If the Communists Don't Dance

When the fire of punk fizzled and new wave's cool neon glow began to look more like a slick Sony Jumbotron billboard, the world acted like a musical revolution had not just occurred. The Fuses are not some throw back to the golden age of '77-'79, they are in fact where music should be in 2001. So while comparisons to Mission of Burma and Wire are not necessarily misleading, they are just too easy.

This EP is a welcome surprise, stepping even further ahead on the path they have cut through two singles, two LPs and a genius split LP with fellow Baltimore band The Uniform. On the 3 originals ("If the Communists Don't Dance", "The Fix Was In", and "The Poor Need Opera") they add both spit and polish to their angular two guitar attack. "Sodium Pentathol Negative" is not just a cover song, the song is actually pressed on to the picture sleeve cover. So, are The Fuses playing the cover or is the cover playing The Fuses? The answer: Yes.