- ESG are the Scroggins sisters Renee, Valerie and Marie from the South Bronx in New York. They were an integral part of the New York No Wave scene of the 70s/80s in New York but unlike many of their contemporaries, their sound was not especially experimental. Instead the stripped down combination of bass, minimal percussion/synths and vocals fused elements of punk, funk, disco and Latin to create urgent and damn funky tracks that paved the way for the likes of Talking Heads and A Certain Ratio. 'South Bronx Story 2' follows on from the 2000 compilation 'South Bronx Story' and continues to chart the career of the trio, but this time with rarities and alternative mixes instead of just hits. 'SBS 2' shows that the band, even in their outtakes, stick tightly to their formula. Normally that would be disappointing, but with ESG what they have works so well they're right not to change it at all.
What is also apparent from 'SBS 2' is a strong sense of fun, partying and the impression the band really know what works on the dancefloor. 'The Beat (Dance to the beat of Moody)' splices 'The Beat' into 'Moody' and turns the latter from a low-slung groove into a hypnotic belter. 'Erase You' gets a jaggedy rework and 'Moody (A New Mood)' gets sped up and syncopated to give it a Latin twist. 'Like This' from from 'Sample Credits Don't Pay Our Bills EP' (a barb by the sisters to the many who 'borrowed' their music without paying for it) is a gorgeous spacey groove and it's easy to see why 'Standing in Line' became a Paradise Garage anthem. Even the introduction of other members of the family on the more recent 'Six Pack', a practice that in other groups often ends in disaster, is a success and shows they are still sticking to what they do best. Quite right too.
'South Bronx Story' showed ESG as a tightly focused band who distilled a myriad of influences into their own sound. 'SBS 2' reinforces that and demonstrates their energy and passion spills over after the final cut of a song. The album is also not just for anoraks and stands comfortably on its own, arguably as good an introduction to the band as its precursor.
Tracklist1 Bam Bam Jam
2 Erase You (Puppy To Your Side)
3 In The Streets
4 Dance To The Beat Of Moody
5 There Was A Time
6 You're No Good (Alternate Version)
7 I Wanna Dance
8 Moody (A New Mood)
9 Standing In Line
10 Earn It
11 Like This
12 Six Pack (Original Version)