Neurotic Post-hardcore

After Damaged, BLack Flag began moving into more experiemental territory, beginning with 83's post-hardcore/sludge rock platter "My War." The songs got longer, the guitar playing more twisted and free-jazz inspired, and the lyrical more homicidal and poetic. The youthful brattishness of songs like "Spray Paint the Walls" and "Gimme, Gimmme, Gimme" were replaced by more existential and severe musings. "Mw War," however, and it's '84 follow-up "Slip it In" have raw, live sounding production. Bill Stevenson's drum sound realistic and dirty as do Greg Ginn's guitar and Rollins' conflicted, tortured vocals. With 85's "Loose Nut" the band turned a new corner with studio production and that marks the biggest change and perhaps is also the album's downfall. The songs are the strongest they'd written, perhaps ever. Unfortunately, the 80's reverb, click-track precision, chorus-laden vocals and slicked-up bass do little to present the insanity of this band's live act. Had "Loose Nut" been record without effects and over-done post-production, it might have been one of the classic post-punk albums ever. Like many punk bands in the mid 80s though, they succumbed to the trappings of the era's production trends, and these trends most often didn't age well. With that said, there isn't a bad track here. "Loose Nut," "Bastard in love," "Modern Man," and "Annihilate this Week" continue the band's ongoing commentary on social apathy and male chauvanism in the tradition of "Swinging Man" and "Slip it In." As always, the sardonic an neurotic undertone of the first person voice gives the songs and errie delivery. Also here are the black love numbers "This is Good" and "Sinking," perhaps the finest songs the band ever did post "Damage." For full-throttle versions of these tunes see the live 85' album "Whose Got the 10 1/2."Ultimately, Loose Nut" is a classic record. ANd the production does give it a strange charm and claustrophobia that makes it a great curiosity. If SST ever gets smart and reissues/remasters the BF catalog, hopefully "Loose Nut" will be examined as the important, yet flawed album, it was.