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Rating: When it comes to rock music, one immediately thinks of its audience, its recipients, its referents: young people. Since its origins (the 1950s with Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly), rock has always taken on the burden of expressing the state of mind of the youth of its time, among depression, euphoria, anger, apathy, fragility, transgression, vitality, and self-destructive impulses. Time and again, rock has provided each generation of young people with its versatile form, adapting it to convey every emotional and existential nuance of the youthful universe. If we focus on the American hardcore scene of the 1980s, we can specifically talk not only about young people but about teenagers. Yes, because most of the old-school hardcore bands (operating largely in California at the start of the decade) were composed of minors, high school students, “juveniles,” capable of compensating for technical shortcomings with an expressiveness, sincerity, and at times unrepeatable inspiration.
This is the case of the Descendents, who with their first LP, “Milo Goes To College” (1982), wrote one of the most intense pages in the history of hardcore. Less powerful but more imaginative and introspective than their “cousins” Adolescents, the Descendents were among the creators of that melodic hardcore form, typically West-Coast, which would find its fullest expression at the end of the decade with the experience of Bad Religion and their Epitaph.
Like many masterpieces, “Milo” also opens with a sort of manifesto of the band's style: “Myage”. The unstoppable drumming of leader Bill Stevenson, full of rolls and refinements; the elegant and acrobatic bass of Tony Lombardo, the true musical soul of the group, underpinning the main melody; Frank Navetta's guitar, free to roam; Milo Aukerman's singing, capable of alternating sarcasm in the verse with the “indie” relaxation of the refrain: a very mature recipe compared to the hardcore of its time, a sonic blend capable of anticipating the more evolved forms of post-hardcore a few years later (perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I believe that some grunge, some indie-rock, and even some emo-core owe certain solutions to the work of the Descendents, from the melodic inflections to the anguished tone, from creative rhythms to occasionally cacophonic guitar).
That they are an original band from a compositional point of view is demonstrated by short but inventive tracks, such as the goofy nursery rhyme “I Wanna Be A Bear” and the dark voodobilly “Tonyage”, both unleashed by breakneck progressions. None of the experimentation contained in this record is self-serving: every trick is aimed at the immediate delivery of a mood, a feeling. In “Suburban Home”, Lombardo's graceful bass ascends the podium again, transforming the track from an impulsive outburst into a gentle elegy.
The pinnacle of anger and frustration is represented by “Parents”: a leaden bass riff in the foreground, a dissonant guitar in the background, accompanying the hoarse, discouraged, and dramatic lament of Aukerman, who, while screaming desperately “I Am A Boy And Not A Toy!” evokes the future lashings of a certain Kurt Cobain... The clanging “Statue of Liberty” perhaps eases the anxiety and pain but accentuates the spleen and depression. But while the “negative” feelings remain dominant in the adolescent universe depicted by the Descendents, there are also more relaxed moments: two sunny power-pops like “Marriage” and “Bikeage”, played respectively on burlesque and sentimental registers, are a real antidote to discomfort, an invitation to live life with enthusiasm. The latter, in particular, in addition to being one of the album's highlights, in my opinion, provides a great lesson in style: it teaches how to address topics related to the everyday, emotional, private sphere without descending into syrupiness; to bare one's heart without sounding pathetic; that's why “Bikeage” is a great Love song (in the broadest sense of the term), with which the Descendents showed how the apparently most brutal genre in rock history can be used as a means to paint the most hidden folds of the human soul.
The troubled “I’m not a loser”, the anxiety-inducing “I’m not a punk” and the brisk “Kabuki Girl” are other bittersweet poems paving the way for the final triptych, one of the most emotional ever. In addition to the mentioned “Bikeage”, we find the masterpiece “Hope”, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful songs of all time. An anthem, an incitement, an epic ride à la Bad Religion (years before “No Control”), a high song against the injustices of life, youthful discomfort, existential dismay, the malaise of living, the condition of submission and humiliation that more sensitive and introverted boys must accept to survive the bullying of bullies, the “sluts,” the “cool kids,” the do-gooders, the teachers, the instructors, the parents, the “Men of the Institutions,” the good people, the “nice guys,” the traditionalists, the conformist mass, all those adolescents incapable of taking control of their lives and dedicated to the most futile pastimes and making other people's lives worse. “Hope” is an invitation to hold on, to carefully cultivate and patiently wait for the moment of redemption: “But I Know/ My Day Will Come/ I Know Someday/ I’ll Be The Only One”.
