Atlantic Thrills – A Day at The Beach 7” (Almost Ready Records)
According to the
bands bio, this Providence, RI band can play anything from full blown nuclear
mushroom cloud garage punk to fun in the sun drenched surf ditties; let this
record stand as exhibit “A” as evidence to why the above statement is 100%
truthful. The A side, “A Day at The Beach” is the perfect soundtrack to a warm
day on the sand, dancing, frolicking about and even playing volleyball with an
oversized beach ball. The B Side, “Hold
Your Tongue,” is a 1960’s garage Rock N’ Roll stomp-o-rama similar to The
Monk’s song “Complication.” Atlantic Thrills effortlessly deliver the goods . .
. and then some! – Jay Castro
1-800-BAND – Diver Blue 12” EP (Almost
Ready Records)
When I was
growing up in the 1980’s, these are the type of songs I would hear anytime the
radio was turned on. Now, I realize writing statements like this date me and
possibly rears the ugly head of a “My generation is better than your
generation” article, but it is a little sad that to find the songs that
1-800-BAND writes are ones that have to be searched for. Diver Blue is full of a mix of American Power Pop (think early Tom
Petty and The Beat) mixed with ‘80’s pop that nestles it’s way into your head
like an earwig. Memorable and catchy choruses mixed with earnest vocals with a
splash of Dwight Tilley thrown in. – Ed Stuart
Ausmuteants – Amusements LP (Goner Records)
Dusty Australian
synth-punk band of apocalyptic doomsayers Ausmutants bring us songs pieced
together with duct tape, scrap metal and ultra melodic hooks all wrapped in
shell casings of bleakness and urgency.
Ausmutants immediately remind me of contemporary bands like
Miscalculations and Sex Crime with hints of bands from the way back machine
like Screamers. This long player delivers songs that are short, sharp, and
dark. Ausmutants aren’t a carbon
copy of the above-mentioned bands make no mistake about that. They push and
shove their way right to the top of their game and stand side by side next to
the genera’s best. – Jay Castro
Liquor Store – In The Garden LP (Almost
Ready Records)
Years ago,
Canadian Club whisky ran an ad campaign entitled “Damn Right Your Dad Drank
It.” The ads featured a series of vintage pictures of young versions of “dads”
pictured with women other than their wives, hanging out with friends, and
proclaiming the virtues of having a van. Where am I going with this? Liquor
Store seems like the kids of these vintage “dads” and upon finding “dad’s” long
hidden record collection and old photos were so influenced that they decided to
start a band. Liquor Store plays a mix of garage and classic rock, which upon
first thought you might think wouldn’t work, but on In The Garden it does. Liquor Store plays the kind of rock that is
heavy on guitar chops and falls somewhere between MC5 “Kick out the Jams” and
Credence Clearwater Revival influenced southern Rock by way of New Jersey. – Ed Stuart
The Reigning Sound – Live at Goner Records LP (Goner Records)
This record was
recorded June 26th, 2005 and was originally available only as a
limited edition CD, until now that is! If any of you aren’t familiar with The
Reigning Sound, I have but one question: WHY NOT? Greg and the boys deliver
some brilliantly melodic, well-crafted punk Rock N’ Roll tunes that ooze
warmth, charm and style that is nearly unsurpassed by any of their
contemporaries. This record is as good a place to start listening to this band
as any. The sound quality is excellent plus you get a sample of the oomph that
Reigning Sound brings to the stage. In the land of Rock N’ Roll, The Reigning
Sound is giants among men. – Jay Castro
Ex-Cult – Midnight Passenger LP (Goner
Records)
Ex-Cult live in
a world where punk and post-punk meet. Midnight
Passenger is an arguable equivalent to Wipers, Mission of Burma and X
(Australia not Los Angeles). Razorblade guitars with an art-damaged, noise punk
urgency set against a bubbling punk cauldron on some songs while others are a
full of 1960’s psychedelic mood and atmosphere. – Ed Stuart
Hard Girls – A Thousand Surfaces LP (Asian Man Records)
The San Jose, CA
power trio’s second album has songs that are tightly packed with their unique
brand of melodic, intelligent ferocity. To me, the qualities I hear in this
band are similar to the ones I love in bands like Jawbreaker, J Church and
Superchunk. A swirling blurred force of guitars and drums whisking quickly and
violently around you with honest vocals that serve as the anchor to keep everything
from getting too out of control.
On the band’s Facebook profile they list “havin’ fun” and “gettin’ over
depression” as some of their interests. Thankfully we have bands like Hard
Girls that makes those things easier for the rest of us to get through! – Jay
Castro
Ricky C Quartet – I Miss You b/w Feed The Crocodiles 7” (Wanda Records)
With a LP coming
out this summer, I’m wondering if I Miss
You b/w Feed The Crocodiles is a teaser single to hold us over until the
summer. If it is, then I will patiently wait. This single is a ripping two
songer that finds Ricky C Quartet (or RCQ) playing a mix of Saints, The Kids
and 1960’s proto-punk. “I Miss You” has an intro that seems to be a missing
part to a Mick Jones sung Clash song that doubles as both influence and homage.
