Absinthe
Hovercraft Records, 2025
http://uglystickohio.bandcamp.com
REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/12/2026
Delaware, Ohio cow-punk outfit Ugly Stick first released this punk-meets-roots-rock record way back in 1993. This remastered reissue puts the seminal album on vinyl for the first time (double LP, actually) and even tosses in some bonus live and studio tracks for the last six tunes.
The scrappy drumming and radiant guitar tone of “Serpent Mound” opens the album with plenty of buzzing. “Move” then follows with a fuzzy alt-rock spirit that’s raw, while “Crib Death Reel” trims the pace back with playful twang spirit.
“Pig Pen” finishes Side 1 with a flowing instrumental before the bristling and post-punk tinted “Boss,” which makes great use of Ed Mann’s bass acrobatics. “Drive-In Shut Down” is another highlight from this portion thanks to Al Huckabee’s swirling guitar aligning with the lively rhythm section, and then the band allow David Holm's keys to guide the more subdued “Mann Child.”
Towards the end of the original album, “Just Say Know” offers a stylish and rhythmic setting, but it’s the more dense delivery of “Gloriana” that really benefits from Jeff Clowdus’ sturdy drumming alongside the bristling guitars.
The bonus material includes the rowdy spirit of “Krazy Kar” that can parallel late period The Replacements, as well as the busy, college rock grit of “El Beso Del Rey.” “Hank” exits the record; it’s a soft, heartfelt moment of grace and rugged beauty.
Ugly Stick broke up not long after this album was released, but regrouped in the 2000s for another record. Their sound might bring to mind legends like The Jayhawks, Green On Red, The Cramps, Uncle Tupelo or Meat Puppets, and their country punk meets alt-country meets noise-y ways sound great all these decades later and further prove just how ahead of their time they were.