"So some of today's punk rock purist say the Distilers are for posers, but they can sod off. This album is fabulous. Hard, fast, and totally passionate. The Distillers makes your blood pump faster, and adrenaline surge throught your veins. The songs have that beautiful simplicity and edge that is almost completely unique to the late seventies punk scene. Brody does proud to the old and all but forgotten tradition of great female-fronted punk acts like The Slits, The X Ray Spex, and The Plasmatics.
My personal favorite tracks off this album are "The World Comes Temblin'," "L.A. Girl," and "Open Sky," but there's a lot of great tunes here. Pop it in, pump it up, and slamdance-round your living room!"
The Distillers s/t
bittersliverfish | Northern California, USA | 05/29/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off, in case you haven't noticed, it's nearly impossible to read anything about the Distillers or Brody Armstrong for that matter, without hearing about Rancid. Frankly, comparisons like that undermine them immensely.What you'll get on here is a lot of hard-hitting pure punk rock, but that doesn't mean the music's stupid. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, I'm amazed at how little credibility the band's gotten from the general public. The brash vocals and the pounding bass just make up a deal of intensity that, yes, is usually reserved for first releases. However, this album is less raw than their sophomore release, and less structured as well. The Distillers take influences and sounds from all over the spectrum to make an intelligent, memerable record.Lyrically, they're unique as well. Brody wails about the problems of the world, but also does an awesome Patti Smith cover ("Ask the Angels"), and screams about problems closer to home for the rest of us. Condescending punk rock? Hardly."
It's great
bittersliverfish | 05/03/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard "LA Girl" on the "Give 'em the Boot II" complilation and I couldn't wait for this CD to come out. As someone else said, Brody sounds like a cross between Courtney Love and Tim Armstrong. That's hitting it right on the head. This CD is song after song of hard hitting raw LA style punk rock. No slow songs, no experimental dub stuff, just pure punk. It's plain excellent. My advice to you, pick up "Give 'em the Boot II," listen to "LA Girl," if you don't love the song don't buy The Distillers CD, if you do - grab it."
Watch for them in the near future
johkerr | CA, United States | 10/14/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is phenomenally tight. The first track blasts at you at a million miles an hour. "Oh Serena" begins this delightful little opus; 13 tacks later you are left craving for more. At first listen the songs reminded me of the first rancid record, the more subsequent listens i gave it the more it had a sound of it's own. Brody's voice is among the gallery of instantly recognizable voices in punk (shane macgowan, duane peters, and davy havok included). The music is fast and gets in your face.
The lyrics are remarkably intelligent, complementing the intensity of the music. There is so much feeling put into this album. A definite throwback to old school punk (the way it should be). The gang vocals are incredibly powerful and Brody sings with so much passion (especially blackest years, listen to the crack in her voice).
I was fortunate enough to see them LIVE at the warped tour on the 2nd stage. Brody, Casper, Ryan, and Andy were just bouncing along playing for the small crowd of about 100-200 peeps. It was definitely my highlight. Casper and Brody are both hot."