Interview
in Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2005
Sleazegrinder,
Demo of the month, August 2004
Straight
outta Tel Aviv (!) the bomb-dodging Genders are the slinkiest, kinkiest,
ass-rockinest cock n’ roll sensation in the Middle East. Well,
the slinkiest, the only, whatever. And yeah, I realize that it’s
culture shock to even consider an Israeli sleaze rock scene, but
baby, they got booze and pussy EVERYWHERE, so it ain’t much
of a surprise. What is a surprise is how fuck-on-the-floor BAD ASS
the Genders’ opening salvo, “Horatio”, is. Coming
on like some bleary-eyed cross ‘tween the Cramps and the Hellacopters,
“Horatio” is a swaggering, full-throttle cock rock ode
to oral sex, complete with free-flowing cowbell, Johnny Thunders-esque
solo, and this chorus: “Hey baby, my name is Horatio/I perform
cunnilingus in return for fellatio”. How’s THAT for a
rhyming scheme? I mean, it’d be even better if one of ‘em
was actually NAMED Horatio, but whatever. This song slays, baby.
S’funny,
tho, these Genders slip in and out of styles and sounds like Vegas
lounge lizards. “When I Grow Up (I Wanna Be a Fucking Stoner)”
is a rubber-legged “Louie, Louie” cop, “Scream”
is rattling indie-rock, the crazed “Sharleen” is frat-wrecking
60’s psyche-rock, “We Awright” rides a breezy Stones
riff, and reeks of NYC superhipster stuff (it’s a deadringer
for Cock N Roll faves Bona Roba), “Gender Bender” is sleazy
acid-electro-punk, somewhere ‘tween Soft Cell and a gay S&M
porn soundtrack, “They Wouldn’t Let You in the KKK”
is the Butthole Surfers in a skirmish with an 80’s metal riff,
and closer “High Heels” sounds like Oasis in a group-grope
with the Alice Cooper band, circa ’72. And you know what the
motherfucker of it is? It’s all GOOD.
Obviously,
with so many genre-bending styles to choose from, it’s anybody’s
guess where the Genders are going with all this top-shelf sleaze,
but one thing’s for sure, wherever the fuck it is, I’m
going with ‘em. Well, unless it’s to the Gaza Strip or
somewhere. That shit’s too dangerous. Otherwise, the Genders
(half of whom are US born, by the way, which probably explains the
cock in their walk) are not only a revelation (they have rock and
roll in the fucking DESERT!), but one of the best purveyors of the
wild beast throb I’ve heard in months. And lucky for you, you
can download their ENTIRE demo for free on their site. Goddamn,
I love rock n’ roll.
Melissa
says: “Sorry, I’m French, I don’t know what the fuck
“I angered the French” means.”
(Review
by Marco Moronne)
THE
GENDERS :: Demo Cd
So where's the girls n liquor!, we got some RNR going on here for
sure, we're not re-inventing the wheel lets assume the ideal of
'if it ain't broke don't fix it!' we're just' rockin! A well balanced
CD of out and out raw RNR no frills, no MTV, no million $$$ budget
and no consideration for others, crank up everything to maximum
and let's tear down your house and then the neighbours house!, this
is reckless abandon the louder you wind up the dial the more the
enjoyment, it's not 100mph grinding power, its bluesy sleazy RNR,
male, female or other your gender isn't important, this band has
ALL species covered if you like your RNR let's get it on!
(REVIEW
BY MARK HUGHSON)
Wow.
Who woulda thought that a kickass DIY band like this would hail
from Tel Aviv, Israel? Not I, said the head-scratching reviewer.
The
Rolling Stones were either a blues band or a rock band or a beautiful
bastardization of the two. The first two tracks here (“Horatio”
and “When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Fucking Stoner”) sound
like the Stones (but in some kind of wonderful pop mode). Equally
full of swagger and catchy-as-heck melodies. “Scream”
is a more straightforward rocker, but “Sharlene” is back
to the swinging, hooky stuff that totally rules. Everything up to
track 6 is golden, but at “Gender Bender” and beyond,
the group ventures into different territory that, although nice,
is a shift of gears that leaves you itching to skip back to the
hits at the beginning of the disc.
Hmmm.
Maybe I have not been clear enough. THE GENDERS ARE COOL! The music
is good! Don’t believe me? Check out the tunes at www.thegenders.com
and hear for yourself. Normally I would not go out of my way to
take special note of a band’s web site (and this is even odder
considering the site itself looks pathetically DIY), but apparently
they have this whole 8-song EP ready for your approval. Don’t
be lame; check this stuff out. Definitely worth your time.
--Mark
Hughson
(review
by Sarah Silver)
You'd
have to be pretty damn heartless to resist the charms of three-chord
wonders The Genders. Granted, their songs are derivative and their
lyrics are repetitive, but how can three guys from Tel-Aviv, Israel,
singing about weed, bitches and trans-gendered adventures amidst
bombs and "Jewfros", be totally without merit? This eight
song EP proves that The Stooges, The Stones, The Troggs and The
Velvet Underground are alive and well in the hearts of West Bank
scenesters, a fact that I find infinitely heartwarming.
Opener "Horatio" does not miss its golden opportunity
to rhyme said name with a certain sexual act, which tells me that
these fellas have more to offer lyrically than they would have us
believe based on the material that follows. "When I Grow Up
(I Wanna be a Fuckin' Stoner)" reveals more than half of its
lyrics in its title. This song and "Sharlene" have the
same janky-swing as "Wild Thing" and "Get Off My
Cloud", and, come to think of it, they also use the same three
chords as those ditties. "Scream" would not stand out
on a Green Day-heavy early '90s punk compilation, and "We Awright"
features a chorus cadged from Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down".
"Gender Bender", a confession of sorts, and "KKK",
a scathing indictment of a controversial American organization that
shall remain nameless, show the boys at their hardest, leading me
to believe that they must once have owned a Nine Inch Nails album.
While
The Genders are not afraid to laugh at themselves, they also have
some serious rock carnage roaring through their guts. They've eaten
rock all their lives, and it's given them indigestion. Over 21 minutes
and ten seconds, The Genders remind us once again that rehashed
"punknroll" (again, their word) has a definite place in
the world of music. Whether that place is in your Discman or your
trash can is up to you.
--
Sarah
Silver
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