#29
Reviewed by Jim Erbe
January 1980
Wipers
Is This Real
Allen’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Jim’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Punkternative
Jim’s Highlights:
Mystery
Alien Boy
Wait a Minute
I knew nothing of Wipers going into this so I did a little research and realized I really SHOULD have heard of them. They appear to be the seed band for the punk and alternative scene in the Pacific Northwest. Nirvana cites them as a major influence.
So, going into the listening experience with a headful of facts about the band, their significance to the scene and their commendable longevity, I was disappointed to find this album kind of…well…bland.
I figured I wasn’t paying enough attention, so I tried again. And again. And again.
After five listenings, things weren’t getting better. Actually, they were getting worse.
At this point, I actively hate the singles “Return of the Rat” and “D-7”.
So here’s the thing, these guys are technically great musicians. They know what they are doing and they do it very well. They tend to lay down a steady, driving drone of bass and drums and then write precisely one hook and repeat it…a lot…and typically get out in under three minutes.
I know, I know, I just described the basics of punk rock and that’s kind of the problem for me. At this time, bands like X, The Clash, The Jam and a slew of others were pulling punk in a lot of more interesting directions and this just feels so…basic.
There are flashes. “Mystery” and “Wait a Minute” add some pop sensibilities that remind me of the direction punk was heading. And “Alien Boy”—a song the internet insists is about a kid who was beaten to death twenty-six years after the song was recorded (even though I suspect might just be about the shitty way we tend treat people who are different) is really effective.
All in all, I found this better than average…but still kind of average.
https://open.spotify.com/album/531Pc0lZ2aJIHJfyO7q0Ny?si=gKo8DUH9SquR-IJzmCnfbw
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