Album: Mush
Year: 1991
Genre: Pop Punk
“The gravely, gritty
voice that sailed a hundred copycats.”
Yes, I know my shoddy reworking of Marlowe’s infamous writing is
atrocious, but I believe you get the point.
No matter how wonderful and unique the music is on any of the first
three Leatherface records, the vocals of Frankie Stubbs is generally front and
center of any conversation. It’s amazing
to me how many singers had a similar sound after Leatherface made their
mark. No, the band isn’t only about
their singer and his unique throat, but, his melodious heavy-grit sandpaper
delivery helped set this band above and beyond anything coming out in the punk
world in the very late 80s. Leatherface
were doing something different in 1989.
They took cues from Stiff Little Fingers and The Buzzcocks and muscled
up that sound with something which leans more toward a melodic American-style
hardcore. This was a distinctive
concoction for sure. Leatherface have an unbridled fury which is wrapped tight
in a power pop blanket. Comparisons to
the style of Husker Du could be made in theory, yet they sound nothing
alike. By the time their third release
was unleashed, the band found the perfect balance of rage and melody. That album is called Mush and it’s one
of the 90’s best punk records. No, not
one of the best from England; one of the best, period.
Mush
is a punk rock anomaly. It’s abrasive
and filled with attitude, but it’s also a phenomenally played, razor-sharp
record. It’s an emotional roller coaster
of call-and-response writing that shifts to and from the manic verses to the
payoff, sing-along choruses. It has
speed, angst and class at the same time.
It’s a record that pummels you, but leaves you loving the melody it
presents. This type of balance doesn’t
come easy, yet, Leatherface make the challenge appear simple. The first two songs absolutely set you up for
the rest of the record as they are the blueprint for what is to come. Album starters “I Want the Moon” and “How
Lonely” are prime example of the brutish nature contained throughout the rest
of the 15 songs. Calling the music on Mush
intricate is not a solid description, but it is definitely not your typical,
bash-it-out, 4-chord, “let the vocals take over” songwriting. Now on to the vocals which I’ve done a
not-so-good job of avoiding up ‘til now.
Frankie Stubbs could have easily been in some typical English street
punk or Oi! band with the tone he generates, but instead he uses his
exceptional talent to give voice to some of the best melodies in punk. He sounds like he’s actively having sand poured
down his throat and powering through it to get his lyrics heard. I’ve seen some people write that Mr. Stubbs
sounds like Lemmy. No insult intended to
the godlike leader of Motorhead, but Stubbs is a superior singer in range,
delivery and melody. As stated, I didn’t
want to make this review solely about him, but he’s so special and exceptional
that it’s difficult not to get hooked into a vocal analysis when Leatherface is
the topic. If you add everything
together, you get a superb album by a phenomenal band. If you slept on Leatherface, you need to do
some research. Start at the strong album
Cherry Knowle, progress on to the much better Fill Your Boots and
end at the spectacular Mush. Yes,
this is a band that got better with time and a band that I sorely miss to this
day.
Listen to "I Want The Moon" here.
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