The Citizen Abortion

Formerly known as F.Y.P, Toys That Kill is basically the same band with a couple new members and former drummer and bassist Sean Cole now playing guitar and singing on a few tunes. The music is tight, crunchy, and still mighty punk rock, sounding as good as practically any punk record released in 2001. “Little Bit Stranger” rocks furiously like an F.Y.P standard and has a dandy little solo, while the preceding bizarre radio transmissions of “Available 476-2061″ are the kind of crazy, wack nonsense that these kids and their rubber cement sniffing fans find entertaining. “Keep Caroline” is the closest thing to some of the poppier material off F.Y.P’s very excellent My Man Grumpy, but is about a minute long. Even though The Citizen Abortion is enjoyable, it lacks that something that made F.Y.P one of punk’s greatest underdog bands. The attitude isn’t there and the lyrics aren’t as righteously fuming with nerdy, high-school boy angst. Also, Cole’s songs aren’t so memorable. It’s right that the F.Y.P kids are growing up and trying something new, but this record does not compare to Dance My Dunce or Toilet Kids Bread or My Man Grumpy. This may be one of the finest punk records of 2001, but that’s only because it was a sorry year. – Adam Bregman