Key: (LB: Lance Boyle)(MC: Mitch Cardwell)(JC: Jesse Conway)(MTC: Matt Coppens)(EEK: Erick Elrick)(JG: Jeff Greenback)(DH: Dave Hyde)(RK: Rich Kroneiss)(PH: Phil Honululu)(EL: Eric Lastname)(SSR: Scott Soriano)(SB: Steven Strange)
(TK: Todd Trickknee)
A Frames "Police 1000" 7"
The A Frames’ “demos” mp3 collection is a legendary one, two dozen or so songs that are up there in the high quality department with the rest of the band’s work. Over the years some of these early songs have appeared re-recorded on the band’s LPs, while others have been slowly released, as is, on singles like ‘Crutches’, ‘Complications’ and now this one featuring ‘Police 1000’ b/w ‘Traction’, which is said to be the last to get such treatment. This is not the A Frames of the ‘Black Forest’ LP where dark, stylized, and methodically controlled songs win out, but is instead the A Frames of yore where a looser, wilder, pummelling punk rock sound was the norm. ‘Police 1000’ has always been a highlight of the band’s live set with its bouncy verse that explodes into a frighteningly catchy chorus. The rhythm section here is asshole tight. ‘Traction’ is the perfect flip as it’s just as simple and catchy as ‘Police 1000’ and even features a rarity for the A Frames – a wailing guitar solo. I didn’t think anything could top the ‘Crutches’ single, but I think this one just might and the white vinyl with ultra basic white sleeve seals the deal. About as good as a single can get. (JG)
The A-Frames sounding their most Karate Party-ish here. Is that a bit of the curly pedal I hear on "Traction"? Both tunes are bouncing and rather upbeat, driven by a rhythm section that is easlily worth a million bucks. Will they ever release a bad record? Doesn't seem likely. We critics just can not suck these guys' dicks hard enough. I've run out of hyperbole. Alas, this does seem to be the last of the pan-drippings from ye olden days, so any Frames from now on will be new(er), which I'm looking forward to. I mean, I love the punk sounding tunes, but I'm also intrigued to see these guys travel through some of the doors they openend on 'Black Forest' a bit more as well. Maybe someday in the bootleg future the covers EP I dream of (featuring "She's Got Spawn" on the A, and "Batman" on the flip) will surface on the black market, but until then I will roll around lovingly in these outtakes like my dog does when he finds a dead fish. Scum stats: 1000 pressed all on white vinyl. Ultra-simple sleeve design that Jesse said made him think of wedding cake, which I thought was dead-on.(RK)
(S-S Records // www.s-srecords.com)
As Mercenarias "O Comeco do Fim do Mundo" LP
Last time I bought a Soul Jazz comp that was outside of their area of expertise (R&B and reggae), I felt screwed. It was one of their No Wave comps and it was just pedestrian. Stuff I've heard before and nothing that jumped out you like say the Contortions or DNA. So when I got this record by the Brasilain post-punk band As Mercenarias, I didn't know if I had made a mistake or not. I am very very happy to report that not only did I not make a mistake but that this is one of the best reissues of the year. Culled form the bands two album, this record is a solid collection of Lilliput meets Wire edgy punkness with a tad bit of funkiness thrown in. The first side is all stuff from Mercenarias first album and as such it is a bit on the rawer end of things. True to all post punk second albums, side two is a bit more mature. Unlike a lot of second efforts it is not slick; think early Delta 5 with a better handle on the instruments. The first thousand copies of this come with a 7" of demo tracks which are every bit as good as the "real" stuff. Much rawer and even bordering on hardcore, the 7" is a must have. It is very nice to know that there is at least one Brasilian post punk band worth checking out. I love Tropicalia, Brazilian punk/hardcore is tops, and now this. Soul Jazz has also released a comp of Brasilian post-punk from this time period (1981-85) and that is now on the top of my list of "must buys." Very much recommended.(SSR)
(Soul Jazz // www.souljazzrecords.co.uk)
Baby 63 "Quiver b/w Shark Watch Maker" 7"
I can legitimately say that I had no knowledge of the "techno cassette underground" before I heard this reissue of of a tape from 1984 on vinyl. Why did Mr. Soriano decide to do these two songs? Why not include all the material sent to him by the artist and press a CD? Is it just because doing something digital would be completely retarded for reissuing a cassette? Probably. This is one of the many thoughts that drifted through my mind while the drum machine/guitar feedback/sample manipulation/background vocals of Baby 63 played for me. Nothing really stuck. Would an entire full length have made a different impression? As it is, I'm almost curious to see what more could be had of their material, but releasing two songs like this almost discourages me from spending my time to seek out any more. I'm not sure why. (JC)
I always applaud any effort to preserve the overlooked sounds of the past, and S-S has done a good job of this in recent years with Monoshock, Karate Party, Geeks, and others. The notion of the Eighties DIY cassette underground is something that intigues me greatly. But I fear it is a movement that looks better on paper than it sounds. I'm probably not that qualified to be reviewing this, as I am somewhat of a straightforward guy when it comes to stuff as avant-garde as this. Found sound collage-work, tape deck looping/twiddling, homemade sounding synths and drum machines are not the type of stuff I feel comfortable commenting on. And that's what this is. This type of thing usually makes for cool sounds (like the low-end digeridoo sound on the B-Side), but not cool and cohesive songs. Although this comes close, especially on "Shark Watcher Maker". If you're more experimental than me, you should decide for yourself. (RK)
(S-S Records // www.s-srecords.com)
Baseball Furies "All American Psycho" CD
Here in handy digital format are the 1998 recordings that were supposedly meant to be the Furies first full LP, but which ended up getting split into two EPs, the "Sounds of Mayhem" 7" on Big Neck and the 10" on Flying Bomb. If you just picked up on the Furies with 'Greater than Ever' or 'Let it Be', you owe it to yourself to go back and live through this stuff. Younger, rawer, maybe even faster, these tunes show these young turks blasting through twelve tracks, some that careen to near HFOS-like velocity (see "Filthy Fun" or "Murder Solution"), some that show them trying to find their way to the more "refined" Dead Boys-ish punk rock they perfected on the later LPs (see "Black Eyed Woman" or "The Last Man"). Pre-Billiams drummer Dapper does good work here, the guitar sound is blistering, Odie's violent yelp in near perfection, and the songs topics include the standards: violence, cheap sex, and cheaper living. It's this stuff and the very first 7" (which regrettably isn't in this package. Why? My guess would be the band doesn't like it enough to include it. Boooo...) that first got the heads turning, from fans like me and you to the label-dudes like Tim Warren and Lowery (both of whom are rumored to have expressed an interest in the young Buffalonians early on), and rightfully so. What these recrding may lack in finesse thay make up for with moxie, something that's in as short a supply then as it is now. If you don't have this shit on vinyl already, invest now, as this disc contains no less than half a dozen cuts of classic late-Nineties garage-punk punch. I guess the postscript to this review would be that the Furies have broken up, but supposedly still plan to record one final album comprised of songs written after the move to Chicago (rumored to be recorded at Albini's). So this reissue couldn't be timelier.(RK)
(Big Neck Records // www.bigneckrecords.com)
(Flying Bomb // www.flyingbomb.com)
Bitter Sweet Generation s/t MCDR
New wave punk from the big city that is far from being too shy to flirt with guitar pop or horrible cover shots. If you can get past the heavily flanged/chorused guitar sound, the two songs on this CDR are probably worth your $3. "Lucky Girl" is my personal favorite thanks to the background "ooooo doo wop doo wop" vocals from the fairer sex in the band. This is the kind of release that makes me glad they didn't press it to vinyl and charge $5 more for the privilege of hearing the same roughly-mastered not-quite-solid-gold-hits in the analog form. It is a demo, after all. More bands need to learn this. Maybe we should take away America's record pressing plants.(JC)
(self-released // http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=MOKO_MOKO69)
Black Lips "Does She Want" 7"
The better of the two archival releases of Black Lips recordings released by Slovenly, from the kid's first recording sessions back in 2000. And as much of a trainwreck as you might think this might sound like, it's a great record. "Does She Want" is reminiscent of really early Makers, like first one or two records before Michael Maker even realized he was cool. Harmonica-and-shakin' laced and pretty trad garage, but loose enough to not sound generic. "Stoned" on the flip is a ballsy Nugget, with some unintelligible vocal oowghhh-ing delivered right from the nuts and a completely tossed off guitar solo. You could say this record shows a more innocent band still trying to find their footing, and revealing small glimpses of their current greatness. It stands well on it's own merits as well though, as a document of a teenage garage band getting their rocks off. Surprisingly good. Scum stats: 500 press.(RK)
(Slovenly Records // www.slovenly.com)
Black Lips "In & Out" 7"
Part II of Slovenly's pair of early Black Lips recordings. This one isn't as good as the previously mentioned single, but it's still all right, especially if you're a fan. "In & Out" is more indicative of the chaos that was to come, an out of tune garage stumbler that struggles to keep up with itself and kind of challenges your ears to pick the rhythm out of the mess. "Stuck in My Mind" has them sounding like the house band at some shit-kicker honky-tonk, where the toothless locals ply your dates with grain alcohol and whisk them away to the beds of pick-up trucks while the band gets piss drunk and throws beer bottles at you from behind a chicken-wire barricade. But the song's not really as good as that description. Listen to the first single for some real tunes by a young garage band, listen to this one if you want to hear some Southern boys fucking around and having some fun. Good job by Slovenly to release these. Scum stats: 500 press.(RK)
(Slovenly Records // www.slovenly.com)
Black Lips "Hippys" 7"
One more Black Lips single, this one from yet another obscure European label. Only two songs on this, "Hippys" on A, and "Born to be a Man" on B. "Hippys" sounds like you think it does. Kinda groovy in a slightly sneering way, more flower than power though. The flip side is a slower country-folk tune. Kind of mundane for these guys, as they color inside the lines pretty well on this. No freaking out here. Khan himself recorded this pup in authentic lo-fidelity at his very own Moon Studios (get it?), and plays a bit of guest guitar on the B-Side as well. You'd hope this unholy combo (now apparently know as the "Death Cult") would result in something a bit more...juicy? Possessed? Rocking? Something. But I imagine Khan and the Lips have future surprises in store for us in the wake of their US tour. For now, I'd buy the Slovenly singles before I got this. Scum stats: 500 copies, all black. Supposedly sold out already, record has a big hole that comes with an adapter. You might want to use your own though, as it's a tight fit and kind of bows the thin vinyl. (RK)
(Varmint Records // www.varmintrecords.de)
Black Time "I Hate the World and the World Hates Me" EP
The Black Time haven't wasted much time in becoming the critical darling of the sub-underground. The road from obscure self-released LP to releasing singles all over, a reissue deal with In the Red, and screams for a US tour has been rather quick in coming. But it's all been well desreved, and they've made few, if any, missteps along the way. Their fifth record brings us one killer tune, "I Hate the World...", a perfect marriage of chug-a-lug primeval drumming and opaque layers of guitars, of both the sloppy-screeching and functional types, including a solo. A nice aural photograph of misdirected teen angst, from players I'm sure are well beyond their teen years. The flip provides the quick and simplistic drums and bit'o feedback number "Sleepwalking", and the punk-ish "Chinese Mechanics". Both pale in comparison to the anthemic title cut, however. Insert includes more charming and cryptic Black Time propaganda, and the line-up confusion begins here, with credits given to the mysterious Candy Random and Fiery Jack, but Mr. Stix and Janie Too Bad also make appearances, along with the constant presence of Agent Lemmy Caution. The notes attempt to make some sense of this, but not much. Anyway, pick it up for the A-Side, which I'm hoping will be a standard of the live set by the time they get here. Scum stats: as usual, AFOR numbered the copies, but neglect to tell you what the numer you have is out of. The highest number I've seen yet is 248, so that means at least 250, more likely 300, maybe more. Not too easy to find in the US yet, so snatch it when you get a chance. (RK)
(A Fistful of Records // afistfulofrecords@yahoo.com)
Blowtops "Insected Mind" LP/CD
First full-length from the now current Blowtops line-up: Creepy Dave on vox (no more guitar), Aaron on guit, Scott on drums/metal, and Tracy on vintage Yamaha organ. Most definitley the ultimate incarnation of this band. Tracy and Scott form a great rhythm section over which the other two wreak havoc on some of the best Blowtops material to date. "Black Jebus" is one of the 'tops all-time finest, "Self Mutilation Confession" has Dave crooning like a ringleader over some surreal circus-like sounds, and they cover "Street of Shame" off the 'Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel' LP. The new instrumentation lends them a subterranean industrial sort of feel, with Scott's drumming veering from adrenaline-pushing pounding to off-kilter banging on propane tanks and metal objects, and the organ makes up for the lack of bass nicely. It's amazing the amount of sounds that come out of the thing: deep, deep constrictor-like lines of snaking low-end, phantom like graveyard rhythms, piercing death-ray laser blasts, and anything other than traditional sounding organ-grinding. The horror elements are still in place, but the new direction opens them up more. Less dense than on the 'Blood & Tar' 10", and sounding meaner and more unique than on 'Blackstatic'. If someone approached me with the question "What do the Blowtops sound like?", I would have no problem pointing them in the direction of this LP. Their most cohesive effort in quite awhile.(RK)
(Big NEck Records // www.bigneckrecords.com)
The Brian Wilson Shock Treatment "The Secret Power of the Third Eye" CD
My introduction to 60s garage and psych was indirect.
My first taste of that music was
through the Paisley Underground garage revival of the
early 80s, specifically the Rebel
Kind comp, some Pandoras and Salvation Army records,
and live performances by the
Morlocks and the Lyres. And then, of course, there was
buying every shitty record that
Voxx and Midnight put out. Had the Brian Wilson Shock
Treatment been around then
they would have been one of those bands whose memory
remains pleasant. They possess
all the things that make the very few good bands from
that time period special: There is
attention to song-writing, the songs are tight and
compact, and there is a nice, dirty swirl
of organ throughout. Add to that a low-fi infusion
straight from 90s garage, raw enough
to scare the Little Stevens of the world, and you get
something that sounds like it was
done by the smart older brothers of the Thee Flying
Dutchmen/Boom Boom of Renton
crowd. This comes with a DVD, but unfortunately I
couldn’t get the damn thing to play.(SSR)
(Slutfish Records // www.slutfishrecords.com)
George Brigman "Jungle Rot" LP/CD
There's a small-but-rabid crew of folks immersed/obsessed with the 1974-1976 "pre-punk" time period, and I say "good for them." Before the Ramones, things seemed a bit more loose and disorderly, and that was a good thing. Don't get me wrong, the KBD era might be my favorite of the rock continuum, but bands like Simply Saucer, Debris and Electric Eels are some of the coolest kicks out there. Like any other temporal genre dig, many bands from this era were reissued that probably shoulda' stayed calmly canned. Karl of Anopheles Records has the touch, though, and this LP by Baltimore "Fuzz Guitar legend" (hey, I just read the jacket sticker and fake the rest) George Brigman is more good than bad. Much has been made of fuzz stompers like the title track, and while those songs are a neat Blue Cheer/Stooges kick, I especially like acid blues numbers like "Scoolgirl" and "Don't Bother Me" (which actually sound not dissimilar to mid-period Spacemen 3). George isn't a genius songwriter, and some tunes lag like the old lady at the checkout, but there are hooks and there are heaps of that atmosphere period aficionados spew over. Hey, it's enough for me, too. (TK)
(Anopheles Records // www.anophelesrecords.com)
Buff Medways “Medway Wheelers” LP/CD
One of the downsides of releasing as much product as Wild Billy Childish has over the past 25 or
so years is it’s nigh impossible to keep up with all of it. Another is that, while he may have
recorded more killer tunes over that span of time than just about anyone out there, he’s also been
responsible for his fair share of duff cuts. Until hearing this album, I’d always dismissed the
Buff Medways as being responsible for far more of the latter than the former, but now I’m forced
to rethink that assessment. Simply put, this is an awesome record. There’s a huge mod/maximum r&b
influence going on here, and it works to fabulous effect. There’s still plenty of the trademark
Childish grit to these tunes, but this time around they’re complimented by some huge Who-like
hooks and melodies. Killer mod tunes like “Medway Wheelers” and “Private View” rank right up there
with the best of Billy’s long and illustrious catalog. The only real negative I can think of here
are the superfluous re-takes on Headcoats standards. I’d rather hear another “A Distant Figure of
Jon” than another version of “Lie Detector.” Still, it’s not like they’re actually bad songs or
anything. Overall, the mod angle a lot of these songs are coming from mixed with the patented
Medway sound is as refreshing as a sparkling glass of lemonade on a July day. Rumor has it that
Billy wants to go in an MC5-like direction on the next Buff Medways album, so keep an ear pealed
for that! If you haven’t given the Buff Medways a listen in awhile, you really owe it to yourself
to check this out. In the meantime, if you haven’t given the Buff Medways a listen in awhile, you
really owe it to yourself to check this out.(SB)
(Damaged Goods www.damagedgoods.co.uk)
The Busy Signals s/t 7"
It's a no-brainer to buy pretty much anything on Douchemaster Records and after getting the latest 7", I'm pretty pissed at myself for missing the Busy Signals at the Blackout this year. I showed up late or something, I don't even remember. Guy and girl vocals working well together, verses transitioning into choruses ever-so-catchily and that constant 16th on the hi-hat that I love. Reminding me of the later Carbonas & Beat Beat Beat, The Busy Signals have no problem fitting into the Douchemaster family. It's funny, I usually use Black Flag to cleanse my musical palate, as it were, before setting into reviews. I found myself going back to this 7" after every two or three records. It's just that good. Highly recommended. (JC)
If anyone belongs on Douchemaster records, it's Eric "Beany Cecil Cooper" Lastname. Ya see, Eric's a Douchebag. A really big, bursting-at-the-seams filled with old man jizz, coma queefs and herpe piss Douchebag. To be fair, he's a douchebag who's been attempting (across several states) to join up with a band he can be unembarrassed about. Luckily for him, members (former and current) of the Carbonas, Tyrades and Krunchies could probably prop Tiny Tim's corpse against the wall w/a triangle and finagle interesting sounds out of it. What you get is more of that great, soon-to-be-patented Dave Carbona production, an ex-Carbona writing some nice hooks that take their sweet time in sinking you (but when they do, they snag like a motherfucker), some nice femme vox, and lightning-strummed guitars courtesy of the Douchemaster himself and his poop-buddy Kevin Krunchie. Jap-punk comparisons only really seem apt on the Tweezers-like "Do What You Want." The other two are only a sidestep from the ATL Beat Beat Beat/Carbonas contingent, and that's fine by me. "Just Wanna Go Out" is especially catchy and, well, good. Fans of catchy punk rock goodness can't go wrong with this one. Dooouuuuche! (TK)
(Douchemaster Records // douchemasterrecords@hotmail.com)
The Cabarets "Michitte gu Kanakoto" MCDR
All girls punk from Japan, but put thoughts of Brain Death aside, this is much more 1-2 focused punk rock than straight ahead hardcore punk. It is plausible to picture them playing before The Stalin, Comes or other hard punk acts from Japan's early and mid 80s; the opening march/dirge would be fine on an ADK 7" and you can imagine the singer becoming more and more unhinged throughout the performance by the sound of her vocals on this release. I'm intrigued and would certainly like to see if they can keep a full length release interesting - I picture one or two freak out jams ala Masturbation or Aburadako filling out each side's shorter punk songs. Recommended! (JC)
(self released // http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=cabarets69)
Carbonas "Blackout" EP
"Blackout (Waiting to Happen)" is the brilliant start-stop upbeat number they opened their set at the Blackout with and which was stuck in my head for months afterward. It might just be the best thing they've committed to vinyl yet. Great bassline, admirable vocal snot, shredding guitars, quickfast drumming, it's a total package. Their ability to match Zero Boys velocity to Powerpearls catchiness is peerless and deliciously original-sounding. Songs like this really do make their first LP sound like shit. They are light years ahead of that record at this point. The other two tracks ("Nostalgia Buff" and "Inside Out") are cold-blooded killers as well, but "Nostalgia Buff" would probably win out if the two fought in an alley. One of the best singles of the year, and that's no fucking lie. Hype this, asshole. Scum stats: 500 first press, 100 of them on "Carboners Collector (S)Cum" white vinyl, the rest on black. All sold out. Repress available soon.(RK)
This band has gone through the wringer with what they want released and what they want to keep a secret, it seems. Record an entire album, then decide that it's too dated to release? Fair enough, I suppose - it's their music after all! Just like on their "Frothing" 7", the new guitarist brings a very competent approach to the song writing and every part seems to just fit so perfectly. Toe-tapping rocking punk that is just more of the same great stuff The Carbonas have been making themselves popular with over the past year. Hurry up and put out some LPs already!! (JC)
As they've steadily improved over the years, I honestly can't think of anyone putting out BETTER catchy-ass punk rock than the Carbonas. They take familiar riffs & lines & lyrics, pump 'em full of energy and scramble 'em up in ways that'll keep your brain humming for hours after lifting the needle. A little Heartbreakers lead here, some UK punk swipe there, and fuck it - great, great tunes. If you don't like this record, you either hate th' punk rock or you hate yourself. Fun, great, killer, cool, buy, buy buy. (TK)
(Shattered Records // www.shatteredrecords.net)
Dean Dirg "26 Kicks to Make the Whole World Pay" CD
Basically, this is two Dirg albums on one CD. And basically, Dean Dirg is a Henry Fiat tribute/rip off, but they do it pretty well. Like HFOS, 26 tracks is a bit much for fast-as-fug amped-up funny p-rock, so I'd say singles are a much better format for this unit. But if you can never get enough HFOS, and are looking for a reasonable facsimile, here ya' go. I think the 15 year old 'Knee would have loved this puppy to death, but my older self prefers the occasional toe-dip, and that's about it. (TK)
(Dead Beat Records // www.dead-beat-records.com)
Deche Dan's Face "Zouzou" 10"
Who is Deche Dan? Why is there a band named after his face? I don't know. I do know this French two-piece has been kicking since 1995 or so, and actually released an LP and a few singles years ago (including one on SubPop!?). I have never heard them mentioned by anyone outside of a couple Frenchmen, and I have never heard or seen any of their records until this point. What do they sound like? Well, ahem, it's blues. Punk. Or something close to it. On this 10" you get six tracks that were recorded in 2000, in some girl's living room somewhere in Bordeaux. And it has that homey kind of feel to it, and a nice big and blown-out, loud and live recording sound. If I was in that living room I am sure I would have loved it. The drumming's adept, and you get a lot of guitar sounds thrown out at you, including some lap steel. The A-Side rocks well. The B-Side has one rocker, one slow jam, and ends with a soundtrack-y mood piece. In between the tunes you get conversation in foreign tongues, the sounds of instruments being moved/tuned, and other very casual elements. You can imagine the wine being poured and the brown cigarettes being smoked to butts as they launch into another tune. An interesting exercise in home recording. The music is good, but it's the loose vibe you get listening, and the intimate feel of the moment in time it was recorded in translated to you via the vinyl that makes this a noteworthy record. Not something I'd play a lot, but something I enjoyed hearing. (RK)
(Yakisakana Records // www.yakisakana.tk)
Digger and the Pussycats "Watch Yr Back" LP/CD
These two boys from down under are all right. On this, their second LP (and the first longplayer of theirs I've heard), they sound like I hoped they would. Tasty rhythms pounded out at breakneck speed by one dude playing a three-piece kit, that sounds louder and madder than most drummers with an army of rack toms at their disposal. The guitarist sounds as if he grows an extra pair of hands at times, giving the band an incredibly big presence for just a duo. Their song menu consists of rapid-fire garage-punk for the most part, with some dips into slower/bluesier territory, but when they get a good running start and dive into the apeshit pummeling, you feel like you're riding shotgun with these guys on some Outback jailbreak. The getaway tale of "Catch Us if You Can" is great storytelling backed with a big beat, and is a perfect example of these guys doing right. "Coming To Get You" shows some sharpened fangs (and the classic refrain of "You Drive Like A Cunt!" can't be beat), and as long as they keep the velocity up, they've got me listening. Only when they slow it down does your attention wander. Overall, a bunch of fun-loving and rule-breaking tunes that are above the average for the genre. Exciting stuff from just two fellas. Scum stats: 500 pressed on black, and comes with a 12" sized 8 page foldout notebook-style booklet with great artwork. A beautiful package.(RK)
(P.Trash Records // www.ptrashrecords.com)
Dissimilars "Land Mine" EP
On "Land Mine" The Dissimilars remind me a lot of some my favorite juvie-delinquent garage acts from the glory days: The Fells, Drags, Motards, and Cryin' Out Louds all come time mind while spinning this EP. The title cut is a killer, "(Crushin' Up) Pills" is as good as it sounds, and "Turn Me Loose" has some great lyrics. A whole lot of fun, and shorter and better than their debut single from earlier in the year. If you need a fun record to spin at parties, this is definitely it. If you're looking for a record that is gonna blow your fucking jaded mind and take you on a trip somewhere far out in the reaches of the musical universe you've never visited before, well, go listen to fucking Mind Flayer and insert the stick back in your ass. Jesus christ. Scum stats: 500 pressed, all on clear blue vinyl with matching 3/4-style sleeve, and two inserts, also on blue paper. The color scheme looks fantastic and is very well done. (RK)
(Plastic Idol Records // www.plasticidolrecords.com)
The Dreadful Yawns s/t CD
Their band name lends itself towards a simple and succinct review, but I'll....try....hard to...resist. Especially since I've got to be the only TB reviewer who'd actually listen full-through more than once. REALLY laid back country rock, probably attempting a Byrds yank-pull, but just coming off limp and lifeless for most of this...really goddamn long (74 minutes or something like that) "album." About 8-9-10 songs in there are nice extended psych-jam moments, but this is really TOO MUCH. (TK)
(Bomp! // www.bomprecords.com)
The Feelers "Parts and Pieces" EP
Two originals and one cover that may or may not have been recorded before The Feelers' recent full length. They certainly retain the fuzzed out and frantic sound from the first releases, which is a plus. Mix KBD vol. 2 with Tony Packo's chili and you have this record. My favorite part? The kick drum sound. (JC)
As far as KBD-styled junk goes, The Feelers are at the top of that shit heap. Their set at the Blackout was one of the punkest things I've seen in recent years, and I mean that. No garage bullshit here at all. This one is three literal cuts, one cover ("School Jerks" by The Vains), and a couple of top shelf slices of original barbiturate-rock. Sounds a little fuzzier than the LP, and the arrangement is a bit more claustrophobic. They should packaged this with a razor. A++, will listen to again. Scum stats: 500 copies, all on black wax. Wait...didn't P.Trash release this? You mean there's not 118 copies on limited color wax and three different covers? (RK)
(P. Trash Records // www.ptrashrecords.com)
Thee Fine Lines "Looking Everywhere" 7"
Four song EP from this three piece out of St. Louis, MO, whose LP I actually liked a good bit. But where that LP had some great (if derivative) moments, this EP (which actually, perhaps inadvertently, comprises a relationship-gone-bad song-cycle of sorts, as mentioned in the loving liners by Mike of Go Metric! fanzine) is pretty lacking in any sort of attention-getting musicality. Justin Kearby can knock-off the Sonics via Childish teenbeat Billy-rock all day, and rather convincingly, but how long before you're rewriting rewrites of songs that weren't all that original in the first place? Dead end, brother, dead end. Things do not get interesting at all until the very last tune, where he lets loose with a bit of Caesars-ish stomp on "You're Heartless". The rest of the tunes sail on rivers I've seen the likes of before and have no desire to revisit. And to make it more frustrating, they got rid of the chick bass player from the LP! And replaced her with a dude! Man, what a bummer. She was cute, and she had a cool voice. I wonder, was that Justin's girl? Did they split? Are these tunes about her? Is she heartless? I don't know, but that storyline would make this record a lot more interesting, but not necessarily more listenable. Proceed with caution on this one, and keep in mind I liked the LP well enough and am still saying that.(RK)
(Licorice Tree Records // www.licoricetree.com)
Fire Engines "Codex Teenage Premonition"
Fire Engines were a band from Edinburgh, Scotland that
existed for exactly 18 months during those golden
years of UK post-punk, 1979 – 1981. They released a
few hard to find seven inches and one LP, most of
which is collected on the out-of-print ‘Fond’ CD. They
were outsiders lurking on the more melodically
conventional Postcard Records scene of Orange Juice
and Aztec Camera. They had more in common with bands
like The Mekons and The Scars, thus drawing them into
Fast Product’s orbit, resulting in a brief flurry of
exciting releases. Fire Engines legacy remained one of
polite post-punk legend, until dance-rock posterboys
Franz Ferdinand sashayed their way onto the
international rock scene and made it OK to be a weird
Scottish post-punk from the past. They started
name-dropping Fire Engines and Orange Juice in
interviews and people were interested again. Orange
Juice was recently rewarded with a nice retrospective,
but that wasn’t good enough for Fire Engines; the
original band reunited. They have since played shows
with Franz Ferdinand and recorded some new material.
