U.S. Bombs: Back at the Laundromat : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The U.S. Bombs encapsulate all those most appealing of punk rock's contradictions. Their music has politics without really being political. The songs are thoughtful even as they maintain their don't-give-a-fuck air. They seem perpetually dangling on the edge of self-destruction, yet are contained enough to put together an album of songs and not just noise. That they stay true to the ethic laid out by the Sex Pistols is certainly to their credit at a time when many would be hard pressed to name a Sex Pistols song, much less use one as a template. The problem is that Back At The Laundromat lacks the teeth it needs to deliver on the Bombs' promise. Opener "Tora Tora Tora" brings them to about an eight on the intensity meter, and there they stay, when they should be smashing past ten with indignation. There's plenty to shout along with, but it would be just as easy to save your voice. (MIKE MAGNUSON)

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