I didn’t have high hopes for this one. The review my colleague Broadbent wrote about one of their records wasn’t exactly kind, and I feared this might be another one of those ‘goofy’ punk records (and I’ve certainly heard enough of those). Fortunately that’s not the case here. I haven’t heard that other record (which seems to be a hodgepodge of rarities and singles anyway) but although not a great record by any means at least “The Severed Tongue Speaks For Everyone” sounds just a tad too raw and mean-spirited to be ‘goofy’. The album was originally issued on LP only via the Criminal IQ label, now receiving the full digital treatment by Dead Beat Records.

THE FUNCTIONAL BLACKOUTS’ sound is easily described; it’s a combination of THE GERMS, THE STOOGES and weird psychedelia. Some of the weirder tracks like “In My Vacuum” even bring to mind early BUTTHOLE SURFERS. Like I said, it’s not a great record. Their sense of humor is rather puerile and the 45-minute album closer is pretty pointless (ooh look at us being ‘out there’). But played loud and in the right (obnoxious) mood “The Severed Tongue Speaks For Everyone” certainly does the trick.

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/thefunctionalblackouts

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