Let's talk about a newer and longer release - Live At The Skatepark. I don't know if this album is from a live show, but it doesn't seem to be. It does say that it was "recorded live on a dirty 4-track for real rockers". I'm all about that, though it could be a clean 4-track; that part doesn't matter to me. Live At The Skatepark came out from some weird hole in a brain in November of 2017, but it is just so good that it must be reviewed now in April of 2018. (Spoiler: this album is going to get a Good at the end, which I'm sure you have already figured out because I am just gloating over how awesome it is).
The cover of Live At The Skatepark is pretty cool. It's a weird comic of a cowboy raccoon riding a pig. These may be the same animals from that demo I heard before. I wish the pig was still chewing gum because that is the cutest thing. I like that the animals are breaking through a brick wall though. I like that it's just black on yellow. The font is very nice and hand-drawn. What else do you need?
"I'm pissed off," and so begins "Slugarama". I can't make out of the musick, but it reminds me of the Ramones "S.L.U.G." due to the subject matter and general sound, thrashy guitars living like some spiky creature. The vocals are kind of cute and friendly but also fierce. "Sweet Treat (For Me)" is a little more hardcore, but it is still fun. I really can't make out the lyrics here, though. I like the little breakdown in this short song. The bass maybe doesn't have the best sound. The vocals are like a bunch of sweeties. "Destroix" is a cool spelling, and it's more hardcore-ing. There's a lyric about La Croix that rhymes with boys. That's kind of dumb but awesome. It's a total Ramones/Coathangers/Gland thing.
"Lizard Dog" has a cool and fun little guitar solo, and I guess it's about the titular creature. The guitar kind of swirls around in some water, splashy into everywhere. "Gum" says that "chewing gum is what we do". It's like an ode to chewing gum, and that's cool. It's easier to hear the lyrics on "Greedy Goblin", and they are funny. "Pick me. I'm a goblin. I'm just like you!" "She's greedy. She's a goblin. Be careful, or she'll put you in your coffin." These lyrics are so perfect, trash comix all nite in bright colors. "Ready To Fight" is more hardcore sort of stuff, though it's almost like a parody of machismo. It seems serious too in a sense. I didn't realize it at first, but it is a Negative Approach cover. The song is a rapid-fire attack, all fists and kicks and things. The info on the Bandcamp page says, "yeah so didn't play one of riffs enough times. get over it". This is true rock 'n' roll.
Judy And The Jerks have an awesome piece of trashy punk rock here. It's so good. Everything about the design fits together perfectly. I love the songs, short and punchy and fast and funny with some small weird breakdowns thrown in. My minor criticism is that the production is a little rougher than I would like. The vocals are a little hard to hear at times, and I feel like they are the key part of these songs. The words I can hear are funny and snotty. There's a bit too much treble too, though it works overall. Anyway, I love the garage-y rock 'n' weirdness. I hope Judy And The Jerks play some shows out of Hattiesburg, Maryland, maybe even in Pittsburgh. I would book the show if you wanted to do it peeps. And so, Alive At The Skatepark gets a Good.
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