Aside from
Guitar Wolf,
Teengenerate are the best-known Japanese garage act in the United States, and their savage beat gets proper LP attention with
Get Action. The band blasts through a dozen sound-alike tracks with good-natured violence and electrical velocity, produced on the cheap and recorded in one sitting so that the whole mess sounds like a crackling mass of static through a dusty stylus. Sometimes the band gets lost in the murk, but more often they come through with sheer adolescent energy and sloppy R&B aplomb. Greasier than
the Ramones, more youthful than
the Pagans,
Teengenerate blaze with a nearly hardcore fury but it always sounds like a party, even at their wildest. Like
Guitar Wolf,
Teengenerate have a fairly fractured sense of the English language, but their grasp of American rock & roll conventions is tighter than the surreal interpretation of the mighty
Wolf, making for less idiosyncratic listening but more reliable dance action. "Dressed in Black" is the hit, an irresistible chant-along number with a chunky riff and pogo-ready rhythm. Other great tracks are the breakneck opener "Mess Me Up," the juicy power pop of "Right Now," and their nearly unrecognizable race through "Shake, Rattle & Roll." Guaranteed to leave xenophobic punks quaking in their American-made boots. ~ Fred Beldin