Forging through the stinging desert sand like a pack of insane and drunken camels who haven't had a drink since Donnie Osmond's first beer, Useless ID loves singing punk rock in really good English. The band formed in 1994 in a spider-hole near Israel - where The Vandals and Cock Sparer imports were the only things to listen to. That is, until that magical day when the drummer traded his sister into Prostitution for a No Use For A Name CD and the rest - my imperialist pig-dog friend - is history. With a new influence and new lease on life, ID solidified their sound and soon became the big Baghdaddies of the greater Persian Gulf area. I'm not being negative at all by saying this; I like the sound these guys grind out. In fact if you can remember Fat Records first sampler, Fat Music For Fat People, then you might have already heard them and may already be a fan - stranger things have happened.

If I had to concoct a recipe for the un-initiated - I'd throw in a dash of Lag Wagon, a pinch of Strung Out, and a good sprinkling of both Good Riddance, and 88 Fingers Louie. Allow the batter to gel for 15 minutes then pour the contents over a well-endowed young woman (wearing only a tee shirt and no bra) and enjoy your summer with Useless I.D.

Their playing is really catchy and tight but also reckless and fun. It has the edge that made Tsunami Bomb and The Movie Life's earlier stuff so appealing. Yes I guess you could call it power pop, but without the nasally bullshit of commercial "poppy" sounding punk. I suggest you listen to this if you have an interest in the above bands. It put me in a happy mood with it's stripped down go-fro-broke attitude. These guys aren't serious, they just love to play and you can tell. As is the case with most foreign bands, their lyrics definitely fall on the cheesier side of the ledger - but their smart riffs and sing-along choruses make you forget all about that crap - if we wanted profundity we'd listen to Dylan or Patterson Hood. My hat goes off to this band for keeping it real and staying positive in the car-bomb capital of the world. Keep on rocking in the freak world.