THE FUNCTIONAL BLACKOUTS is a band that took the easy way in everything they do. The off key, off time noisy punk rock they excel in means they must have saved a bundle in music lessons. They also took the easy way with this recording as well, which sounds like it was recorded in a bathtub through a rusty cheese grater. Even the album title, "The Very Best of the Monkees," should be enough to get an easy laugh out of dopey punks everywhere, right? RIGHT?

Seriously, "The Very Best of the Monkees" is a collection of rarities and singles spanning this Chicago band's five year career. The band is at their best when slogging along in a straight up punk manner akin to THE GERMS, but the band's infatuation with noise tends to gum up the works. They make it through to the end of tracks like "Chemical Bath" and album opener "Finger on You," even though it sounded like the roof caved in on their practice space half way through. There are lots of cool effects scattered throughout the disc, like distorted vocals and Theremin, but these touches just blend in with the rest of the clusterfuck without really adding anything.

Very few diamonds are to be found in this rough, but if your tolerance is high for truly obnoxious, ugly sounding music, then this is your band.

- Broadbent

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/thefunctionalblackouts

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