Richard Hell & the Voidoids’ Debut with ‘Blank Generation’

Richard Hell has been touted as one of punk rock’s brightest hopes for some time now, but Blank Generation, his debut album, doesn’t come close to explaining why. “Love Comes in Spurts” and the title track do hint at the potential power of his sardonic, aggressive stance, as does the eerie cover of Creedence’s “Walk on the Water.” The self-indulgent remaining tracks, however, find Hell offering little but noisy nothingness. As his outfit’s name may suggest, the void is intentional, but that’s not much consolation.