Structure and Function

The Vindictives
Hypno-Punko
1999

All right, so The Vindictives were poised to take the pop-punk torch from The Queers (who took it from Screeching Weasel, but then, I guess, gave it back a few years later), but they kind of fizzled before they could do anything with it. I don't know all the details, but severe depression was involved. Regardless, they certainly never made the most of the opportunities they had. Whatever. In 99 they released their only full-length, and it's the sort of almost-genius that makes you wonder what they could've done if they'd made it just a little farther along on the popularity/monetary scale. Hypno-Punko is not just a concept album, it's a concept. And though it never quite hits the high point it aims for, "In Pursuit" comes close, and some of the harmonies are flat-out bonkers. You can cut out some of the filler and end up with a phenomenal average-length record. I'm not sure why they decided to add all the crap. I mean, if we're being honest here, this record doesn't hold a candle to their singles (and there are a shitload of them). But hey! Listen to the "I Will Not"s in succession and feel PUNK. That's what I do.

Remind me to tell you some time of the trip I was on when I bought this record. It involved three states, a sink found on the side of the road with a face drawn in the bowl, an incredibly hot girl singing Jefferson Airplane at karaoke, Ricobenes, and an early 90s Mercury Grand Marquis.

Hypno-Punko