The Woodcock

British punk began as a movement of self-proclaimed artists, thick with half-baked theories and aging hipsters trying to artificially stimulate a youth movement of their own. Hyperactive first-wavers Eater, however, offered a glimpse of what punk would soon become, the province of aggressive, inarticulate teenagers with a "loud-fast rules" philosophy that trumps any other consideration. The genuinely teenage Eater (ranging in age from 13 to 17) weren't interested in the Queen or White Riots; they wrote songs about daydreams, hot girls in math class, and bad-taste fantasies of prostitutes and necrophilia. All songs on their sole full-length release sound about the same, played with one stiff light-speed beat and a snotty vehemence to each track, adding up to a ridiculous classic. As fast and clumsy as the material is, there's an undeniable tunefulness at work, particularly in irresistible singalongs like "No Brains" and "Room for One," and the sprightly single "Lock It Up" even attempts some naïve vocal harmonies as they sneer at the upper classes.

British punk began as a movement of self-proclaimed artists, thick with half-baked theories and aging hipsters trying to artificially stimulate a youth movement of their own. Hyperactive first-wavers Eater, however, offered a glimpse of what punk would soon become, the province of aggressive, inarticulate teenagers with a "loud-fast rules" philosophy that trumps any other consideration. The genuinely teenage Eater (ranging in age from 13 to 17) weren't interested in the Queen or White Riots; they wrote songs about daydreams, hot girls in math class, and bad-taste fantasies of prostitutes and necrophilia. All songs on their sole full-length release sound about the same, played with one stiff light-speed beat and a snotty vehemence to each track, adding up to a ridiculous classic. As fast and clumsy as the material is, there's an undeniable tunefulness at work, particularly in irresistible singalongs like "No Brains" and "Room for One," and the sprightly single "Lock It Up" even attempts some naïve vocal harmonies as they sneer at the upper classes.