Death By Television

Originally issued on Lookout Records in 1999, the Lillingtons' pop-punk classic Death by Television has been remastered by Mass Giorgini (who produced the original album) for this 2006 reissue through San Francisco-based Red Scare. Burnt out from covering girls and heartbreak on their earlier work, the Lillingtons switch things up for this super-charged record, thematically basing their songs around sci-fi movies and UFO type phenomenon — that's right, their rollicking energy is now channeled into songs where aliens are taking over the world and Neil Armstrong is taking bananas away from moon-bound Apemen. The guys are pretty straightforward in their Ramones-styled approach; a handful of different chord progressions, a quick beat, and an unwavering vocal delivery are all that's needed to deliver 14 invigorating songs that aren't anywhere near as tedious as that description might suggest on paper. The Wyoming crew's muscular pop-punk sits alongside underground faves like Screeching Weasel and the Queers, but with a much more lighthearted and less sarcastic line of attack. Death by Television has been considered by many as not only the Lillingtons' best work, but also one of the strongest pop-punk releases to come out of the '90s. But regardless of that well-deserved distinction, most people probably missed this gem the first time around. So now is your chance at redemption with that guy with the Ben Weasel shrine in his room — just be sure to thank the nice folks at Red Scare for your newfound street cred as you're rocking out in your car.