ALBUM REVIEW: Kick Out the Rouge’s Latest is Classic Punk Rock
Photo by Nikki Danger
“[It] kicks in like a hurricane, with fervor and speed that I’ve only witnessed a few times since the glory days of punk in the late 70s.”
Before I get started, I will say that I have had Kick Out The Rouge on my local music podcast, Unsigned518, so I do know the guys and am familiar with their previous work. That said, I have known I was going to review this album since before the release date and I very deliberately avoided hearing any of it until this moment.
So, this is still a “first impression” review.
As I sat down to listen, I pulled it up on BandCamp and the first thing that jumped out at me was the album artwork. As someone who dabbles a bit in graphic art, I was struck by the minimalist approach. The cover is a deep rouge color (#A62F1E to be precise, for any of you art-nerds) with just the band's name and album title in a small typeface, pushed over to the center-right.
Prior to hearing even one note, I was already intrigued by the band's artistic direction.
…..All The Tall Poppies begins with “To Manitoba With Love (Take You Down)” which has all the ingredients for a great garage-rock tune. Once the smoother-than-expected vocals come in, the song shifts up a tier to an anthemic, arthouse jam somewhere between Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth. “To Manitoba With Love" ends with a repeated refrain of, “I’ll take you down.” Although it starts off as a mesmerizing hook, once the accompanying harmony joins, it becomes a haunting incantation that puts additional weight on the words.
If “To Manitoba With Love” is haunting, the second track, “Pavement Scrapers” is a fucking jump scare. The building feedback and four-count with the drumsticks smacking together so hard that they surely broke a few pairs, lets you know the noise and BPMs are about to be considerably higher.
That four-count is the only preparation you have for what is to come.
The song kicks in like a hurricane, with fervor and speed that I’ve only witnessed a few times since the glory days of punk in the late ‘70s. The line, “We ain’t trying to be rock and roll singers / We’re just a bunch of pavement scrapers,” really gave me hope that Kick Out The Rouge believe in what they are doing, while understanding that they are not reinventing the wheel.
In other words, not everyone is chasing a dollar. Sometimes blasting punk-rock songs is enough.
….All The Tall Poppies then has back-to-back songs that are named after US Cities: “Los Angeles” and “Cleveland.” While, on first listen, it may have been difficult for me to decipher whether these songs were pro- or anti- these cities, I have a feeling it will become more apparent during further listens.
“Two Thousand and Never” is a bad luck soliloquy, softened by a sixties pop melody and clever lyrics. “She’s so fine, I wish I could get her / We’re gonna get together in two thousand and never,” lets you know that while the protagonist may not get the girl in this one, at least he has a sense of humor about it.
I know there has always been a bit of friction between punkers and hippies. While there have been several instances of an extended olive branch from both sides, something tells me that Kick Out The Rouge aren’t quite ready to play nice with the flower children. After all, their song “Jerry’s Dead, Phish Sucks, Get A Job (Pace Yourself)” does not sound like something a jam-band enthusiast would be spin-dancing to.
Standouts on the back half of the record are “You’re Cute (But You Give Me Anxiety)” and “Argos Suck” but honestly, there is not a bad song on here. Weaving into some unexpected sub-genres while firmly remaining punk, ...All The Tall Poppies is a hit for any punk fan, especially those with a higher appreciation for the classics.
…All The Tall Poppies is available for streaming and purchase on the band’s Bandcamp page.
