*** The Third Sex

CARD CARRYIN'

(Chainsaw)

"I think I'm bored," remarks one of the three women in Oregon's Third Sex a second or two before the trio launch into the thrashy tumult of "Belle," one of the more raucous tracks on the band's bristling debut CD. Being bored is one of the oldest and best excuses in the punk-rock book -- Joe Strummer felt it 20 years ago when he lashed out with "I'm So Bored (With the USA)," and Billie Joe got bitten by the same bug in "Longview." And it's still one of the most effective and efficient inspirations for punk, whether you're dealing with three stoned twentysomething dudes from the East Bay or, in the case of Third Sex, a trio of lesbian grrrls from the Northwest. Of course, the Third Sex have less in common with Green Day than with grrrl-powered punks from the Olympia/Portland-scene like Sleater-Kinney and Team Dresch. (TD's Donna Dresch produced Card Carryin' and Chainsaw is her label.) But they all know the same cure for boredom -- loud, fast, aggressive, guitar-bashing tunes fueled by the personal and the political. There are a dozen short and (bitter)sweet tracks like that on Card Carryin', 27 and a half boredom-free minutes of punk rock.

-- Matt Ashare

(The Third Sex play this Wednesday, October 16, at Ryles.)