Social Climbers - s/t (1981)

Working with only couple of guitars, a primitive drum machine, and an organ, Social Climbers managed to make some truly epic and frantic D.I.Y. post punk with their one and only self-titled LP. There is a lingering sense of desperation and anxiety that drives their sound like an out of control steam train, pistons pumping at full speed. Several early tracks combine this tension with an effect that's almost trance-inducing, like staring into an ever intensifying Twilight Zone swirling spiral illusion. The first half of the album is arguably the better half, as the latter portion gets really experimental and at times sounds like a punk band channeling circus music. Another key point worth noting is the wacky lyrics which could easily be mistaken for the ramblings of an escapee from an insane asylum. This apparent drivel is actually cleverly disguised social commentary that, especially on songs such as "Domestic" and "Western World," is indirect and facetious, but effective and exposing, touching on the bourgeoisie, working class and capitalism in general. A lost post punk masterpiece if there ever was one.

Rating: 9/10

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