Cruise Yourself (Remastered)＜限定盤/Suspended Gold vinyl＞

1994年にオリジナル・リリースされた作品が再発。分厚いダブル・ベースの低音に包まれたキャッチーなヴォーカル・ラインが特徴的な作品。力強く重厚なグルーヴのドラムに導かれ、ギターが楽曲の中に現れては消えていく。そこにはノイズがあり、メロディがある。「同郷バンドであるジャーザス・リザードに匹敵するほどの強烈さで、GVSBは性的緊張と皮肉に満ちた疎外感に彩られた世界を呼び起こす。そのサウンドは、彼らを生み出したワシントンD.C.のハードコア・シーンというよりも、The Fallのような英国勢に見られる、いやらしくうねるロックに近い。GVSBは、以前の作品『Venus Luxure No. 17 Baby』をも上回る勢いで、その猥雑な夜の音楽を解き放っている」- Billboard(1994年)

Having fully made their case with Venus Luxure, Girls Against Boys kept on course with the equally fine Cruise Yourself. The hints of lounge and Vegas were even more explicit here -- the cocktail artwork on the CD, the fact that one particularly bitter number is called "My Martini." Again, though, these weren't the gauche cliches of characters like Combustible Edison, but signposts of a vicious, cutting quality in lyrics and music. McCloud's purring rasp again serves as one of the band's chief qualities, perfectly suited to the sassy, snarling burn of songs like "Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self" and "The Royal Lowdown." Though backing vocals aren't specifically credited, it's Janney adding the high parts here and there, such as the effectively creepy chorus of "Explicitly Yours." Ted Niceley and Janney once again handle the production/engineering combination, and, unsurprisingly, the whole album is a tightly wound effort that sounds like it's going to explode every second. In an interesting switch, and a demonstration of the band's increasing reach, Temple took over the duties with the sampler, while Janney concentrated not only on his own bass work, but organ and vibes as well. "Kill the Sexplayer" was the arguable standout, and while again many critics saw McCloud's slurring sneer as being the new incarnation of Mark E. Smith, that's a lazy connection. McCloud's singing oozes its own attitude, while the band isn't reinventing art/rockabilly as much as finding its own fast, bass-led charge. Certainly, though, the German motorik touches both bands share have their place on Cruise Yourself -- half the time on "Psychic Know-How," Fleisig is laying down a smart Krautrock chug and both Temple and Janney are right there with him, especially with Janney's keyboard glaze. And at one point -- "From Now On" -- McCloud's distorted rasp does for once sound exactly like the Mancunian master. ~ Ned Raggett