Number 60 - Adolescents by Adolescents

 Number 60: Adolescents by Adolescents

Kids being kids

Release: April 1981
Genre: Punk 
Favorite Tracks: Amoeba, Democracy, L.A. Girl

 

Where I heard it: 

While most of my listening to specific genres came during highly concentrated periods, there do exist small examples of breakthroughs in my childhood. The primary culprit was usually soundtracks to video games, which I played my fair share of. It was once a novelty to hear licensed music featured in games that were not specifically based around music. One of the earliest examples I can remember is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, a series renowned for its track lists that I first played when I was six years old. Although I've come to appreciate this soundtrack in retrospect, only a few selections deeply resonated with me quite like Amoeba by the Adolescents. Thinking back, Amoeba may be the first instance in my memory where I recall hearing non-melodic vocals. I remember feeling this inner dissonance towards the imperfection of its timbre, yet simultaneously drawn to the sheer emotion evoked in its delivery. In essence, the Adolescents were my first experience with punk, and I still carry reverence for their iconic debut album to this very day...because of a video game about skateboarding. Thanks, Tony Hawk.

We are scientists in our lab
Looking through the microscope
The little glass slides, they never lie
How can this small mind cope?
I've never seen anything like it before
This amoeba's got a mind of its own
But don't turn your back, you stupid science world
This is reaching for the telephone
~ Amoeba

What to expect:

Instrumental toward progressing the California punk movement, the Adolescents helped introduce a more aggressive tone to the genre through thought-provoking lyrics and bold musical arrangement. Popularized across the pond by the Sex Pistols with their remarkable one-and-done Nevermind the Bollocks, hardcore punk still remained largely unknown among the American populous at the start of the 1980s, save for a few small pockets of urban areas within New York and California. Based in the metropolis hellscape of Los Angeles, the Adolescents particularly loathed the area for the materialism and mindset of its people. The band's eponymous debut Adolescents revolves all around their aversion to L.A., drawing from personal experiences and sensationalizing them to highlight their absurdity. This disgust is prevalent from Tony Cadena's gruff vocal style, who projects every syllable with ferocity and malice over the album's sixteen tracks. In typical punk fashion, the average song length is only a couple minutes, but every song makes the most of its time. Cadena's unfiltered songwriting is unabashed in its disdain across a wide range of topics, from the detestable social opinions lampooned on I Hate Children and Creatures to the more glaringly obvious criticisms of city life like L.A. Girl and No Friends. Not to be outdone, the Adolescent's rhythm section play the hell out of their respective instruments, headlined by sibling string duo Frank and Rikk Agnew. Their heavy power chords paired with Steve Soto's deep bass notes are layered to build a strong foundation for the frantic form of drummer Casey Royer, with the occasional wailing guitar solo thrown in. In addition, plenty of songs include backing vocals from Rikk and Casey, providing a sort of harmonic relief from the brash nature of Cadena's scowls. Despite its rebellious and rambunctious reputation, the Adolescents were able to intensify punk music with critical yet mature subject matter. Ironic, considering Adolescents was recorded and released with four out of five members still being teenagers, as their band name implies. Not bad for a bunch of kids.

 

Democrat, Republican, Libertarian

Do you really care what party you're in?

Did you really think you could make it big

Living among these nuclear pigs?

If you didn't know you'll never see

We're too far gone for democracy
~ Democracy

Why it's my favorite:  

It's interesting for me to look back on what was considered 'hardcore' or 'extreme' in society throughout history. Especially of music, so much of it is incredibly tame compared to today's standards. Of course, the evolution of trends moves at such a rapid pace, nothing ever stays the most polarizing for long. However, I tend to appreciate the landmark groups that influenced the direction of a genre moving forward. It's undeniable that Adolescents helped inspire the sound of punk in the 80's, which gained grit with acts like Black Flag and Circle Jerks. The band emerged right before the precipice of hyperviolent forms of punk, but still brings an edge sharper than that of groups like the Ramones that came before. The Adolescents display the potent angst of teenage youth with a focus on social activism, characteristics that have since become hallmarks of punk as a genre. Their longevity and popularity into the modern age stands as a testament to the revolutionary style they helped pioneer over forty years ago. Just ask any skate punk; I'm sure they could tell you just as much as I.