The Suburbs: In Combo, Credit in Heaven, and Love is the Law

Well, it’s about time. Nine years since the fondly remembered First Avenue reunion shows, 15 since their breakup, and 22 since In Combo first popped up in the vinyl racks, Beej and the boys’ original albums are finally out on CD. It’s a fine opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the ’Burbs’ brand of buzzy and bouncy punk-pop. Less angry than Hüsker Dü and less drunk than the Replacements, the Suburbs eschewed the aggressive, deliberate sloppiness of their peers in favor of tightly arranged punk for the dance floor—the sugarbuzz-happy middle ground between Culture Club and Wire. They never broke big nationwide, but a ferocious cult developed out of a string of club hits and memorably weird lyrics about cows, monster men, and wives taped to the ceiling. They broke up for good reason—major-label malaise led to 1986’s uninspired The Suburbs , not included in this reissue—but their place in local rock mythology is completely warranted. One churlish note: the packaging is disappointingly spare. No live tracks, no new liner notes, no B-sides, just the original tracks and artwork. But we’re complaining about the parsley garnish when the steak is sizzling.


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