Scottish punk rockers The Media Whores are not the kind of band that like to be told what to do or what to say. That was one of the things I took from their last album, Starfishing. Pornophonica is similarly uncompromising. But that doesn’t mean that they’re no fun - just look at the album art…
The album begins with “Affluenza,” an apparent rant targeting the few who seem to rule the many. As all sensible people know, rock ‘n’ roll can rescue the world. Rock ‘n’ roll, of course, is much better than politics. It’s not all loud and angry, though. There seems to be a hint of reggae rhythm to “Sinside My Head.” This might not be quite true, but the pace (if not the volume) certainly drops.“Black January” has a peculiar lounge feel to it, while “Burlesque Bones” sounds like something that might have happened if The Lurkers had recorded a song with Mojo Nixon in the early 1990s. In a similar vein, “I’m On” is a song that ought to kick-start a party or two.
“Just Because” is a song that doesn’t really need to be explained, but since I’m writing about it, I may as well try. The lyrics seem to detail a personal situation in which the narrator endures some degree of heartbreak and witness a case of racial abuse. But what you really need to know is that you can dance to the song and sing along to the chorus. “King Kong” has an apocalyptic feel to it, which seems appropriate given the reputation of the giant gorilla. The album ends on “World At War” which is as close as the album gets to delivering an epic. It’s pretty good.
The production quality could be better but this is still a very good album. Building on the promise of Starfishing, The Media Whores are proving to be one of the few punk bands of the last five years that still seem keen to create.