Unfortunately, instead of re-releasing ‘Fond,’ or,
even better, compiling a newer, more definitive
collection, the Domino label, in collaboration with
Creeping Bent, has issued a live CD with recordings
taken from a few different shows in 1980 and 1981. The
recordings are of decent sound quality and it’s a nice
thing to have if you are already a fan and it could
even work as an introduction to the band, but it’s
certainly not ideal. There are a few Peel Sessions
tacked onto the end. Nevertheless, ‘Codex Teenage
Premonition’ will give you an idea of what Fire
Engines were all about: terse yet danceable rhythms,
barbed guitars colliding haphazardly, but still
nailing memorable melodies, some guy periodically
bleating a bunch of nonsense. But don’t think this is
some polished cuff-link rock a la Franz Ferdinand;
Fire Engines keep on moving like nervous little
sharks. Why stop to correct a mistake when you’ve got
so much momentum built up? As they went along, they
settled into quirky pop, but they never let go of
their initial spark. We shall see if that still holds
true, I suppose.(EEK)
(Domino Records // www.dominorecordco.com)
Flaschen "You're Negative Baby" 7"
French band's promo materials are popping up in the mailbox more frequetly than take-out menus from the Chinese joint down the street recently. But for every Volt or Anteenagers or Fatals there's run-of-the-mill stuff, like this single from Flaschen, a three-pice from the wilds of St. Laurent/Nice. The title cut and the lead song on the B-Side are just samey mid-tempo raunchy garagepunk-by-numbers. Sure, they can write a rock tune with a decent title, but they don't make it sound any better than the people before them. Nothing grabs you, there's no signature to make it sound "different". The last track, "Black Veins", is the best, as it actually has a bit of character, sounding like a really fuzzy Metros with a French guy singing in bad English. Not worth buying for the one decent tune.(RK)
(Trash Mondain Records // flaschen_nice@yahoo.fr)
Foetus "Love" CD
I remember getting Jim "Foetus" Thirwell's "Hole" album when I was a little nipper. I remember my Old Man thinking the name was offensive and saying "this has got to be garbage." I remember thinking Dad was a major square, but I'm sure we've all been there. How could Pa not like some of the most ingenious word-twists in the history of rock? Couldn't he get with the healthy lampooning of every possible sacred cow? Murderers, Satan, Hitler, puss-diving and water torture? And the music - my punk rock brain had never heard synthesized instruments crack down on the beach boys, be-bop and every sort of popular music cliche in such a powerful, manly way. I grabbed "Nail" not too long after, and Jim heaped some solo classical compositions on top of classics like "Enter the Exterminator." I thought the guy was a genius. He went on to do some cool shit with Swans members (Wiseblood), and his Foetus vehicle got a big push around the time Ministry and all those Industrial pretenders were the hip sound, but I stopped keeping up a long time ago.
On the DVD that comes with the new album, Thirwell says something about not wanting to do angry music anymore. And what you get on the album and the new videos is the kinda alternative moosh that I usually stay at least 10 steps behind. If you listen closely, you can pick up some typical word-knowledge, but this fucker is, in general, a chore to get through. The DVD, however, has a great live (sorta neu-ish metal) version of "I'll See You in Poland, Baby," from that aforementioned "Hole" record, which displays the man's great voice and shows that he wrote great tunes and could pull it all off with a live band. There are some shorts for some animated show that seems kinda funny (he did the background music) and some trailers for a Thirwell bio movie that must be coming out soonish. The Steroid Maximus live clip looks great (he conducts a pretty fast and intense orchestra doing some loud-ass classical compositions), and made me scramble for SM record. Genius? Maybe. But this album really isn't very interesting or good. Liked the DVD, though, so Foetus fans may want to open the wallet anyhoo. (TK)
(Birdman Records // www.birdmanrecords.com)
Frustrations "Nerves Are Fried" 7"
This young gang from MI pushes out some pretty cool Aussie X noise, especially on the A-side. The loping, lazy single-string scrape that runs through the verse on "Nerves Are Fried" is just "off" enough to work as a great hook, and the propulsive chorus seals the deal. The flip is Ginn/F. Discussion guitar-driven trajectory that's comparably aimless, though still worth a listen. Major complaint here is that the vocals on both tracks are about as remarkable and exciting as a flip through the five channels on my TV. Nonetheless, I suspect these guys are still capable of something solid in the near future. So watch for 'em. (EL)
(X Records // info@x-recordings.com)
The Gentleman Callers "Don't Say What It Is" CD
Debut full length from some St. Louis rockers. Traditional Sixties garage (with organ) that stays close to the standard formula. Not offensive per se, but the thing that makes this a snoozer is the fact that almost every song is slow-to-mid tempo. It sounds as if they don't hit the gas pedal once on the whole thing (the closest they come is the one track that was recorded live on the radio). No stompers, gassers, or rave-ups here, just some rather pedestrian garage-by-numbers. If you dig The Greenhornes or Thee Shams, well...even if you dig those bands, I doubt you would dig this. Someone buy these guys some coffee. Or maybe some Sparks for you younger fellas. Seriously, kick out the Teenage Shutdown jams a bit. Get energized. Or at least caffeinated. Do you want to be the young Makers or the young Mortals? Who were the Mortals, you ask? Exactly...Nice looking booklet design though.(RK)
(Wee Rock Records // www.weerockrecords.com)
The Gris Gris "For the Season" CD/LP
I'm a big Greg Ashley fan. His solo work, the Mirrors, the Gris Gris. Most everything he does is impressive, a sonic force of undulating psych-folk that's as aggressive as the genre allows and sometimes moreso. I spent many summer afternoons holed-up in the prison cell bedroom blasting the first Gris Gris alb, hungover and antisocial and bored, sometimes even wistful or vaguely introspective, and that elpee would bounce off the walls of my little shitbox room and sometimes everything in there buzzed with energy. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm romanticising it. But I loved that album and still love it today. So about a month ago it was with this sorta fondness for Mr. Ashley's music and my own perverse sense of antisocial and fucked-up reclusiveness that I, barefoot and greasy, walked over to the sideyard and picked up the package leaning against the side door and found an advance of the new Gris Gris full-length. I was pretty happy. Trudge through the stifling heat back into the living room and throw the fucker into the disc changer and awaaaay we go. First impression: Lead-off track, "Ecks Em Eye," is like "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" as filtered through Redd Krayola's bizarre sacrament. Good. Powerful. Is that chanting in there? It sure is. Fuck me. Disc continues onward. It is a moody mess. So am I. "Down with Jesus" kicks in and I can't help but think of a more upbeat Spacemen 3. Not bad. Not great, but OK. Seems like most of the tracks on here are more folk and less psych than previous efforts. Odd, considering this is a very electric record compared to the mostly-acoustic self-titled outing. I like it, but I'm far more appreciative of tunes like "Pick Up Your Raygun" than I am "Mademoiselle of the Morning." There are some great songs on here, don't get me wrong. But after many listens, I haven't found a tune that overpowered me like the earlier material, like the first time I heard "Everytime" and thought, "This is one of the eeriest, densest and coolest songs I've heard in a long, long time." I don't know. I'm torn. I still listen to this one a lot. I still enjoy it. But I suppose the lack of superlatives this time around has an idiot like me confused. Either way, I recommend picking this one up, just like anything else Greg has done. (EL)
(Birdman Records // www.birdmanrecords.com)
Guitar Wolf "Golden Black" CD
Very timely greatest hits package from Guitar Wolf, dedicated to and commemorating Basswolf's recent passing. Twenty-six tracks, all remastered, that were picked with the help of an online poll of fans. Is this the definitive Guitar Wolf release? Well, yes and no. On it's own, this CD contains bits of everything that has been great about rock'n'roll culture from the Fifties to today: Japanese garage, loud volumes, Joan Jett, Link Wray, speaker-humbling distortion, Seventies punk, leather jackets, motorcycle gangs, pompadours, and anything else you can think of. Truthfully, Guitar Wolf contain the essence of everything that is cool. They earned every bit of acclaim and praise heaped on them. They were rightfully the most popular of all the Japanese-garagesters. (How much more popular than say, Teengenerate? Remember their first single on Bag of Hammers? 3,000 of those were supposedly pressed and sold in 1995, before they were even on a major label in Japan.) That they slipped into the mainstream was absolutely deserved. Really, you couldn't do much better than handing this CD over when someone asks, "So what's this rock'n'roll stuff all about?" They were the perfect band to be in movies, were photogenic, affable, and most importantly, always stayed true to their rock-n-roll mission. Does this CD encapsulate all of this? Fuck yeah. In the future I'll probably be listening to this disc more than any record they made, except perhaps 'Wolf Rock!'. Is this release definitive, then? No. Strangely, there are no tracks at all directly from the 'Kung Fu Ramone' or 'Missile Me!' LPs (so no "Hurricane Rock" or "Run Wolf Run"). But, this thing is still all killer, focusing mainly on stuff from 'Planet of the Wolves' and on, so if you missed a lot of their new-ish stuff, you have the cream of the crop here. They throw in a couple cuts from 'Wolf Rock!', the awesome title track from the "Murder By Rock" single, and a few other odds and ends, sticking mainly to LP cuts. Seriously, there were maybe two tracks on this I skipped through on first listen. And then I went back again for another dose of "Wild Zero"and "Red Rockabilly". It was during this marathon listening session that I was reminded that as hung up as we are on Teengenerate and The Registrators, Guitar Wolf were and still are just as essential. I still remember the first time I ever heard 'Wolf Rock!'. I don't remember the first time I heard Teengenerate. Not that I'm saying one is better than the other. I'm just saying you shouldn't short sheet Guitar Wolf. This CD will make you happy, I promise. (RK)
(Narnack Records // www.narnackrecords.com)
Haircuts "Are No Fun" 7"
A gag record of sorts, with Ryan from the impeccable Sack'o'Shit label playing with a few accomplices who shall remain nameless for now. Totally incompetent gimmicky tunes, that are purposefully bad. And the worst part is...one of them is really good. "Haircuts Are No Fun" and "Never See Her Again" both push the standard definition of listenable music, like an even more basic and stupid Spits, but the vocal delivery and sloppy arrangement kind of sucks you in. Shit-wave that shouldn't be amusing, but is. "Haircuts are No Fun" is amazing. I will say it. "Never See Her Again", notsomuchso. But "Haircuts..." fucking rules. Fo real. The fact that I like this thing says something about me and the state of music today. What that something is I'm frightened to theorize on. I say buy it, like it, and don't be such a tight-ass. Really. Scum stats: 300 pressed, but each record comes with a hand drawn cover (some with personal messages) covered in...human hair. No shit. Probably the most unsanitary record I own. I was delighted that the hairs were not curly. (RK)
(Sack'o'Shit // www.pukeandexplode.com)
Highschool Lockers s/t CDR
Well, I guess it is nice that the Italians are turning out competent rock and roll, but what the fuck use do I have for a band that sounds like the Devil Dogs, especially at this late date. There was a time that the Italians were actually forward looking in their punk rock. Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Raw Power, and I Refuse It were three of the best bands to rule the early 80s hardcore scene, and that isn’t just rule Italy but, in true Caesarian fashion, the known world. And a few years earlier Tampax created perhaps the greatest punk song ever in "UFO Dictator." Listening to these chumps you wouldn’t know Italy had a glorious punk rock past. You would think that the whole boot was dressed in a mall. This is beer commercial garbage Punk. Yawn.(SS)
(self-released // www.highschoollockers.com)
Hosenfefer "Hangovers & Heartaches" CD
Punk rock from Kosovo? No shit. I'm intrigued. As I examine the self-released CD I see it is billed as "Hate Fueled Alcohol Driven Down-N-Dirty Rock'n'Roll." Well, I can't write a better review than that little blurb there, because that is exactly what this is. Imagine a Confederacy of Scum band with an intimidating looking singer growling in accented English and you have Hosenfefer. They cover The Kids, Dictators, and Lazy Cowgirls, and do originals with titles like "Alcohol and Hate". I give them credit for doing this shit in Kosovo, and for also scoring a back cover pic of the delicious D'Lana Tunnel somehow. If I lived in Eastern Europe I would go see these guys live.(RK)
I got this in the mail some time ago and it got lost in a pile of stuff. I never searched for it because, well, this Kosovo punk band's 7" didn't really do much for me. While this CD sticks to the 1-2-3-4, it is a step up from their TAM89 release. It is no-frills punk rock and roll that draws from the Kids and Lazy Cowgirls (both covered here, as well as the Dictators) and has early 80s Brit-style backing vocals. All that is a welcome release because by the song titles and packaging I was fearing this to be Gearhead flaming dice bullshit. Song titles? I won't ruin it for you but let us say that English is these guys' second (or third or fourth) language and there are brilliant lyrics like "I like the way you drink your beer...I want you to be my wife." Nothing new under the sun, but I am sure in an occupied shithole like Kosovo power chords and a pint is pretty much all you need. Good stuff.(SSR)
(Kizmiaz Records // hosenfefer22@yahoo.com)
Hospitals "I’ve Visited The Island of Jocks and Jazz" CD/LP
I come to the Hospitals relatively unscarred. Wanted
to check the debut but never did, missed ‘em when they
played my town cuz I was too busy traipsing around
Europe like a dandy, and I definitely didn’t have the
dedication to track down the Rich People 12” on
Yakisakana that was mostly covers (of cool shit like
Harry Pussy, Homosexuals, and The Who). Well, that’s
OK, cuz I saw ‘em recently and they were pretty good,
nothing earth-shattering, but it intrigued me enough
to scoop up their new one. I also admit to being
intrigued by a band that could move from In The Red to
Load, arguably two of the best contemporary
underground rock labels in the US. To the layman eye
these labels appear to be on divergent paths, but go
fuck your duck cuz Human Eye could also easily be on
Load and Lightning Bolt recently appeared on a Guitar
Wolf tribute comp. So, if my peanut butter tastes
funky in your chocolate, maybe you need to redefine
your palate, eh, mon ami?
How’s the rec, you ask? Not too shabby. It took a
minute for it to sink in. Sure, there is plenty of
disconnected, semi-interesting hoo-haw laying around
like dirty laundry; hell, that’s half of the record
(clocking at 24:46, it’s not exactly an epic). But
then there are monster stompers like the
aforementioned “Rich People” and “She’s Not There.”
Sometimes drummer/singer Adam Stonehouse is a little
too enamored with the sound of his voice through
analog delay, but this is balanced by a suitably
nihilistic and misanthropic atmosphere. Much of this
atmosphere appears to be the work of producer
(probably hates that term) Chris Woodhouse, who has
yet to make a bad sounding record (that I’ve heard
atleast). At first, the record seems muddy and
washed-out, but once you adapt to the wet rag drumming
and vacuum guitars, you begin to feel as if you are
trapped in a closet that is slowly filling with dark
swamp water. The second half of the record highlights
the sing-songy rant “Problems.” Most of the album
features Ned Meiners (also of So So Many Jabs at Their
Band), but previous guitarist Jon Dwyer (formerly of
Coachwhips) shows up on “She’s Not There” and the
odd-timed yet tuneful plod of “Be.”(EEK)
(Load Records // www.loadrecords.com)
The Humans "Warning" EP
Martin Savage is the human garage-rock mimic. The guy hears something he likes, and then breaks out with some pretty authentic sounding imitations. Persuaders (Dixie Buzzards), Oblivians (Blacks), Reverend Beat-man (Rev. Savage and His Holy Rollers), Exploding Hearts (Locomotions Big Neck EP), and more have received the treatment over the years. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes it stinks the joint up, but whatever the result, this is obviously Martin's way of paying tribute to bands he loves and that inspire him, not some clip-job by someone who doesn't care. This time around, the Black Lips are the focus of affections, so much so that there there is even a song called simply "Black Lips". And it's a good one, as is "I Woke Up This Morning", both amazing distillations of the Lips sound. Works great, even replicating the usage of the extended monotone 'whoaaahhhh'. Seriously, worthy of hearing for anyone who is hoppping on the Lips bandwagon, and better than their own "Hippys" EP. "Warning" is just a fuck-off intro that is pretty cool in it's own right, but not so much a song. The B-Side is a slower jam, and they don't really pull it off. "Jingle Bells" is a "bonus cut", performed by The Skull OMB. Well worth for the A-Side and mock SSLD sleeves. Scum stats: The Skull Never Walk Alone Edition of 153 copies, Two Headed Go-Go-Go Kart Edition of 114 copies, and Tunes of a Royal Flash Edition of 51 copies.(RK)
(Solid Ken Lovie Doll // www.ken-rock.com)
I-Attack "American Dream" 7"
I-Attack are easily one of Chicago's finest punk-rock bands and hopefully
with this record Darius and Criminal IQ Records will get them the kind of
recognition they deserve. Influenced by such great American 80's hardcore
punk bands as Black Flag, Negative Approach, Reagan Youth, and just about
any other band from that particular time in that particular genre. I'll keep
this one short and sweet: This record totally blows away their nearly
flawless self-titled LP released last year on A Wrench In the Gear Records.
