It would be easy to see this whole thing as a classy nostalgia act, except it’s a lot of fun to listen to. Skateboarding, beer, puking, drugs, jumping the train – all the regular juvenile topics are touched upon in this unrelenting 19 minutes of old-school American punk.
Cynically, it is contrived and derivative. Sonically, it is refreshing and something against the grain of modern trends. You’ll need to make your own decision as to where you stand on this. However, if you see the connection between the Raymond Pettibone cover art, the deliberately offensive band name and lyrical refrains such as, “Cutting class, cutting class, cutting class; Yeah, I might not pass; Yeah I’m cutting class,” then you will totally get Cerebral Ballzy and be so much better off for it.
BY JEREMY SHEAFFE
Best Track: Insufficient Fare
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: SS DECONTROL, MDC, MINOR THREAT
In A Word: Revisionism
