Pummel [VINYL]

Pummel is musically as good as any of their previous records, but unfortunately it contains some lyrical inconsistencies that are a little disturbing. Each of the members contribute to different songs, but drummer Bill Stephenson's lyrics are the most troublesome of the bunch. Where he used to write goofy, bittersweet love songs about falling in love, he has turned bitter, mean-spirited, and, despite what he thinks, homophobic. In "Uncle Critic" he writes, "You're always printing shit about me / You're still years behind me / So if you've got anything to say to me / Say it to my face / Don't call me homophobic." Yet later, in "Hetero," he proclaims, "What a fucked-up world / Or is it my fucked-up head / The only way you're cool / Is if you're gay or dead."--Adem Tepedelen