The songs are faster, tighter, angrier, and far crazier. The production is
dirtier, more full sounding, and has a very ferocious bite to it. I was
actually with Darius, head of CIQ Records, on the night he got the masters
for this record. That night we drove around listening to the masters roughly
ten times trying to find a reason why he SHOULDN'T put this fucker out. We
couldn't find a single reason. An absolutely great record by an absolutely
great band. Top ten material for sure.(MTC)
(Criminal IQ Records// www.criminaliq.com)
Intelligence "Icky Baby" LP/CD
This is the record where the two halves of the Intelligence become one. No longer is there such a drastic split between “the guitar songs” and “the keyboard songs” as was present on the ‘Boredom and Terror’ album with its accompanying bonus disc. Instead, this record flows seamlessly from Lars’ home-recorded, drum machine screechers (man, I love that Weasel Walter mastering) to thumping, full band bursts and back again. ‘Icky Baby’ also directs its fury more at the throat than the last album, with less DIY experimentation going on, and coupled with the band’s recent split single with the Coachwhips (‘Dating Cops’ is still the song of the year, if ya ask me), shows where the band is heading. Fans of A Frames, Fall, Country Teasers, etc., take note. This is top-notch material and after thirty or so plays it still sounds fresh. (JG)
Despite what might seem to be the prevailing wisdom, I like a hell of a lotta' people. Near the top of that list would have to Lars Finberg, A-Frames drummer, raconteur and mastermind behind the Intelligence. Lars IS the Intelligence, actually, though he let some folks (ex-Popular Shapes, I believe) clank their instruments on about half this record. Intelligence records are always a feast of SOUND - clackity-clop percussion, fuzz-wool bass bursts, icy guitars, noise cracks and Lars yelp. On this one, you also get HOOKS, bug 'uns, which may mean some noise wacks won't dig it as much, but YOU will. This one attached itself to my brainpan right away, and is packed with songs that will buzz in your ears for days. This is certainly art punk, or what's been passing for that the last 5-10 years, but it doesn't sound like a buncha' spoiled college students taking a disassociative stance, it's born of passion and instinct. You'll dig. (TK)
Finally: The much-awaited follow-up to "Boredom and Terror," an alb that was equally embraced and panned by those both in-the-know and dogshit-dumb. Either way, I liked the debut, accepted it as the good post-apocalypse punk slab that it is with arms open and akimbo, so I knew this would keep my attention for at least one listen. Twenty or so spins later, I still love it. Tops its predecessor with ease. And With the new four-person line-up (including a couple Popular Shapes), the band is more focused (yet more spastic), more powerful, and oddly enough, more pop-oriented (as hinted at by the previous LP's "Weekends in Jail" and as evidenced by this one's "Garbage In Garbage Out," "Tropical Struggle" and "Cheer Up Switch," my three favorite tunes therein). Trademark blown-to-bits bombast and Lars's monotone vox are still intact. They haven't ditched the mongo pounding rhythms and schizo guitar spittakes, they've just improved upon 'em. If I were witty, I'd say something like: "A great band just got better!" but I'll leave it at "Buy this album, because it's one of the year's best." P.S.: Please do not refer to this band as "robot punk." Thanks. (EL)
(In the Red Records // www.intheredrecords.com)
The Jet Set "Let's Get Broken" 7"
The eastern Wisconsin rock scene is pretty tight, so I was surprised to get a record in the mail by a supposed Milwaukee band I hadn't heard of. They apparently moved to Milwaukee from Illinois, but the reason for that move escapes me. Anyway, put down the needle, typical generic garage rock in the post-Stripes world. It didn't anger me, it didn't get the blood boiling, it didn't really do anything at all except sit and spin. Made some inquiries, and got absolutely HEATED hate-beams, head shakes and raves regarding the "super annoying" lead singer and his gang of suck-asses. Since I got pretty much the exact same reaction from every imaginable corner, I gotta believe 'em. (TK)
(Wee Rock Records // www.weerockrecords.com)
Kill the Hippies "Erectospective" 2XCD
Mammoth compilation of what must be every recorded minute of Kill the Hippies' career (though I suspect they could have tacked a couple dozen more onto the already whopping seventy-plus cuts on this beast), which has amazingly now spanned over twelve years. KTH are one of those bands that everyone not living in Ohio (Kent, OH specifically) has kinda heard of, but never seen or really have an opinion on. A true "Yeah, I think I have one their singles somewhere, it's OK..." kind of band. Actually, their career path reminds me a bit of MOTO's, slaving away for years in the under-underground, self releasing tapes, getting a truly unknown label to do a single here and there, a bunch of comp appearances, lots of different drummers, and a tendency to be ignored for whatever reasons. The only difference being MOTO somehow caught fire in the past few years, whereas KTH still languish in the nether-reaches of indie-dom. If you remember that fine e-rag Blank Generation, you may remember one Shawn Abnoxious, who sang the praises of these fellas rather often, and that was probably how or why I ended up with a single or two of theirs. That I seemed to recall having, and seemed to think were OK when I received this in the promo pile. And you know, a lot of KTH's material is way more than OK. Some it is genuinely great. Starting with Disc One we work backwards from their most recent output, the really fantastic "Jerked Off By Strangers" 7", the title track of which is super-catchy new wave-ish pop. The warped recording (sped up perhaps?) and tinny drum sound add a real bit of charm to the songs, of which there a couple late-LA/Dangerhouse styled frantic punkers ("Deserter" and "I Look for Trouble") and the tasteful Spits-with-female-singer bass-driven dirge of "Dildo Dildo Dildo". I would imagine a lot people (myself included) would have really dug this record had we known it existed. You should definitely seek this single out if you don't feel like diving into the whole 2XCD experience right away. The rest of Disc One is the remainder of their "official" recorded output that runs the gamut of styles of the past ten years over 35 or so more tracks. Well done pop-punk ("Young Tuffs"), brutal hardcore-flavored punk stompers ("Butcher King"), Rip Off styled attacks, Jabbers-esque scum punkers, and bits of Saundersian/Meltzoid genius ("The Stranger" or "I, Shrink Ray") all effectively cohabitate here. All of this done with a truly endearing sense of humor and personality created by some great John/Exene girl-guy vocal interplay between constant members Matt and Melissa, simple-stupid-and-fun instrumentation, and a variety of lo-fi recordings (all of which manage to sound good), all factors that keep the genre-hopping coherent. Disc Two collects some unreleased rarities, which contain a few nice surprises ("Chopped Off" and "Electric Meat" stand out), and the contents of three self-released cassettes from the early days. Of course, there is some dross over seventy-seven tracks. Some are just too stupid, some too cute, some just suck. Most of the cassette material is bad. But there are a good two dozen really worthwhile songs here. I've dipped into this cess pool repeatedly since getting it, and seeing how many people are creaming jeans over The Spits and MOTO and others there's no reason Kill the Hippies shouldn't be getting some blowjobs and respect too. They're just as stupid, just as simple, just as fun, and probably a bit smarter and more charming as well. If you buy CDs, this should be one of them, and value-priced at $15 ppd. That's less than 20 cents per song. (RK)
(Rocknroll Purgatory // www.rocknrollpurgatory.com)
King Louie One Man Band "Chinese Crawfish" LP/CD
While King Louie might now be surrounded by legend,
him surviving Hurricane Katrina
by swimming through a Mississippi swamp in the very
place the eye hit, with lady and
pitbull in tow, his would be just another amazing
story of survival if he did not make
some great music. He’s been in a handful of great punk
rock bands but it is his one man
band that stands out. On Chinese Crawfish, King Louie
does what the Gibson Bros. did in
the mid 1980s: He reaches back into the neglected and
ill-revived past of American
music and pumps it full so much spit and spirit that
it makes other practitioners (like the
crowd who clings to that rotten signifier Americana)
look like slick revivalists and trendy
chumps. The channeling going on here is unfiltered,
unrefined, and unrepentant. In fact,
the only flaw in this collection is where King Louie
goes back and rerecords his past. His
run-throughs of the two cuts from his first single on
Therapeutic (out of print but track it
down) lose the off-the-cuff, in-the-moment possession
of the original takes. But given
that the rest of this album is pure joy, those
criticism are nit-picking. Anyone looking for
raw & rootsy punk rock or a heir to the throne of
Hasil Atkins need to end their hunt now
and check out King Louie.(SSR)
(Goner Records // www.goner-records.com)
Knaughty Knights 7"
Third single from this Memphis boy's club. The scoop? Not quite as good their classic SSLD debut (but fairly close), but leagues ahead of their single on Perpetrator from last year. Four tunes, three from Crook, one from Yarber. Rich's songs have a nice hooky garage feel, and are absolutely top notch in their no frills rocking. No fancy-pants shit here, just pure rock goodness. Poppiness even. "He's Gonna Get You" is garage-pop that goes mean at the end, and "Wenches of Turpentine Street" is blistering. Jack's contribution, "Get Well in Jail", is as good a tune as he's written since the Oblivians days. Somewhat brief, but dripping with delectable Memphis rock-sauce and surprisingly poppish. This record is a real good time, plain and simple. Scum stats: my guess is there are 500 of these, some of which (perhaps the standard 100? or all of them?) are on clear vinyl.(RK)
(Goner Records // www.goner-records.com)
Levelload "HND in RNR" EP
Guy-girl guitar-bass duo from the UK playing what they refer to as "rampaging electropunk" in front of a drum machine. Two tracks on this abomination, one worse than the next. The sleeve states "We love Guitar Wolf and Bob Log III". Yeah, sure you do. Then try mustering just a bit of their gusto or creativity, instead of trying to give the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the musical equivalent of a reacharound while they fuck MTV2 in the ass. Funny that they mention two lo-fi/blown-out acts as inspiration, then turn in this Pro Tools-sounding garbage. Not that it would sound any better if it was recorded on a four track in a basement with real drumming. It's that awful. The first record to make me second-guess TB's "Anyone sending in a vinyl release gets a (non-Garbage Can) review, no matter how shitty it is" policy. Awrghhhh.(RK)
(Red Idol Records // www.levelload.co.uk)
Lightning Bolt "Hypermagic Mountain" LP/CD
Since their first single and the bludgeoningly
fantastic 'Ride the Skie's LP, Lightning Bolt has
established themselves as THE bass guitar/drum noise
makers. Unlike a lot of folks who enter into the art
duo thing, Lightning Bolt has gone very light on the
metal riffage and still molded their noise into songs.
They have never stumbled into pure wankery or an
unlistenable wash of noise. On 'Hypermagic Mountain',
these guys take a giant step into rock and roll. This
record sounds less like the Lightning Bolt of the last
couple records and more like High Rise, Monoshock, and
Karate Party. And if it wasn’t for the album’s lack of
low end, I’d say that this pup is as good as anything
those bands have done. The riffs are heavy, raw, and
catch you with a simple power. The drums crawl and
sprawl. The bass guitar is a shredding sonic squall.
BUT the almost complete absence of frequencies on the
lower end of the sound spectrum really hurt this
record. It is not that this lacks a bass guitar or
that it doesn’t hit low end from time to time. The
strings here are okay, especially when the bass guitar
drifts down the scale and rumbles low. It is the drums
that get fucked in this mix. Instead of sounding like
a tank load of percussion, the great drumming sounds
anemic. The snare is brittle, the toms sound like tiny
boxes, the cymbals are lost in the wash of guitar
noise, and the bass drum has that artificial, computer
filtered sound to it. There is absolutely no BOOM BAM
BANG POW to this and the weakness of the recording is
made even more clear when the vocals come in buried
and distant. Whoever produced this thing fucked up
what could have been a classic psych punk record.
Perhaps the art crowd who dig these guys won’t notice
- their ears seem to be tuned toward high toned stuff.
However those with more rock in their heads are going
to notice what is missing and that really is too bad.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not expect Lightning Bolt to
conform to some ‘rockist’ standard. What I am stating
is that if they are going to make a rock record -
which this is - they need to make sure the recording
holds up. Art noise freakouts give people the freedom
to do away with things like low end, Hawkwind-inspired
rock and roll riffage does not. Hopefully, ten years
from now when this gets reissued someone will throw
this back on the deck and tweak some bass into this fucker.(SSR)
(Load Recrds // www.loadrecords.com)
Lucy and the Lipstix "Stardust Sensation in Shock" MCD
I am of the level of herb that can only produce the name Zolar X in my mind when somebody mentions, "outer space glam punk." Thanks to Lucy and the Lipstix I can pretend to make intelligent conversation by comparing and contrasting the two when the conversation turns to outer space glam punk (as it often does in Washington DC, let me tell you). I had heard a lot of talk from friends in the Osaka/Kobe area who had played shows with Lucy and the Lipstix or seen them and for the most part it seemed like they were enamored with the stage show, but couldn't recall much of what the sound was like - "rock n roll of some sort" was all I could get out of them. Those Kobe kids, all style, no substance.
I'm pleased to report that the five tracks on here are nothing less than fifteen minutes of well written glam rock with a punk swagger and parts that are easily identifiable as the part where the choreography changes. The English parts of the lyrics deal with topics like machine cocks, cherry boys and gentlemen, and I won't even get into what the Japanese says. This is probably one of my favorite releases to review this issue and I hope somebody has a copy of the first CDR for me out there. (JC)
(Sexionaries Records // http://www3.to/latl/)
Made in Mexico "Zodiac Zoo" CD/LP
Chicago’s Skin Graft record label has been very quiet
since the turn of the millenia. Maybe it was tired;
you would be to if you had spent the previous decade
redefining noise rock. Now it is trying to rear its
four-colored head again. A couple lackluster releases
last year didn’t promise much, but Made in Mexico
comes a little closer. Featuring Jeff Schneider,
former guitarist of Arab On Radar, these guys start
off strong with “Farewell Myth,” which opens as a raga
then bursts into a punishing forward groove that
recalls the Jesus Lizard circa ‘Goat.’ The rhythm
section sounds great on this recording, but too often
they wade around in the same area of the pool.
“Clockwork” introduces a slightly funkier approach
coupled with Schneider’s US
Maple-after-a-case-of-Red-Bull guitar, but it’s back
to the same old dirge on the next song. Rebecca
Mitchell’s infrequent vocals don’t add much to the
proceedings, but they don’t really get in the way
either. She lets out some nice shrieks to accompany
the frantic blur of “Napalm Springs,” which is
followed by a cover of MX-80 Sound’s “Face of the
Earth” that reveals the one-dimensional bones of Made
in Mexico. Maybe it’s just the dry recording and these
guys might really come at you in a live setting. Too
often, the songs are content to just sit there, never
quite exploding or pummeling you as hard or as fast as
you want. At its best, Made in Mexico conjure visions
of a hardcore Art Bears, which is an intriguing
proposition, so we’ll see how they do on the next one.(EEK)
(Skin Graft Records // www.skingraftrecords.com)
The Marked Men "Nothing's Changed b/w She Won't Know" 7"
One pop punk song of the standard style for the Marked Men in "Nothing's Changed" and one slower power poppy tune on the flip. The way the vocal harmonies come in on "She Won't Know" really push it over the top for me. Recommended for fans of good music. (JC)
This seven-inch just goes to prove that long distance relationships can work. The Pacific Ocean can't keep this band from making music, and that's a beautiful thing. Fans of the Marked Men can probably specifiy whether they favor Jeff or Mark's songs, and this makes it easy to satisfy both. Side Mark, "She Won't Know", recorded with the rest of the band (excepting Jeff), is a nice power-pop rocker in the mold of many Eighties local favorites (being from Buffalo, mine would be The Jumpers, or later on The Restless, and everyone from every burg probably has their own hometown heroes). Pleasant, catchy, uplifting even, it's just a good tune. Side Jeff has him in one-man studio band mode, offering his version of the punker sounding pop, with stacatto rhythms still containing a bit of that Reds aroma, and a little extra power in the chorus. Another good one, and a fine effort all by his lonesome. Am I a Jeff or Mark guy, you ask? Well, depends on the day. On the day I listened to this last I was a Mark guy. But I still love Jeff's songs too. And no matter which you prefer, this record is mandatory. Scum stats: 1500 press, 100 on yella vinyl.(RK)
(Shit Sandwich Records // www.shitsandwichrecords.com)
Mean Reds "Together At Last, And This Is Our Wedding" CD
The truly ass-o-rific press photo & kit that came along with this cunty turd had me thinking I'd be smarter to avoid contact & throw the bugger straight-to-trash, but, masochist that I am, I decided to play it. Well, the first some-odd seconds of the first tune had me immediately re-thinking my position, but not surprisingly, it turned into turkey vom for the rest of the CD. These guys would be the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Faith No More if they woulda' come around a decade or so ago, but instead, they hired the producer of Jet & Oasis, and try to hit a sort of Intelligence vein. Actually, think of a roomfulla' the biggest douchebags you know straining for the Intelligence and shitting out a corndicked screamo version of Faith No More instead. Put that in your press pipe and fuck yourselves. (TK)
(Record Collection // www.recordcollectionmusic.com)
Milhouse USA s/t LP
Milhouse USA was a Sacramento foursome composed of three young brats and one elder scenester. Though they were around at the turn of the century, they could have made this music in 1983 or 1988 or 1993. Milhouse USA play that timeless style of American punk rock that fuses early 80s SoCal punk with thrash. These guys and gals mix it up a little with some Greg Ginn-style riffs and a tad of Avengers. While Milhouse USA is not as good as their influences, they are not a bad band. In fact they do what they do very well and this collection of songs, culled from their three year existence, represents them well and will please any fan of early 80s thrash. There are only 100 of these pups out there so you might want to act now.(SSR)
(Sacramento Records // charlesalbright-at-gmail.com)
The Minds "We Got the Pop" EP
It's a cold, hard fact that I'm not a big Minds fan. I just have a bad reaction to certain keyboard sounds, and the Minds happen to utilize one that makes me cringe. I hated the LP and accompanying single, and thought they were a bit schticky for even an imbecile-lover like myself. So maybe I'm not the dude to be rewiewing this EP. But I'm gonna do it anyway. "we Got the Pop" is a real good tune. As good as bubblegum-wave can be, and good enough to keep the keyboard sound from making me want to heave my turntable out the window. I also want to go on record as saying Joel "The Thinker" Jett has some great microphone skills, and it was him and only him that made that Flip Tops LP listenable. He makes me want to tolerate The Minds. "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" is the next cut, and is where the keyboards starting giving me a rash. This one is not a good song. They close out with a cover of "Don't Wanna Die in My Sleep Tonight" from the La Peste LP. It's OK. I'd probably play the title track on my radio show if I still did one. The other two tunes aren't for me. But they might be for you, if you dig this kinda action. You big wimp. Scum stats: 500 pressed on bubblegum pink vinyl, all sold out! With matching pink 3/4 sleeve with artwork by Jonny Cat. Repress rumored to be coming soon. (RK)
(Plastic Idol Records // www.plasticidolrecords.com)
Mistreaters "Live Like You"
Whoa! The Mistreaters are back? After a brief recorded silence since their last LP (Which is good. Not every band should or can release three singles and an LP per year.) they're back with this EP, a teaser for the new full length which should be out in early November. I've always loved these dudes, as they are one of the few bands that appeal to both my old-school hesher buddies and my garage-trash friends as well. 'Grab them Cakes' is one of the best LPs of the turn of the century, despite the title. I still listen to it angrily and often, and my buds who still go to Slayer concerts religiously are always down for it. It's dirty, and a lot heavy, but garage enough for those bedwetters who can't handle metal. Anyhow, the A-Side on this is a ballbuster. The Alice Coopery "Live Like You" is a fucking hit, and "No, I Know" borders on annoyance initially but gets real gritty and good with some handclap action and some sweet back-ups. The B-Side let off the gas a bit, as they write the modern equivalent of a Steppenwolf tune in "Push You", but bounce back with a well selected and executed cover of Tubeway Army's "Oh! Didn't I Say". A good record to get these guys back on your radar, like I said, the A-Side works wonders. Don't be a pussy. Scum stats: 500 copies, each 100 come with a different live photo of the band by Canderson. I got the cute one of that garage-punk heartthrob known as Dusty Mistreater. Ladies, collect them all!(RK)
(P.Trash Records // www.ptrashrecords.com)
Modernettes “Get It Straight” CD
About 10 years ago, Zulu Records first issued ‘Get It Straight’, an anthology of early 80s power-pop-punk from Vancouver’s Modernettes, who for a while now, I’ve been calling the best band to ever come from Canada. The CD’s been out of print since then, and is now back thanks to Sudden Death Records. For those unfamiliar with the band, the Modernettes released three records in their short existence – the utterly fantastic ‘Teen City’ 12”EP, the mega rare ‘Gone…But Not Forgiven’ LP (a collection of demos and live tracks), and the more radio friendly ‘View From the Bottom’ 12”EP. This disc starts off with all six tracks from ‘Teen City’, a fucking classic record that no discerning pop loving punk should go without hearing. Songs like ‘Barbra’ and ‘Teen City’ are pure pop perfection with hooks galore and feature extremely well played, driving guitars, a pummelling rhythm section, and singer Buck Cherry’s playful yet haunting voice. Bob Rock co-produced these songs and amazingly he doesn’t fuck them up as he did with the Pointed Sticks. The three songs included from the ‘Gone…’ LP (only 300 copies pressed) show the band leaving a bit of their punk edge behind and slowing down the tempo a bit, except for ‘Won’t Have to Worry’ which is a fast one that’s right up there on my list of all time favourite songs. It’s a two-minute lesson in how to write a perfect pop song and Buck’s vocal delivery never sounds better than it does here. The five songs from ‘View From the Bottom’ (including ‘Rebel Kind’, covered by The Fevers on their first single) were recorded around two years after the first two records and the change in sound is quite drastic. The production is crisp and ultra clean, the songs are even slower, and nary a punk influence is heard. I still like these songs, but if you can’t stand the wimpy stuff, you probably won’t. Two of the songs are sung quite well by bassist Mary-Jo Kopechne and they make me wonder why her vocals weren’t used more often, even in a backup roll. Up next are five live songs, the highlights being ‘Surf City Strangler’, which has an early Replacements vibe and the Modern Lovers-esque ‘Get it Straight’. Mega fans of the band should note that this re-issue is slightly different than the Zulu comp. The Zulu edition was started off by ‘Sweater Girl’, a rather weak track, and ended with a 1995 recorded version of ‘Tears Will Fall’ which sounded like a Bon Jovi outtake. Wisely, this re-issue scraps ‘Sweater Girl’ and although it still includes a version of ‘Tears Will Fall’, it’s from a much better session, presumably from when the band was still together (although the liner notes make no mention of this). The biggest difference is the inclusion of six live songs from the band’s last show. The sound quality is OK, but there are a fair number of fuck-ups. The two new songs from the show are actually pretty good – ‘509’ and ‘Get Modern’ - both of which were written in 1979 and went unrecorded over the band’s career. If you’re a fan of this sort of stuff, I’d also recommend picking up a copy of John Armstrong’s (aka Buck Cherry’s) book ‘Guilty of Everything’ which, although I have my qualms about it, does a good job of describing the early Vancouver punk scene. Highly recommended. (JG)
(Sudden Death Records // www.suddendeath.com)
Monitors "Electric Knife" 7"
Debut single from Wiconsonian all-star cast of future punks. Straight-up synth punk done right. Done right how, you ask? Well, they main thing is that 1-D (aka Wendy, ex-Lookers and ex-Kryptonite Records) can actually play the keys, instead of just doling out lame ass one finger/one note drone. They also have a good and funny gimmick: they're from the future, man! I always said Ryan Kill-A-Watt could write great songs, and "Electric Knife" is another fine example. Sounds like the Screamers if they were on Rip Off Records. Really, it's good. "Fungus Boy" switches to Wendy on vox, as does "Missing Hand", both of which are head-of-the-class synth-snot rockers. "(Jerks Down at) Bubble Drome" might be my fave, simple electro-punk that even sounds a little bit Le Shoky. Or Le Schlocky, but I mean that in a good way. An impressive start, and way better than I thought it would be. Also a must-own for a cover pic of Ryan in lame hot pants, tights, eyeliner, and go go boots, Wendy as the punk Judy Jetson, and Mechadrum looking like a duct-taped post-apocalyptic biker reject from Lord Humungus' horde. Take notes on this one kids. This is gimmickry done right. Dickie Christgau says A+. Scum stats: 500 copies, 200 on translucent green vinyl. Nice job Fungus Boy. (RK)
