Loser Life - "I Have Ghosts And I Have Ghosts" (Magic Bullet Records)

Loser Life – “I Have Ghosts and I Have Ghosts” – Magic Bullet Records
Magic Bullet apparently made a million of this record (they didn’t), because even though this band was from Bakersfield, it floats around in every distro and “used punk” bin on the East Coast. I was lucky enough to see Loser Life in their “prime” (with Steven playing drums and the first bass player), on the tour supporting this LP. Listening back to this record after not listening for a few years, it struck me as how strange and completely different the two vocalists were for Loser Life. One could very well have fit in with Revolution Summer while the other seems much less comfortable with a foot in that arena. The songs don’t shy away from the aforementioned couple of years in DC, but they also don’t really sound like any specific band. It wouldn’t to be hard for Loser Life to be compared to Rites of Spring, but it also wouldn’t really be right.
What’s even stranger is that I had to listen to the first song (the one about hating Bakersfield) more than once to figure out if they were playing the Crazy Spirit Beat (aka the King Of The Hill beat). So I guess the weight lifter himself is the one that actually popularized cowboy punk even though we’ve all been crediting the New Yorkers?
My complaint about this record is pretty simple: the production isn’t right. It’s not really bad, it’s not really good, but some of the parts when the bass should be cutting are missing and the vocals are completely unleveled from each other (possibly intentionally, but it doesn’t work). The drums do sound really good, and obviously the songs are there, I just wish they had rerecorded this album instead of doing any of their other stuff. This LP really is the gem of Loser Life’s output.

Shit talking aside, Halal-era Loser Life was also pretty awesome. No hate. This record will fit in a collection nicely with Drive Like Jehu fans, 80’s Dischord fiends, but also people that showed up for More Than Music Fest. It’s a strange record from a very strange period of time, from an even stranger city. Biggest problem with this record: CD insert in an LP sleeve. Bullshit!
-RD