Rotten fruit is the story of the day for attentive consumers everywhere. If you eat the juicy produce and regularly shop at Walmart, Trader Joe's, Costco or Kroger, pay attention: The Wawona Packing Company is recalling peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots that were shipped from its warehouses in Cutler, CA. The company fears the products may be contaminated with Listeria, a bacterium causing infections with a fatality rate of nearly 20 percent in humans.
Rotten fruit has always been a popular subject in music, from Elton John's "Rotten Peaches" to The Moldy Peaches themselves. However one genre has always cornered the rotten fruit market: Punk. Music Times has picked out a number of less-than-edible selections from the American underground that revel in produce that's way, way overdue.
05) The Rotten Fruits (2006)
Chicago's The Rotten Fruits is an assault on the senses...and sensibilities for that matter. The band plays with the same "just picked up an instrument an ran with it" ideology of Parquet Courts, except the latter group put at least a modest effort toward not making its listeners cringe and sings in tune to boot. The lyrics are intentionally offensive (the single "Abomination" utilizes a popular Westboro Baptist Church motto) and the band's website is adorned with manga characters taking part in odd, fruit-themed S&M-type outfits. Of course, that site also hasn't been updated since 2006, so we're not entirely sure whether the one-time local mainstays are even still in business. Listen to its NSFW single here at your own risk.
04) "Rotten Banana Legs" by Skankin' Pickle (1994)
Skankin' Pickle is one of the most under appreciated members of the ska segment of punk, at least from those not deep in the scene. The band provided support for a litany of bigger, horn-based punk acts, but more importantly they provide a double-meaning for today's list: On one hand, the group released the excellent opening track "Rotten Banana Legs" on its 1994 album Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle. Even better, the band itself is somewhat a tribute to rotten cucumbers, as cucumbers were fruits and anything you let sit for weeks in vinegar is rotten. Sorry pickle fans.
03) "Rottin' Apple" by Strung Out (1996)
Strung Out is another California punk band, albeit one that's lasted quite a bit longer than Skankin' Pickle. The group made its entry into the overripe fruit category with "Rottin' Apple," a track off Strung Out's 1996 album Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues. The track showcases the band's particularly heavy approach to what we'd call pop punk, with tightly strung bass giving off a heavy metal vibe. The track is also one of the songs that have been remastered and and rereleased as a part of Volume One, a compilation drawn from the band's first three albums.
02) Tales of A Rotten Orange by Orange Fight Records
California is a popular theme in this list because the state has almost as many punk labels as some states have punk bands. That many punk acts makes it almost impossible to check them all out, so it's nice when labels release compilations of their smaller acts so that we can get a quick taste of them all and choose which ones are worth pursuing further. One of the compilations released during 2014 was Tales of A Rotten Orange by Orange Fight Records. Some of the bands we recommend off this set include Druglords of The Avenues and Narcoleptic Youth, but hey, check it out for yourself.
01) Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by The Dead Kennedys
This entry might be cheating because it specifically references fresh fruit in its title versus rotten vegetables, but we're going to run with it. Depending on how you prefer your punk, some sources would go as far to label Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables as the greatest punk album of all time, and we'd be hard-up to disagree. This punk masterpiece features iconic tracks such as "California Uber Alles" (yes, this group is also from California) and "Holiday in Cambodia." The dark satire of vocalist Jello Biafra is often imitated and rarely replicated, and the musicianship of the band is rare within punk.
