Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980), 8/10

The best starting place for hardcore punk. Before the album even begins, the album cover appropriately and poetically depicts burning police cars; Biafra has a way of grabbing your attention, either musically with his hyper-satirical lyrics or his eccentric delivery. Anyone can, and many do, think of Dead Kennedys as the quintessential American punk band considering their earth-shaking debut or their outstanding follow up in Plastic Surgery Disasters. It is truly astonishing that the band's unique, identifiable sound and punchy ethos are already completely present in their full-length debut record, resulting in what is undeniably a punk classic but goes further to stand the test of time as a genre broadening staple. There are many standalone tracks that could easily carry the weight of the album, and when presented as a package, the album appropriately becomes an exercise in hardcore brutality. There are individual tracks that are carried primarily by Biafra’s vocals such as “Let’s Lynch the Landlord” or “Ill in the Head” but there are songs that drive primarily from the brutally blistering or technically impressive performances from other bandmates such as “Forward to Death”, “When Ya Get Drafted” or “I Kill Children”. Even more commonly they share a beautifully balanced combination of the two; these produce the record’s most impressive tracks like “Drug Me”, “Chemical Warfare” or “Holiday in Cambodia” that overflow with distressing lyrics and wonderfully caustic, distorted sounds from the instrumentals. Other than perhaps “Funland at the Beach” that slows the thematic momentum, although only four about two minutes, there is not a more consistently outstanding punk record in existence. Of course it would be remise not to mention the gigantic “California Über Alles” and “Holiday in Cambodia”, perhaps even the hilarious and supremely entertaining Elvis reimagining of “Viva Las Vegas”, and their place in expanding the possibilities of punk for future followers. The formula’s effect would fade in the coming years, but the album’s divisive quality perplexes, as Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables remains an unshakeable blueprint for great hardcore punk and even more generally punk rock.