Carbon/Silicon

The Last Post (Caroline/EMI)

“Train in Vain,” “Somebody Got Murdered,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” any Clash classic. Mick Jones launching Last Poet commencement “The News” with his last gang’s innate urgency spikes dopamine down your cerebellum. Nothing fancy, really; a novice might strum the same drang. Lyrically, Jones always preferred simple pop repetition to his late running mate Joe Strummer’s stridency, but the guitarist and his pre-Clash bandmate and original Gen X-er Tony James get the UK quartet’s politics across (“Oilwell”). Then crank the colossal power chords of “The Whole Truth,” then “Caesars Palace,” another break-the-bank. 13th Floor Elevators intro to “What the Fuck,” Blondie dye job on “Really the Blues,” closing giddy-up “Why Do Men Fight?” – every other cut a keeper. Mixed by Clash bottler Bill Price, The Last Post reads Jones’ former Big Audio Dynamite the white riot act, because in 2077 all “The News” is good, and the weather’s fine. (Thursday, March 13, Friends, 11:30pm.)

***.5

This article appears in March 14 • 2008.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.