The Loudmouths

The Loudmouths come by their name honestly. Frontwoman Dulcinea Loudmouth has a truly gargantuan trap and a voice to match, and her belligerent pipes dominate the thrashy garage punk of this (now defunct) San Francisco quartet. Few of the 17 tracks hit the two-minute mark, but there's a load of energy packed into each brief blast, and if the riffs are interchangeable, they're fast enough that it doesn't matter. The band stumbles when they attempt the rare surfy lick, but when they stick to the script the result is reliable guitar-heavy punk. Subject matter covers typical trash culture concerns including pornography, roller derbies, and cult film femme fatale Tura Satana; the Loudmouths obviously have no interest in changing the world, or even commenting on it. A cover of Australian punk pioneers Rocks' "Kick Her Out" doesn't deviate from the original in any way, but is indicative of the band's influences and approach. The Loudmouths blazed no new trails, but fans of full-throttle, no-nonsense punk rock should appreciate the noise this debut long-player delivers.