The Nuns - Desperate Children

The Nuns were at the forefront of the U.S. punk scene back in '77, but by 1990 were nothing more than a distant memory. Singer and keyboardist Jennifer Miro spent a little time in the late '80s acting in B-movies but decided to revive the band for one more go on 1990's "Desperate Children" (until their surprising return in the 2000's, that is.) It's definitely a more commercial affair than anything that came before. I mean, 1986's Rumania already saw the band moving toward a (vaguely) darker new wave sound, and this largely feels like their shot at mainstream pop/rock, with moments that even err toward hair metal at times. It sorta has that 'large' stadium rock sound that was common in those days.

What's interesting (or maybe not, ymmv) is that they re-do four old Nuns songs - I guess because of a lack of new material. "Walkin' the Beat" - off The Nuns - for instance, is turned into full-blown funk rock, and is the most drastically different rendition of the covers. Of the new songs, I gotta say, they're very good and stand as some of the best in their catalogue. That may be sacrilege to say, I guess, but really, the band hadn't been as aggressively punk rock since the 1978 EP The Nuns.

Verdict: love the Nuns. This album is a great addition to any fan of the band.

By suburbanschizo Feb 20 2020

In 1986, after several years of inactivity, Miro, Olener, and Raphael reformed The Nuns. The Nuns during this period tilted more towards Miro's new wave-influenced rock sound as Olener's previous writing partner had departed. In 1986, they released their second album Rumania, though its release on the soon-bankrupted PVC Records, an imprint of Jem Records, meant that the album received very little exposure. By 1989, they added a new bassist/cellist, a young Marin County musician Delphine Volino (aka Delphine Neid), and returned to Los Angeles to record Desperate Children for the Posh Boy label, with a distracted Brett Gurewitz at the helm. Volino died of a heroin overdose in mid 1989 soon after the album was recorded.

Ripped to MP3

1 Don't Let It Go

2 It's A Dream

3 My Religion

4 The Night Is Calling

5 Fire In The Night

6 Walkin' The Beat

7 In The Shadows

8 Invisible People

9 World Without You

10 Falling Apart

11 Suicide Child II