Ninety Pound Wuss
Where the Meager Die of Self-Interest
Reviewed by Chris M. Short
90 Lb. Wuss stormed on the scene last year with a record of old-fashioned, hardcore punk rock. Sort of a 1990's Dead Kennedys mixed with The Crucified. The record was characterized by equal parts fun, seriousness, life experience, and Christ-centered lyrics. Now, it's 1998 and 90 Lb. Wuss has grown up some. Where the Meager Die of Self-Interest takes the band in another direction in a furious manner. The Wuss' sophomore release is decidedly harder, sloppy, and extremely dark. The music stays true to the basic tenets of mid-'80s hardcore punk but with a ferocious intensity. The vocalist simply screams the lyrics at the top of his lungs. At points he sounds downright scary, like he's being tortured. The lyrics take on a much darker tone than last year's debut. On "The Dawning of This Night Divine," he screams, Let's just pretend/ I never meant to hurt you/ Wish I never felt this way. And on and on and on goes the record. Song after song is characterized by dark feelings and regret. The Wuss has not bothered to play its music any cleaner, either. Sloppy as only hardcore punk can be, they teeter on sounding out of sync. Spots of the record contain bizarre drum fills and rolls that sound missed. Other times the bass is driving so fast, it seems to take off without the band. The guitarist's work is best when he's playing fast and stop-stutter riffs--when he attempts to be "creative," it sounds forced (especially evident on "Queen Maggot"). But the Wuss excels when playing hardcore punk. "Senseless Accusations" and "Heresy" are exactly that--good hardcore punk songs (like on the debut). 90 Lb. Wuss may be attempting to move away from hardcore punk on Where the Meager Die From Self-Interest, and into noisecore. Whatever the case, they are intense (vocally and lyrically), loud, messy, and wouldn't have it any other way.