From the first moment I heard this band I was a believer. Being truly creative in a horribly uncreative scene is something to be applauded. Then again maybe all you need is to be from Buffalo, New York and it just comes to you naturally? Whether or not it’s in the water isn’t important, what I’m focusing on is that Brown Sugar shreds like no other band. One thing that separates them from their contemporaries is solid talent and their ability to know when to say when. Brown Sugar songs aren’t overly complicated (as if they are trying too hard), but they are more complicated than the average punk song. They don’t appear to be pandering to a specific trendy sound, they just happen to appreciate some of the finer aspects of recording punk music.

The Luvly single has surely surpassed the other singles, splits, and the LP, in that they have grown and embraced some more diverse musical elements. I mean there are harmonies for fuck’s sake! And… I don’t even hate them! (I love harmonies, just not in unexpected places -Ed.) Instrumentally things build and plateau then build some more before falling apart. Songs go from intense and driving to suddenly light and airy. It really is a strange thing to hear from the same band who previously wrote straight forward ripper’s like “Brown Eyed Girl / Copper Helicopter.”

The one and only disappointment on this record is the lack of horns! I’m no brass loving ska fan or anything, quite the contrary, I hate that shit but this was the one band who did it right! The brass section was a chaotic chorus providing further noisy confusion to a circle-pitting soundtrack. It’s really not a biggie considering just how great these tunes are I suppose. I give a strong recommendation to pick this up if you can track down a copy. My ear isn’t firmly to the ground these days so I may be wrong, but it is a damn shame Luvly is supposedly their final material. The band is apparently finito which is really tragic. I guess live fast, die young can apply to bands as well.