Gaunt
I Can See Your Mom From Here

Does Paradise exist?

For lovers of the rawest and most derelict low-fidelity punk (and also for all the dirty garage rockers), it certainly existed and was based in Columbus, Ohio, at the dawn of the nineties.

Not only because the New Bomb Turks hailed from there, the most prominent exponents of the scene (and deservedly so), but also because the aforementioned had as neighbors a bunch of misfits who went by the name of Gaunt.

Misfits in a manner of speaking, because Gaunt was a simply DE-VA-STATING band!

The first three official works, the EP "Whitey The Man" (which includes one of the greatest masterpieces of the genre, the anthemic "Jim Motherfucker"), the 10" "Sob Story" and above all this debut full-length, bombard the listener with furious and relentless assaults, driven by guitars mistreated like chainsaws and a madly destructive rhythm section like a derailing train.

How does "I Can See Your Mom From Here" sound? To me, it undoubtedly sounds good and will sound so to anyone who identifies good with an orgy of distortion and feedback that unfolds across fourteen tracks, from the opening attack of "I Don't Care" to the last hiss of the closing "Revolution To Spite Your Face".

In between, you hear the melodies (ha ha ha, that's a good one) of "Turn To Ash" and "Weekend", practically their insane attempt to propose FM-oriented commercial tracks; and then "Ohio", which cites Neil Young's namesake piece in the opening (...forget Ohio) only to turn into a frenzied lo-fi sabbath; and again "Scandals" and "Jerkin' Yourself Around", the two peaks of the album, nothing but deadly punk'n'raw peppered with stop-and-go and rhythm changes.

It's no surprise that Steve Albini officiated the ritual and that it was brought to light from dark caves by Crypt, the label of reference for every cult follower of the genre.

Gaunt was a great band, worthy heirs of their fellow countrymen Pagans, to whom they were bound by evident attitudinal and stylistic affinities.

And like every great band, they were an unfortunate group, as a twisted and infamous fate took away composer/singer/guitarist Jerry Wick ten years ago.

May the earth lie lightly upon him, as it should for anyone who makes life more joyful even for a single insignificant living being; and at least for me, Gaunt has brightened many moments.