The Excessories - Pure Pop For Punk People - 2001

In 2001, pop/punk has deteriorated from a once-valid description into an overused misnomer best utilized in reference to some of the most watered-down musical clichés to seep their way into the hearts and wallets of record buyers since the concoction of the word grunge. Enter the Excessories -- vocalist-guitarist Melanie Coffee, guitarist Rich Coffee, bassist Janet Housden and drummer Roy J. Morgan -- a gang of musical misfits who rightfully restore the misrepresentative term to its true meaning with Pure Pop for Punk People, an album bursting forth with first-class power-pop, fuzzed-out surf punk and sassy, '60s girl-group allure. This should come as no surprise when you consider that, collectively, the band members boast stints in such notorious local scene machines as Redd Kross, Sluts for Hire, the Darlings, the Tommyknockers and the Shakes. From the cleverly tweaked use of Nick Lowe's debut album title to the tunefully giddy tributes to Cheap Trick, the Go-Go's and Blondie contained within, the quartet's initial offering is sonically indebted to that musically schizophrenic year of 1981 -- the year responsible for such striped-shirt staples as Beauty and the Beat, I Love Rock 'n' Roll and debut discs from the Plimsouls and the Barracudas. Pushed to the limit by buzz-saw guitars, manic drumming and sun-kissed harmonies, Melanie's candy-coated odes to punk rock boys, teenage daydreams, summer vacation and L.A. seismology (in a spot-on cover of "The Earthquake Song," by where-are-they-now new-wave duo Little Girls) explode with all of the tongue-tickling goodness of a package of Pop Rocks or a gigantic wad of Bubblicious. Twenty-five minutes after the album's opening snare blast, the Excessories will more than likely have you convinced that if this isn't damn near the best music on earth, it's certainly a refreshing reminder of why -- as our heroine Miss Melanie sings -- "Pacific Coast/Yeah, it really is the most."- Jim Freek - Los Angeles New Times

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The Excessories - Pure Pop For Punk People - 2001