Wipers – The Herd
By
Jesse E. Mullen
For a while, it must have looked like The Wipers and Greg
Sage were going to have an opening trifecta of classic albums, and several good
to great releases to come afterwards. (Though I will vouch for Sage's first
solo album, Straight Ahead, and its classic status any day.) But thanks to the
strong melodies, pounding drums, and wall of noise guitars found here, Sage has
created another perfectly sequenced classic. Highlights include "Last
Chance" with its incredibly dark riff (So good, it was recycled twice on
the Wipers next album as two new songs!), the title track, "Wind The Clock
Slowly," and my favorite, the sloganeering "Resist" complete
with a breathtakingly breezy opening melody, and a ripping solo at the end. (No
wonder J. Mascis is such a huge fan.)
Tim/Kerr Records/1996
