Zack: If you want to know what punk is/should be, then you need not look farther than this album. Every single one of the criterion are met. It’s loud, fast, and anti-establishment. Their sound is somewhat a compromise of the punk rock sound of bands like The Ramones with the hardcore punk movement that formed in the 80s. The songs are short, averaging a bit more than two minutes apiece, but they pack those two minutes filled with rebellious goodies. Tracks like Let’s Lynch the Landlord and Stealing People’s Mail carry a sense of anarchy that is to the point of ridiculous, but other songs like When Ya Get Drafted contain a legitimate political message that isn’t lost amongst the cacophony of guitars and drums. The album ends with a punk rendition of Viva Las Vegas, which I took as an illustration of how the music scene has progressed through the years.
Favorite Tracks: Viva Las Vegas; Holiday in Cambodia; California Uber Alles
Emily: Dead Kennedys are punk with a sense of humor. This album doesn't have one cohesive message, which is a good thing. It allows them to vary the tone of the album between over-the-top calls for anarchy (Stealing People's Mail, I Kill Children, Let's Lynch the Landlord), tongue-in-cheek nostalgia (a cover of Elvis's Viva Las Vegas), and more serious political messages. Songs like Kill the Poor, When Ya Get Drafted, and Chemical Warfare are still relevant today, which can either show how progressive the Dead Kennedys were, or how little the country has progressed (but that's a rant for another day). What brings the album together, rather than content, is the sound. Dead Kennedys are classic punk, through-and-through. Through short, fast bursts of guitar-and-drum rage, their message(s) are conveyed with a sense of rage, urgency, and anarchy - the core mission of the punk movement.
Favorite Tracks: Kill the Poor; Viva Las Vegas; California Uber Alles
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