From the Bleachers

Several albums into their career, Philadelphia street punks the Boils produced their own Sandinista! with the sprawling 25-track From the Bleachers. Rather than synthesize the various strains of punk past and present that have influenced the Boils' sound, this album simply parcels them out a few tracks at a time. A little Ruts-style reggae-punk here, some Oi! there, the occasional detour into grindcore noise, and everywhere, the influence of the Dischord Records crew. Given that the band's devotion to the principles of hardcore punk means that songs rarely last past 90 seconds, this gives From the Bleachers an oddly fragmented quality. The pieces never quite fit together, with some songs that sound so much alike that it takes careful listening to make sure when one ends and another begins, and others that seem dropped in off of an entirely different album. Somehow, however, it all seems to make sense.