Ninety seconds into this excavation of
the deceptively named late-'70s proto-riot grrrls the Neo Boys, the
band flubs a part, stops, and starts the song over, as a live crowd
hoots encouragement. That's punk rock for you, and the first part of Sooner or Later
gets its charge from the anything-goes freedom punk afforded five
teenagers from Portland with little musical experience. Why not try out a
halting, out-of-tune, mangled blues number? A talent show-level cover
of the Stones' "I'm Free"? Go for it! But the greatest thing about this
overview, compiled by Calvin Johnson and containing the totality of the
band's five-year recorded history, is tracking the group as it comes
into its own: The bracing "Give Me the Message" and "Time May Tell"
aren't just interesting artifacts but genuine lost classics of the era.
By disc two, the Neo Boys have evolved into a sort of revved-up Young
Marble Giants, spinning spatial minimalism into a buoyant attack, and
singer Kim Kincaid leveling feminist screeds combining Patti Smith's
literacy with the force of the Avengers' Penelope Houston. An essential
collection.
HEAR IT: The album is out Tuesday, Oct. 15.
WWeek 2015