Black Flag – Wasted...Again

Black Flag were one of the most tonally versatile hardcore punk bands. Sadly, most casual fans are unaware of how effortlessly they were able to shift between satire, cynicism, abjection and hostility without ever sacrificing their aggression, immodesty and urgency. Perhaps it was the frenzied ferocity of Henry Rollins that caused neophytes to misinterpret his slacker satires as inherently sincere when such lyrics are delivered with such an extreme degree of viciousness. Exploring the usual punk analogies of alienation and boredom, Black Flag's music was accused of being partly responsible for the fall of America's youth. As with any movement, the disenfranchised merely connected with hardcore rather than idolised it. After all, Black Flag were not pop stars to be adored - they were making a statement. In the case of L.A. punk, a subgenre that Black Flag crossed the threshold of, it was the strangely engaging visceral articulation of barely contained inner frustration that resonated with so many underprivileged social misfits.

"Wasted... Again" comprehensively presents the manic depressive feature of Black Flag's identity in one concise 33-minute package. From the highly provocative odes to depravity "Slip It In," "Wasted," "Annihilate This Week," and "Loose Nut", "Drinking and Driving", the band are equally as menacing whilst irreverently extolling the virtues of self-destruction and drunkenness as they are on the less acerbic numbers "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie,", "Six Pack," "Louie Louie," and "TV Party". It may be difficult to discern the implicit humour beneath the potent surface of nihilism and fury, but the overarching guys night out theme of the collection facilitates the detection of irony and streak of mordancy. Any explicit disclosure of their subversive nature occurs in more conspicuous, on-the-nose moments, namely the jarring sound effect of a car crash at the closing seconds of "Drinking and Driving". With Henry Rollins at the helm, Black Flag eventually became too intense, driving and political to fully express their sense of humour, hence the necessity of this compilation, which seems to make the claim that their tongue-in-cheek declarations of non-conformity conceal an inexplicable catharsis that becomes lost in the pulverising lo-fi muddiness of their sound.

"Wasted... Again" will be disappointing to those who prefer the anti-authoritarian stance of punk to be conveyed as explicitly and undiluted as possible. In spite of its focus on the less serious tracks in the Black Flag canon, this is an entry level compilation for fans who wish to update their knowledge of Black Flag's ulterior drollness, which offers another side to them as a band, one that undoubtedly influenced other acts.

Rating: 4/5