(Fungus Boy Records // www.fungusboy.net)
The Muldoons s/t 7"
Okay, let me run this by you. The Muldoons are two brothers, Shane, age 8, and Hunter, age 11, who write their own lyrics and guitar parts to punked up Stooges/Ramones-stylee Motor City Rockers with titles like "70's Punk Rocker" and "Destruction Boy". Their father Brian, who also plays drums on the record, is/was in The Upholsterers, a band which at times also featured pasty-skinned guitar-legend Jack White, who actually produced this baby himself at Third Man Studios. Jack's nephew, Dirtbombs drummer and Anti-Mogul hater Benji Blackwell, released this record on his Cass imprint, which has also done a 7" by Tin Knocker, another band featuring Muldoon dad Brian. Sure, this reeks of vanity project along the lines of Old Skull (except having a father in The Tar Babies is far cooler than the, uh...Upholsterers), and I'm not gonna rag on some kids having some fun with their family. It's a pretty neat thing to do with your kids, and the songs are actually decent and played fairly (almost too) well. Worth the novelty listen or two, but not-mind bending in a Shaggs or Silver kinda way. This did come with probably the nicest one-sheet I've ever received, laid out simply and printed on some quality Cranes Crest paper. You can tell Ben's a journalist. (RK)
(Cass Records // www.cassrecords.com)
Mystery Girls "Under My Tongue" EP
I'm that dude who never got on the Mystery Girls bandwagon. I can see where their appeal lies, especially to those who know them and have seen the (supposedly) mind-blowing live performances. I always thought it was just so-so, and the Black Lips did almost the same thing a lot better. I don't know when these recording are from, but this is what I always hoped the MGs would sound like. Acid-drenched (obviously) and ready to give you a faceful-of-fuzz. The title cut is one of the best songs about drugs I've heard in a long time. Lots of freakouts and good psych-jams with a side order of Hendrix. The B-Side really cooks, with some more drugged-up debauchery. "I'm So High" might be my favorite on this, as I love the echoed-out/feedbacky harmonica playing. Brilliant. This single could butt heads with some of the Black Lips more crazed stuff. Finally, A Mystery Girls record I can get on board with. Well executed "theme" as well. Scum stats: 500 copies I believe, in no-frills Kryptonite packaging. It seems Martin may have lost a bunch of these to the demonic USPS, so snatch 'em up if you see them.(RK)
(Kryptonite Records // www.thesores.com)
Nashville Pussy "Get Some" CD/LP
Well, I guess TB has finally "made it", as evdenced by our receipt of a promotional copy of the latest Nashville Pussy CD. That sound you hear is me reaping the benefits of being an underground rock critic of note...But seriously, is there any reason for sending me this? The only thing I ever liked about Nashville Pussy were the occassional ""titty pictures" they used to put on their records. Shit, I hated Nine Pound Hammer. I force myself to ignore the fact that the almighty Adam "Rock'n'Roll Outlaw" Neal was in either band for any length of time. And don't think this is just me trying to make it sound like I never liked the rawk. I've liked some rawk bands in my time, but these cats (ouch) were never, ever one of them. This rock-n-roll-hillbilly routine was real humorless from the get-go. Nonetheless, good soldier that I am, I waded through this entire CD. This is what I remember: "AWLRIIIIGHT!", "EAT IT BEFORE IT GETS COLD!", "IT'S PUSSY TIME!", "YOU GOT THE TIME, WE GOT THE PUSSY", "I'M A LAZY WHITE BOY", and on and on, ad infinitum. Who buys this shit, you ask? Well, I wanted to know, so I looked up a Nashville Pussy fan site. Apparently it's dudes in their mid-Forties with a Corey Parks fixation that are getting all these units moved. Dude, she's not even in the band anymore. And have you seen Corey Parks lately? Apparently four or five years of pissing in sinks and cleaning up after Duane Peters' vomits blood all over their pit bull has taken it's toll. And that toll was paid in yards of shitty looking ink, a prison dye-job and haircut, and a face that now looks like it was lit on fire and put out with a rake. Her mammoth breasts even seem drug addled. Totally damaged. Ruyter sill looks OK, froma distance at least. If I ever had to pick one, I would've picked her. She must own an unending supply of leopard print bras. Blaine Cartwright, however, still has that forced Billy Bob Thornton playing a hayseed look down pat. They have some other chick in the band now too, but I have no idea what she looks like, as these fucks sent me a promo CD without the actual artwork. And that's not the only insulting thing about this. They also cover "Nutbush City Limits", actually wrote a song called "Snowblind", make an errant and rather hilarious attempt to grab some credibilty by getting Daniel Rey to produce, and play up the fact that they're from Atlanta, which I had totally forgotten about up until this point. There's a half dozen awesome bands in Atlanta right now, and Nashville Pussy probably couldn't name one of them. Someone get the Black Lips to piss on these clowns. Hey, is that cover art by Coop? AWLRIIIGHT!(RK)
(Spitfire Records // www.spitfirerecords.com)
Neons "Dotfive....." MCDR
Four track CDR from Yokkaichi punks who like synthesizers and think they're too good for a real drummer. The songs alternate back and forth between bouncy, poppy sounds and drifting melodic punk that earns the "new wave" prefix with the addition of the synth. Their usage of a drum machine instead of a human gives the whole CDR a bedroom pop project feel, albeit one where you can hear each individual member's contributions to the songs. The last track in particular feels like The Minds meeting with No Hope for the Kids (or most any LA punk band from the 80s for that matter). After hearing this, I'll make sure to get my buddy to send a copy of their s/t 7" next time we trade. (JC)
(Nano Natural Sound Waste // http://neons.fc2web.com/neonshome.html)
Nervous Eaters “Eaterville Vol. 1” LP
When I heard about this LP I went into a frenzy trying to find it. Almost an entire LP’s worth of
unreleased tracks from the band that unleashed the monster “Just Head/Get Stuffed” single upon the
world (not to mention the great “Loretta”) recorded contemporaneously with the aforementioned
slice of KBD godhead? Like, sign me up dude! Unfortunately, procuring this LP proved to be a
multi-month endeavor. Once I finally did manage to get my greasy paws on one (thanks entirely to
the efforts of my good pal Sir Teizod Tightsly) I ripped off the shrink wrap, regaled the bottom
of the jacket (which was falling apart), and slapped the platter down on my turntable first thing
after returning from a night of copious consumption of alcoholic beverages at the aforementioned
Sir Tightsly’s abode. What I heard was like a revelation: the two unreleased songs on the a-side
are up to par with their singles! “I’m a Degenerate” is an unrepentantly retarded, driving, catchy
punk song – it’s nothing short of amazing that this was recorded in 1974!!! As killer as this
track is, “You Smell Like Fish” (just guess what the title alludes to) might be even better. It’s
a raver in the Stones-worshiping mold of “Loretta” and to these ears it sounds as good as anything
on the Eaters’ godlike singles. It’s like the missing link between the Stones and the Penetrators
or something. The tracks on side b are nowhere near as mind melting as these two tunes – thanks in
large part to some less than stellar audio quality – but there are some total rippers, especially
the Stooges-like “Planet Fever,” the absolute barn-burner “On the Avenue,” and the totally tuff
“Driving to New York.” Add in an obviously lovingly-assembled package – including voluminous liner
notes (we’re talking an entire chapter of a book here) and a treasure trove of classic pics – and
you’ve got a record no self respecting rock n roll aficionado should be without. I’m as sick of
hype as the rest of you, but this LP is the real deal. Now if only you could easily find one!(SB)
(Penniman Records www.pennimanrecords.com)
Jeffrey Novak One Man Band "Southern Trash" LP
I'm too lazy to check the T-B review database to see how many times poor Jeffrey Novak's musical efforts have been compared to Reatards, but this one isn't gonna be any different. If anything, the recording this time around sounds much less like a one man band and much more like a three piece and just like "Teenage Hate." In my book, this couldn't be further from, "a bad thing." The hate isn't quite as intense, but he's got a few years to work on it. The guitars, however, are very much there and all fourteen songs on this guy suffer from nothing but my inability to turn it up any louder at one in the morning in fear of my neighbors calling the cops. It's times like these I wish I had friends so I could have a party and just play this over and over as background music. (JC)
I'm gonna declare young Mr. Novak the ultimate punk-rock OMB right now. I know when I hear OMB, I first think of the Haze and more traditional (yet still unhinged) garage-a-billy antics. But with his first full-length (which will mark the fifth record he's had released in less than a year) Jeff turns out something sounding close to a third Reatards LP. His vocal screech is quite reminiscent of Jay's own, and the blown-out abrasiveness of it all recalls 'Teenage Hate's under-21 and bangin my head (and guitar) against the wall vibe. "Nothing to Do", "Back Off", the locomotive title cut, and a healthy handful of others all replicate the Memphis skulk of the 'tards, and keep plenty of hiss and crash in the nooks and crannies to keep it dirt-fi. "Kick the Door Down" is the one exception, and that's becuase it sounds just like a Persuaders outtake. A record I can honestly say is great, and gives me hope that all kids are not fucked. Scum stats: 88 with blue cover, 108 with red cover, 286 with black cover, and 9 with purple cover, all on black vinyl.(RK)
(P. Trash Records // http://www.ptrashrecords.com)
The Observers "Where I Stay" EP
I wasn't a big fan of the Observers' LP, but after seeing them live this summer with Clorox Girls, I made an effort to check out their 7"s and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I can only take so much of their brooding punk sound mixed with howling background vocals (Social Distortion meets Vee Dee who already met Danzig?) at one time, but this new single has a couple of tracks in their style that I've yet to get tired of. My favorite parts of the complete package are the lyric sheets for each song, each done by a different artist (Non-funny Snakepit art? What?). A great way to pass the time throughout the song and really engage you in more than one of your senses. (JC)
(Deranged Records // www.derangedrecords.com)
Old Time Relijun "2012" CD
There’s something so right about Old Time Relijun. To
most ears there probably appears to be something
really horribly terribly wrong with said combo, but if
those ears are looking for true American primitive
stomp, well, Hasil Adkins is dead and it’s a new
millennium. This is OTR seventh full-length, sixth for
K, and they just keep on howling away. OTR is the
brainchild of one Arrington de Dionyso, who is
somewhat of a backwoods scholar, a rustic punk cross
between Harry Smith and Albert Ayler. He scratches
furiously at the guitar, wails crazy speak-in-tongues
musings about menstruating witch-women and the end of
the world, honks and drones on the sax like a man
possessed, and even engages in the occasional fit of
throat-singing or jew’s-harp jawing. It’s a lovely
thing. Meanwhile, drummer Jamie Peterson and upright
bassist Aaron Hartman lay down thick, insidious
grooves for Dionyso to do his thing over. Songs like
“Wolves and Wolverines” and “Your Mama Used To Dance”
split the difference between the Contortions and
Captain Beefheart, all fidgety slink and creepy growl.
The upright bass is an essential element of their
sound, adding a real physicality to the sound.
After nearly ten years though, Old Time Relijun is
showing a little professionalism, smoothing off a few
edges and nudging up the fidelity just a hair. But
2012 is just as potent a brew as their older work,
not-so-quietly carving out place for themselves in
some aspiring ethnomusicologist’s dissertation, and,
hopefully, even better, some punk kid’s overactive
imagination.(EEK)
(K Records // www.krecs.com)
Original Three "New Orleans Born" EP
Original Three info: they are a NOLA twin guitar (one trebly, one sludgy) trio, Ian also plays guitar in the Black Lips (he's the one with the sparkly fronts), and they self-released a single awhile ago that I don't remember listening to, but I do remember it came with a pin. On this EP they play two slower swampy numbers, both real downers with some guitar twists. The first, "Unplug", was recorded at Tronic Graveyard and has a brief appearance by Jay on key-noise. The flip side, "Been There", is a bit deeper, peppered with haunted bleeps and death-on-the-bayou screams. Christgau says C+, but also says he would listen to more if given the chance. For some reason he feels the LP on Empty could be a contender. This record is is almost onto something good, but pulls up lame just short of the finish line. Scum stats: 300 copies on black vinyl, 50 copies on "Oranginal" orange vinyl. Features some really shitty artwork as well.(RK)
(SYA Records // www.syarecords.it)
Pindrivers "Head Banger Gangsta Youth Vol. IV" 7"
Vol. 4? I dunno either. Pindrivers are an unheard of until now Spanish(?) three-piece(?), playing trad blues-punk right down to a cover of the 'blivs "Nigger Rich". Remarkable? No. Terrbile? No. Perhaps even a little Spaceshitty at times, these guys don't fall victim to the usual Euro-blooze-trash rut, but don't exactly raise my eyebrow any, either. A rare clunker from the generally always reliable Goodbye Boozy imprint. Cool cover though, and they thank Sergio Garcia?! Scum stats: 300 pressed, duh.(RK)
(Goodbye Boozy // goodbyeboozy@tin.it)
The Pokers "Strp-On Disasters and Other Rock'n'Roll Lies" CD
Debut full-length from a UK group that are/were rumored to have a release upcoming on Rip Off. Unlike The Ulcers, whom they were almost paired with on a split LP, The Pokers don't add much to the classic Rip Off sound besides throwing in some street punk elements. Where The Ulcers played within the formula, and sounded as good if not better than some of the bands who originated it, The Pokers would be on the Rip Off B-team, even in the label's heyday. Maybe even the C-Team. Example Lowery-like song titles: "Done Me Wrong", "Gonna Die", "My Baby Hates Rock'n'Roll". Oddly enough a song called "Teenage Head" is the best one on this. They also do an Oblivians cover ("Trouble"). I dunno, but Greg should think again about releasing something by these dudes. I think the Atomsmashers could take 'em.(RK)
(Finest Ultra A.D. Recordings // www.thepokers.co.uk)
Ramrods "Gimme Some Action" CD
The Ramrods "I'm a Ramrod" is one of the great syntheses of Detroit (Stooges/MC5) meets KBD-era punk rock - truly a classic. I expected little from this, as it's yet another couple-few studio tracks plus live shite compilations. The other studio tracks are pretty damn good, though, and slug around the same general neighborhood of "I'm a Ramrod," so it's probably worth it if you feel you NEED to hear it all. The live stuff is OK, typical underwater sound, lots of covers, not embarassing, but certainly unnecessary. (TK)
(Young Soul Rebels // www.youngsoulrebels.net)
Rat Traps "Tennessee Rock'n'Roll" 7"
The vinyl debut from our pal Jeff Novak, plus sister April and brother-in-law JOe. A real family affair, these Rat Traps. Well, if you heard the tour cd-r they had, you know the A-Side, and it's a doozy. Sort of like Persuders meet the Spits or some such nonsensical comparison. Good shit. The B-Side is two unheard numbers, and both are pretty deadly. "People Die Everyday" is in the same vein as the A-Side, with Joe on vox. But "Gimme Scanners" is the clean cut winner here, led with Jeff's raspy vocals, it's complete KBD destruction channeled thru Memphis. I hope it's about the movie too, cuz I think I heard a line about blowing up heads. Or maybe I'm making that up. Get this now, these kids are hot! Scum stats: not too sure. 500 is my estimate, with 3/4 sleeve by Mike Sniper and insert. B&W covers covers with band name colored in on most, plus a super limited collector scum edition exists as well, exact details of which are unknown. Mmmmmmm, scummy. (RK)
(Your Permanent Records // patrick_mcconnell-AT-hotmail.com)
Los Raw Gospels "El Santo vs. The Blue Demon" EP
Second single from this Euro-via-London three-piece, and far better than their first. The opener is just the lyric "Fight! Fight! Fight!" over the guys laying down a total shit-stomp. Brutal. The title cut is the second track on the A, and I'm partial to it, since I actually own a Blue Demon mask, bought in Tijuana years ago. If you're gonna like a luchador, make it old school. The B-Side offers two more cuts: the flying dropkick of "Deathgrip", and a fab instrumental called "Vendetta" that reminds me of some of the reverb-laden instro cuts the Drags would stick on B-Sides back in the day. Very well done, and recorded by Mil Mascaras no less! Scum stats: 500, with Bongout screened sleeve.(RK)
(Yakisakana Records // www.yakisakana.tk)
The Rebel “Prawns” LP
Ben Wallers from the Country Teasers is back with his second officially released LP full of solo work under the moniker of ‘The Rebel’. While I enjoyed his first full length ‘Kit’, especially after letting it really sink in with repeated listens, it’s on ‘Prawns’ that Wallers’ solo attack is fully realized. ‘Prawns’ isn’t as much a collection of songs as it is a “true album” that flows and tells a story from start to finish. Each song blends into the next and it’s hard to tell where one stops and the next one starts with the more traditional sounding songs being seamlessly linked together with haunting soundscapes. This is as good as DIY bedroom experimentation gets with Ben utilizing drum machines, guitars, synths, and vocal effects, which acting together bring to mind The Fall at their most bizarre and creative. If you’re looking for hits, they’re here, with ‘Hitlers and Churchills’, ‘God’s Chosen Fish, The Skate’, and ‘Your English’, three originals that are up there with the many gems Wallers has penned over the years. Perhaps the greatest praise I can heap on The Rebel is how he seems to be able to effortlessly write these infectious songs that are just naturally peculiar without going out of his way to make them “wacky” or “weird”. Can anyone else today cover a Coasters song immediately followed by a Killing Joke song immediately followed by a three-part opus and have it not come off as a joke? I doubt it. This is apparently limited, so act quick if this is the sort of stuff that sails your boat. (JG)
(Junior Aspirin Records // www.junioraspirin.com)
Reigning Sound “Home For Orphans” LP/CD
This is a very mellow collection of singles tracks & other assorted rarities from our good pal
Greg Cartwright, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t as good as their “proper” albums. Greg is widely
considered one of the best songwriters out there right now by RS aficionados and you’ll get no
argument from me on that point. While the up-tempo ravers found on “Too Much Guitar” were one of
the best musical treats of last year, I’m thinking I like it when Greg takes the quiet,
understated approach just as much if not more. Case in point – the stripped down versions of “If
You Can’t Give Me Everything” and “Funny Thing” serve to accentuate how stellar Greg’s songs
really are. Tunes like the pleasantly melancholic “Medication Blues #1” and the utterly
mesmerizing “If Christmas Can’t Bring You Home” (the later just blows me away – I can’t ever
remember hearing a Christmas themed tune with this much heart and soul in it) only further serve
to make the case for the stature of Greg’s talent. Few bands’ recorded output is of such
irreproachable quality that their even odds & sods collections are heads and shoulders above most
bands’ regular albums. The Reigning Sound are one of those bands.(SB)
(Sympathy for the Record Industry / www.sympathyrecords.com)
Mike Rep and the Quotas "Black Hole Rock(The Harrisonburg Ohio Sessions 2004)" CD
Hopefully, y'all are at least a lil' familiar with Mike Rep's work (iceberg tip - he wrote "Rocket to Nowhere"). Fans who have been following his career as of late far more closely than myself have bitched that the sumthin' sumthin' level is down on this album, and the best material here has already been on previous releases, but I have no idea if that's correct or not. Let's just assume so. The best thing about this CD is that it doesn't sound like it's from this year or any year in partic - Mike's playing his pre-punk-sounding punk recorded raw in the basement (and covers "I Don't Want to go Down to the Basement" as a Dead Brudders trib, I assume) like nothing of note's happened the last couple decades, and I like that. The songwriting doesn't snag me in any serious way, but I love dipping into this album's general atmosphere. If yer already familiar with his work, this for sure ain't a piece of shite, and it may warm your heart to see Mike Rep still (semi-)relevant at this late a date. (TK)
(Old Age No Age Records // www.midheaven.com )
Rhythm Chicken "Live at National Liquor Bar" 7"
Typical of Pau...the Rhythm Chicken to put primarily visual performance art on a record, but ya' do get a DVD-R (or whatever it is) of what's in the grooves, so that's cool. If yer not aware, RC puts on a big rabbit head, sets up his drums commando-style and, uh, beats on them...and ruckus ensues. The last time I saw him, he was clutching the Green Bay polka mass record photocopied onto the sleeve, and he ended up getting shitfaced and blew up the Costello show (he was supposed to be a guest) for no apparent reason. No violence is included on these vids, and while they're pretty entertaining, I can't see anyone playing the record itself more than once. This ex-Boris the Sprinkler dude has spent much of the rest of his time in noisy and bizarre units, was "Rally Rabbit" (an official mascot!) for the Milwaukee Brewers, and has done this RC bit all over the world. It's a good concept, and it's always good for a laugh when he shows up unnanouned and starts playing in a restaurant bathroom or a parking lot in the middle of winter, but it's not like these are songs or anything. The videos are fun, so if you're into that sorta' thing...(TK)
(self released // rhythmchicken@hotmail.com)
River City Tanlines "Get Away" 7"
Alicja, of course, is doing just fine post-Lost Sounds implosion. She's taken RCTL to the Blackout, Europe, and now through much of the US, and continues to write great songs. This is the fourth single, this time on the Swedish KenRock label, and comes hot on the tails of the singles comp CD on Dirtnap (the vinyl of which should be out soon). In fact, these songs appear on the CD, but the mixes are apparently different. "Get Away" fits nicely in the Dangerhousey/What? Records frame of reference, a little Bags, Eyes, KAOS, etc..."Saw You Hiding" is more of a Dolls/Dictators NYC sub-glam rock number, with a touch of venom in the vocals and lyrics. Both sides are swell, especially if you're into Alicja's stuff. And I am. Better than the last single on Contaminated. Scum stats: 500 pressed, tan-lined titties on one side of the full color sleeve, homoerotic fireman showering scene on the other. (RK)
(KenRock Records // www.ken-rock.com)
The Runs "Wet Sounds" CD
Ah, boy. I could spend all day making barbed comments about the mock Pet Sounds sleeve and aliases like Paul McFartney, but I won't. These guys helped the Armitage Shanks get over to US shores, and even though I did not get to see any of these shows, I will give them the benefit of the doubt for this act of goodness. Obviously, like the Shanks, they share a predeliction for toilet humor. Sound-wise, it's...pop-punk? Wow. People still play this shit? Along the lines of the latter day Queers or the Parasites especially, with perhaps a bit tougher of a guitar sound, but with just as much of a Ramones fixation. Not bad for this type of thing, and "Blood Feast(A Love Song)" is really good. Well written and well played for this genre, and the songs themselves are a bit smarter (and funnier) than the title concept will lead you to believe.(RK)
(Urban Cheese // www.urbancheese.com)
Sagger "Archidoxes of Magic" 7"
Sagger records make the world a better place. The title cut on this one grooves pretty good, in that off-center kinda way, delving sonically a little South of the Mason-Dixon line for some back porch whiskey-n-weed Sagger swagger. A winner from your dinner, as someone once eloquently put it. The other two tracks are quickfast glimpses of The Tonys' rather unique guitar vision, and he actually lets the riffs go a little bit on "Metal Song" instead of strangling them mid-life. Let's not underestimate the prowess of Skull Rider on these cuts either, a frontman who summons vocal incantations from the deepest depths of the dungeon master's guide. And there's not much to say about Snacks-A-Lot's drumming: simple, primal, effective. One of my favorite trios of all-time. Is this the last Sagger record in the vaults? Does the oft-rumored LP exist? Only The Tonys knows. Scum stats: 300 pressed, thank you Goodbye Boozy!(RK)
(Goodbye Boozy // goodbyeboozy@tin.it )
The Sailors "Play Viva La Beaver" CD
As charter continental member of the Sailors Fan Club, I'm overjoyed at some new tracks, no matter how half-assed and uninspired they may be. And unfortunately, much of this just doesn't cut the muster placed side-by-side the earlier efforts. Much of this is perfectly enjoyable to me (especially tunes like "Cracker in the Niggertonk"), but again, I'm a Sailors tard. You'll probably want to start elsewhere and work your way over to this. If you make it that far, you'll find plenty to like & chuckle about. If not, try "Turning the Other Cheek" or "Violent Masturbation Blues," still in print and available via the fine, salty gent at...(TK) (Dropkick Records // www.dropkick.com.au)
Scat Rag Boosters s/t CD
CD version of the LP released last year on Yakisakana. Better late than never, I guess. So I'm listening to this, and I start thinking about when the LP came out, how I'm sure a lot of people were excited to hear it. I was. We had anointed these guys the best band to not release an LP preceding the release. Then the LP hit, and we all ignored it, poo-pooed it, said it wasn't as good as the singles, said it was boring, said whatever. Soon after the SRBs were no longer on the tips of our tongues, the members off to other projects, the band supposedly defunct. An ugly crash and burn of sorts. So I grab this thing in a stack of discs for car listening, and I realize that it was really a good album. From a really good band. A band I remembered I always wished I could've seen live, because they can throw down with the best. One-two pounders like "Leaving Town" nestled in between the the heavy skunk-slink of "Mudslide" and the laid-back groove of "Charlie's Dirt Road" show they had range, even if we pigeonholed them as trad blues-punk. But they were equal parts Bassholes roots, Cramps creep, and Crypt Style raving. They always had a harmonica in the right places, knew the proper uses of stun guitar, trebly scratch, and bowel tickling low end tones, and weren't afraid to just kick out a straight punk-static jam called "Mommy" when they felt the mood. This is a real good record, and one I wish I would'nt have given short shrift when it came out. And with all the hating on the blues-trash genre lately, it makes it that much better when you hear it done right. Maybe the digital format can get some more people on board here. And in further Scat Rag news, Delta Pop will be releasing a Skip Jensen full-length shortly as well. (RK)
