has a lot more in common with
Stiff Little Fingers and
the Ramones. Nutty humor is exactly what you can expect on "It's Not My Fault You Left Your Hair at Home, Dude," "Formaldehyde Baby," "Mr. Slawson and the Teenage Dolls" and other items. Drawing on Peggy Lee's "I'm a Woman" and the
Muddy Waters hit "Mannish Boy," the catchy "Bacon Man" starts off as a stop-and-start blues tune before turning into fast, hyper punk. Coping With Society is an album that punk lovers should definitely be aware of. ~ Alex Henderson