NEUROTICA (RE-ISSUE)
FIVE FOOT TWO RECORDS
Fifteen years after its initial release, Redd Kross' Neurotica still stands the sugar-coated test of time. With its ultra-catchy hooks and pop-rock prowl, this was the McDonald brothers—Jeff and Steve—at their hair-flailing finest after their “we're sloppy punks” phase wore off. And even though the McDonalds had the sickest revolving door of band members, they hit it dead-on with this particular lineup. Drummer Roy “No Relation” McDonald packed a perfect punch, while lead guitarist Robert Hecker added solid riff rock and the sweetness that is “Love Is You.” The head-boppin' “Janus, Jeanie and George Harrison” still makes me feel like an air-guitar hero, while “Ballad of a Lovedoll” reminds me it was around 1987 that Jeff was dating Vicki Peterson of the Bangles (she shows up on one of the CD's two bonus tracks). So if you like your pop fun, your rock bitchen and your harmonies heavenly, and—like me—you're concerned that just one more spin would completely disintegrate your old vinyl copy, enjoy the durability of the modern age and pick it up on CD. Redd Kross can still make your world beautiful, sunny and vanilla-frosted.
