Blang!

AMG Review of Blang!

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Eight years passed between 1990's Contender and Lach's next full-length studio album, Blang!, which the anti-folk innovator released on his own Fortified label. While Contender certainly had its strong points -- the album was generally decent, if uneven and a bit aloof at times -- Blang! is excellent. Lach had done a great deal of songwriting between albums, and many of those songs found their way to this very focused and inspired CD. Lach, of course, was known for playing a key role in New York's anti-folk movement, and with Blang!, he truly perfected his blend of punk and folk. Lach's offbeat sense of humor serves him well on such irreverent gems as "Drinking Beers with Mom," "The Blue Monk" (not to be confused with Thelonious Monk's bebop classic), and "Teenage Alcoholic," all of which underscore the singer/songwriter/guitarist's healthy appreciation of Bob Dylan while favoring the type of reckless energy that characterized punk heroes like the Clash, the Damned, and the Jam. Those who were adolescents in the late '70s can relate to "Kiss Loves You," a teenage male's amusing ode to the influential heavy metal/hard rock band. For anyone with even a casual interest in anti-folk, Blang! is required listening.