“Amazing early-80s DIY/basement psych/goofball garage band from Worcester, MA...The Prefabs have an umbilical to the UK DIY sound with a riotous Swell Maps/Desperate Bicycles style filtered through an American teen garage aesthetic...The group shared bills with Mission Of Burma and Willie Alexander back in the day, but even in that company were a real anomaly. ['Peace Love & Alienation' is] a revelatory reissue, highly recommended!”

“In today’s context, it's rare to stumble upon a band who are just as resistant to the “your-band-is-your-brand” mindset as they are outwardly critical of it. Even thirty years later, the Prefabs' ethos is still a breath of fresh air.”

“They were way more than normal dudes playing outsider music. They were as punk as Gang of Four, but had a playful pop sound like Sparks...To not let their genius efforts be held only to snobby record collectors, Fixed Identity have released a collection of their works under the title 'Peace Love & Alienation' ”

“[the WFMU Blog's in-depth interview with The Prefab Messiahs - click below to read]”

“[lyrics:] Well the Rolling Stones come to town / Don't throw The Prefab Messiahs out of bounds / God save those dreamers / They're all that's left sometimes...”

“Anyone see these guys with Bobb Trimble??? Video from '83 is great. Also, can't stop listening to 'Cousin Artie' ”

“The Prefab Messiahs were one of the coolest things going in Massachusetts (or elsewhere) in the ’80s, even if no one knew it at the time. With their weirdo widening of the ’60s-throwback vibe and mixing in of jangly folk-rock and dark new-wave pop, these Worcester heads have weathered the test of time to become the should-be prototype for all underground rockers the Bay State has spawned since...Sometimes things happen that are so worthy of your excitement it’s legitimately hard to put it into words. This is one of those things”

“The fuzzed-out mind-screws and tremolo riffs on "Beyond All That" make good on the flyer/manifesto's premonition. In a voice of stirring intellect, [Xeth] Feinberg ridicules the meaninglessness of "cool," and those masked subscriptions to conformity that still prevail as the social norm. With a slogan that sounds as relevant in 2011 as it did in 1982, the collection's liners declare "these times demand the evolving drone of the Prefab Messiahs.”

“It never ceases to amaze just how many buried gems are still out there...It’s a perfect infusion of Nuggets-style garage psych into the scrappy sound of early postpunk alá Swell Maps, The Urinals, The Homosexuals, etc...The Prefabs assembled a timeless, killer sound that’s on par with the best sounds from any era. Why they haven’t been name-dropped incessantly over the last 30 years is a mystery.”

“...Hopped up on crazy juice and infusing post-punk, left-field garage/psych/pop, and general art damage with heady bumps of WTF... How to describe Peace, Love & Alienation? Well it isn't too far from the twisted and frenetic mind of John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees) actually. Tinny atmospherics add credence to the psychobohemia present in tracks such as 'Beyond All That' and 'The 16th Song', whilst their is some slacker humour in 'Cousin Artie' and 'Don't Go To The Party'. It's pretty much what we are hearing now then, yet 30 years in the past.”

“The Prefab Messiahs were more interested in the post-punk scene...though they bring in a strong influence from '60s psych/garage rockers like 13th Floor Elevators and Quicksilver Messenger Service”

“Oddball Worcester, MA, garage-psych types the Prefab Messiahs, whose early-’80s work was recently reissued on the digital-vinyl set Peace Love & Alienation, top a cool [Death By Audio] bill”

“It’s as if the Ramones teamed up with Joy Division, took some LSD, listened to The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, and then decided to write an album.”

“The Prefab Messiahs come at you like a gritty inside joke leftover from a college acid trip. You were either there or are trying to catch up. A strange brew that mixes together sarcastic 60's counter culture rhetoric, new wave goofiness, and some of the best lo fi Casio drum machine rhythm tracks you're likely to hear”

“Raw garage rock with the enthusiasm that comes from a dedication to doing something completely honest...I have no idea of the historic context to place this in...but in the current climate of punchy garage rock, this is one of those bands you could say was ahead of their time, or that artists have come back around to appreciate the same things the Prefab Messiahs inherently knew.”

“Franz Kafka” is a absolutely dazzling psych-punk ass kicker and the best part is it’s going to catch you completely off guard. Once it’s over with you still won’t know what the hell hit you as it comes together with breakneck speeds, blazing guitar solos and frenetic vocals, all with a raging energy you can feel the heat radiating off of. “Prefab Sun” on the other side gets it’s toes wet in the pop pool a little more than the last, with metallic guitar chords and a sun-shining solo about halfway through to bring it all home. Now give them both a spin right below and see how you feel.”

"...a fantastic glimpse into a little-known Northeastern scene of weirdo underground rock...manages to perfectly execute the difficult joining of punk, psych, and garage"

“The band occupies a pre/post wasteland between punk, paisley and psych revivals that ends up lumping them into the too late for glory too soon for fame kind of category. They've got some of the same impulses that made The Twinkeyz heroes to a scant few and even caught the ear of Bobb Trimble (who missed his own share of glory in his heyday) who had a hand in some of their recordings. These two tracks certainly show you what the vast majority of the buying public in '83 were missing out on though and its a welcome bit of unearthing from the label.”

“Psychedelic iconoclasts The Prefab Messiahs... "Desperately Happy" [is] a punchy, chromatic garage pop tune that is full of social commentary by turns tongue-and-cheek and sincere”

“I want everything that I am a part of to be like this at the level of ethos at least.”

“I’ll be damned if A-side “Franz Kafka” didn’t knock me on my ass from the first listen. When I get the funds together for my 45-jukebox, this one is going in there for sure – think lo-fi Television Personalities, Modern Lovers or even The Clean. Completely stoked on this record. ”

“Their psych garage mash up of The Television Personalities and the 13th Floor Elevators couldn't be more on trend in 2012 if they'd arrived wearing pajamas with the world's biggest scouse brow.”

“ 'Franz Kafka' is a great example of how the band could turn things into a great full-on rave-up. Humor was always core to the group's approach -- while not a comedy band as such, the fact that some song titles included "Prefabedelia" and "Rice 4 a Sheik" says it all. Lead singer Xerox Feinberg's singing is in ways the secret weapon of the band, both beautifully disaffected and snotty in a classic Nuggets sense.”

“The Prefab Messiahs are early’s ‘80s pre-AND-better-than-Paisley-Underground tunes that sound like the Twinkeyz without the hallucinogens. Great stuff.”

“PREFAB MESSIAHS play a fun brand of '80s garage pop, too smart and enthusiastic for paisley or Beatle boots...Seems like the most suitable reaction against hardcore punk imaginable, turning towards '60s garage psych and giving it a go. A really fun "fuck you" of a garage record.”