The Penetrators - Kings of Basement Rock Slovenly casts a battered eye on Syracuse's unsung heroes of garage-punk, The Penetrators. Rounded up from 1976-1984, the band knocks out scuzz-rumpled versions of their catalog along with
an appropriately downtrodden yet defiant take on The Animals' "It's My Life". The band never really left the confines of the Syracuse bar circuit but they played with a flagrant bravado, apparent no more so than on their band theme song "#1 Band In Town". The recordings are nowhere near fidelity, but if the last five years of so have taught us anything, it’s that fidelity never dictated great garage rock, in fact it may only hold it back. The Penetrators knew that secret long ago, and like The Sonics before them, they know that a catchy tune trumps anyone's expectations of quality trappings and accoutrements. The band didn't make a lot of power moves towards stardom but they did send their video for "Shopping Bag" to a nascent MTV only to have it rejected as too terrible to be aired, and its probably for the best. The world wasn't ready. The world is now. Slovenly have picked the best and its time to slap this on the stereo and crank the knob rightward to infinity. Listen: Support the artist, buy it HERE