Leftover Crack - Fuck World Trade

With hesitance, I recommend Leftover Crack.

They are not very good, at least to my tastes. I imagine they were good, but I have been exposed to the best aspects of them in different bands, avoiding certain less desirable aspects. It's a sort of musical eugenics, to misuse the word, or maybe more accurately a musical classism. There is better anarchist ska (though this is much preferred in purity to World/Inferno), better cop hating, and just all around better music. But, at its heart, this a pure record that influenced a lot of people, or I suppose it did.

The record is Fuck World Trade, by the way. I have Medicore Generica, but reading the history behind the band, I feel like this is a better introduction. A sample of this history and a few mp3's can be found in the link at the start of this post.

I also imagine I am missing a large aspect of their passion and all around influence by listening to them in a controlled environment, rather than in a car, cruising somewhere, with a bunch of folks I don't feel the need to talk to. The clear, school speaker vocals that interrupt every song are the perfect place to inject conversation before what is either a bridge or the start of a new song. It's well done, but it doesn't seem like what was intended.

On another note, this album references 9/11, and the release of Mediocre Generica on that day. I just find this interesting, and while the band's politics should certainly play into the opinion of them, it doesn't really matter here. There is screaming, and anarchists who seem to enjoy the take down of a symbol of capitalism. Not my cup of tea, but it is the band's politics (assuming the songwriter is expressing band politics and not pulling a Gordon Gano), and this is certainly something to know before listening.

As I write, I notice songs passing less and less. Very little here seems entirely memorable, but I like it. That's hardly descriptive, but it's true. One Dead Cop seems to be almost a ballad compared to everything else. After repeated listens, I'm sure moments will stick out, but god, I am never sure to when to pause to use the bathroom.

To sum up: it's not a bad album. It's just not a listening album. It's something you keep on in the background of working, or something to mention how great it would be live. Try Fuck World Trade, but you won't fall in love with it.