Death of Samantha
Strungout On Jargon

THE REVIEW

John Petkovic, you might remember him for the garage-rock of Cobra Verde, and if you don't remember, it doesn't matter. In fact, in Cleveland in the eighties John founded Death of Samantha together with musicians from local bands, named after a song by the pointless Yoko Ono.

Obviously, the band that most influences the group are the local gods, Pere Ubu, from whom they capture the new wave aesthetic and some jerky rhythms, as well as a certain grotesque attitude. Like Ubu, the roots of DoS can be found in garage and more classic rock (like the Rolling Stones for example), but also in the typical hedonistic and exuberant mood of the time, as we must not forget we're in the eighties.

And so it starts with a punch to the stomach: "Coca-cola & Licorice" a mix between Velvet Underground and Pere Ubu with jerky guitars and assorted distortions, garage rhythm, Reed-like singing, and a great sense of alienation. The song flows smoothly and quickly with the energy of hard rock. We must not forget that we are in full new wave, so the album is permeated by a certain languor, and in "Simple as That" the legendary Feelies seem to emerge with their pseudo-folk jingle and the guitar that duets with the voice. The return to the past is evident, with influences ranging from the Stooges to Television, the singing is painful and bloody as only Steve Wynn could do, and while taking cues from papa Ubu, DoS do not venture into avant-garde and daring experiments but remain with a more traditional rock & roll form, which, far from being banal, reinterprets the masters of the past with sly boogies and melodic strumming. Songs like "Ham & Eggs 99c" and "Sexual Dreaming" reflect these characteristics, and in "Couldn't Forget 'Bout That (One Item)" the tireless singing, guitar phrasing, and primitive rhythm express all the anger of a generation torn between optimism and void hedonism and decay, because those were years of transition and great changes, and DoS seem to want to escape their era by building from the ashes of a glorious past.

A very influential and simply stunning album, for those who wish to reconcile with rock, and a remedy against today's (dismal) new wave revival.