(Delta Pop // www.deltapop.com)
Superhelicopter "Sweet, Nice, and Happy...In Hell" LP
I have soft spot for this band for some reason. Always have. Quality German trash-rock is hard to find. I think I own every single one of their records. I was with them in the early days, when they were releasing stuff on the obscure and deviant Manul Wastl label. I lasted through a half-dozen line-up changes (at least), and the addition and subtraction of the "Ltd." suffix from the Superhelicopter moniker. I even stuck around when they pulled a complete about face and turned into some kind of insane Teutonic hardcore band on the split 12" with Eradicate (and actually liked it). I've listened to and loved Nils' post-Superhelicopter act, Damnation Kids. I've paid my dues with these fellas, so when I see that they are finally releasing a 12" LP proper, after years of EP after EP, well, I get a little geeked up. So I get the thing from P.Trash and throw it on. Checking the sleeve I notice they've changed line-ups again (no surprise), this time into a five-piece, even including a female (or two). It gets off on a good foot. The first half dozen tunes tunes are classic Superhelicopter: guitars that sound sound like the blades of an evil fuzz-saw, that I'm sure took off a few fingers while they were being played. Brief musical fragments that fall like rockslides on sleepy Alpine villages ("Kollaps"). Rotten, Allin-esque lyrical content, like "Drink, fight, fuck, nothing to lose!" served up with vocal chords-thru-a-lawnmower distortion. They even add some laser-like keyboards, cowbell, and femme backing vox. Things build and build and I'm thinking there's gonna be a huge payoff. The seventh and last track on the A-Side is called "Deathray". I mean, a track called "Deathray" from a band as diabolical as Superhelicopter has to be fucking awesome, right? I have a flash of such over-the-top guitar scree-distorto-shred that my ears are gonna be severed just from hearing it. So it hits, and it I'm...stunned. Not because it's a killer. But it like a bad stab at dirty indie rock. With female vox. What the fuck? Are they letting me down on purpose here? I wait for the deathray to kick in, but it just ends. Is this what they wanted? Are they getting cute with me here? Like, "Let's make "Deathray" sound nothing like a deathray, that'll really fool them." I dunno. But I was bummed. They open up the B-Side with awesome and hilarious (and very HFOS-ish) anthem "Gay Generation", which makes me feel a little better. They throw a couple more cookers on this side, and end it with a strange pairing of one of the girls falsetto-ish crooning over industrial strength meatgrinder guitars that sounds really perverse in a way only Germans can be. SO is it a good record? Yes. It's a good record by a good band, who actually expand their chops and style a bit. It is not the make-my-ears-bleed aural fuck fest I wanted and thought it would be. But it is a good album on it's own merits, from a band of sickos that should be remembered fondly. Scum stats: 500 copies, the first one hundred of which come with a bonus one-sided 7" that is silkscreened on the dead wax side (a la the Black Time 12"). The songs on that are ridiculous-good, and well worth tracking down.(RK)
(P.Trash Records // www.ptrashrecords.com)
The Things "Psycho Sound" EP
The craziest thing about this record is that these guys are from Ireland. Horror-garage from Belfast. Craaaazy. Anyway, these guys have their sights set high: I guess the had/have a development deal with Sony UK, did some stuff with a dude who produced a U2 record or something, and a bunch of high profile opening gigs (Peaches, Raveonettes, etc..) So how they end up releasing a record with Bart, I don't know. Anyway, song titles like "Demon Stomp" and "Psycho Love" do a better job of describing their Farfisa-driven creepy-sounds than anything I could spit out. It's not as band as you might think, as they are pretty adept musicaians it seems, and the guy bellows and screams well enough. Nowhere near as good as early Blowtops or the first 45 Grave single or The Beguiled though. But I'd probably go see them on Halloween if they played in town. On fuschia-colored vinyl. (RK)
(big Neck Records // www.bigneckrecords.com)
This Damn Town "This Time" 7"
Three-song single from Alex Cuervo's (Gospel Swingers, Blacktop, A Feast of Snakes, etc...) latest outfit. The first I heard of TDT was on the split seven-inch reviewed elsewhere in this issue, and I liked those tunes a lot. They don't fare as well on this record. I'm assuming that these songs are from a different recording session, and apparently utilize a different line-up (well, at least one member is different) from the aforementioned split. Cuervo's vocals are maybe pushed a little too far up in the mix, making their theatric quality a bit much to bear (he actually sounds a bit like a Texas-fried Danzig on these). The band has all the right elements in place though, ripping off nice fuzz solos at a moments notice, some tastefully subtle and Stones-y keyboard/piano work, and a nice desert-psych vibe overall. I think they just might need some better tunes than these. The A-Side is a little too much boogie, and the B-Side is a bit too much slow-burn blues. Nothing to really get stuck in your head. Listening to this record, TDT are a band that a lot of people with "normal" musical tastes might like. Pretty traditional and almost sterotypically Texan sounding. I think there's potential here, so hopefully on one of the five or six more records they have coming out they will find "it". I do like the sleeve art motif they seem to have going as well. Scum stats: 300 copies on black vinyl, 50 copies on blue vinyl.(RK)
(Shake Your Ass Records // www.syarecords.it)
Time Flys "Fly" LP/CD
Every year there are a handfulla' albums it seems everyone in the general scene proximity can agree upon, and from everything I've seen & heard, the Time Flys "Fly" album is a top pick for 2005. This is of a quality consistant with the excellent singles, so if you liked those, this is like six Time Flys singles packed onto one record/CD. If you didn't like the singles, you might be earless. A little glam/pre-punk knowledge and a lotta' punk, stripped back to before the rules were codified. Clever, informed songwriting that's just enough "different" to grab your attention and hook-filled enough to keep it dialed in. Top that off with a strong sense of humor and a dump truck fulla' flailing hair, and there you go. This is the perfect modern band for people who have been getting off on pre-punk reissues (think "Anopheles Records"), though I can see some disqualifying this just because of the year it came out. Then again, they're bitches and you're a lot smarter than they are, right? (TK)
If you're anything like me, you are rarely excited to hear anything by any new band because you're so very cultured and knowledgeable about all things r'n'r that you're incapable of being surprised. Or, more realistically, you're just a hateful, picky asshole who thinks everything these days is mediocre and dull. But this: This full-length is, was and probably will remain an exception to the rule for quite a while. The singles were prime lo-fi Gizmos/Afrika Korps trash and the album is no different, except it's even better than singles, which were even better than most anything that hit shelves around the time of their release. The alb continues to carry the torch of full-on cartoonish dumbshit loser punk as played by a buncha longhairs and runs with it for about 28 minutes of grimy, unwashed bliss. It's the perfect soundtrack to accompany the tingle of anticipation you feel as you watch your pal scrape the pipe for resin. A must-have, says I. (EL)
(Birdman Records // www.birdmanrecords.com)
Times New Viking "Dig Yourself" CD
I haven’t seen a Siltbreeze release since 2001 when these folks dared to put out a
Resineaters CD, so when I found this in my mailbox, I
was pleasantly surprised. I look on
the back of the CD and Mike Rep is named as producer.
Expectations peak. So what do I
get? First song lodges itself as a sliver firmly
lodged between garage and post punk, a
spinning PiL-styled spazz dance. Second song has a
twee foundation but is lovingly
coated with a guitar dying a violent death and a chord
organ made out of an iron lung.
Times New Viking runs through 30 minutes that rattles
between the noisier realms of
indie pop and the sideways sludge of punk. In other
words, they fit nicely in the
Siltbreeze catalog.(SSR)
(Siltbreeze Records // www.midheaven.com)
The USA is a Monster "Wohaw" LP/CD
Every once in a-very long-while, I get an album that is like a good book. Everything flows like a great read should and I can go back to the record over and over and get more and more out of it. The USA is a Monster’s third full length does just that. It starts off with a killer riff and then turns sideways like if the MC5 made a record for ESP. Everything switches up, gets loud, changes midstream, goes soft, flips over and dives into more insanity. These two guys can make quite a racket as well as quiet it down. There are things here that should drive me away screaming: Every song has multiple parts, there are metal riffs throughout, and it lacks a bass; however this is so good that all those things that I normally hate are not only pulled off but an essential part of the sound. And then there is the very effective duel vocals and the lyrics, which mostly concern Native Americans, are smart. These guys are able to incorporate politics in their music the same way a band like the Mekons or the Ex does. If someone wanted a shorthand description the lazy me would say mash the Fugs up with Lightning Bolt, but really this is so much more. I am sorry if this review is a bit confused. It is just that sometimes a record is so good it kind of defies description. It really stands on its own. I listed the USA is a Monster’s 2003 album, 'Tasheyana Compost', as one of that years best. As 2005 winds down, I already know that 'Wohaw' will find its way on this year’s list. Wohaw fits into my broad definition of punk rock. It is a record I wish I would have released. That is the highest praise I can give.(SSR)
(Load Records // www.loadrecords.com)
Toy Love “Cuts” 2xCD
Along with the recent Epicycle LP, this Toy Love anthology is one of the best pop re-issues of the past few years. Hailing from New Zealand, the band formed out of the ashes of The Enemy, and then disbanded after only being together for less than two years, when members then went on to form The Bats and The Tall Dwarfs (I know next to nothing about the Flying Nun scene, so that’s all the history you’re gonna get from me.) Included on disc one of ‘Cuts’ are the band’s first two singles, the b-side to their third single and the entirety of their one and only album (which has apparently been drastically remastered). Their first single, ‘Squeeze’ b/w ‘Rebel’, mines 60s pop for inspiration while the keyboards provide the perfect amount of Devo quirk and vocalist Chris Knox does his best Bowie impression. Single #2, ‘Don’t Ask Me’ b/w ‘Sheep’, sounds like a lost Pointed Sticks single which is high praise coming from me (and if The Reds didn’t borrow liberally from ‘Sheep’ for ‘I Hate Rules’, I’d be surprised). While the album tracks aren’t as consistent as the singles, there are more than enough songs that please and it’s here that the band busts out the new wave sound and incorporates some off kilter aspects to their songs like in ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ which sounds like it could be a lost Fall track and ‘Photographs of Naked Ladies’ which brings to mind Gang of Four. My faves from the album are the straight ahead power-poppers like ‘Swimming Pool’ which invokes images of a pansy Lou Reed type singing over a Trend song, and ‘Pull Down the Shades’, arguably the punkest number on the disc. Disc two has the three songs they contributed to the ‘AK79’ comp, and over a dozen demo tracks, a few of which were never re-recorded. I prefer the production on the demo songs as it’s a bit rawer and the guitars usually have a bit more hijinx on them, which gives the songs a bit more urgency. Forty songs in total is a bit much, but there’s more than enough worthwhile on this collection, including the exhaustive liner notes, to make it a highly recommended purchase for all pop/new wave fans. (JG)
(Flying Nun // www.flyingnun.co.nz)
Trailerpark Tornados "Mata al Contacto" LP/CD
After years of paying the dues, the Tornados finally push out a twelve-incher. It's been years and years in the making, and pays off in scum-rock spades, sounding like equal parts Cows, Jabbers, and Samoans all coated with a healthy Rust Belt junk-rock sheen. Features re-recorded versions of the songs from last year's "Don't Mind the Maggots" EP, plus a handful more originals in the same vein. My favorite moments: the vocal-three way of "Sex on the Brain", featuring drummer Dave Unlikely belting it out and sounding surprisingly great (and almost bringing a tear to my eye), the junkyard hardcore of "Sapsucker", probably the best tune on the LP, and "Dial L for Loser", a Rob tune which is actually pretty damn catchy. A quality effort from one of the hardest working bands in showbiz. The tragic thing about this record is that the TPTs have fallen prey to the curse that plagues all Buffalo bands: their recorded output is far behind their actual progression as a band. (See Furies, Baseball and Blowtops, The for further examples.) Since the recording of this LP, the Tornados have lost and replaced a drummer, with Unlikely leaving the drum stool vacant in surprising fashion and being replaced with lightning-quick hardcore stalwart Paulie Shoes, and the addition of second guitarist DeeDee Tron (ex-Concubine Forming), which has turned them into a beast of a dialed-in HC-junk-punk quartet, the tighest and best sounding unit they've been in a half dozen years. This line-up will be sure to singe some mustache hairs at HorribleFest, the only fest wise enough to ask bands from Buffalo to play. Plus, they now look like three skinheads and a rasta on stage, which will immediately gain them acceptance from the hardcore audience. Brilliant move.(RK)
(Big NEck Records // www.bigneckrecords.com)
V/A Blowtops/Tractor Sex Fatality "West Coast 2005" split 7"
Splitter released for sale on the West Coast jaunt these two groups of noise-mongers made in the late summer. Two tunes apiece. The Blowtops side contains the first vinyl appearance by the latest line-up. "Emergency Medkill" has some scalpel-like guitar punctuating the heavy organ moodiness, while Dave's rapid-fire vocal attack builds the song up to a really rocking and frantic pace. Which is great, beacause I like it when the play the faster
The A Frames’ “demos” mp3 collection is a legendary one, two dozen or so songs that are up there in the high quality department with the rest of the band’s work. Over the years some of these early songs have appeared re-recorded on the band’s LPs, while others have been slowly released, as is, on singles like ‘Crutches’, ‘Complications’ and now this one featuring ‘Police 1000’ b/w ‘Traction’, which is said to be the last to get such treatment. This is not the A Frames of the ‘Black Forest’ LP where dark, stylized, and methodically controlled songs win out, but is instead the A Frames of yore where a looser, wilder, pummelling punk rock sound was the norm. ‘Police 1000’ has always been a highlight of the band’s live set with its bouncy verse that explodes into a frighteningly catchy chorus. The rhythm section here is asshole tight. ‘Traction’ is the perfect flip as it’s just as simple and catchy as ‘Police 1000’ and even features a rarity for the A Frames – a wailing guitar solo. I didn’t think anything could top the ‘Crutches’ single, but I think this one just might and the white vinyl with ultra basic white sleeve seals the deal. About as good as a single can get. (JG)
Last time I bought a Soul Jazz comp that was outside of their area of expertise (R&B and reggae), I felt screwed. It was one of their No Wave comps and it was just pedestrian. Stuff I've heard before and nothing that jumped out you like say the Contortions or DNA. So when I got this record by the Brasilain post-punk band As Mercenarias, I didn't know if I had made a mistake or not. I am very very happy to report that not only did I not make a mistake but that this is one of the best reissues of the year. Culled form the bands two album, this record is a solid collection of Lilliput meets Wire edgy punkness with a tad bit of funkiness thrown in. The first side is all stuff from Mercenarias first album and as such it is a bit on the rawer end of things. True to all post punk second albums, side two is a bit more mature. Unlike a lot of second efforts it is not slick; think early Delta 5 with a better handle on the instruments. The first thousand copies of this come with a 7" of demo tracks which are every bit as good as the "real" stuff. Much rawer and even bordering on hardcore, the 7" is a must have. It is very nice to know that there is at least one Brasilian post punk band worth checking out. I love Tropicalia, Brazilian punk/hardcore is tops, and now this. Soul Jazz has also released a comp of Brasilian post-punk from this time period (1981-85) and that is now on the top of my list of "must buys." Very much recommended.(SSR)
I can legitimately say that I had no knowledge of the "techno cassette underground" before I heard this reissue of of a tape from 1984 on vinyl. Why did Mr. Soriano decide to do these two songs? Why not include all the material sent to him by the artist and press a CD? Is it just because doing something digital would be completely retarded for reissuing a cassette? Probably. This is one of the many thoughts that drifted through my mind while the drum machine/guitar feedback/sample manipulation/background vocals of Baby 63 played for me. Nothing really stuck. Would an entire full length have made a different impression? As it is, I'm almost curious to see what more could be had of their material, but releasing two songs like this almost discourages me from spending my time to seek out any more. I'm not sure why. (JC)
Here in handy digital format are the 1998 recordings that were supposedly meant to be the Furies first full LP, but which ended up getting split into two EPs, the "Sounds of Mayhem" 7" on Big Neck and the 10" on Flying Bomb. If you just picked up on the Furies with 'Greater than Ever' or 'Let it Be', you owe it to yourself to go back and live through this stuff. Younger, rawer, maybe even faster, these tunes show these young turks blasting through twelve tracks, some that careen to near HFOS-like velocity (see "Filthy Fun" or "Murder Solution"), some that show them trying to find their way to the more "refined" Dead Boys-ish punk rock they perfected on the later LPs (see "Black Eyed Woman" or "The Last Man"). Pre-Billiams drummer Dapper does good work here, the guitar sound is blistering, Odie's violent yelp in near perfection, and the songs topics include the standards: violence, cheap sex, and cheaper living. It's this stuff and the very first 7" (which regrettably isn't in this package. Why? My guess would be the band doesn't like it enough to include it. Boooo...) that first got the heads turning, from fans like me and you to the label-dudes like Tim Warren and Lowery (both of whom are rumored to have expressed an interest in the young Buffalonians early on), and rightfully so. What these recrding may lack in finesse thay make up for with moxie, something that's in as short a supply then as it is now. If you don't have this shit on vinyl already, invest now, as this disc contains no less than half a dozen cuts of classic late-Nineties garage-punk punch. I guess the postscript to this review would be that the Furies have broken up, but supposedly still plan to record one final album comprised of songs written after the move to Chicago (rumored to be recorded at Albini's). So this reissue couldn't be timelier.(RK)
New wave punk from the big city that is far from being too shy to flirt with guitar pop or horrible cover shots. If you can get past the heavily flanged/chorused guitar sound, the two songs on this CDR are probably worth your $3. "Lucky Girl" is my personal favorite thanks to the background "ooooo doo wop doo wop" vocals from the fairer sex in the band. This is the kind of release that makes me glad they didn't press it to vinyl and charge $5 more for the privilege of hearing the same roughly-mastered not-quite-solid-gold-hits in the analog form. It is a demo, after all. More bands need to learn this. Maybe we should take away America's record pressing plants.(JC)
The better of the two archival releases of Black Lips recordings released by Slovenly, from the kid's first recording sessions back in 2000. And as much of a trainwreck as you might think this might sound like, it's a great record. "Does She Want" is reminiscent of really early Makers, like first one or two records before Michael Maker even realized he was cool. Harmonica-and-shakin' laced and pretty trad garage, but loose enough to not sound generic. "Stoned" on the flip is a ballsy Nugget, with some unintelligible vocal oowghhh-ing delivered right from the nuts and a completely tossed off guitar solo. You could say this record shows a more innocent band still trying to find their footing, and revealing small glimpses of their current greatness. It stands well on it's own merits as well though, as a document of a teenage garage band getting their rocks off. Surprisingly good. Scum stats: 500 press.(RK)
Part II of Slovenly's pair of early Black Lips recordings. This one isn't as good as the previously mentioned single, but it's still all right, especially if you're a fan. "In & Out" is more indicative of the chaos that was to come, an out of tune garage stumbler that struggles to keep up with itself and kind of challenges your ears to pick the rhythm out of the mess. "Stuck in My Mind" has them sounding like the house band at some shit-kicker honky-tonk, where the toothless locals ply your dates with grain alcohol and whisk them away to the beds of pick-up trucks while the band gets piss drunk and throws beer bottles at you from behind a chicken-wire barricade. But the song's not really as good as that description. Listen to the first single for some real tunes by a young garage band, listen to this one if you want to hear some Southern boys fucking around and having some fun. Good job by Slovenly to release these. Scum stats: 500 press.(RK)
One more Black Lips single, this one from yet another obscure European label. Only two songs on this, "Hippys" on A, and "Born to be a Man" on B. "Hippys" sounds like you think it does. Kinda groovy in a slightly sneering way, more flower than power though. The flip side is a slower country-folk tune. Kind of mundane for these guys, as they color inside the lines pretty well on this. No freaking out here. Khan himself recorded this pup in authentic lo-fidelity at his very own Moon Studios (get it?), and plays a bit of guest guitar on the B-Side as well. You'd hope this unholy combo (now apparently know as the "Death Cult") would result in something a bit more...juicy? Possessed? Rocking? Something. But I imagine Khan and the Lips have future surprises in store for us in the wake of their US tour. For now, I'd buy the Slovenly singles before I got this. Scum stats: 500 copies, all black. Supposedly sold out already, record has a big hole that comes with an adapter. You might want to use your own though, as it's a tight fit and kind of bows the thin vinyl. (RK)
The Black Time haven't wasted much time in becoming the critical darling of the sub-underground. The road from obscure self-released LP to releasing singles all over, a reissue deal with In the Red, and screams for a US tour has been rather quick in coming. But it's all been well desreved, and they've made few, if any, missteps along the way. Their fifth record brings us one killer tune, "I Hate the World...", a perfect marriage of chug-a-lug primeval drumming and opaque layers of guitars, of both the sloppy-screeching and functional types, including a solo. A nice aural photograph of misdirected teen angst, from players I'm sure are well beyond their teen years. The flip provides the quick and simplistic drums and bit'o feedback number "Sleepwalking", and the punk-ish "Chinese Mechanics". Both pale in comparison to the anthemic title cut, however. Insert includes more charming and cryptic Black Time propaganda, and the line-up confusion begins here, with credits given to the mysterious Candy Random and Fiery Jack, but Mr. Stix and Janie Too Bad also make appearances, along with the constant presence of Agent Lemmy Caution. The notes attempt to make some sense of this, but not much. Anyway, pick it up for the A-Side, which I'm hoping will be a standard of the live set by the time they get here. Scum stats: as usual, AFOR numbered the copies, but neglect to tell you what the numer you have is out of. The highest number I've seen yet is 248, so that means at least 250, more likely 300, maybe more. Not too easy to find in the US yet, so snatch it when you get a chance. (RK)
First full-length from the now current Blowtops line-up: Creepy Dave on vox (no more guitar), Aaron on guit, Scott on drums/metal, and Tracy on vintage Yamaha organ. Most definitley the ultimate incarnation of this band. Tracy and Scott form a great rhythm section over which the other two wreak havoc on some of the best Blowtops material to date. "Black Jebus" is one of the 'tops all-time finest, "Self Mutilation Confession" has Dave crooning like a ringleader over some surreal circus-like sounds, and they cover "Street of Shame" off the 'Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel' LP. The new instrumentation lends them a subterranean industrial sort of feel, with Scott's drumming veering from adrenaline-pushing pounding to off-kilter banging on propane tanks and metal objects, and the organ makes up for the lack of bass nicely. It's amazing the amount of sounds that come out of the thing: deep, deep constrictor-like lines of snaking low-end, phantom like graveyard rhythms, piercing death-ray laser blasts, and anything other than traditional sounding organ-grinding. The horror elements are still in place, but the new direction opens them up more. Less dense than on the 'Blood & Tar' 10", and sounding meaner and more unique than on 'Blackstatic'. If someone approached me with the question "What do the Blowtops sound like?", I would have no problem pointing them in the direction of this LP. Their most cohesive effort in quite awhile.(RK)
My introduction to 60s garage and psych was indirect.
