Knockout Pills - 1+1=Ate (CD)

All Music Guide

The Knockout Pills aren't going to change your life or even knock you out. They might give you half an hour of mindless punk roll pleasure, though, and sometimes that is good enough. 1 + 1 = 8 is the band's second album and from beginning to end it never lets up on the loud, powerfully ragged guitars, howling vocals, crashing cymbals and tight, tough, hookfilled tunes. The band have studied their Aussie punk records with vigor, you can hear the influence of the might Radio Birdman, the Saints, the Celibate Rifles and the entire Citadel roster. They also probably have heard the MC5 and Stooges a few times but you can't hold that against them. They go past simple imitation and inject some brains and soul into the sound playing with a fever that can't be faked. Tracks like "Come On Out," "Summertown Rundown" and "Target H" wouldn't sound out of place on a compilation of classic Aussie sounds, maybe even making a bid for the cream of the crop. A bit of variety might have made the record b...etter as the tempos are pretty similar and about the time the record hits the 20 minute mark you may find yourself tuning them out a bit. Luckily the record is only goes on for ten minutes after that and the band saved one of their strongest songs for second to last, namely the lyrical, almost lilting "Teller 159". Still the record has loads of charm and will sound great blasting out of car stereo speakers and iPods alike. - Tim Sendra, All Music Guide Read more Less