Harley Poe are a punk band.
True they have a penchant for some acoustic instruments & organ; the guitar is strummed, no searing.
But this isn't folk punk, nor is it the inside joke that was cowpunk. There obvious roots, country and old school rock influences but they are so integrated into the material they don't come across as hokey add ons. Harley Poe is a funny band with a unique vision, but they're no novelty act.
Like all good punk bands they don't shy away from being offensive. In fact most of the songs found on this CD are gleefully profane (check out "Maria", "Time of the Month", which shares a theme with the great movie "Dog Soldiers", and "It's Only the End of the World" with its gospel of nihilism).
It's easy to lump "Wretched. Filthy. Ugly." into the horror punk genre but Harley Poe refuse to take themselves seriously. While they are funny and strange they don't end up turning themselves into a self-aggrandizing cartoon by trying to convince us that they're tough and/or cool.
Harley Poe are an old school B-movie, not a self-important, psuedo-arty splatter flick and the songs on "Wretched. Filthy. Ugly." are filled with off-beat tales of encounters with demons, vampires and zombies. These aren't stories about *being* cooler than thou monster men.
Which is why I love it. These guys are snotty, weird and fun and they don't give two hoots about what people think.
Truth be told I don't expect much from a punk release.
All I really want is want venom toothed anthem I can sing along to and get my frustrations out.
One song that if I saw the band play I'd lose my voice screaming along to it.
On "Wretched. Filthy. Ugly." that song is "Stick it in the Man" and is worth the price of admission.
Harley Poe also gets bonus points for having the good taste to cover "Terrible" by the Tiger Lillies.
