Review: Matt Ellis- “Full Moon Fever”

Surfin’ Ki Records, 23 February 2021

Matt Ellis wears his Ramones heart on his sleeve on Full Moon Fever.

Matt Ellis, member of The Vapids, Flesh Rag, and others, has never shied away from the shadow of the Ramones.  His music with The Vapids was flooded with a determined Ramones drive.  But his solo stuff seems to completely drip with the sweat of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy.  I mean, we’re talking eighth-note hi-hats, guitars that sound like chainsaws straight out of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and song structures with equal doses pop hooks and abrasive angst.  Shit, he even rips ideas straight from the Ramones.  And where I previously noted a little bit of GG Allin angst in his music, this time he also tosses in a bit of Dead Kennedys.

Full Moon Fever brings the goods.  Aided by Vapids bandmate Jimmy, who plays drums on a bunch of these songs, and Curtis Tone who plays drums on others, Matt Ellis has put together a bunch of songs, some that I’ve heard on previous EP’s and some that are brand new to me, and the collection ends up being my favorite Ellis stuff yet.  As with the previous couple of EP’s I’ve listened to, this stuff sounds like dirty punk rock from the sketchy Bowery of 1970’s NYC, with a nihilistic and dark undercurrent cutting through nearly all of this.  Songs like “DMT Is Good For Me”, “Rat Fucker”, and “Die Tonight” leave you feeling a little gross and grimy, but the songs go down well.  “DMT” is loaded with snotty angst, a cool vocal melody, and 1-2-3-4 count-ins and ends up a gem.  “Rat Fucker” is a little more mid-tempo and the vocals sound recorded through a telephone, but the guitar riff on the chorus is awesome and it’s pretty fun to sing along with the “rat fucker, you’re gonna die” chorus.  And “Die Tonight” opens like a sort of 50’s teen tragedy song (you know, the “Dead Man’s Curve” type where a kid drives off a cliff) before launching into a fast disaster that riffs on the vocal melody from Dead Kennedys “Kill The Poor”.  It’s got the hooks and will get you singing the disturbing “die die die, I’m gonna die tonight”.  

I think the trick to this sort of thing is oftentimes an authentic reverence with a sort of “I don’t care if you’ve heard this before” perspective.  And Ellis has this down.  Whether it’s the rage against the man-machine fury of “Pighead” (an angry homage to “Pinhead”) or the sort of poetic “Flowers In The Moonlight” (I think of Johnny Thunders when I hear this), the “Havana Affair” vibe of “Poison Holiday” or the “Good Boy” parts of the seeming panic attack that is “Stay Home”, Ellis keeps things fizzing and whirring, pure and broken.  Later Fever highlights like “Life On Hold” and it’s surf guitar bridge, the Dee Dee-esque and melody-laden “Monkey Brain”, and the absolutely infectious guitar lead and singalong melody of “Missing You” all hold special places in my brain.  And I’d be remiss to leave out mention of “Monster Under My Bed”  The song is a cover of The Scabs song and Ellis hits it right, leaning hard into some great riffs and a guitar lead that feels sort of timeless.  

Full Moon Fever isn’t about surprises.  Instead, the record feeds on a sinister buzz, some hooks, and songwriting that is pure and simple.  I’ve liked some of Ellis’ earlier EP’s, but collected like this, the previously released stuff is even more effective and is braced by the stuff I hadn’t yet heard.  This goes next level for me.  A pure distillation of the Ramones vibe.

Favorite song: “Missing You”

Favorite moment: maybe the 50’s call back opening to “Die Tonight”

Favorite whatever else: the twisted angst slathered all over songs like “DMT Is Good For Me”