Flipper

In the early, explosive, experimental days of Punk, San Francisco gave birth to some of the more eclectic bands in the genre. Along with the Screamers (known by their logo but not their music), Flipper made music to suit their own idiosyncratic cravings. The result induced a love-'em-or-loathe-'em attitude in listeners. Slow and creepy at a time when fast and short was the rule, Flipper took the long, winding route -- songs often stretched past (then unheard of) five minutes. The heavy, sloppy, plodding bass guitar melted into deeply tuned guitars. Maniacal yet hauntingly poignant lyrics, sung with the perfection of a mental hospital's star soloist, glazed the whole swampy mess, lending urgency to the otherwise creepy-crawly noise crunch. Flipper reveled in poking you where it hurt most, and in their songs you can see them giggling as they do it.