Poster Children DDD (SpinArt)
SXSW Records
Reviewed by Christopher Hess, Fri., March 17, 2000
Poster Children
DDD (SpinArt)
Nope, the Poster Children don't have it in them to make a bad album. Their umpteenth release has them in near as strong a form as ever, which for this Champagne, Ill., quartet reaches back close to a dozen LPs and just over that many years. From the outset, the blaring intro of "This Town Needs a Fire," they don't miss a step, the flirty "Daisy Changed" traipsing right into "Zero Stars," a flat-out rock tune with a pace pushing into the red. Rick Valentin's lyrics are sharp-edged and hard-sung as ever, he and brother Jim's guitars bouncing off each other like crossed chainsaws. Rose Marshack's bass swaggers and pounds with an ever-present smile, propelling everything along with Howie Kantoff's drums. For a band so technologically inclined as the Poster Kids, surprisingly little from either their electronic preoccupations or their side-project Salaryman has crept into the mix here, and the music stays mostly within the confines of the four-piece rock band. Songs like "Rock and Roll" and "Perfect Product" confirm you don't need anything else. (Thursday, Waterloo Brewing Co., 10pm)
