Atari Teenage Riot, despite their
unique sound, are a band known to many, enjoyed by many, and whose music is accessible in most
record stores. Unfortunately, the band's often described as being totally
unmusical,
noisy, and basically an
enema in aural form. And this is from people who really
like ATR...
But Atari Teenage Riot make great music.
The basslines and beats in songs like Rage, Sick To Death, Too Dead For Me, and (particularly) Revolution Action are engaging, rhythmic, and, so help me God, can even be danced to. Albeit in a rather hardcore, maniacal, epileptic way. Similarly, the pace, tempo and buildup in some songs (Revolution Action in particular, again) are worthy of any genre. The fact that the music itself is intense, distorted and pure digital hardcore puts a lot of people off - but there's some real genius behind these songs.
Finally, the lyrics are great, particularly if you're in an absolutely foul fucking mood. It's pure anarcho-smash-the-system-burn-death-destroy hatred. This is mood music for the terminally angry: forget whale song or pan pipes, if you're overflowing with bile, Atari Teenage Riot reigns supreme. When you've just been flashed by three speed cameras in a fucking row, what's better than listening to an insane 300bpm backing track, a sampled police siren, and a young woman screaming "YOUR UNIFORM DOES NOT IMPRESS ME! FUCKER!!!"?
Atari Teenage Riot: prophets of the angry age.