Review Summary: A sleek, influential punk rock/new wave record of the late 70's.
On Kurt Cobain's list of his all time favorite albums,
Is This Real comes in at 46 out of 50. Not the highest on the list, but still a perfectly good spot. At first listen
Is This Real can seem like a shabby, underproduced, lost punk/indie rock album of the late 70's. Most people have heard their songs without even knowing it. Nirvana did covers of
D-7 and
Return of The Rat. Other bands like
Unwound,
Dinosaur Jr.,
The Melvins, and
Mudhoney have also cited the Wipers as being an influence.
Mystery takes the spot of being the best song on the album, followed closely by
Alien Boy, which was a minor hit. It's a punk rock record, but has unexpected melody and allure, giving off a hint of New Wave influence, like that of the
Talking Heads. Sage's vocals and lyrics are at most times, haunting. With topics of confusion and alienation, it sometimes creates a dark mood. Henry's drumming is interesting, they aren't as loud or intense as a lot of other punk rock songs, but they really do get the job done, and quite well at that. The album has some great guitar solos, most notably on
Return of The Rat.
The Wipers were a fantastic band. This album, and the band in general, should definitely be checked out by anyone who's a fan of Punk, Indie, New Wave, or Grunge.
Reccomended Songs:
Return of The Rat
D-7
Mystery
Alien Boy
Second review.
