The McDonald brothers of Redd Cross have some of the craziest stories in rock and roll, from launching the band at an eighth grade graduation party with, holy wow, Black Flag sharing the bill, to Steve’s dalliance with a 24-year-old girl; he was a preteen at the time. Now, 45 years later, they’re still at it, not as snotty, bratty and punk as in their “Clorox Girls” days, but still full of hard-hitting hooks. This two-disc set capture the duo in full-psyched out freak mode, 18 tracks of spiraling, tightly harmonized, punchily played guitar pop that the two brothers have been holding onto since COVID bollixed up a post-Beyond the Door tour in 2020.
These songs are a good deal more polished than the ones on Redd Cross’s first self-titled recording, a six-song EP released by Posh Boy in 1981. It opens sweet, strummy and harmonized in “Candy Colored Catastrophe,” a song that kicks into full, electrified, amp-burning gear about a minute into its run. The shift is pronounced and might remind you a little of Ty Segall, or perhaps its Ty who’s been reminding you of Redd Cross the whole time.
Topically, the material leans heavily on the joys and tribulations of making music your whole life. Exuberant “Simple Magic” extols the virtues of uncomplicated hooks (“One, two, three chords!”) while “Terrible Band” slashes and croons around a story about musicians with more ambition than talent.
Nuggets-style psychedelia is the predominant flavor, sonically, and the band gets especially wiggy on “Witch’s Stand” (name checking Brian Jones, for one thing) and giddy, chorally euphoric “The Shaman’s Disappearing Robe,” which is what might happen if the Minus Five had five espressos.
The album’s final track, “Born Innocent,” wracks up the power chords like bowling pins while retelling Redd Cross’ unlikely beginnings in middle-school band practice and a precious rejection of the blues. “We are born, born innocent,” asserts a rallying chorus. Sure, but where you go from there is up to you.
Guess who had way too much time to write and used it wisely.
It was me, I had several long drives in the past week or so! I've been meaning to rewrite this scene for ages and now that I finally got around to it, it got finished! It was an absolute beast to write (over 8k!) and I had a lot of fun writing it! My ocs are going through it for this one. Have fun with it if you read!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/64881940
@i-eat-bookss was the best tagging buddy I could've asked for! (Really, thank you for the help!)
The sun is out and I'm motivated again! Here's a short fic about two of my splatoon ocs! I had a lot of fun writing this, so hope whoever reads enjoys it!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
ANTI are an American DIY hardcore political punk rock band from the early South Bay, Los Angeles punk movement in 1979. Formed by a then teenage Danny Phillips better know by Danny Dean the guitarist, original vocalist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple lineup changes in the band and the late Gary Kail of Zurich 1916 Creative Nihilism. Predominantly known by their peers and fans for self-producing several of the most collected vinyl compilations and the start up of one of the first DIY South Bay punk labels New Underground Records.
ANTI are an American DIY hardcore political punk rock band from the early South Bay, Los Angeles punk movement in 1979. Formed by a then teenage Danny Phillips better know by Danny Dean the guitarist, original vocalist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple lineup changes in the band and the late Gary Kail of Zurich 1916 Creative Nihilism. Predominantly known by their peers and fans for self-producing several of the most collected vinyl compilations and the start up of one of the first DIY South Bay punk labels New Underground Records.