The heartfelt “Jean is Dead”, with that refrain reaching for a better future, with that lump in the throat capable of turning into a cry of hope, a desire for revenge, closes an absolutely unforgettable album in a masterful and touching way.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Myage (02:00)
almost ready,
almost there
or is it already over?
she's a friend in need
she's a friend in deed
she needs someone to hold her
alone at night, she plans her game
correctly thinking that i'm in pain but every night it's always the same
she be a-fuckin' with my brain
'cause she don't need no one we all want to play your game
with you we know you're just a starter
but there's no reason for you to quit
just 'cause we try harder
i don't want to talk on the telephone
i don't want to see no pictures
she'll find out just what she needs and when she does
i'll get her she feels safe when she's with him
'cause he'll never try anything with her
well you know now girl,
just what you want are you going to let it scare you?
i knew it would she don't need no one and she don't need
02 I Wanna Be a Bear (00:44)
Got your jourdache jeans
Got your pretty long hair
Dinner and a movie powder your nose
Take their honey for lay
Just like pay
You're just a human being on this planet
You're just flesh and blood like all the rest
You'll get old and have a wrinkled ass
Humans are ses I want to be a bear
I want to shit in the woods
In my cave hunt my prey
Could be you, I want to have food
Burgers not berries
Ladies are women but women are ladies
Got a baited hook you are calling it
Your cherry
You want to settle down
And you want to get married
I don't want to smell your muff
03 I'm Not a Loser (01:30)
Think that I'm a loser
'Cause now my pants are too low
Think that I'm a slob
'Cause I got holes in my shoes
Think my cock is like
Just like my dirty shirt
Well you can fuck off!
'Cause I'm working sixty a week
You think that life is really tough
When your daddy won't buy you a brand new car
Take a girl out, she won't fuck you
You just bought her a gram of coke
Spend all your money on shitty drugs...
I'm not a loser!
That's right!
I'm not a loser!
I'm not a loser!
Cruise down the boulevard wasting Mommy's gas
While you're looking for some kicks on Friday night
Your only goal in life is to smoke a joint
And decide how you're gonna get laid tonight
You are a fucking son-of-a-bitch
You arrogant assholes
Your pants are too tight
You fucking homos
You suck, Mr. Buttfuck
You don't belong here
No way, you fucking gay
I'm not a loser!
04 Parents (01:40)
parents
why won't they shut up
parents
they're so fucked up
they treat me like a tool
they take me for a fool
parents
why won't they shut up
parents
they're so fucked up
oh they're so fucking dim
they look into the past
for future reference
parents
why won't they shut up
parents
they're so fucked up
they don't even know i'm a boy
they treat me like a toy
but little do they know
that one day i'll explode
i'm a boy and not a toy
i will kill and i'll destroy
i'm a boy and not a toy
i will kill and i will destroy
parents
parents
parents
they don't even know i'm a boy
they treat me like a toy
but little do they know
that one day i'll explode
i'm a boy and not a toy
i will kill and i'll destroy
i'm a boy and not a toy
i will kill and i will destroy
parents
parents
parents
parents.
06 M-16 (00:45)
go shoot your m-16
go shoot your m-16
go shoot your m-16
go shoot your m-16
i'm not going to live your american dream!
"army life is right for me
kill to save democracy
got a rebel in my sights money's worth more than his life.
so kill. . .it's fun! shoot him you're better than him
shoot him in the eye shoot him it gives you as thrill
just like as a kid only now it's for real
08 Catalina (01:48)
I'm a mess, I don't care
I'm tired of sitting at my desk
You can't bother me
Yeah, I'm far away from you, ha
Got to get away
You can't ruin my day
Can't tell me
What to do
Can't make me
Think I love you
Shoot it in your arm
You can't hurt me
I'm on my way
To Catalina
I'm not gonna read your books
My tank's full of squid
And it's getting light
And you whores, you can't make me want
I got all the fish I need
On the deck of my boat
And you can't take my heart when I'm here
long swim home
For your cute little arms
I'll steal some gas, fix my motor
Turn on my Beatles tape
And get you out of my head
Ah yes, here I am, far away from everyone, ha
Yeah, the only fish I smell
Is on the deck of my boat
I really want to go but my motor's broken
There's no scotch tape, I'm out of gas,
It looks like I'm stuck here
Shit.
It looks like I'm stuck here!!!
I'll steal some gas, fix my motor
Turn on my Doors tape
And get you out of my head
Get you out of my head.
