I am not – in all truth and candour – a massive fan of Led Zeppelin. As a result I didn’t really share in the nostalgia for the feature on a regular podcast listen of mine about the 50th anniversary of the tour they did to small venues where they’d started (my dad went as it happens), but something did strike me.
The correspondent on the piece talked about the gig being disappointing as they didn’t play “Communication Breakdown” which he’d wanted as Led Zep III had just come out. But it was compensated by the fact that they premiered a new song in the set, one that wasn’t to be released for six months. “Stairway To Heaven.”
Two iconic records in one year, pretty normal for those times I guess. Look at early Stones, Dylan, whatever. Speed was of the essence.
Which brings us to Indonesian Junk. I first came across them in 2018 with their slice of bleak, punk nihilism “Darkness Calling”. Now, here we sit in 2021 and “Living In A Nightmare” is the fourth record of theirs that has been reviewed on these pages.
So, lets not mess about any further, making you wait for the cliffhanger. It’s their best. It’s brilliant. From start to finish.
The cover gives them away. Rock n roll lifers, born to be on stages. Dark, dirty corners. Frankly, the type of band that should be playing as the gritty soundtrack to a drama set in a strip club. There’s a vibe about this that says: “the end of the world is on its way, we might as well turn it up loud.”
“Type Of Girl” is as close as they’re going to get to a love song. That is to say Daniel James (who sings somewhere like The Ramones have sniffed a lot of glue, had a nap and just woke up) attempts a spot of tenderness over something a bit power pop, while “One More Try” understands its history, and you can imagine Stevie Van Zandt playing this one if he ever wrote a punk record, but there are a number of touchstone moments on this and “Living In The USA” is the genuine first.
Everyone knows that since the world went to hell in a handbasket somewhere last spring, the fault lines have become ever more exposed, and this one is James’ statement on the subject. The genuine contempt with which he spits “when you’re living in the suburbs its easy not to care” is a thing of twisted beauty.
“I Don’t Mind” is much brighter, looking back on teenage parties with an affection and an almost ska flavour, but it’s the low slung brilliance of “Knew It All Along” that sweeps you along. A word too, here for lead guitarist Adam Turetzky, who rips a solo out with all the insouciant cool of Keith Richards – he is brilliant throughout, never better than here.
“Policeman” is as vitriolic as punk rock will be in 2021. If in the post-truth age we can still shock with music, then the line before the solo of “1,3,1,2, fuck the boys in blue” will do it. And the Chuck Berry style solo is mighty.
“You Won’t See Me” distils rock n roll to the brassest of brass tacks, while the boogie of “Tracy” makes the Georgia Satellites fan that I’ll always be get excited and “Slow Dancing’ happily stomps about like the best glam rock – if it was played by The Dead Boys jamming with New York Dolls, obviously.
Recorded in two days in the autumn of last year, “Living In A Nightmare” crackles with an energy and a spontaneity – as I supposed it almost had to given the time constraints they were under. There is, though, one last surprise. “Bawlin’ My Eyes Out” clocks in at over nine minutes (which given that it is around nine other songs of 2/3 minutes means it sticks out like a sore thumb.)
Do not fret. Indonesian Junk haven’t gone all Dream Theater on us. Rather, my assumption is that they’d listened to “Exile On Main St” and fancied a crack at it too – the net result is something that Tyla from Dog’s D’amour would approve of, which is just fine by me.
“Living In A Nightmare” then? Well we all have, to some extent, right? The silver lining, for me and many more, has been the incredible music that keeps getting released. Here’s another collection that is just that.
Rating 9/10
