Song: Locomotive
Album: Just Look Around
Year: 1992
Genre: Hardcore
Certain bands
consistently record extremely good records which propel them into an elite spot
for a genre of music. Other bands not
only record good records, but also are lucky enough to record an album that
becomes a standard for a genre. That is
what I think Sick Of It All did on their 1992 release Just Look Around. As I’m typing I have this uncomfortable
thought of large men, with cleanly shaved domes and tattoos peaking out of
their shirt collar, talking to me in a brutish voice that is highlighted with a
hint of Dim from Clockwork Orange, “Hey!
You can’t say that! What about AF
or the Cro-Mags?!?! You don’t know
anything!” They may even argue that Sick
Of It All’s third record, Scratch The Surface is their finest moment. Who knows, they may be right. But what I’m positive of is that Just Look
Around is my archetype for New York Hardcore.
It’s got everything an NYHC album should have. It’s fast, heavy, assertive, honest, politically
and socially charged, and, most importantly, it makes you want to jump around
like a rabid animal! This record is a
lesson for how punk and hardcore should be recorded because it sounds like a
live show. The energy they captured
could light a small town for a week. Visions
of sing-a-longs, stage dives, circle pits and barrier breaking crowd swells
fill my brain any time I listen to this album; and if you’ve ever seen Sick Of
It All live, that’s exactly what happens. Although there is no “bad” Sick Of It
All record, this is their pièce de résistance and a NYHC classic. Hide the pets and breakables when tossing
this on the turntable.
Listen to "Locomotive" here.
Listen to "Locomotive" here.
