biggest little prick in the union...

ARAB ON RADAR. most of you will by now be familiar with the name of this group at the very least - but have you actually inhaled one of their records? i have, all of 'em, and i can catergorically say/type, honestly and in a position of some authority, that AOR are one of the most important bands the earth has had the priviledge of experiencing over the last two decades at least. why? the 'soak the saddle' LP, for a start is THE blueprint from which rock n' roll/punk/jazz/pop music was able to spy a way forward...noise as structure and beauty, pretentious as all-get-out, and all the better for it. ARAB ON RADAR bent/smashed sound into song in a way that no-one has been able to come close to before or since. ok, CHARLES MINGUS comes to mind, but i am at a loss to find any other references. probably because nothing has ever scared and completely confused and interested me like this band other than MINGUS. fuck no-wave, fuck all the other reference-points - this group is the ONLY one that actually lived up to their own promise of destroying music so they could build it up again of their own design. after a demo tape, two albums and some 7 inches', they became a four-piece (sans bass guitar) - two guitars, drums, vocals. this is when AOR truly became AOR - they bent/smashed two more LP's out and toured the world with a tenacity and commitment to their art not unlike BLACK FLAG. europe was their target, and they fucking played wherever they could - for themselves, and for us too. i doubt many crust/hardcore bands could say that they worked as hard as these four surprisingly (no GG bullshit here) well-mannered and personable fellows. the music, again, was all there was...they all dressed in black workmen-like attire - not to add, but to detract from their moment(s) as the centre of attention each time they performed. you HAD to listen, and for twenty or so minutes each show (get in, get out - just the way it should be), ARAB ON RADAR simultaneously entertained and challenged themselves and whoever happened to be in the room at the time (and how many 'artistes' can TRULY stand behind this statement). anymore descriptive writ is in mind, pointless (though their vocalist mr. pottymouth has released several books of disturbing and beautiful prose), all that needs to be said/typed is thus: ARAB ON RADAR have reformed. buy their records. see them live by neccessity. come to australia cunts!