SPED - "Dad I Learned it From Watching you" (Self Released)

Sped is an unusual treat for us at TYS. This NYC punk band manages to crank up the fun factor and combine the grit and the melody in a very catchy way. Just listen to these 12 songs of snotty punk and you'll find out (or better, remember) a sense of freedom and wildness that only true punk rock music can deliver!

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Today punk is filled with bands made up of kids who perhaps grew up listening to a newer generation of punk bands, which unfortunately is not always true to the roots of this music. Gladly, this is not the case with Sped. At all. This band plays real, tuneful punk rock that takes us way back to a time when punk was dirty and in your face. These three-chord tunes are distorted, fun and straight to the point. Without crossing over to crust punk or anarcho-punk, these NYC dudes manage to get the job done and create a sufficient amount of damage!

It's interesting to observe how his record nods to various directions of punk; it has the uptempo punk/core songs, it has the poppier moments and also its mid tempo groovers. the first thing I think about when I hear this is Dee Dee Ramone, plain and simple. There are also other influences, like Rancid, Screeching Weasel and many many others. These guys follow the tradition of lowlife punx who want to write catchy and snotty music. Maybe Sped isn't crazily innovative or anything, but you can tell they have fun making this music and they do what they do well and with commitment.

There is something in this record that will send your mind straight to the dirty roads of New York and make you think of love stories, fist fights, drunken nights and being up all night. This album has a school theme throughout too, which fits nicely with the dirty punk attitude. Can you relate to being the odd punk kid at school, feeling out of place, being always late, falling asleep in the classroom? Maybe even getting drunk at school? Ha ha. For most of us this shit is history, but these guys have made an album for this kind of stuff.

So! If you like your mid paced punk laced with teenage attitude but also filled with spikes and worn out clothes, then this is for you. It's a nice break from all the metal and hardcore. Sped will do you some good.

UPs: following a not so trendy punk tradition, crazily catchy songs like "Jenni's Got a Nosebleed".

DOWNs: lack of originality and perhaps the school theme gets too much at some point

LOWDOWN: Snotty punk rock with tiny hints of hardcore and a careless attitude!