Snuff

Some of the people who have been following Snuff for a long time insist that the Londoners did their best work in the late '80s and early '90s -- that they reached their creative peak around 1989-1992 and went downhill after that. But even if their earlier recordings are their most essential, this 2003 release isn't a bad addition to their catalog. Disposable Income doesn't break much new ground for Snuff or offer a lot of surprises; they usually stick to the sort of thrashy and aggressive yet melodic punk-pop that they're best known for. Snuff has always had a distinctively British, Cockney-ish sound -- they're from London, after all -- and they haven't become any less British-sounding on energetic tunes like "Once Upon a Time Far Far Away," "Angels 1-5," "7 Days (Solomon's Boring Week)," and "The Other Half of You." However, they aren't so British-sounding on a hidden track, which turns out to be an instrumental that combines alternative rock with Irish/Celtic music. Quite often, hidden tracks on a CD are a big departure from what an artist usually does, and the Irish-minded instrumental that Snuff includes on Disposable Income isn't typical of the album on the whole. Most of this CD, in fact, finds Snuff sounding somewhat predictable, which isn't necessarily the same as sounding tired, bored, or lackluster -- Disposable Income may not point Snuff in a lot of new directions, but the performances are inspired most of the time. Not essential but generally decent, Disposable Income will mainly be of interest to the Londoners' hardcore fans. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide