Black Flag – Loose Nut

Black Flag’s astonishing burst of productivity from 1984 to 1985 – five studio albums, a live record, and an experimental EP – created a lot of impressive music, but LOOSE NUT is the pinnacle. Albums like FAMILY MAN and SLIP IT IN had seen the band experimenting with everything from Sabbath-like metal to spoken-word to lengthy jazz-tinged instrumental explorations, all of them pretty much ignoring the hardcore velocity of earlier records like DAMAGED and JEALOUS AGAIN. LOOSE NUT returns that early aggression and speed to the band’s more experimental sound, and the results are devastating. “This Is Good,” one of Henry Rollins’s most anguished songs, is the clear highlight, but the sardonic “Bastard in Love” and the brutal “Annihilate This Week” are nearly as powerful. Guitarist Greg Ginn keeps the solos to a minimum, and Kira Roessler’s melodically intricate bass is prominent throughout.