Same Meat, Different Gravy

by Stewart MasonU.K. indie rockers Wat Tyler have one of the most sarcastic senses of humor this side of Half Man Half Biscuit on their own albums, but it's on their occasional side trips as the old-school skinhead rockers Hard Skin that they really let their smart-arse flag fly. Same Meat, Different Gravy is 13 tracks' worth of deadpan parodies of U.K. street-punk that rocks harder than nearly every "real" band in the subgenre. Part of that is simply because sentiments like "Two Chords - Two Fingers" and "Law and Order (Up Your Arse)" score their points much more effectively when you're not worried that the singer thinks he's actually making a deep sociopolitical statement, but mostly it's because Hard Skin are not just gifted parodists, but genuinely talented musicians. There are hooks aplenty on these songs, and the lyrics seem even funnier because they're so much fun to shout along with at top volume. Smart, catchy, and wickedly funny, Same Meat, Different Gravy is an essential listen for any old-school U.K. punk fans.