Head!
09 Suburban Home (01:42)
I want to be stereotyped, I want to be classified.
I want to be stereotyped
I want to be classified
I want to be a clone
I want a suburban home, suburban home, suburban home
I want to be a masochist, yah
I want to be a statistic
I want a be a clone
I want a suburban home, suburban home, suburban home
I don't want no hippie pad
I want a house just like mom and dad
I want to be stereotyped,
I want to be classified
I want to be masochistic,
I want to be a statistic
I want to be a clone
I want a suburban home, suburban home, suburban home, suburban home, suburban home, suburban home
10 Statue of Liberty (02:01)
well the people walk all around the thing on an island
very far from here
they pay it homage like a god a
nd they paint it on each and every year
a sign for all it was given to us
and we all appreciate this bomb
the toursits don't know and never will
it has no use
it's meaning is gone the statue of liberty
and for united we stand we all agree it's a mystery
but why'd they give it to us?
we still don't know just why it came a present from god
or by the rain
the crowds swarm wildly to see it's peak
when i watch i go insane
why is it so important to them
what is the beauty they see in it
i don't know why i just accept it i don't want it cause it makes me sick
12 Marriage (01:41)
Do you know what I think about you?
Do you know what I feel is true?
Do you know what I think about her?
I know what she thinks about me, I'm sure
I Don't know why it's so, but it's true.
I Don't know why it's so, but it's true.
So you know what I think about you
But do you know what you want me to do?
When you see me staring at you
Do you know what I want you to do?
I don't know why it's so, but it's true
i don't know why it's so, but it's true
i don't know why it's so, but it's true
i don't know why it's so, but it's true
I don't want to have sex with you
I want to be your friend
I want to be with you
I want you to marry me
Now you know what I think about you
You know that my speed is you
I know I want you to be my wife
And be with me the rest of your life
Do you know
do you know
do you know
do you know
do you know what I think about you
13 Hope (02:01)
why can't you see you torture me? you're already thinking 'bout
someone else,
when he comes home you'll be in his arms and i'll be gone, but i know
my day will come, i know some day i'll be the only one
so now you wait for his spark, you know it'll turn you on,
he's gonna make you feel the way you wanna feel,
when he starts to lie, when it makes you cry, you know i'll be there,
my day will come, i know some day i'll be the only one
call me selfish, call me what you like, i think it's right to want someone
for all your own and not to share her love, cuz i'll have my way, you
won't have a say anyway, cuz i got you, you don't stand a chance
so now you wait for his cock, you know it'll turn you on,
he's gonna make you feel the way you wanna feel, when he starts to lie,
when it makes you cry, you know i'll be there, my day will come, i know
some day i'll be the only one....my day will come, i know some day i'll
be the only one
so now you want perfection, i see your self-destruction, you don't know
what you want, it's gonna take you years to find out,
i'm not giving up, and when you've had enough you'll take your bruised
little head and you'll come running back to me you know that i'm gonna
be the only one
14 Bikeage (02:15)
Running out of time again
Where did you go wrong this time?
When your problems overwhelm you
Go get drunk it's party time
Take a quaalude, relax your mind
Relax you body tool
Run from problems but
You'll never get away
No one love you, and you
wonder why?
Sitting there with your
Mouth full of beer
Your eyes are glazed, your face is red
Who's gonna pick you up
and use you for tonight?
And when you're on the streets
With a needle in your arm
Selling your body for another fix
Who's gonna pick you up and take
You home with them tonight? Not me!
Running out of breath again you're an
Old maid, but you're only fifteen
You're losing you little girl's charm
Cry all night but you'll never get it back
Dont be afraid, it's not too late
Save yourself, I need you here
Wearing off, wearing out
I can't think about this cause it
makes me sick
15 Jean Is Dead (01:32)
Wake up early, mad at you
Got to school but where are you?
I should have known
But now you're gone
And I'm alone
Your mother told me
Last night on the phone
Now you're gone
Now I'm alone
I would have helped you
I would have done anything
I would have taken you with me
Or bought you a ring, but
Now you're gone and, I'm alone!
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Other reviews
By MinorThreat
They brought a refreshing change to an environment previously dominated by aggression.
"Catalina" is the jewel of the album, a punk anthem that transcends the genre’s boundaries.
By Taurus
The album is a succession of true anthems, among the most genuine songs punk rock has ever produced.
'Hope' is a gem of immeasurable value, a truly historic anthem that rises above everything and everyone.
