#44 - Phil

The Distillers

Sing Sing Death House

2002

I first heard of the Distillers in high school while watching Canada’s #1 music channel, Much. Their video for “City of Angels” came on and I was immediately struck by lead singer Brody Dalle’s unique and emotive voice. I had never been a big follower of the punk scene but found this Los Angeles trio quite engaging. This led me to eventually purchase the Distillers’ thrilling second LP, Sing Sing Death House.

What this record achieves in less than 29 minutes is nothing short of sensational. Right from the opening track, “Sick of It All,” the Distillers grab a hold of you and never let go. Their combination of driving baselines, infectious hooks, and Dalle’s biting vocals make for an album that is both inspiring and adrenaline-forcing! “I Am Revenant” is an in-your-face anthem saying no matter what happened to the Distillers in the past, “We will rise up from the dead / We become the living / We’ve come back to reclaim our stolen breath!” “The Young Crazed Peeling” is Dalle’s declaration to the world that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her life decisions because, “I got freedom and my youth / Yeah I got freedom and my youth!” And “Desperate” is a powerful minute-and-22 second description of Dalle giving up on herself and reverting back to heroin: “Going back in style / Going back a mile / Dirty heroin take it back a step / This is my arm / This is my heart / This is the lie / You promised to me!” These uncompromising and unapologetic songs are what make Sing Sing Death House my favorite punk album of the decade! -P.W.

This past summer I had a brief hardcore punk binge. However, I can’t say there have been many punk records from the past few years that I could really get into. This one is a bit of an exception. It’s fast and relatively unrelenting and I really loved the vocals. Sing Sing Death House has all the ingredients for a great punk record but I feel it lacks a bit style to separate it from other more mediocre punk rockers. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. A fun listen. - Ryan

Here's a record that I hadn't heard before. Beyond the female vocals, there isn't much about this album that I would've expected Phil to dig, mostly because it's not rap nor is it a weepy dude with a guitar. Instead the Distillers are a punk revival group who formed in the late '90s and released three records in the early/mid '00s. "Sing Sing Death House" is their second release and it's not bad. The record is filled to the brim with high-energy raucous punk. I can't say that I'm particularly struck with this but it's got a nice visceral edge. - Steve