Antiproduct - Please Take Your Cash [Album]

Self Released

September 5, 2009, 01:42 PM

Views: 646   Comments: 4

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Holy crap! Here it comes. Finally, the one album I’ve been waiting for. I play “Please Take Your Cash” first thing on a Saturday morning, up to a bad start; the sun comes up again and I suddenly remember why and how I could face London’s awful weather 5 to 7 nights a week in the name of Rock N Roll. Energy floods back from a past that all of a sudden doesn’t feel so far, while new single 'Surfin’ The World' breaks in the air with the usual mix of festive chaos and explosive guitars. Punk pop and metal, uncontainable joy, making you want to dance, jump, crowd surf and push your mates around. Man, I love Antiproduct. But hey, you may have never heard of them so let’s try to introduce this unique brand in a few words. It won’t be easy.

Antiproduct is the creature of singer/guitarist Alex Kane (previously in Life Sex & Death, Clam Abuse and briefly Enuff ’z’ Nuff), who decided for some weird reason some day to move from Chicago to London. I remember their first full length, “Consume and Die... The Rest Is All Fun”, coming out in 2000 but most of all people remember their unique live shows, their loyal fan base and their unbeatable self promotion. Getting off the Tube to go to one of their gigs the escalator would be covered in Antiproduct stickers, and inside guitarist Claire Pproduct would walk around with yet more stickers, sticking them all over us proud supporters. I remember when the van was stolen in a supermarket car park, and Antiproduct’s answer to the tragedy was the EP “This Is How We Buy The Van”, that totally financed a new one. I remember Alex jumping on the crowd, hitting the microphone with his head until it would bleed and a terrified fuel station guy one night letting him off without paying the bill. You may think I’m digressing, but this kind of energy and lust for life is what makes the band and its music.

You might not understand what the hell you’re listening to without knowing Alex and his colourful, insane lot. Their unique edge and cult following has earned them, over the years, sold out headline shows, important support slots [such as the Wildhearts, Hanoi Rocks, Twisted Sister, Murderdolls and many more], major festivals like Ozzfest, and in the past few years Alex and Claire had the huge honour of playing with their own punk God Marky Ramone in Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg. However, Antiproduct have never “sold out”, preferring to play what they love for those who loved them, and a couple of years ago they moved back to the States where they started building up the same strong fan base they still have in the UK.

It comes as no surprise, knowing Antiproduct, that “Please Take Your Cash” comes out as a totally independent venture. No label, major or independent. Produced by no other than Sylvia Massy, who worked with the likes of Johnny Cash, System of a Down and Tool, “Please Take Your Cash” can be bought directly here ANTIPRODUCT.COM - PLEASE TAKE YOUR CASH, or you can find Antiproduct on MySpace AntiProduct on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads or Facebook AntiProduct | Facebook and message Alex or Claire to get their Paypal account and order your copy. Apparently, half way through the first print (I think they’re now sending out the second lot) Alex had made 20% of the cash he made with Life Sex & Death when they were signed on Warner, so cutting the middle man is definitely paying off. One more reason to order this concentrate of legal amphetamine and find out more about Antiproduct.

I guess I should talk about this album now, before I give in to the urge of getting up from my chair to jump up and down all over the house. Some of the tracks featured here were already in the first album, but Antiproduct have done a good job choosing and re-recording them. New single 'Surfin’ The World' brings back their trademark mixture of pop, punk, rock and even a hint of metal and pushes them all into a little box that’s too small and then releases them all in the air, in an explosion of colours and sounds that can sound like chaos at first. It all blends together like different coloured fireworks, forming a song that is catchy yet full of surprises at each and every corner. Claire has been emailing 'Surfin’ The World' to everyone who would ask to get feedback, and it’s been so far enthusiastic. 'Arms Around The World' has a metal intro turning pop-punk-psychedelic as Alex’s voice kicks in, then it’s metal riffs again and I can picture Claire head-banging and shaking that guitar of hers. It sexily slows down towards the end and explodes again, faster and faster and faster. Weirdly it then skips very briefly to what can only be described as country punk?! And fast again. Insane. God I love Antiproduct. The only band who can make me love a metal riff.

Next up is one of my old favourites, 'Best Day Of Your Life'. "And tomorrow is gonna be even better", sentence the lyrics. Talk of positive lyrics for a song, it really makes you feel like something totally special just happened, something that changed your life and you’re going to remember. But really it’s just another day, nothing special happened other than finally listening to one of the best albums of 2009! It’s feel-good pop at its best.

'Parties All Over The World' is a less chaotic, but nonetheless special pop rock gem where Alex's vocal chords really shine. Another classic follows, 'Bungee Jumping People Die.' You may love or hate this song on first listen but you can only truly dig it after seeing it performed live. Sinuous vocals hypnotize you and take you to the catchy chorus, while the backing vocals insistently keep singing the title in the background with an occasional metal guitar riff bringing you back to earth. Weird but brilliant and let me stress again, you have to see this live! No great album is done without a good cover version and this being an Antiproduct album [and not wanting to be so obvious to make it a Ramones cover] HAS to be 'Good Vibrations,' originally and obviously performed and recorded by The Beach Boys. Antiproduct make a great job of giving 'Good Vibrations' their trademark sound without stripping it of its essence.

'Tell Me What You Want' has an almost Cheaptrick-esque intro which is so good that the chorus is almost a bit of a let down. Another good pop punk piece anyway which keeps getting better all the way up until the end. Next up is my old favourite 'Let’s Get It On' which I invite you all to type into LastFM or Spotify while I stay here and test the mattress springs by jumping up and down like a child affected by ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), some things just can’t be described in words. This song is so silly it’s simply genius and they follow this with a ballad. What??

'When We Find Love' starts off all romantic and we’re all waiting for a kick “System of a Down” style but it’s actually an out and out ballad and it’s pretty damn good. Antiproduct can’t even make a ballad boring. 'I Will Not Go Quietly' wraps it up in a metal heated piece, with plenty of headbanging, no screaming and plenty of melody throughout. This track is just slightly darker than the rest of the album but not an ounce less of raw power and energy.

Fuck, I love Antiproduct! Once again, get your copy here, it doesn’t get more independent than this: ANTIPRODUCT.COM - PLEASE TAKE YOUR CASH

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