JFA

Perfect 7" EP's are probably my favorite type of record.  You don't have time to think or overanalyze, you just sit there for 7 or 8 minutes and go, "whoa."  They are over as soon as they start, and you don't have to wade through or endure any trifling ass shit.  These are the records where every song fits perfectly into place and contributes to the whole idea.  This is a hard thing to do, because there's not much room for ideas in under 10 minutes of music.  Every second has to count, and when bands accomplish that, holy cow, the results are unmatched.  As proof, here's an absolute shredder of a 7" from Cali's JFA or Jodie Foster's Army.  It's from '81, Blatant Localism is its title, and it's the stuff punk rock dreams are made of.  So many bands start out sounding like this,  but none of them sound like this, ya know?  It's the unfingerable x-factors that make records like this stand the test of time...it could be the unbridled aggression, the unhinged vocals, the inherent chaos of not knowing what it is exactly you're doing, or it could be one of the best lyrics of all time: "Surf punks we're not!  Skateboard we do!"  Any way you slice it, this record ranks up there with the greats of American punk.

SKATEBOARD WE DO