THE SCREAMING BLUE MESSIAHS - Bikini Red

What more can I say about the Messiahs that I haven’t said in previous posts, without sounding like some crazy fucking obsessive. Seriously though, this their second album is the bollocks! There are no comparisons; The Messiahs were out there on their own on the lost highway, and 21 years later it still sounds as fresh as the smell of recently burned rubber on tarmaq. Pure, ferocious, frantic and fun, with a dark edge to it. Don’t just take my word for it, here’s what Anne Scanlon had to say about it in Sounds magazine:
“Sometimes good guys don't wear white but, fronted by Bill Carter, The Screaming Blue Messiahs come across like the meanest and darkest of them all.
Back, after a long silence, with dual openers 'Sweet Water Pools' and 'Bikini Red', the Messiahs appear to have fled the madness of the city and taken refuge on safe and starlit beaches. But that's on the surface only. The post-'Gun-Shy' Messiahs are as obsessed as ever with concrete, cars and homicide only this time their psyche is more deranged, their delivery more manic. Take the dance destruction of 'All Shook Down', the slow grind of 'Big Brother Muscle' or the effortless rock 'n' roll of '55 The Law' which features Michael Ryan and Jerry Lee Lewis in a suburban breakout: "I didn't like my neighbours so I blew them all away, didn't like my neighbours on such a nice day". 'Too Much Love' and 'Sweet Water Pools' both reek of a similar desire to escape and annihilate, but 'Bikini Red' reveals a sharp sense of humour as well. This is drawn out on the combat Clash crunch of 'I Can Speak American' and more immediately on 'I Wanna Be A Flintstone' and 'Jesus Chrysler Drives A Dodge'. That said, the song this record is most likely to be remembered for is a distinct departure from anything the Messiahs have done before. It's the closing 'Waltz', a eulogy for Carter's mother and a fine testament to love and life. The Screaming Blue Messiahs might never get round to wearing white, but their hearts are still beating in all the right places.” Anyway if you fancy a blast you know what to do!