My first taste of that music was
through the Paisley Underground garage revival of the
early 80s, specifically the Rebel
Kind comp, some Pandoras and Salvation Army records,
and live performances by the
Morlocks and the Lyres. And then, of course, there was
buying every shitty record that
Voxx and Midnight put out. Had the Brian Wilson Shock
Treatment been around then
they would have been one of those bands whose memory
remains pleasant. They possess
all the things that make the very few good bands from
that time period special: There is
attention to song-writing, the songs are tight and
compact, and there is a nice, dirty swirl
of organ throughout. Add to that a low-fi infusion
straight from 90s garage, raw enough
to scare the Little Stevens of the world, and you get
something that sounds like it was
done by the smart older brothers of the Thee Flying
Dutchmen/Boom Boom of Renton
crowd. This comes with a DVD, but unfortunately I
couldn’t get the damn thing to play.(SSR)
There's a small-but-rabid crew of folks immersed/obsessed with the 1974-1976 "pre-punk" time period, and I say "good for them." Before the Ramones, things seemed a bit more loose and disorderly, and that was a good thing. Don't get me wrong, the KBD era might be my favorite of the rock continuum, but bands like Simply Saucer, Debris and Electric Eels are some of the coolest kicks out there. Like any other temporal genre dig, many bands from this era were reissued that probably shoulda' stayed calmly canned. Karl of Anopheles Records has the touch, though, and this LP by Baltimore "Fuzz Guitar legend" (hey, I just read the jacket sticker and fake the rest) George Brigman is more good than bad. Much has been made of fuzz stompers like the title track, and while those songs are a neat Blue Cheer/Stooges kick, I especially like acid blues numbers like "Scoolgirl" and "Don't Bother Me" (which actually sound not dissimilar to mid-period Spacemen 3). George isn't a genius songwriter, and some tunes lag like the old lady at the checkout, but there are hooks and there are heaps of that atmosphere period aficionados spew over. Hey, it's enough for me, too. (TK)
One of the downsides of releasing as much product as Wild Billy Childish has over the past 25 or
so years is it’s nigh impossible to keep up with all of it. Another is that, while he may have
recorded more killer tunes over that span of time than just about anyone out there, he’s also been
responsible for his fair share of duff cuts. Until hearing this album, I’d always dismissed the
Buff Medways as being responsible for far more of the latter than the former, but now I’m forced
to rethink that assessment. Simply put, this is an awesome record. There’s a huge mod/maximum r&b
influence going on here, and it works to fabulous effect. There’s still plenty of the trademark
Childish grit to these tunes, but this time around they’re complimented by some huge Who-like
hooks and melodies. Killer mod tunes like “Medway Wheelers” and “Private View” rank right up there
with the best of Billy’s long and illustrious catalog. The only real negative I can think of here
are the superfluous re-takes on Headcoats standards. I’d rather hear another “A Distant Figure of
Jon” than another version of “Lie Detector.” Still, it’s not like they’re actually bad songs or
anything. Overall, the mod angle a lot of these songs are coming from mixed with the patented
Medway sound is as refreshing as a sparkling glass of lemonade on a July day. Rumor has it that
Billy wants to go in an MC5-like direction on the next Buff Medways album, so keep an ear pealed
for that! If you haven’t given the Buff Medways a listen in awhile, you really owe it to yourself
to check this out. In the meantime, if you haven’t given the Buff Medways a listen in awhile, you
really owe it to yourself to check this out.(SB)
It's a no-brainer to buy pretty much anything on Douchemaster Records and after getting the latest 7", I'm pretty pissed at myself for missing the Busy Signals at the Blackout this year. I showed up late or something, I don't even remember. Guy and girl vocals working well together, verses transitioning into choruses ever-so-catchily and that constant 16th on the hi-hat that I love. Reminding me of the later Carbonas & Beat Beat Beat, The Busy Signals have no problem fitting into the Douchemaster family. It's funny, I usually use Black Flag to cleanse my musical palate, as it were, before setting into reviews. I found myself going back to this 7" after every two or three records. It's just that good. Highly recommended. (JC)
All girls punk from Japan, but put thoughts of Brain Death aside, this is much more 1-2 focused punk rock than straight ahead hardcore punk. It is plausible to picture them playing before The Stalin, Comes or other hard punk acts from Japan's early and mid 80s; the opening march/dirge would be fine on an ADK 7" and you can imagine the singer becoming more and more unhinged throughout the performance by the sound of her vocals on this release. I'm intrigued and would certainly like to see if they can keep a full length release interesting - I picture one or two freak out jams ala Masturbation or Aburadako filling out each side's shorter punk songs. Recommended! (JC)
"Blackout (Waiting to Happen)" is the brilliant start-stop upbeat number they opened their set at the Blackout with and which was stuck in my head for months afterward. It might just be the best thing they've committed to vinyl yet. Great bassline, admirable vocal snot, shredding guitars, quickfast drumming, it's a total package. Their ability to match Zero Boys velocity to Powerpearls catchiness is peerless and deliciously original-sounding. Songs like this really do make their first LP sound like shit. They are light years ahead of that record at this point. The other two tracks ("Nostalgia Buff" and "Inside Out") are cold-blooded killers as well, but "Nostalgia Buff" would probably win out if the two fought in an alley. One of the best singles of the year, and that's no fucking lie. Hype this, asshole. Scum stats: 500 first press, 100 of them on "Carboners Collector (S)Cum" white vinyl, the rest on black. All sold out. Repress available soon.(RK)
Basically, this is two Dirg albums on one CD. And basically, Dean Dirg is a Henry Fiat tribute/rip off, but they do it pretty well. Like HFOS, 26 tracks is a bit much for fast-as-fug amped-up funny p-rock, so I'd say singles are a much better format for this unit. But if you can never get enough HFOS, and are looking for a reasonable facsimile, here ya' go. I think the 15 year old 'Knee would have loved this puppy to death, but my older self prefers the occasional toe-dip, and that's about it. (TK)
Who is Deche Dan? Why is there a band named after his face? I don't know. I do know this French two-piece has been kicking since 1995 or so, and actually released an LP and a few singles years ago (including one on SubPop!?). I have never heard them mentioned by anyone outside of a couple Frenchmen, and I have never heard or seen any of their records until this point. What do they sound like? Well, ahem, it's blues. Punk. Or something close to it. On this 10" you get six tracks that were recorded in 2000, in some girl's living room somewhere in Bordeaux. And it has that homey kind of feel to it, and a nice big and blown-out, loud and live recording sound. If I was in that living room I am sure I would have loved it. The drumming's adept, and you get a lot of guitar sounds thrown out at you, including some lap steel. The A-Side rocks well. The B-Side has one rocker, one slow jam, and ends with a soundtrack-y mood piece. In between the tunes you get conversation in foreign tongues, the sounds of instruments being moved/tuned, and other very casual elements. You can imagine the wine being poured and the brown cigarettes being smoked to butts as they launch into another tune. An interesting exercise in home recording. The music is good, but it's the loose vibe you get listening, and the intimate feel of the moment in time it was recorded in translated to you via the vinyl that makes this a noteworthy record. Not something I'd play a lot, but something I enjoyed hearing. (RK)
These two boys from down under are all right. On this, their second LP (and the first longplayer of theirs I've heard), they sound like I hoped they would. Tasty rhythms pounded out at breakneck speed by one dude playing a three-piece kit, that sounds louder and madder than most drummers with an army of rack toms at their disposal. The guitarist sounds as if he grows an extra pair of hands at times, giving the band an incredibly big presence for just a duo. Their song menu consists of rapid-fire garage-punk for the most part, with some dips into slower/bluesier territory, but when they get a good running start and dive into the apeshit pummeling, you feel like you're riding shotgun with these guys on some Outback jailbreak. The getaway tale of "Catch Us if You Can" is great storytelling backed with a big beat, and is a perfect example of these guys doing right. "Coming To Get You" shows some sharpened fangs (and the classic refrain of "You Drive Like A Cunt!" can't be beat), and as long as they keep the velocity up, they've got me listening. Only when they slow it down does your attention wander. Overall, a bunch of fun-loving and rule-breaking tunes that are above the average for the genre. Exciting stuff from just two fellas. Scum stats: 500 pressed on black, and comes with a 12" sized 8 page foldout notebook-style booklet with great artwork. A beautiful package.(RK)
On "Land Mine" The Dissimilars remind me a lot of some my favorite juvie-delinquent garage acts from the glory days: The Fells, Drags, Motards, and Cryin' Out Louds all come time mind while spinning this EP. The title cut is a killer, "(Crushin' Up) Pills" is as good as it sounds, and "Turn Me Loose" has some great lyrics. A whole lot of fun, and shorter and better than their debut single from earlier in the year. If you need a fun record to spin at parties, this is definitely it. If you're looking for a record that is gonna blow your fucking jaded mind and take you on a trip somewhere far out in the reaches of the musical universe you've never visited before, well, go listen to fucking Mind Flayer and insert the stick back in your ass. Jesus christ. Scum stats: 500 pressed, all on clear blue vinyl with matching 3/4-style sleeve, and two inserts, also on blue paper. The color scheme looks fantastic and is very well done. (RK)
Two originals and one cover that may or may not have been recorded before The Feelers' recent full length. They certainly retain the fuzzed out and frantic sound from the first releases, which is a plus. Mix KBD vol. 2 with Tony Packo's chili and you have this record. My favorite part? The kick drum sound. (JC)
Four song EP from this three piece out of St. Louis, MO, whose LP I actually liked a good bit. But where that LP had some great (if derivative) moments, this EP (which actually, perhaps inadvertently, comprises a relationship-gone-bad song-cycle of sorts, as mentioned in the loving liners by Mike of Go Metric! fanzine) is pretty lacking in any sort of attention-getting musicality. Justin Kearby can knock-off the Sonics via Childish teenbeat Billy-rock all day, and rather convincingly, but how long before you're rewriting rewrites of songs that weren't all that original in the first place? Dead end, brother, dead end. Things do not get interesting at all until the very last tune, where he lets loose with a bit of Caesars-ish stomp on "You're Heartless". The rest of the tunes sail on rivers I've seen the likes of before and have no desire to revisit. And to make it more frustrating, they got rid of the chick bass player from the LP! And replaced her with a dude! Man, what a bummer. She was cute, and she had a cool voice. I wonder, was that Justin's girl? Did they split? Are these tunes about her? Is she heartless? I don't know, but that storyline would make this record a lot more interesting, but not necessarily more listenable. Proceed with caution on this one, and keep in mind I liked the LP well enough and am still saying that.(RK)
Fire Engines were a band from Edinburgh, Scotland that
existed for exactly 18 months during those golden
years of UK post-punk, 1979 – 1981. They released a
few hard to find seven inches and one LP, most of
which is collected on the out-of-print ‘Fond’ CD. They
were outsiders lurking on the more melodically
conventional Postcard Records scene of Orange Juice
and Aztec Camera. They had more in common with bands
like The Mekons and The Scars, thus drawing them into
Fast Product’s orbit, resulting in a brief flurry of
exciting releases. Fire Engines legacy remained one of
polite post-punk legend, until dance-rock posterboys
Franz Ferdinand sashayed their way onto the
international rock scene and made it OK to be a weird
Scottish post-punk from the past. They started
name-dropping Fire Engines and Orange Juice in
interviews and people were interested again. Orange
Juice was recently rewarded with a nice retrospective,
but that wasn’t good enough for Fire Engines; the
original band reunited. They have since played shows
with Franz Ferdinand and recorded some new material.
I remember getting Jim "Foetus" Thirwell's "Hole" album when I was a little nipper. I remember my Old Man thinking the name was offensive and saying "this has got to be garbage." I remember thinking Dad was a major square, but I'm sure we've all been there. How could Pa not like some of the most ingenious word-twists in the history of rock? Couldn't he get with the healthy lampooning of every possible sacred cow? Murderers, Satan, Hitler, puss-diving and water torture? And the music - my punk rock brain had never heard synthesized instruments crack down on the beach boys, be-bop and every sort of popular music cliche in such a powerful, manly way. I grabbed "Nail" not too long after, and Jim heaped some solo classical compositions on top of classics like "Enter the Exterminator." I thought the guy was a genius. He went on to do some cool shit with Swans members (Wiseblood), and his Foetus vehicle got a big push around the time Ministry and all those Industrial pretenders were the hip sound, but I stopped keeping up a long time ago.
On the DVD that comes with the new album, Thirwell says something about not wanting to do angry music anymore. And what you get on the album and the new videos is the kinda alternative moosh that I usually stay at least 10 steps behind. If you listen closely, you can pick up some typical word-knowledge, but this fucker is, in general, a chore to get through. The DVD, however, has a great live (sorta neu-ish metal) version of "I'll See You in Poland, Baby," from that aforementioned "Hole" record, which displays the man's great voice and shows that he wrote great tunes and could pull it all off with a live band. There are some shorts for some animated show that seems kinda funny (he did the background music) and some trailers for a Thirwell bio movie that must be coming out soonish. The Steroid Maximus live clip looks great (he conducts a pretty fast and intense orchestra doing some loud-ass classical compositions), and made me scramble for SM record. Genius? Maybe. But this album really isn't very interesting or good. Liked the DVD, though, so Foetus fans may want to open the wallet anyhoo. (TK)
This young gang from MI pushes out some pretty cool Aussie X noise, especially on the A-side. The loping, lazy single-string scrape that runs through the verse on "Nerves Are Fried" is just "off" enough to work as a great hook, and the propulsive chorus seals the deal. The flip is Ginn/F. Discussion guitar-driven trajectory that's comparably aimless, though still worth a listen. Major complaint here is that the vocals on both tracks are about as remarkable and exciting as a flip through the five channels on my TV. Nonetheless, I suspect these guys are still capable of something solid in the near future. So watch for 'em. (EL)
I'm a big Greg Ashley fan. His solo work, the Mirrors, the Gris Gris. Most everything he does is impressive, a sonic force of undulating psych-folk that's as aggressive as the genre allows and sometimes moreso. I spent many summer afternoons holed-up in the prison cell bedroom blasting the first Gris Gris alb, hungover and antisocial and bored, sometimes even wistful or vaguely introspective, and that elpee would bounce off the walls of my little shitbox room and sometimes everything in there buzzed with energy. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm romanticising it. But I loved that album and still love it today. So about a month ago it was with this sorta fondness for Mr. Ashley's music and my own perverse sense of antisocial and fucked-up reclusiveness that I, barefoot and greasy, walked over to the sideyard and picked up the package leaning against the side door and found an advance of the new Gris Gris full-length. I was pretty happy. Trudge through the stifling heat back into the living room and throw the fucker into the disc changer and awaaaay we go. First impression: Lead-off track, "Ecks Em Eye," is like "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" as filtered through Redd Krayola's bizarre sacrament. Good. Powerful. Is that chanting in there? It sure is. Fuck me. Disc continues onward. It is a moody mess. So am I. "Down with Jesus" kicks in and I can't help but think of a more upbeat Spacemen 3. Not bad. Not great, but OK. Seems like most of the tracks on here are more folk and less psych than previous efforts. Odd, considering this is a very electric record compared to the mostly-acoustic self-titled outing. I like it, but I'm far more appreciative of tunes like "Pick Up Your Raygun" than I am "Mademoiselle of the Morning." There are some great songs on here, don't get me wrong. But after many listens, I haven't found a tune that overpowered me like the earlier material, like the first time I heard "Everytime" and thought, "This is one of the eeriest, densest and coolest songs I've heard in a long, long time." I don't know. I'm torn. I still listen to this one a lot. I still enjoy it. But I suppose the lack of superlatives this time around has an idiot like me confused. Either way, I recommend picking this one up, just like anything else Greg has done. (EL)
Very timely greatest hits package from Guitar Wolf, dedicated to and commemorating Basswolf's recent passing. Twenty-six tracks, all remastered, that were picked with the help of an online poll of fans. Is this the definitive Guitar Wolf release? Well, yes and no. On it's own, this CD contains bits of everything that has been great about rock'n'roll culture from the Fifties to today: Japanese garage, loud volumes, Joan Jett, Link Wray, speaker-humbling distortion, Seventies punk, leather jackets, motorcycle gangs, pompadours, and anything else you can think of. Truthfully, Guitar Wolf contain the essence of everything that is cool. They earned every bit of acclaim and praise heaped on them. They were rightfully the most popular of all the Japanese-garagesters. (How much more popular than say, Teengenerate? Remember their first single on Bag of Hammers? 3,000 of those were supposedly pressed and sold in 1995, before they were even on a major label in Japan.) That they slipped into the mainstream was absolutely deserved. Really, you couldn't do much better than handing this CD over when someone asks, "So what's this rock'n'roll stuff all about?" They were the perfect band to be in movies, were photogenic, affable, and most importantly, always stayed true to their rock-n-roll mission. Does this CD encapsulate all of this? Fuck yeah. In the future I'll probably be listening to this disc more than any record they made, except perhaps 'Wolf Rock!'. Is this release definitive, then? No. Strangely, there are no tracks at all directly from the 'Kung Fu Ramone' or 'Missile Me!' LPs (so no "Hurricane Rock" or "Run Wolf Run"). But, this thing is still all killer, focusing mainly on stuff from 'Planet of the Wolves' and on, so if you missed a lot of their new-ish stuff, you have the cream of the crop here. They throw in a couple cuts from 'Wolf Rock!', the awesome title track from the "Murder By Rock" single, and a few other odds and ends, sticking mainly to LP cuts. Seriously, there were maybe two tracks on this I skipped through on first listen. And then I went back again for another dose of "Wild Zero"and "Red Rockabilly". It was during this marathon listening session that I was reminded that as hung up as we are on Teengenerate and The Registrators, Guitar Wolf were and still are just as essential. I still remember the first time I ever heard 'Wolf Rock!'. I don't remember the first time I heard Teengenerate. Not that I'm saying one is better than the other. I'm just saying you shouldn't short sheet Guitar Wolf. This CD will make you happy, I promise. (RK)
A gag record of sorts, with Ryan from the impeccable Sack'o'Shit label playing with a few accomplices who shall remain nameless for now. Totally incompetent gimmicky tunes, that are purposefully bad. And the worst part is...one of them is really good. "Haircuts Are No Fun" and "Never See Her Again" both push the standard definition of listenable music, like an even more basic and stupid Spits, but the vocal delivery and sloppy arrangement kind of sucks you in. Shit-wave that shouldn't be amusing, but is. "Haircuts are No Fun" is amazing. I will say it. "Never See Her Again", notsomuchso. But "Haircuts..." fucking rules. Fo real. The fact that I like this thing says something about me and the state of music today. What that something is I'm frightened to theorize on. I say buy it, like it, and don't be such a tight-ass. Really. Scum stats: 300 pressed, but each record comes with a hand drawn cover (some with personal messages) covered in...human hair. No shit. Probably the most unsanitary record I own. I was delighted that the hairs were not curly. (RK)
I come to the Hospitals relatively unscarred. Wanted
to check the debut but never did, missed ‘em when they
played my town cuz I was too busy traipsing around
Europe like a dandy, and I definitely didn’t have the
dedication to track down the Rich People 12” on
Yakisakana that was mostly covers (of cool shit like
Harry Pussy, Homosexuals, and The Who). Well, that’s
OK, cuz I saw ‘em recently and they were pretty good,
nothing earth-shattering, but it intrigued me enough
to scoop up their new one. I also admit to being
intrigued by a band that could move from In The Red to
Load, arguably two of the best contemporary
underground rock labels in the US. To the layman eye
these labels appear to be on divergent paths, but go
fuck your duck cuz Human Eye could also easily be on
Load and Lightning Bolt recently appeared on a Guitar
Wolf tribute comp. So, if my peanut butter tastes
funky in your chocolate, maybe you need to redefine
your palate, eh, mon ami?
