Berserk- Complete Go-Kart releases.

That's really only 1 CD and a compilation song, but its all awesome. Berserk were a pop punk band from Maryland, and were the first band to have a full length on the then fledgling New York DIY powerhouse. The band has one cassette EP/demo I'm trying to track down, and another comp track on the Walking By A Building comp from Hat Factory. There was a 7" single for "Giant Robots" with "When I Think" on the B. There was demo version of "Giant Robots" on the soundtrack to Justin Case Productions’ PERMANENT DAMAGE. That covers the released material, aside from a video of their 1998 reunion.


God, that's boring, isn't it? On to some more interesting stuff. The band formed in the late 80's, with the Gonna Save the World From Danger dropping in 1989 on Beef Platter Records, who maintain a pretty useful page on the band with some reviews from various zines. They're all cool things to read, but hit on the same points: "Giant Robots", Love of Japanese and Korean Pop-Culture and Women, Incredible pop sensibilities. One zine review not included was one from the old Cake zine where the reviewer felt that the opener "Giant Robots" was "too Devo" and so otherwise panned a record he never listened to. Now that's solid Rock Journalism! Honnestly, the Devo comparison is pretty ignorant of band's far more similar to Berserk, and applies to maybe two songs on a 12 song record.

The trio comprised of Brent Malkus, David Crawly, and Skizz deliver some really awesome not played out pop-punk. In the early 90's Go Cart seemed to be doing two things- in your face garage punk a-la Meatmen, Buttsteak, and Candy Snatchers, and pop-punk with indie rock sensibility. Bands like Weston and Doc Hopper and Berserk were taking more cues from The Doughboys than Greenday or Screeching Weasel. As mentioned ad nauseam in reviews, The Buzzcocks cast a long shadow over Berzerk, but at the same time, songs like "Korean Kabbidge [sic]" and "Bluehearts" could have come off The Doughboy's Crush. Those song names bring up another important facet of the song lyrics- Love of asian pop culture and associated institutions.

Over half the songs reference some sort of Japanese cultural icon or an Asian girl the singer is pining after. This was probably what drew me to the record, as I have long loved Japanese movies and TV(anime included) and had recently had my first dating experiences with a girl from tokyo that transfered to my school for a year. These guys were basically like the minstrels in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, following me and narrating my life and thoughts. I'd love to interview these guys and talk about their experiences that created this blend of mournful love songs and songs about Ultraman.


The album breaks into two halves really. The first six songs are fairly upbeat and rollicking, while the second half is darker in tone and style. Its kind of like one side is for when you're happy and in the perfect relationship, and the other side is for when you feel like me. 


This album was one of my first punk albums that wasn't by a band that every punk rock wannabe worth his weight in pyrite knows(e.g. Misfits, Ramones, Dead Kennedys etc.).  This was the kind of punk rock that the hometown bands played in Murfreesboro at the time, so it instantly struck a chord the first time I heard the album, and so for a time it was in heavy rotation in my car. That means two things, first being I got sick of it after a time, and the second will be addressed at the end of this post. Since then, I pull this CD out only sometimes. I think it hadn't been played in over a year and a half when I put it in the CD player this morning on a whim. The problem is two fold:


1. Berserk has such a limited output, that the songs get old very fast, and thus the band does too


2. Berserk don't innovate with these songs, so much as showcase their excellent songwriting. not much new is on the table, so it can easily become background noise


So now, when i clean out an old binder or desk and find a note from Marie(afore mentioned Japanese girlfriend) I get this CD out. Or when I've had a particularly awful day/week/5 months.


So with out further ado- Berserk


EDIT:


I found the liners from the CD and the GKvCG compilation. It didn't shed much light on the record, other than that the album had actually been scheduled for release several years earlier. Go Kart bought it from the original label, and put out in 1994. It was also released in Austrailia,(on time i think) and had at the time of the compilation's pressing only sold 140 something units. 


A big thanks to Skizz and  Beef Platter Records for keeping a pretty decent archive of information on the scene they helped build in Maryland in the 90's!