The Jammy Dodgers - 'Fish 'n' Chips'

What’s that, punk rock seven-inch from No Idea Records? You’re totally awesome? The Florida label continues to roll out top notch tunes, this time courtesy of Gainesville’s The Jammy Dodgers’ Fish ‘n’ Chips. Get passed the, heh, dodgy artwork – seriously, did your kid draw this? – and there’s plenty of peppy punk to be had.

While co-vocalist Izzy Alacratraz’s helium-high pipes skew towards cute, it just makes her indignation towards modern America that much more biting. The Jammy Dodgers specialize in literate, angry punk and/or food references (Jammie Dodgers are a popular British biscuit line). The sound is loose and raw – think Ergs!, Shorebirds, The Measure [SA], or even Black Flag’s My War sped up to 45 RPMs – but still catchy, especially on “Laundry Day,” the last of the vinyl’s seven tracks.

The hooks are just dressing though. The real substance is in the subject matter. “Descendents” hits on American guilt over benefiting from the oppression of Native Americans (or First Nation if you're Canadian). “We are soldiers of on foreign soil that we got no right to claim,” the band says. The resolution? “We’ve got to try and set things right / And we’ve got to tell the truth / We’ve got to admit just what we are / It’s the least that we can do / Don’t pledge / Don’t salute / Scream fuck you!” “No Gods No Masters” takes materialism to task, but with enough humor – “Your mustache does not give you authority over me!” – to avoid sounding preachy.

Galvanizing in word and sound, perhaps The Jammy Dodgers’ M.O. is best summed up by this line from “Get It On”: “Listen to what people say / And give them a fair chance / But remember that talk is cheap / And action’s where it’s at.”