The Stalin
Stop Jap

THE REVIEW

When punk arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun.

It was 1979, and two years later than their Western counterparts, Michiro Endo founded a band controversial from its very name, a band that represented and still represents today the symbol of Japanese punk.

I know, you're used to the devastating noise rock 'n' roll of Guitar Wolf and Teengenerate. But give a listen to the unruly grandchildren of the big mustache. You won't regret it and will understand many things about the development of this genre in the land of manga and Samurai.

"Stop Jap", the second creation dated 1982, is raw provocation. Josif Stalin was the most hated man in that country, and such a title could only be read as a statement of pure anti-patriotism.

Political considerations aside, this record is a blast from the first to the last second.

The most beautiful and significant song is the ramshackle "Romanticist". Wonderful, in its semi-amateur simplicity, is the video produced at the time. Four furious teenagers in search of a solid identity amidst many "isms".

Then come pure punk rock hits like the delightful title track and the very gritty "Money".

Quite different from the rest of the songs is the final "Warusahawa No Genso", a paranoid and twisted rock reminiscent of certain things by the Germs.

It's precisely the ghosts of self-destructive icons like Darby Crash, Sid Vicious, and Iggy Pop that cast dark and threatening glances song after song.

In the 2003 reissue, you'll also find two notable and tasty covers. One of "Light My Fire" and one of "No Fun" (what a coincidence!)

No technicalities, low-cost production, without falling into lo-fi, and lots of fury.

The album "Mushi" will follow, but the Stalins will prefer to move closer to the hardcore punk of bands like Exploited and GBH. In short: another story and other events.

"Stop Jap": a must-hear for pogoing and to discover a world far from ours. No, it's not a cliché.