08 December 2011

JUNGE FRONT


Taking their name from the youth wing of a proto-Nazi political movement banned in 1982, Frankfurt's JUNGE FRONT (Young Front) managed only one vinyl release in their short lifespan. 1984's Politick is a quintessential Deutsch Punk slab, and this 1983 demo was a perfect warm up for that release. In classic D-Punk form, JUNGE FRONT flit between straightforward beats, rudimentary ska and jerky post punk, all tinged with gruff snarled vocals. The quality varies widely (both in terms of sound quality and technical proficiency) but even the no-fi ridiculousness of "Teddybär" is enticing, if only for the random appearance of group female backing vocals. The snare fights constantly through tape hiss, which serves only to add to the charm of these 12 songs. Borderline inept (and they often veer south of that border), JUNGE FRONT are nothing short of excellent to my ears - this is the kind of earnest determination that cannot be faked. My copy came on a tape with FUNERAL ORATION, END RESULT and DIE KREUZEN demos, but I nicked the cover from the brilliant Tape Attack blog, a must-visit source of '80s German punk, no wave and avant sounds.

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