Ninety Pound Wuss

Item: Short Hand Operation
Author: Ben Mengden

Short Hand Operation

(1999)

Reviewed by Ben Mengden

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsHM Magazine #78July 1999

hardcore punk post-punk punk

I hope this album sells like crazy; easily my favorite work of 90 lb. to date. Short Hand Operation is along the same lines as their previous album, Where Meager Die of Self Interest, but is even more brilliant. Now if you still don't believe me, you can keep reading.

Simply put, 90 lb.'s old school, punk sound and post-punk inventiveness (especially seen on Where Meager...) is portrayed in higher definition and in broader span. The edge has remained, but instead of just raw garage power, there is a harnessing which leads to a clearer and more accessible sound without selling out to some other style to just be like some more popular kid. The post punk (almost rough emo at times, as a friend pointed out to me concerning Where Meager...) is brilliant. Instead of taking it mellow and throwing out the punk side, 90 lb. has kept their sound and bent it. They have changed and allowed room for some nice sampling and use of some wacky guitar effects (toy laser gun sound, which appears now and then; breaking glass, feedback - don't you love feedback - and some keyboard, which is pretty wacky for a punk band and, for that matter, a post-punk band). It is a beautiful synthesis of styles and techniques. You almost have to - actually, you DO have to hear it - to appreciate it.

The album has a lot of diversity and a lot of complexity. There are some straight-up punk songs ("Not Like Me"), and there are some more post-punk songs ("Fulfilled"). "Nostalgia" starts out as almost as this keyboard pop song, but finds its way smoothly into a punk song. Natural. "Torment in Tension" is layered so thick, the complexity is gorgeous. Not a dull moment. "It Seems So Far Away" is beautiful; an instrumental of epic proportions and faithful to the instrumental title. Very nice percussion in this song, and, while we are talking about drums, fast. Be not mistaken, Jeff Suffering's straining vocals have been refined too. They are far more versatile than previous work, allowing for a range instead of a signature vocal style. Talk, sing, yell. Not as thrashed sounding most of the time, but he still yells until you think he's going to die ("Intermediate Laceration"). He's got a decent singing voice, which lends itself well to more than just a punk yell. Nice bass work throughout. Both bass and guitar parts are very creative; they do not force them to be monotonous. There are tons of effects on the guitars, but not in a dorky way.

The more I hear this album, the more I like it. If you have never heard or liked Ninety Pound Wuss, I really encourage to check this album out. This is the kind of stuff that I imagine people not getting into, because they are too creative.