Top Buzzer - Outside is a World
Posted by Kuang on Wed, 20 Jul 2011.
I can only assume that news travels slowly to the Channel Isles, but that when it finally arrives they take it to heart and don‘t let go. Jersey boys (well, two of them) Top Buzzer slamdance out of the speakers like a explosive history of rowdy guitar music, running the gauntlet from punk and oi, through the suburbs sound, right up to supercharged pop-punk.
It‘s a properly energetic little monster of a debut this, rattling and thumping along with barely a pause. Opening track ‘All I Want To Do' is a flying headbutt to get you in the mood, with ‘Wake Up Call' following up on that promise with a feelgood Ramones-y chorus.The brilliant single ‘Remission' sounds even better when heard in its natural surroundings, coming across even spikier than I remember.
Elsewhere ‘No More Yesterdays' is firmly in Snuff‘s ballpark, melodic and up, but with a spirit you could use to knock nails in. The aggressive ‘Heartfelt by Numbers' reminded me briefly of uncompromising and confrontational political punks Crass, which is no bad thing.
The weird moment comes with an amped-up version of the truly awful ‘Pop Musik' by new wave experimentalists M. I reckon the humour might be lost on people too young to remember the original, but it‘s clear they‘re having a laugh with it whilst poking it in the eye, and I fully approve of that.
Outside is a World is a thoroughly convincing debut that punches way above its weight in established guitar circles. Sometimes you need to drag a few choice bits of history into the present to keep things fresh, and the lads strike a great balance between looking back and pushing ahead. Whether you‘re into the Misfits or the Buzzcocks, Rancid or The Rezillos, Top Buzzer are speaking your language.