Ahh, Sweden - a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there. Cold even in the summer and their booze is bullshit unless you wanna pay thru the nose. Was there for a minute over the summer and it did not live up to my imagined world of bleakness ala Birmingham, England but with tons of people drunk on the wodka. No dice. (Note : I was smart and loaded up on the duty-free booze on the very interesting ferry ride over from Denmark along with fellow bandmates and the incredible Cola Freaks.)

Famed for it's massages, erotica, meatballs, chefs, and now this band. I can sum this band up easily by saying they blend the speed and harmonies of a band like The Marked Men with the punk rawk hooks of a band like The Professionals (who also had their share of harmony but light on the speed, at least in the music).

I could also mention that both Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and Brian James (The Damned) make appearances on here. But that wouldn't bring out what is great about this band via the written word. What is great about them is their ability to write a good rock song with excellent harmony and then speed it up a notch or two to make it a touch more ummm frantic.

If you have never heard The Marked Men then imagine if you would perhaps a band like Dillinger 4 but with a garage rock sensibility. The Marked Men always reminded me of honey glazed bbq. Sweet with a good kick to it. Matter of fact, their "On The Outside" album was a bbq classic around these parts. This will most likely replace it because it has some great things that they were missing. It has more swing to it. More bounce even. And at times it reminds me of The Maharajas if they were doing '78/'79 punk stuff.

You know what I mean. that point where punks learned to take the bludgeon and meld it with the sickly sweet harmonies that bands like The Buzzcocks were perfecting all along. This makes obsolete bands like The Hatepinks etc who just look to pantomime a sound. Zooparty does one better than all of that by taking "that sound" (fireworks, chaos, your first kiss, a nice hamburger, cruising in your car with all the windows down on a nice spring day, etc) and making it their own.

If you could bottle this shit and sell it you would be rich. Plus, if you wanna sample of this and other fine products from the same label : all orders receive a free Acme "10th anniversary" sampler disc. No shit. Git to it boy!

TERMINAL BOREDOM

I knew nothing of these guys until the CD landed on my front porch and I popped it into my CD player. Zooparty is a three-piece punk rock band straight out of Sweden, fronted by long-time Swedish punk fixture Erik Petterson and long-time collaborators Per Karlsson and Ove Hejdeborn. Their sound, though undeniably their own, reflects a very 70's punk feel and is both catchy and melodic while still maintaining a vicious bite. I mean these guys actually SOUND like a punk rock band that’s formed in 1977 Sweden and not like a band that formed in 2005 out of the ashes of a slew of previous bands they were in. Think the Damned meets the Professionals. Songs that show a distinctive anti-social streak such as “Trading Happiness For Songs” and “Remember To Forget” show you exactly where this band is coming from. Produced by both Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock and Damned guitarist Brian James. Twelve songs in all. Chalk up another hit release by Dracut, Massachusettes' Acme Records. Recommended.

GOD SAVE THE SEX PISTOLS (UK)

What is it about Zooparty, a punk rock outfit from Sweden, that attracted Glen Matlock and Damned legend Brian James, both of whom lend their skills to this album? A three piece, Zooparty are not kids, but longer-in-the tooth punk rockers who write fine tunes and deliver them with confidence, and in English. Well-produced and very catchy, it is clear that all three musicians have been honing their skills for many years. This is a very good, modern sounding punk rock album, with similarities to Goldblade. I could see both bands going down a storm on the same bill. Exposure at a UK festival such as Rebellion could gain Zooparty a whole new audience. Listen to The Race Has Begun, Give It Up, The Fuse, Remember To Forget, and Crime Scene Instigators, all great slices of tuneful punk rock. I hope they enjoy some well earned success.

SUBURBAN VOICE BLOG #49

A variety of classic punk sounds, from songs inspired by the Boys and Professionals (“The Race Has Begun,” “This Time Around”) to harder-edged rock ‘n roll to fast ‘n snappy compositions—“Remember To Forget” and the album’s standout, “Crime Scene Instigators,” fall into the latter category. Glen Matlock from the Pistols/Rich Kids shows up on one song and Brian James from the Damned on a pair but, in all honesty, this band doesn’t need any “star power.” If anything, those are the less memorable songs here. This trio have an ingratiating loud and brash style.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #298

From Sweden, this new band kicks out some decent retro brat punk circa 1979. A mix of the Sex Pistols, Sham 69, and Turbonegro. Guest appearances by Brian James and Glen Matlock drive home the sound. A good full-length, although the songs are not terribly original and are a bit predictable. Still, this is done well and does punk out.

SKRUTT (SWEDEN)

Brian James, Glen Matlock….taste those names and their punkiness. They're on some songs here on this record and play guitar here. Zooparty don't look so young but they play a vital style of punk rock with old styled music. I become so fucking happy when I hear this type of punk rock which have so much melody as you almost “die” and songs which feel stuck all the time. Sure we have some Pistols-guitars, Wreckless Eric-melodies and on that way it is. Two songs over three minutes and that's really punky. One of the more interesting punk bands the latest time. A record which will go round in my CD player many times anyway.

GROOVE (SWEDEN)

This is the debut album from a new punkish Swedish powerpop band featuring members from Ewing Oi, Everlone, and Zeb & The Fast Ones. I must admit that I'm not that familiar with those bands. A couple of names that are very well-known are Glen Matlock and Brian James. Those two legends, known from Sex Pistols, Rich Kids, The Damned and The Lords Of The New Church, produce and play on a couple of tracks. The main feeling when you listen to the album is that it sounds good. The music and the production remind me of The Professionals, Sex Pistols and Glen Matlock's solo stuff. On the song "Grieve" they have borrowed the riff from The Damned's "Stab your back", probably without knowing it. But the vocals is unfortunately a bit weak. Not bad. On the contrary, it's good and irreproachable, but nothing more. A singer with more snot and attitude would lift this to new heights. A fishy thing is that the songs Matlock and Brian James play on are the less good songs on the record. Nevertheless, on the whole this is a very good powerpop history.

UDDEVALLAKASSETTEN (SWEDEN)

Erik, Hård-Per och Bumba bjöd in bla Glen Matlock, Sex Pistols och Brian James, Damned som medmusikanter och producenter till sitt debutalbum. Att bandet har en förkärlek till den tidiga punken förstår man av gästvalet och visst låter det 77- punk med melodier, och om man nu ska dra några referenser så larmas det på som zooparty/ramones/pistols nedblandat i en mixermaskin. Enkelt, energiskt och givet för alla gamla punx.

ÖSTGÖTA CORRESPONDENTEN (SWEDEN)

Linköpingsbördiga Zooparty släpper debutalbumet på amerikanskt skivbolag och har fått hjälp av punklegenderna Brian James från The Damned och Glen Matlock från Sex Pistols. Imponerande! Jag kan snabbt konstatera att ”You Are Here” med sin enkla punkrock av gammalt snitt är ett stort steg framåt från den bleka singel som släpptes tidigare i år. Korta intensiva låtar håller tristessen borta, även om jag misstänker att musiken bör upplevas live för att komma helt till sin rätt.

Pressing history:

FORMAT	PRESSING	DATE	QUANTITY	DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC
CD	1	July 2007	998
LP	1	August 2007	548

		Trading Happiness For Songs
		The Race Has Begun
		Razorblades
		Give It Up
MP3		This Time Around
		Smile
MP3		The Fuse
		Remember To Forget
		Grieve
		CSI (Crime Scene Instigators)
		Two For The Price Of None
		Zooparty