Every generation has
rockabilly cats to call their own. The original sound and intent gets diluted throughout the years, but the sight of tattooed, backwoods greasers with pompadours remains a beloved
rock & roll image. In the '90s, nobody did it better than
Reverend Horton Heat, but Melbourne, Australia natives
the Living End give the good reverend a run for his money on their self-titled American debut. True,
the Living End's sound owes far more to
the Ramones than it does to
Eddie Cochran, or even
the Clash, but they've cleverly appropriated certain
rockabilly signatures -- most ridiculously, the upright acoustic bass -- that give their homage to the golden age of
punk a bit of charm. That would be enough to elevate them above many of their contemporaries, but they happen to
rock harder and write better songs than many late-'90s punkers, and that's enough to make
The Living End a guilty pleasure for old-school
punk fans. For younger listeners, it's just simply a good
rock record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine