Day 84: Minutemen - The Punch Line

Due to my holiday, I very much did google “shortest albums” and make my pick based on that, but that’s not to say that I’m not exited to learn about a band that I wasn’t aware of before. A good album that’s 18 songs and 15 minutes long? Sure, I want something quick so I can go back to the very important things I was doing before, which is drinking wine in a hotel bed and watching CSI New York.

Album cover courtesy of SST Records

Minutemen were an American art-punk trio formed by D. Boon, Mike Watt and George Hurley, known for their short and fast live shows and having an eclectic mix of influences in their songs, inspired by genres like funk, jazz and acid rock. They’ve also got one of the greatest origin stories of all time: they met when a 12-year-old Boon fell out of a tree and landed next to Watt.

The Punch Line was released in 1981 as the band’s first LP, and it was recorded with their method of “jamming econo”, or doing things on the cheap. They recorded at night and all kept their day jobs, despite being fairly successful and doing tours.

I was wondering how much of a punch a song can pack if it’s less than a minute long. Turns out, quite a lot. The songs are intense, fast and punchy, but maybe just a tad too punchy for my personal tastes. You think “hmm, that’s interesting”, and then there’s only 20 seconds left. I like the songs, and then they end – it’s like doing a bit of foreplay and stopping before the going gets good.

The band viewed albums as a way to promote tours and not the other way around, and it feels like something that would work very well live. But on an album, songs this short just aren’t for me. I feel frustrated, I’m left wanting more. It’s a good band, though. 6.5/10.