The Descendents are also known as "the fathers of pop punk." No, really - this isn't an overstatement.
Spend ten minutes scanning FM or the idiot box and you're bound to witness a ditty or video that tips its hat to a musical genre that was refined to a high art if not created outright by the 'Dents. Formed in 1978 against the fertile musical backdrop of Los Angeles' South Bay scene (see: Black Flag, Minutemen, SST Records, etc.), the caffeine-addled crew released their first 7" single "Ride The Wild" as a trio in 1979. Not long after, the boys recruited one Milo Aukerman (microbiology Ph.D. in waiting and poster boy for adolescent ne'er-do-well alienation) for vocal duties.
Milo's fervent mic delivery coupled with his knack for hitting the lyrical nail on its heartrending head plunged him headfirst into the band's fold, and together they released the "FAT" EP in 1981. 1982 saw the release of the stellar "Milo Goes To College," a penultimate fusion of hooks and heartache which inspired the LA Times to write, "perfect for the little guy who was ever called a nerd and never got the girl... (its) earthy humor conveys what is often an inarticulate rage". And Milo really did go to college, leaving the practice room for the hallowed halls of higher education. Drummer Bill Stevenson went on to beat the skins for Black Flag while the guys temporarily hung up the DESCENDENTS moniker, only to reunite with Aukerman for 1985's "I Don't Want To Grow Up" and 1986's "Enjoy!"
The two releases comprise the perfect case study in the dualistic, yin/yang nature of the band's output. While the former is a veritable user's manual for post-pubescent angst, sizing up the themes of life, love, and uncertainty with infectious wit and dizzying energy, the latter is perhaps most notable for its testaments to the, umm... follies of flatulence.
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