Posted on: May 6, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

I Farm are beyond quick in their style. A screamed out vocal style is present that is not quite unlike Leftover Crack, where there is a high amount of early (1,039-era) Green Day hidden amongst these screeched-out vocals. Tracks are almost always under two minutes; if a song is going badly for I Farm, there is ample chances for the band to bail. During a track like “Luck (Likes The Cops)”, I Farm assume a Vandals type of ironic sneer even if the general sound of the band sticks through the track.

This album is a re-master, and for good reason; each track blasts through its short runtime with popping drums and clear vocals, creating an atmosphere that is conducive for moshing, drinking, and overall having a good time. The shortness of some tracks, especially “Chairman Me” (which clocks in at a very light twelve seconds still does not sound syncopated or otherwise half-assed by the band; in this short period of tiume I Farm is able to come up with enough of a harmony to create one distinct burst of music. There is a style that I Farm have during tracks like “Spoil Your Dinner” that seems influenced in style by bands like Fugazi and Buffalo area masters The Pissants. The amazing thing about “So My Kids Won’t Have To” is that even with all these short tracks, there are enough of them for the disc to crack the thirty-minute mark.

The abundance of tracks and the somewhat different approach done with each one gives the disc a much higher replay value than if I Farm had just cut an album that was focused on one point. Overall, I Farm come out with some of the most inspired punk of the last decade. Each track is ultimately singable and there are very few bald spots on this disc. The spastic and eclectic focus of “So My Kids Won’t Have To” is reminiscent of some of those memorable punk/thrash bands of the late nineties, bands like M.O.D. and D.R.I. In a sense, I Farm pop-i-fies influential hardcore acts like Verbal Abuse and panders the same speed to a completely new audience. Just listen to the chunky bass of a track like “No thanks To You” to hear this pop influence, which is not necessarily just a good helping of Blink 182 but also from early Replacements and Husker Du.

Top Tracks: No Thanks To You, Lucy (Likes The Cops)

Rating: 7.0/10

I Farm – So My Kids Won’t Have To / 2005 Blackout! / 18 Tracks / http://www.ifarmrock.com / http://www.blackoutrecords.com / Reviewed 17 December 2005

[JMcQ]

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