Martin Savage is the human garage-rock mimic. The guy hears something he likes, and then breaks out with some pretty authentic sounding imitations. Persuaders (Dixie Buzzards), Oblivians (Blacks), Reverend Beat-man (Rev. Savage and His Holy Rollers), Exploding Hearts (Locomotions Big Neck EP), and more have received the treatment over the years. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes it stinks the joint up, but whatever the result, this is obviously Martin's way of paying tribute to bands he loves and that inspire him, not some clip-job by someone who doesn't care. This time around, the Black Lips are the focus of affections, so much so that there there is even a song called simply "Black Lips". And it's a good one, as is "I Woke Up This Morning", both amazing distillations of the Lips sound. Works great, even replicating the usage of the extended monotone 'whoaaahhhh'. Seriously, worthy of hearing for anyone who is hoppping on the Lips bandwagon, and better than their own "Hippys" EP. "Warning" is just a fuck-off intro that is pretty cool in it's own right, but not so much a song. The B-Side is a slower jam, and they don't really pull it off. "Jingle Bells" is a "bonus cut", performed by The Skull OMB. Well worth for the A-Side and mock SSLD sleeves. Scum stats: The Skull Never Walk Alone Edition of 153 copies, Two Headed Go-Go-Go Kart Edition of 114 copies, and Tunes of a Royal Flash Edition of 51 copies.(RK)
I-Attack are easily one of Chicago's finest punk-rock bands and hopefully
with this record Darius and Criminal IQ Records will get them the kind of
recognition they deserve. Influenced by such great American 80's hardcore
punk bands as Black Flag, Negative Approach, Reagan Youth, and just about
any other band from that particular time in that particular genre. I'll keep
this one short and sweet: This record totally blows away their nearly
flawless self-titled LP released last year on A Wrench In the Gear Records.
The songs are faster, tighter, angrier, and far crazier. The production is
dirtier, more full sounding, and has a very ferocious bite to it. I was
actually with Darius, head of CIQ Records, on the night he got the masters
for this record. That night we drove around listening to the masters roughly
ten times trying to find a reason why he SHOULDN'T put this fucker out. We
couldn't find a single reason. An absolutely great record by an absolutely
great band. Top ten material for sure.(MTC)
This is the record where the two halves of the Intelligence become one. No longer is there such a drastic split between “the guitar songs” and “the keyboard songs” as was present on the ‘Boredom and Terror’ album with its accompanying bonus disc. Instead, this record flows seamlessly from Lars’ home-recorded, drum machine screechers (man, I love that Weasel Walter mastering) to thumping, full band bursts and back again. ‘Icky Baby’ also directs its fury more at the throat than the last album, with less DIY experimentation going on, and coupled with the band’s recent split single with the Coachwhips (‘Dating Cops’ is still the song of the year, if ya ask me), shows where the band is heading. Fans of A Frames, Fall, Country Teasers, etc., take note. This is top-notch material and after thirty or so plays it still sounds fresh. (JG)
Mammoth compilation of what must be every recorded minute of Kill the Hippies' career (though I suspect they could have tacked a couple dozen more onto the already whopping seventy-plus cuts on this beast), which has amazingly now spanned over twelve years. KTH are one of those bands that everyone not living in Ohio (Kent, OH specifically) has kinda heard of, but never seen or really have an opinion on. A true "Yeah, I think I have one their singles somewhere, it's OK..." kind of band. Actually, their career path reminds me a bit of MOTO's, slaving away for years in the under-underground, self releasing tapes, getting a truly unknown label to do a single here and there, a bunch of comp appearances, lots of different drummers, and a tendency to be ignored for whatever reasons. The only difference being MOTO somehow caught fire in the past few years, whereas KTH still languish in the nether-reaches of indie-dom. If you remember that fine e-rag Blank Generation, you may remember one Shawn Abnoxious, who sang the praises of these fellas rather often, and that was probably how or why I ended up with a single or two of theirs. That I seemed to recall having, and seemed to think were OK when I received this in the promo pile. And you know, a lot of KTH's material is way more than OK. Some it is genuinely great. Starting with Disc One we work backwards from their most recent output, the really fantastic "Jerked Off By Strangers" 7", the title track of which is super-catchy new wave-ish pop. The warped recording (sped up perhaps?) and tinny drum sound add a real bit of charm to the songs, of which there a couple late-LA/Dangerhouse styled frantic punkers ("Deserter" and "I Look for Trouble") and the tasteful Spits-with-female-singer bass-driven dirge of "Dildo Dildo Dildo". I would imagine a lot people (myself included) would have really dug this record had we known it existed. You should definitely seek this single out if you don't feel like diving into the whole 2XCD experience right away. The rest of Disc One is the remainder of their "official" recorded output that runs the gamut of styles of the past ten years over 35 or so more tracks. Well done pop-punk ("Young Tuffs"), brutal hardcore-flavored punk stompers ("Butcher King"), Rip Off styled attacks, Jabbers-esque scum punkers, and bits of Saundersian/Meltzoid genius ("The Stranger" or "I, Shrink Ray") all effectively cohabitate here. All of this done with a truly endearing sense of humor and personality created by some great John/Exene girl-guy vocal interplay between constant members Matt and Melissa, simple-stupid-and-fun instrumentation, and a variety of lo-fi recordings (all of which manage to sound good), all factors that keep the genre-hopping coherent. Disc Two collects some unreleased rarities, which contain a few nice surprises ("Chopped Off" and "Electric Meat" stand out), and the contents of three self-released cassettes from the early days. Of course, there is some dross over seventy-seven tracks. Some are just too stupid, some too cute, some just suck. Most of the cassette material is bad. But there are a good two dozen really worthwhile songs here. I've dipped into this cess pool repeatedly since getting it, and seeing how many people are creaming jeans over The Spits and MOTO and others there's no reason Kill the Hippies shouldn't be getting some blowjobs and respect too. They're just as stupid, just as simple, just as fun, and probably a bit smarter and more charming as well. If you buy CDs, this should be one of them, and value-priced at $15 ppd. That's less than 20 cents per song. (RK)
Third single from this Memphis boy's club. The scoop? Not quite as good their classic SSLD debut (but fairly close), but leagues ahead of their single on Perpetrator from last year. Four tunes, three from Crook, one from Yarber. Rich's songs have a nice hooky garage feel, and are absolutely top notch in their no frills rocking. No fancy-pants shit here, just pure rock goodness. Poppiness even. "He's Gonna Get You" is garage-pop that goes mean at the end, and "Wenches of Turpentine Street" is blistering. Jack's contribution, "Get Well in Jail", is as good a tune as he's written since the Oblivians days. Somewhat brief, but dripping with delectable Memphis rock-sauce and surprisingly poppish. This record is a real good time, plain and simple. Scum stats: my guess is there are 500 of these, some of which (perhaps the standard 100? or all of them?) are on clear vinyl.(RK)
Since their first single and the bludgeoningly
fantastic 'Ride the Skie's LP, Lightning Bolt has
established themselves as THE bass guitar/drum noise
makers. Unlike a lot of folks who enter into the art
duo thing, Lightning Bolt has gone very light on the
metal riffage and still molded their noise into songs.
They have never stumbled into pure wankery or an
unlistenable wash of noise. On 'Hypermagic Mountain',
these guys take a giant step into rock and roll. This
record sounds less like the Lightning Bolt of the last
couple records and more like High Rise, Monoshock, and
Karate Party. And if it wasn’t for the album’s lack of
low end, I’d say that this pup is as good as anything
those bands have done. The riffs are heavy, raw, and
catch you with a simple power. The drums crawl and
sprawl. The bass guitar is a shredding sonic squall.
BUT the almost complete absence of frequencies on the
lower end of the sound spectrum really hurt this
record. It is not that this lacks a bass guitar or
that it doesn’t hit low end from time to time. The
strings here are okay, especially when the bass guitar
drifts down the scale and rumbles low. It is the drums
that get fucked in this mix. Instead of sounding like
a tank load of percussion, the great drumming sounds
anemic. The snare is brittle, the toms sound like tiny
boxes, the cymbals are lost in the wash of guitar
noise, and the bass drum has that artificial, computer
filtered sound to it. There is absolutely no BOOM BAM
BANG POW to this and the weakness of the recording is
made even more clear when the vocals come in buried
and distant. Whoever produced this thing fucked up
what could have been a classic psych punk record.
Perhaps the art crowd who dig these guys won’t notice
- their ears seem to be tuned toward high toned stuff.
However those with more rock in their heads are going
to notice what is missing and that really is too bad.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not expect Lightning Bolt to
conform to some ‘rockist’ standard. What I am stating
is that if they are going to make a rock record -
which this is - they need to make sure the recording
holds up. Art noise freakouts give people the freedom
to do away with things like low end, Hawkwind-inspired
rock and roll riffage does not. Hopefully, ten years
from now when this gets reissued someone will throw
this back on the deck and tweak some bass into this fucker.(SSR)
I am of the level of herb that can only produce the name Zolar X in my mind when somebody mentions, "outer space glam punk." Thanks to Lucy and the Lipstix I can pretend to make intelligent conversation by comparing and contrasting the two when the conversation turns to outer space glam punk (as it often does in Washington DC, let me tell you). I had heard a lot of talk from friends in the Osaka/Kobe area who had played shows with Lucy and the Lipstix or seen them and for the most part it seemed like they were enamored with the stage show, but couldn't recall much of what the sound was like - "rock n roll of some sort" was all I could get out of them. Those Kobe kids, all style, no substance.
Chicago’s Skin Graft record label has been very quiet
since the turn of the millenia. Maybe it was tired;
you would be to if you had spent the previous decade
redefining noise rock. Now it is trying to rear its
four-colored head again. A couple lackluster releases
last year didn’t promise much, but Made in Mexico
comes a little closer. Featuring Jeff Schneider,
former guitarist of Arab On Radar, these guys start
off strong with “Farewell Myth,” which opens as a raga
then bursts into a punishing forward groove that
recalls the Jesus Lizard circa ‘Goat.’ The rhythm
section sounds great on this recording, but too often
they wade around in the same area of the pool.
“Clockwork” introduces a slightly funkier approach
coupled with Schneider’s US
Maple-after-a-case-of-Red-Bull guitar, but it’s back
to the same old dirge on the next song. Rebecca
Mitchell’s infrequent vocals don’t add much to the
proceedings, but they don’t really get in the way
either. She lets out some nice shrieks to accompany
the frantic blur of “Napalm Springs,” which is
followed by a cover of MX-80 Sound’s “Face of the
Earth” that reveals the one-dimensional bones of Made
in Mexico. Maybe it’s just the dry recording and these
guys might really come at you in a live setting. Too
often, the songs are content to just sit there, never
quite exploding or pummeling you as hard or as fast as
you want. At its best, Made in Mexico conjure visions
of a hardcore Art Bears, which is an intriguing
proposition, so we’ll see how they do on the next one.(EEK)
One pop punk song of the standard style for the Marked Men in "Nothing's Changed" and one slower power poppy tune on the flip. The way the vocal harmonies come in on "She Won't Know" really push it over the top for me. Recommended for fans of good music. (JC)
It's a cold, hard fact that I'm not a big Minds fan. I just have a bad reaction to certain keyboard sounds, and the Minds happen to utilize one that makes me cringe. I hated the LP and accompanying single, and thought they were a bit schticky for even an imbecile-lover like myself. So maybe I'm not the dude to be rewiewing this EP. But I'm gonna do it anyway. "we Got the Pop" is a real good tune. As good as bubblegum-wave can be, and good enough to keep the keyboard sound from making me want to heave my turntable out the window. I also want to go on record as saying Joel "The Thinker" Jett has some great microphone skills, and it was him and only him that made that Flip Tops LP listenable. He makes me want to tolerate The Minds. "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" is the next cut, and is where the keyboards starting giving me a rash. This one is not a good song. They close out with a cover of "Don't Wanna Die in My Sleep Tonight" from the La Peste LP. It's OK. I'd probably play the title track on my radio show if I still did one. The other two tunes aren't for me. But they might be for you, if you dig this kinda action. You big wimp. Scum stats: 500 pressed on bubblegum pink vinyl, all sold out! With matching pink 3/4 sleeve with artwork by Jonny Cat. Repress rumored to be coming soon. (RK)
Whoa! The Mistreaters are back? After a brief recorded silence since their last LP (Which is good. Not every band should or can release three singles and an LP per year.) they're back with this EP, a teaser for the new full length which should be out in early November. I've always loved these dudes, as they are one of the few bands that appeal to both my old-school hesher buddies and my garage-trash friends as well. 'Grab them Cakes' is one of the best LPs of the turn of the century, despite the title. I still listen to it angrily and often, and my buds who still go to Slayer concerts religiously are always down for it. It's dirty, and a lot heavy, but garage enough for those bedwetters who can't handle metal. Anyhow, the A-Side on this is a ballbuster. The Alice Coopery "Live Like You" is a fucking hit, and "No, I Know" borders on annoyance initially but gets real gritty and good with some handclap action and some sweet back-ups. The B-Side let off the gas a bit, as they write the modern equivalent of a Steppenwolf tune in "Push You", but bounce back with a well selected and executed cover of Tubeway Army's "Oh! Didn't I Say". A good record to get these guys back on your radar, like I said, the A-Side works wonders. Don't be a pussy. Scum stats: 500 copies, each 100 come with a different 
About 10 years ago, Zulu Records first issued ‘Get It Straight’, an anthology of early 80s power-pop-punk from Vancouver’s Modernettes, who for a while now, I’ve been calling the best band to ever come from Canada. The CD’s been out of print since then, and is now back thanks to Sudden Death Records. For those unfamiliar with the band, the Modernettes released three records in their short existence – the utterly fantastic ‘Teen City’ 12”EP, the mega rare ‘Gone…But Not Forgiven’ LP (a collection of demos and live tracks), and the more radio friendly ‘View From the Bottom’ 12”EP. This disc starts off with all six tracks from ‘Teen City’, a fucking classic record that no discerning pop loving punk should go without hearing. Songs like ‘Barbra’ and ‘Teen City’ are pure pop perfection with hooks galore and feature extremely well played, driving guitars, a pummelling rhythm section, and singer Buck Cherry’s playful yet haunting voice. Bob Rock co-produced these songs and amazingly he doesn’t fuck them up as he did with the Pointed Sticks. The three songs included from the ‘Gone…’ LP (only 300 copies pressed) show the band leaving a bit of their punk edge behind and slowing down the tempo a bit, except for ‘Won’t Have to Worry’ which is a fast one that’s right up there on my list of all time favourite songs. It’s a two-minute lesson in how to write a perfect pop song and Buck’s vocal delivery never sounds better than it does here. The five songs from ‘View From the Bottom’ (including ‘Rebel Kind’, covered by The Fevers on their first single) were recorded around two years after the first two records and the change in sound is quite drastic. The production is crisp and ultra clean, the songs are even slower, and nary a punk influence is heard. I still like these songs, but if you can’t stand the wimpy stuff, you probably won’t. Two of the songs are sung quite well by bassist Mary-Jo Kopechne and they make me wonder why her vocals weren’t used more often, even in a backup roll. Up next are five live songs, the highlights being ‘Surf City Strangler’, which has an early Replacements vibe and the Modern Lovers-esque ‘Get it Straight’. Mega fans of the band should note that this re-issue is slightly different than the Zulu comp. The Zulu edition was started off by ‘Sweater Girl’, a rather weak track, and ended with a 1995 recorded version of ‘Tears Will Fall’ which sounded like a Bon Jovi outtake. Wisely, this re-issue scraps ‘Sweater Girl’ and although it still includes a version of ‘Tears Will Fall’, it’s from a much better session, presumably from when the band was still together (although the liner notes make no mention of this). The biggest difference is the inclusion of six live songs from the band’s last show. The sound quality is OK, but there are a fair number of fuck-ups. The two new songs from the show are actually pretty good – ‘509’ and ‘Get Modern’ - both of which were written in 1979 and went unrecorded over the band’s career. If you’re a fan of this sort of stuff, I’d also recommend picking up a copy of John Armstrong’s (aka Buck Cherry’s) book ‘Guilty of Everything’ which, although I have my qualms about it, does a good job of describing the early Vancouver punk scene. Highly recommended. (JG)
Debut single from Wiconsonian all-star cast of future punks. Straight-up synth punk done right. Done right how, you ask? Well, they main thing is that 1-D (aka Wendy, ex-Lookers and ex-Kryptonite Records) can actually play the keys, instead of just doling out lame ass one finger/one note drone. They also have a good and funny gimmick: they're from the future, man! I always said Ryan Kill-A-Watt could write great songs, and "Electric Knife" is another fine example. Sounds like the Screamers if they were on Rip Off Records. Really, it's good. "Fungus Boy" switches to Wendy on vox, as does "Missing Hand", both of which are head-of-the-class synth-snot rockers. "(Jerks Down at) Bubble Drome" might be my fave, simple electro-punk that even sounds a little bit Le Shoky. Or Le Schlocky, but I mean that in a good way. An impressive start, and way better than I thought it would be. Also a must-own for a cover pic of Ryan in lame hot pants, tights, eyeliner, and go go boots, Wendy as the punk Judy Jetson, and Mechadrum looking like a duct-taped post-apocalyptic biker reject from Lord Humungus' horde. Take notes on this one kids. This is gimmickry done right. Dickie Christgau says A+. Scum stats: 500 copies, 200 on translucent green vinyl. Nice job Fungus Boy. (RK)
Okay, let me run this by you. The Muldoons are two brothers, Shane, age 8, and Hunter, age 11, who write their own lyrics and guitar parts to punked up Stooges/Ramones-stylee Motor City Rockers with titles like "70's Punk Rocker" and "Destruction Boy". Their father Brian, who also plays drums on the record, is/was in The Upholsterers, a band which at times also featured pasty-skinned guitar-legend Jack White, who actually produced this baby himself at Third Man Studios. Jack's nephew, Dirtbombs drummer and Anti-Mogul hater Benji Blackwell, released this record on his Cass imprint, which has also done a 7" by Tin Knocker, another band featuring Muldoon dad Brian. Sure, this reeks of vanity project along the lines of Old Skull (except having a father in The Tar Babies is far cooler than the, uh...Upholsterers), and I'm not gonna rag on some kids having some fun with their family. It's a pretty neat thing to do with your kids, and the songs are actually decent and played fairly (almost too) well. Worth the novelty listen or two, but not-mind bending in a Shaggs or Silver kinda way. This did come with probably the nicest one-sheet I've ever received, laid out simply and printed on some quality Cranes Crest paper. You can tell Ben's a journalist. (RK)
I'm that dude who never got on the Mystery Girls bandwagon. I can see where their appeal lies, especially to those who know them and have seen the (supposedly) mind-blowing live performances. I always thought it was just so-so, and the Black Lips did almost the same thing a lot better. I don't know when these recording are from, but this is what I always hoped the MGs would sound like. Acid-drenched (obviously) and ready to give you a faceful-of-fuzz. The title cut is one of the best songs about drugs I've heard in a long time. Lots of freakouts and good psych-jams with a side order of Hendrix. The B-Side really cooks, with some more drugged-up debauchery. "I'm So High" might be my favorite on this, as I love the echoed-out/feedbacky harmonica playing. Brilliant. This single could butt heads with some of the Black Lips more crazed stuff. Finally, A Mystery Girls record I can get on board with. Well executed "theme" as well. Scum stats: 500 copies I believe, in no-frills Kryptonite packaging. It seems Martin may have lost a bunch of these to the demonic USPS, so snatch 'em up if you see them.(RK)
Well, I guess TB has finally "made it", as evdenced by our receipt of a promotional copy of the latest Nashville Pussy CD. That sound you hear is me reaping the benefits of being an underground rock critic of note...But seriously, is there any reason for sending me this? The only thing I ever liked about Nashville Pussy were the occassional ""titty pictures" they used to put on their records. Shit, I hated Nine Pound Hammer. I force myself to ignore the fact that the almighty Adam "Rock'n'Roll Outlaw" Neal was in either band for any length of time. And don't think this is just me trying to make it sound like I never liked the rawk. I've liked some rawk bands in my time, but these cats (ouch) were never, ever one of them. This rock-n-roll-hillbilly routine was real humorless from the get-go. Nonetheless, good soldier that I am, I waded through this entire CD. This is what I remember: "AWLRIIIIGHT!", "EAT IT BEFORE IT GETS COLD!", "IT'S PUSSY TIME!", "YOU GOT THE TIME, WE GOT THE PUSSY", "I'M A LAZY WHITE BOY", and on and on, ad infinitum. Who buys this shit, you ask? Well, I wanted to know, so I looked up a Nashville Pussy fan site. Apparently it's dudes in their mid-Forties with a Corey Parks fixation that are getting all these units moved. Dude, she's not even in the band anymore. And have you seen Corey Parks lately? Apparently four or five years of pissing in sinks and cleaning up after Duane Peters' vomits blood all over their pit bull has taken it's toll. And that toll was paid in yards of shitty looking ink, a prison dye-job and haircut, and a face that now looks like it was lit on fire and put out with a rake. Her mammoth breasts even seem drug addled. Totally damaged. Ruyter sill looks OK, froma distance at least. If I ever had to pick one, I would've picked her. She must own an unending supply of leopard print bras. Blaine Cartwright, however, still has that forced Billy Bob Thornton playing a hayseed look down pat. They have some other chick in the band now too, but I have no idea what she looks like, as these fucks sent me a promo CD without the actual artwork. And that's not the only insulting thing about this. They also cover "Nutbush City Limits", actually wrote a song called "Snowblind", make an errant and rather hilarious attempt to grab some credibilty by getting Daniel Rey to produce, and play up the fact that they're from Atlanta, which I had totally forgotten about up until this point. There's a half dozen awesome bands in Atlanta right now, and Nashville Pussy probably couldn't name one of them. Someone get the Black Lips to piss on these clowns. Hey, is that cover art by Coop? AWLRIIIGHT!(RK)
Four track CDR from Yokkaichi punks who like synthesizers and think they're too good for a real drummer. The songs alternate back and forth between bouncy, poppy sounds and drifting melodic punk that earns the "new wave" prefix with the addition of the synth. Their usage of a drum machine instead of a human gives the whole CDR a bedroom pop project feel, albeit one where you can hear each individual member's contributions to the songs. The last track in particular feels like The Minds meeting with No Hope for the Kids (or most any LA punk band from the 80s for that matter). After hearing this, I'll make sure to get my buddy to send a copy of their s/t 7" next time we trade. (JC)
When I heard about this LP I went into a frenzy trying to find it. Almost an entire LP’s worth of
unreleased tracks from the band that unleashed the monster “Just Head/Get Stuffed” single upon the
world (not to mention the great “Loretta”) recorded contemporaneously with the aforementioned
slice of KBD godhead? Like, sign me up dude! Unfortunately, procuring this LP proved to be a
multi-month endeavor. Once I finally did manage to get my greasy paws on one (thanks entirely to
the efforts of my good pal Sir Teizod Tightsly) I ripped off the shrink wrap, regaled the bottom
of the jacket (which was falling apart), and slapped the platter down on my turntable first thing
after returning from a night of copious consumption of alcoholic beverages at the aforementioned
