THE COATHANGERS
Scramble
Suicide Squeeze

It's pretty amazing and pretty great how this keeps happening: Every once in a while, marginal folks who can't play their instruments turn into a fine little punk band. Songs are essential to this transmutation, and these four Atlanta girlfriends scratch out one after another. The first digs into the likely death of a young man addicted to Auburn University football; the second complains bitterly about the crackhead stomping around upstairs, and so they go--no big issues, and only as much love as a normal person can stand, yet urgency and attitude by the shitfitful. Declining full-bore four-on-the-floor, the sound is the kind of Gang of 4 herky-jerk taken up long ago by such female bands as the Raincoats and Bush Tetras. These gals sound like they can do it forever. But they can't, so act now.

Blender, May 2009