"You haven't been hungover because you haven't been sober" - Radon

When I found out Radon was getting back together to play the Fest, I seriously contemplated quitting my job, cancelling my vacation to Atlanta, and sleeping on benches in Gainesville, subsisting on handouts and spare change. Plus the Dillinger Four were playing, so, yanno, ROCK.

Anyway, for those of you with better things to do than listen to tinny punk 7" after tinny punk 7" in the vain hope of finding something worthwhile and inspiring, Radon (along with Spoke and Blacktop Cadence) were the godfathers of the Gainesville scene, and you can trace the sonic lineage of the GV scene to Radon's combination of hoarse vocals, cardboard-sounding drums, vaguely folkish/vaguley poppish songs, the Leatherface stickers on the amps, thoughtful politics, Husker Du-esque guitar assaults, and the hyper-sincerity and bluntness of Morrissey. Or, to put it another way, they are the Stooges and Hot Water Music are the Ramones in terms of influence - HWM was ultimately more important and influential, but they wouldn't exist if it weren't for Radon. Got it? There'll be a test later.

Anyway, like any band worth their salt, they broke up after only being together for a little while, but the recent reunion shows went so well that they ended up recording a new full-length, the aptly named Metric Buttloads of Rock, which was released late in 2006 by No Idea. So this is gotta be the what, 75th No Idea band I've written about? Probably a conservative estimate.

Finally, you can measure the atomic weight of rock 'n' roll.

Radon - http://www.mediafire.com/?7oljmjkyjlg

Kibbles and Bits - http://www.mediafire.com/?6h4dugojyzy

Write Back Or Get Smacked - http://www.mediafire.com/?agymy5mhmoy

Rehab Barbie - http://www.mediafire.com/?fwtgbjczydl

What Difference Does it Make? (live Smiths cover) - http://www.mediafire.com/?1vbwrwyymzz