Sir Tightsly’s abode. What I heard was like a revelation: the two unreleased songs on the a-side
are up to par with their singles! “I’m a Degenerate” is an unrepentantly retarded, driving, catchy
punk song – it’s nothing short of amazing that this was recorded in 1974!!! As killer as this
track is, “You Smell Like Fish” (just guess what the title alludes to) might be even better. It’s
a raver in the Stones-worshiping mold of “Loretta” and to these ears it sounds as good as anything
on the Eaters’ godlike singles. It’s like the missing link between the Stones and the Penetrators
or something. The tracks on side b are nowhere near as mind melting as these two tunes – thanks in
large part to some less than stellar audio quality – but there are some total rippers, especially
the Stooges-like “Planet Fever,” the absolute barn-burner “On the Avenue,” and the totally tuff
“Driving to New York.” Add in an obviously lovingly-assembled package – including voluminous liner
notes (we’re talking an entire chapter of a book here) and a treasure trove of classic pics – and
you’ve got a record no self respecting rock n roll aficionado should be without. I’m as sick of
hype as the rest of you, but this LP is the real deal. Now if only you could easily find one!(SB)
I'm too lazy to check the T-B review database to see how many times poor Jeffrey Novak's musical efforts have been compared to Reatards, but this one isn't gonna be any different. If anything, the recording this time around sounds much less like a one man band and much more like a three piece and just like "Teenage Hate." In my book, this couldn't be further from, "a bad thing." The hate isn't quite as intense, but he's got a few years to work on it. The guitars, however, are very much there and all fourteen songs on this guy suffer from nothing but my inability to turn it up any louder at one in the morning in fear of my neighbors calling the cops. It's times like these I wish I had friends so I could have a party and just play this over and over as background music. (JC)
I wasn't a big fan of the Observers' LP, but after seeing them live this summer with Clorox Girls, I made an effort to check out their 7"s and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I can only take so much of their brooding punk sound mixed with howling background vocals (Social Distortion meets Vee Dee who already met Danzig?) at one time, but this new single has a couple of tracks in their style that I've yet to get tired of. My favorite parts of the complete package are the lyric sheets for each song, each done by a different artist (Non-funny Snakepit art? What?). A great way to pass the time throughout the song and really engage you in more than one of your senses. (JC)
Original Three info: they are a NOLA twin guitar (one trebly, one sludgy) trio, Ian also plays guitar in the Black Lips (he's the one with the sparkly fronts), and they self-released a single awhile ago that I don't remember listening to, but I do remember it came with a pin. On this EP they play two slower swampy numbers, both real downers with some guitar twists. The first, "Unplug", was recorded at Tronic Graveyard and has a brief appearance by Jay on key-noise. The flip side, "Been There", is a bit deeper, peppered with haunted bleeps and death-on-the-bayou screams. Christgau says C+, but also says he would listen to more if given the chance. For some reason he feels the LP on Empty could be a contender. This record is is almost onto something good, but pulls up lame just short of the finish line. Scum stats: 300 copies on black vinyl, 50 copies on "Oranginal" orange vinyl. Features some really shitty artwork as well.(RK)
Vol. 4? I dunno either. Pindrivers are an unheard of until now Spanish(?) three-piece(?), playing trad blues-punk right down to a cover of the 'blivs "Nigger Rich". Remarkable? No. Terrbile? No. Perhaps even a little Spaceshitty at times, these guys don't fall victim to the usual Euro-blooze-trash rut, but don't exactly raise my eyebrow any, either. A rare clunker from the generally always reliable Goodbye Boozy imprint. Cool cover though, and they thank Sergio Garcia?! Scum stats: 300 pressed, duh.(RK)
The vinyl debut from our pal Jeff Novak, plus sister April and brother-in-law JOe. A real family affair, these Rat Traps. Well, if you heard the tour cd-r they had, you know the A-Side, and it's a doozy. Sort of like Persuders meet the Spits or some such nonsensical comparison. Good shit. The B-Side is two unheard numbers, and both are pretty deadly. "People Die Everyday" is in the same vein as the A-Side, with Joe on vox. But "Gimme Scanners" is the clean cut winner here, led with Jeff's raspy vocals, it's complete KBD destruction channeled thru Memphis. I hope it's about the movie too, cuz I think I heard a line about blowing up heads. Or maybe I'm making that up. Get this now, these kids are hot! Scum stats: not too sure. 500 is my estimate, with 3/4 sleeve by Mike Sniper and insert. B&W covers covers with band name colored in on most, plus a super limited collector scum edition exists as well, exact details of which are unknown. Mmmmmmm, scummy. (RK)
Second single from this Euro-via-London three-piece, and far better than their first. The opener is just the lyric "Fight! Fight! Fight!" over the guys laying down a total shit-stomp. Brutal. The title cut is the second track on the A, and I'm partial to it, since I actually own a Blue Demon mask, bought in Tijuana years ago. If you're gonna like a luchador, make it old school. The B-Side offers two more cuts: the flying dropkick of "Deathgrip", and a fab instrumental called "Vendetta" that reminds me of some of the reverb-laden instro cuts the Drags would stick on B-Sides back in the day. Very well done, and recorded by Mil Mascaras no less! Scum stats: 500, with Bongout screened sleeve.(RK)
Ben Wallers from the Country Teasers is back with his second officially released LP full of solo work under the moniker of ‘The Rebel’. While I enjoyed his first full length ‘Kit’, especially after letting it really sink in with repeated listens, it’s on ‘Prawns’ that Wallers’ solo attack is fully realized. ‘Prawns’ isn’t as much a collection of songs as it is a “true album” that flows and tells a story from start to finish. Each song blends into the next and it’s hard to tell where one stops and the next one starts with the more traditional sounding songs being seamlessly linked together with haunting soundscapes. This is as good as DIY bedroom experimentation gets with Ben utilizing drum machines, guitars, synths, and vocal effects, which acting together bring to mind The Fall at their most bizarre and creative. If you’re looking for hits, they’re here, with ‘Hitlers and Churchills’, ‘God’s Chosen Fish, The Skate’, and ‘Your English’, three originals that are up there with the many gems Wallers has penned over the years. Perhaps the greatest praise I can heap on The Rebel is how he seems to be able to effortlessly write these infectious songs that are just naturally peculiar without going out of his way to make them “wacky” or “weird”. Can anyone else today cover a Coasters song immediately followed by a Killing Joke song immediately followed by a three-part opus and have it not come off as a joke? I doubt it. This is apparently limited, so act quick if this is the sort of stuff that sails your boat. (JG)
This is a very mellow collection of singles tracks & other assorted rarities from our good pal
Greg Cartwright, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t as good as their “proper” albums. Greg is widely
considered one of the best songwriters out there right now by RS aficionados and you’ll get no
argument from me on that point. While the up-tempo ravers found on “Too Much Guitar” were one of
the best musical treats of last year, I’m thinking I like it when Greg takes the quiet,
understated approach just as much if not more. Case in point – the stripped down versions of “If
You Can’t Give Me Everything” and “Funny Thing” serve to accentuate how stellar Greg’s songs
really are. Tunes like the pleasantly melancholic “Medication Blues #1” and the utterly
mesmerizing “If Christmas Can’t Bring You Home” (the later just blows me away – I can’t ever
remember hearing a Christmas themed tune with this much heart and soul in it) only further serve
to make the case for the stature of Greg’s talent. Few bands’ recorded output is of such
irreproachable quality that their even odds & sods collections are heads and shoulders above most
bands’ regular albums. The Reigning Sound are one of those bands.(SB)
Typical of Pau...the Rhythm Chicken to put primarily visual performance art on a record, but ya' do get a DVD-R (or whatever it is) of what's in the grooves, so that's cool. If yer not aware, RC puts on a big rabbit head, sets up his drums commando-style and, uh, beats on them...and ruckus ensues. The last time I saw him, he was clutching the Green Bay polka mass record photocopied onto the sleeve, and he ended up getting shitfaced and blew up the Costello show (he was supposed to be a guest) for no apparent reason. No violence is included on these vids, and while they're pretty entertaining, I can't see anyone playing the record itself more than once. This ex-Boris the Sprinkler dude has spent much of the rest of his time in noisy and bizarre units, was "Rally Rabbit" (an official mascot!) for the Milwaukee Brewers, and has done this RC bit all over the world. It's a good concept, and it's always good for a laugh when he shows up unnanouned and starts playing in a restaurant bathroom or a parking lot in the middle of winter, but it's not like these are songs or anything. The videos are fun, so if you're into that sorta' thing...(TK)
Ah, boy. I could spend all day making barbed comments about the mock Pet Sounds sleeve and aliases like Paul McFartney, but I won't. These guys helped the Armitage Shanks get over to US shores, and even though I did not get to see any of these shows, I will give them the benefit of the doubt for this act of goodness. Obviously, like the Shanks, they share a predeliction for toilet humor. Sound-wise, it's...pop-punk? Wow. People still play this shit? Along the lines of the latter day Queers or the Parasites especially, with perhaps a bit tougher of a guitar sound, but with just as much of a Ramones fixation. Not bad for this type of thing, and "Blood Feast(A Love Song)" is really good. Well written and well played for this genre, and the songs themselves are a bit smarter (and funnier) than the title concept will lead you to believe.(RK)
Sagger records make the world a better place. The title cut on this one grooves pretty good, in that off-center kinda way, delving sonically a little South of the Mason-Dixon line for some back porch whiskey-n-weed Sagger swagger. A winner from your dinner, as someone once eloquently put it. The other two tracks are quickfast glimpses of The Tonys' rather unique guitar vision, and he actually lets the riffs go a little bit on "Metal Song" instead of strangling them mid-life. Let's not underestimate the prowess of Skull Rider on these cuts either, a frontman who summons vocal incantations from the deepest depths of the dungeon master's guide. And there's not much to say about Snacks-A-Lot's drumming: simple, primal, effective. One of my favorite trios of all-time. Is this the last Sagger record in the vaults? Does the oft-rumored LP exist? Only The Tonys knows. Scum stats: 300 pressed, thank you Goodbye Boozy!(RK)
As charter continental member of the Sailors Fan Club, I'm overjoyed at some new tracks, no matter how half-assed and uninspired they may be. And unfortunately, much of this just doesn't cut the muster placed side-by-side the earlier efforts. Much of this is perfectly enjoyable to me (especially tunes like "Cracker in the Niggertonk"), but again, I'm a Sailors tard. You'll probably want to start elsewhere and work your way over to this. If you make it that far, you'll find plenty to like & chuckle about. If not, try "Turning the Other Cheek" or "Violent Masturbation Blues," still in print and available via the fine, salty gent at...(TK)
CD version of the LP released last year on Yakisakana. Better late than never, I guess. So I'm listening to this, and I start thinking about when the LP came out, how I'm sure a lot of people were excited to hear it. I was. We had anointed these guys the best band to not release an LP preceding the release. Then the LP hit, and we all ignored it, poo-pooed it, said it wasn't as good as the singles, said it was boring, said whatever. Soon after the SRBs were no longer on the tips of our tongues, the members off to other projects, the band supposedly defunct. An ugly crash and burn of sorts. So I grab this thing in a stack of discs for car listening, and I realize that it was really a good album. From a really good band. A band I remembered I always wished I could've seen live, because they can throw down with the best. One-two pounders like "Leaving Town" nestled in between the the heavy skunk-slink of "Mudslide" and the laid-back groove of "Charlie's Dirt Road" show they had range, even if we pigeonholed them as trad blues-punk. But they were equal parts Bassholes roots, Cramps creep, and Crypt Style raving. They always had a harmonica in the right places, knew the proper uses of stun guitar, trebly scratch, and bowel tickling low end tones, and weren't afraid to just kick out a straight punk-static jam called "Mommy" when they felt the mood. This is a real good record, and one I wish I would'nt have given short shrift when it came out. And with all the hating on the blues-trash genre lately, it makes it that much better when you hear it done right. Maybe the digital format can get some more people on board here. And in further Scat Rag news, Delta Pop will be releasing a Skip Jensen full-length shortly as well. (RK)
I have soft spot for this band for some reason. Always have. Quality German trash-rock is hard to find. I think I own every single one of their records. I was with them in the early days, when they were releasing stuff on the obscure and deviant Manul Wastl label. I lasted through a half-dozen line-up changes (at least), and the addition and subtraction of the "Ltd." suffix from the Superhelicopter moniker. I even stuck around when they pulled a complete about face and turned into some kind of insane Teutonic hardcore band on the split 12" with Eradicate (and actually liked it). I've listened to and loved Nils' post-Superhelicopter act, Damnation Kids. I've paid my dues with these fellas, so when I see that they are finally releasing a 12" LP proper, after years of EP after EP, well, I get a little geeked up. So I get the thing from P.Trash and throw it on. Checking the sleeve I notice they've changed line-ups again (no surprise), this time into a five-piece, even including a female (or two). It gets off on a good foot. The first half dozen tunes tunes are classic Superhelicopter: guitars that sound sound like the blades of an evil fuzz-saw, that I'm sure took off a few fingers while they were being played. Brief musical fragments that fall like rockslides on sleepy Alpine villages ("Kollaps"). Rotten, Allin-esque lyrical content, like "Drink, fight, fuck, nothing to lose!" served up with vocal chords-thru-a-lawnmower distortion. They even add some laser-like keyboards, cowbell, and femme backing vox. Things build and build and I'm thinking there's gonna be a huge payoff. The seventh and last track on the A-Side is called "Deathray". I mean, a track called "Deathray" from a band as diabolical as Superhelicopter has to be fucking awesome, right? I have a flash of such over-the-top guitar scree-distorto-shred that my ears are gonna be severed just from hearing it. So it hits, and it I'm...stunned. Not because it's a killer. But it like a bad stab at dirty indie rock. With female vox. What the fuck? Are they letting me down on purpose here? I wait for the deathray to kick in, but it just ends. Is this what they wanted? Are they getting cute with me here? Like, "Let's make "Deathray" sound nothing like a deathray, that'll really fool them." I dunno. But I was bummed. They open up the B-Side with awesome and hilarious (and very HFOS-ish) anthem "Gay Generation", which makes me feel a little better. They throw a couple more cookers on this side, and end it with a strange pairing of one of the girls falsetto-ish crooning over industrial strength meatgrinder guitars that sounds really perverse in a way only Germans can be. SO is it a good record? Yes. It's a good record by a good band, who actually expand their chops and style a bit. It is not the make-my-ears-bleed aural fuck fest I wanted and thought it would be. But it is a good album on it's own merits, from a band of sickos that should be remembered fondly. Scum stats: 500 copies, the first one hundred of which come with a bonus one-sided 7" that is silkscreened on the dead wax side (a la the Black Time 12"). The songs on that are ridiculous-good, and well worth tracking down.(RK)
The craziest thing about this record is that these guys are from Ireland. Horror-garage from Belfast. Craaaazy. Anyway, these guys have their sights set high: I guess the had/have a development deal with Sony UK, did some stuff with a dude who produced a U2 record or something, and a bunch of high profile opening gigs (Peaches, Raveonettes, etc..) So how they end up releasing a record with Bart, I don't know. Anyway, song titles like "Demon Stomp" and "Psycho Love" do a better job of describing their Farfisa-driven creepy-sounds than anything I could spit out. It's not as band as you might think, as they are pretty adept musicaians it seems, and the guy bellows and screams well enough. Nowhere near as good as early Blowtops or the first 45 Grave single or The Beguiled though. But I'd probably go see them on Halloween if they played in town. On fuschia-colored vinyl. (RK)
Three-song single from Alex Cuervo's (Gospel Swingers, Blacktop, A Feast of Snakes, etc...) latest outfit. The first I heard of TDT was on the split seven-inch reviewed elsewhere in this issue, and I liked those tunes a lot. They don't fare as well on this record. I'm assuming that these songs are from a different recording session, and apparently utilize a different line-up (well, at least one member is different) from the aforementioned split. Cuervo's vocals are maybe pushed a little too far up in the mix, making their theatric quality a bit much to bear (he actually sounds a bit like a Texas-fried Danzig on these). The band has all the right elements in place though, ripping off nice fuzz solos at a moments notice, some tastefully subtle and Stones-y keyboard/piano work, and a nice desert-psych vibe overall. I think they just might need some better tunes than these. The A-Side is a little too much boogie, and the B-Side is a bit too much slow-burn blues. Nothing to really get stuck in your head. Listening to this record, TDT are a band that a lot of people with "normal" musical tastes might like. Pretty traditional and almost sterotypically Texan sounding. I think there's potential here, so hopefully on one of the five or six more records they have coming out they will find "it". I do like the sleeve art motif they seem to have going as well. Scum stats: 300 copies on black vinyl, 50 copies on blue vinyl.(RK)
Every year there are a handfulla' albums it seems everyone in the general scene proximity can agree upon, and from everything I've seen & heard, the Time Flys "Fly" album is a top pick for 2005. This is of a quality consistant with the excellent singles, so if you liked those, this is like six Time Flys singles packed onto one record/CD. If you didn't like the singles, you might be earless. A little glam/pre-punk knowledge and a lotta' punk, stripped back to before the rules were codified. Clever, informed songwriting that's just enough "different" to grab your attention and hook-filled enough to keep it dialed in. Top that off with a strong sense of humor and a dump truck fulla' flailing hair, and there you go. This is the perfect modern band for people who have been getting off on pre-punk reissues (think "Anopheles Records"), though I can see some disqualifying this just because of the year it came out. Then again, they're bitches and you're a lot smarter than they are, right? (TK)
Every once in a-very long-while, I get an album that is like a good book. Everything flows like a great read should and I can go back to the record over and over and get more and more out of it. The USA is a Monster’s third full length does just that. It starts off with a killer riff and then turns sideways like if the MC5 made a record for ESP. Everything switches up, gets loud, changes midstream, goes soft, flips over and dives into more insanity. These two guys can make quite a racket as well as quiet it down. There are things here that should drive me away screaming: Every song has multiple parts, there are metal riffs throughout, and it lacks a bass; however this is so good that all those things that I normally hate are not only pulled off but an essential part of the sound. And then there is the very effective duel vocals and the lyrics, which mostly concern Native Americans, are smart. These guys are able to incorporate politics in their music the same way a band like the Mekons or the Ex does. If someone wanted a shorthand description the lazy me would say mash the Fugs up with Lightning Bolt, but really this is so much more. I am sorry if this review is a bit confused. It is just that sometimes a record is so good it kind of defies description. It really stands on its own. I listed the USA is a Monster’s 2003 album, 'Tasheyana Compost', as one of that years best. As 2005 winds down, I already know that 'Wohaw' will find its way on this year’s list. Wohaw fits into my broad definition of punk rock. It is a record I wish I would have released. That is the highest praise I can give.(SSR)
Along with the recent Epicycle LP, this Toy Love anthology is one of the best pop re-issues of the past few years. Hailing from New Zealand, the band formed out of the ashes of The Enemy, and then disbanded after only being together for less than two years, when members then went on to form The Bats and The Tall Dwarfs (I know next to nothing about the Flying Nun scene, so that’s all the history you’re gonna get from me.) Included on disc one of ‘Cuts’ are the band’s first two singles, the b-side to their third single and the entirety of their one and only album (which has apparently been drastically remastered). Their first single, ‘Squeeze’ b/w ‘Rebel’, mines 60s pop for inspiration while the keyboards provide the perfect amount of Devo quirk and vocalist Chris Knox does his best Bowie impression. Single #2, ‘Don’t Ask Me’ b/w ‘Sheep’, sounds like a lost Pointed Sticks single which is high praise coming from me (and if The Reds didn’t borrow liberally from ‘Sheep’ for ‘I Hate Rules’, I’d be surprised). While the album tracks aren’t as consistent as the singles, there are more than enough songs that please and it’s here that the band busts out the new wave sound and incorporates some off kilter aspects to their songs like in ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ which sounds like it could be a lost Fall track and ‘Photographs of Naked Ladies’ which brings to mind Gang of Four. My faves from the album are the straight ahead power-poppers like ‘Swimming Pool’ which invokes images of a pansy Lou Reed type singing over a Trend song, and ‘Pull Down the Shades’, arguably the punkest number on the disc. Disc two has the three songs they contributed to the ‘AK79’ comp, and over a dozen demo tracks, a few of which were never re-recorded. I prefer the production on the demo songs as it’s a bit rawer and the guitars usually have a bit more hijinx on them, which gives the songs a bit more urgency. Forty songs in total is a bit much, but there’s more than enough worthwhile on this collection, including the exhaustive liner notes, to make it a highly recommended purchase for all pop/new wave fans. (JG)
After years of paying the dues, the Tornados finally push out a twelve-incher. It's been years and years in the making, and pays off in scum-rock spades, sounding like equal parts Cows, Jabbers, and Samoans all coated with a healthy Rust Belt junk-rock sheen. Features re-recorded versions of the songs from last year's "Don't Mind the Maggots" EP, plus a handful more originals in the same vein. My favorite moments: the vocal-three way of "Sex on the Brain", featuring drummer Dave Unlikely belting it out and sounding surprisingly great (and almost bringing a tear to my eye), the junkyard hardcore of "Sapsucker", probably the best tune on the LP, and "Dial L for Loser", a Rob tune which is actually pretty damn catchy. A quality effort from one of the hardest working bands in showbiz. The tragic thing about this record is that the TPTs have fallen prey to the curse that plagues all Buffalo bands: their recorded output is far behind their actual progression as a band. (See Furies, Baseball and Blowtops, The for further examples.) Since the recording of this LP, the Tornados have lost and replaced a drummer, with Unlikely leaving the drum stool vacant in surprising fashion and being replaced with lightning-quick hardcore stalwart Paulie Shoes, and the addition of second guitarist DeeDee Tron (ex-Concubine Forming), which has turned them into a beast of a dialed-in HC-junk-punk quartet, the tighest and best sounding unit they've been in a half dozen years. This line-up will be sure to singe some mustache hairs at HorribleFest, the only fest wise enough to ask bands from Buffalo to play. Plus, they now look like three skinheads and a rasta on stage, which will immediately gain them acceptance from the hardcore audience. Brilliant move.(RK)
Splitter released for sale on the West Coast jaunt these two groups of noise-mongers made in the late summer. Two tunes apiece. The Blowtops side contains the first vinyl appearance by the latest line-up. "Emergency Medkill" has some scalpel-like guitar punctuating the heavy organ moodiness, while Dave's rapid-fire vocal attack builds the song up to a really rocking and frantic pace. Which is great, beacause I like it when the play the faster