#2626 The Undertones - The Undertones

I'd always considered Buzzcocks an outlier, but man there were a lot of good pop-indulging punk bands in the late 70s. Here's a bit from Ireland, all jangle and jaunt, more personal than political, Feargal's wobbly exclamations more wrapped up in teenage frustration than nationwide angst. The lynchpin is at the halfway mark -- Here Comes the Summer. Possibly sarcastic. Utterly wallowing in totally successful synth stabs over relentless beats, Centerfield driven to its natural nadir of nihilism. But it's all in the same vein, all relentless chugging, everything the Exploding Hearts would send to the heavens. So unstoppable, so detached, so inventive, so under the underground of the alternative to indie, so ahead -- and so good to listen to, too 4/5