Favorite Albums: 2000-2004
18. The Distillers, Sing Sing Death House
Original position on my Stylus ballot: #8
The fact that The Aritst Currently Known As Brody Dalle made music that sounds like Rancid when she was married to Tim Armstrong and music that sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age now that she’s married to Josh Homme will certainly raise a red flag for dudes who suspect women have never truly rocked ever. But rather than assume she’s some craven, career-minded succubus (which obviously hasn’t worked if you look at Spinnerette sales), I figure she’s just shameless about using other people’s toys. I started taking UCB classes after my wife got into that scene because it was really fun. If Leila spent her time experimenting with compression pedals and robotic grooves, why would I not monkey around with that stuff, too? They’re awesome!
A decade ago, the awesomesauce was anthemic punk with chants and prominent bass. While I certainly dig the group with the actual Matt Freeman in it, I enjoy this album (featuring a former guitarist on bass who possibly plays like Freeman because gah, punk bass would be really boring if you didn’t) more than any of theirs. Partially because it’s 12 songs when Rancid albums average about 20, and also because of Brody, who follows two bolts of teen bile with a shout-out to the Seneca Falls convention and self-mythology (“The Young Crazed Peeling”) that might be overbearing (“I speak of the truth/ the truth of the heart/ Like a desperate thirst in a raging drought”) if the music wasn’t so joyful. The trick about derivativeness is knowing what’s worth stealing.