Solid release! – Ed Stuart
Stalins of Sound – Tank Tracks LP (Slovenly Recordings)
Stalins of Sound
hurl dark and damaged punk rock that rides a black sound tidal wave of
synthesizers and anxiety. The name of the band and the cover photo of the
record, that shows a tank on a busy freeway mowing down motorists, pretty much
sums up their music. These San Diego residents deliver the soundtrack to the
harsh reality of when (not if) the machines finally take over and humanity’s
days are numbered. The human race resists their extinction agenda however, and
a rag tag crew of cold, calculating militant types band together and fight
back. The Stalins of Sound are geared up for the first strike against the enemy
stronghold. – Jay Castro
Hobocop – Half Man Half Cop LP (Slovenly
Recordings)
From what I
could gather from various sources was that Hobocop was a two-person band from
Oakland around 2010, but are no more. The ex-Hobocop members are Cody,
currently is in Shannon and The Clams and King Lollipop, and Owen, who moved to
New York City to pursue an animation job. While this is nothing like what Cody
does in either of his current bands, Hobocop are a mix of fuzzy, dirty, bedroom
and/or basement recordings that have the 4-track spirit of Sebodah while
playing a lo-lo-fi 1960’s garage punk. – Ed Stuart
Wavelengths – S/T LP (Rubber Brother Records)
Wavelengths
summon up the fun, lighthearted spirits of the 1960’s and manage to funnel them
into your speakers and into your uptight cranium. Enjoyable tunes of loose
psychedelic, kick back lounge and garage splatter about. I am certain this
record has been specifically written to raise your good time mood to a near
uncontrollable level. Never taking themselves too seriously, which is a good
thing with song titles like “Take It Sleazy,” and at the same time deliver some straight rock right outta the
garage with songs like “I Don’t Wanna.” Wavelengths
keep the rock rollicking throughout the album’s duration. – Jay Castro
Wolvves – Go Demon or Go Home (Rubber Brother Records)
Wolvves is
one-part lo-fi garage rock, one-part Spits, one-part rap and one-part
psychedelic. If you learn anything from Go
Demon or Go Home, it’s that these guys like smokin’ weed and preferably all
day if you let them. Much like Fidlar, New Swears and a host of other bands, that have tapped the teenage party lyrical vibe, Wolvves is covering similar
ground but what they do is mix it up musically by shifting garage-punk, rap
verses and psych to arguably become another soundtrack for a growing number of
kids. - Ed Stuart
Los Puchos – S/T Cassette EP (Rubber Brother Records)
Jordan of Petty
Things along with his brother formed the heart of this now defunct Tempe, AZ
band. “Puchos” is what the Argentineans refer to as cigarettes, in case anyone
is wondering. This cassette reels out some easy going summer lazy tunes that
remind me what it would be like to take the mule ride down the Grand Canyon:
fun, moving, spiritual, but by no means in any hurry. In my opinion, the
standout tracks are “Victoria” which
blends what the Puchos do best plus add some garage rock stomp and strut. The
other being “Joanne” which reminds me
of something Van Morrison could have written. When all is said and done, Los Puchos graced us with an
absolutely solid release, a shame that the band called it a day. – Jay Castro
Playboy Manbaby – Bummeritaville LP (Rubber
Brother Records)
Punk? Ska? Funk?
No wave? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Playboy Manbaby is like James White and The
Contortions fronted by an art-damaged/hardcore raspy vocal singer. Just like
The Contortions, Playboy Manbaby is always seeking to strike the balance of
when to turn on the punk and when to break it down to funk and on Bummeritaville the band does this
exceptionally well. No wave punk-funk with a horn, which brings to mind the New
York No Wave scene and the arguably underappreciated Go Go Go Airheart. – Ed
Stuart
Durban Poison – Thunderwolf Cassette (Shake! Records)
The Thunderwolf is a mythological creature
that seems to exist in different cultures. To the Japanese, the creature is a
white wolf wrapped in blue lightening and is said to be pretty calm and
harmless except when there is a thunderstorm then it becomes agitated and leaps
all around in trees and rooftops scorching all it touches. This same reaction
also comes from listening to Durban Poison brand of high-octane music. The
Victoria B.C band of ladies and gentlemen shoot bolts of melodic, aggressive
punk Rock N’ Roll out of their fingertips that causes one’s soul to stir. Like
the Thunderwolf creature this
cassette will leave scorch marks on your tape player no matter what the weather
condition. – Jay Castro
Bad Doctors – Burning City LP (FDH
Records/P. Trash Records)
For all the kids
who were born too late for the 1980’s (another thing to blame on your parents),
but are totally enamored by the decade, Bad Doctors is a band to claim as your
own. Bad Doctors has a steady list of classic influences like New Order, Fascination Street era The Cure, Depeche
Mode and later Devo to create a musical tapestry that has everything you would
associate with these bands. Pop melodies set against moody rhythms with vocals
reminiscent of Ian Curtis. Synth-punk-new wave, when done wrong, can sound like
a bad cliché, but on Burning City,
Bad Doctors are doing it just right. – Ed Stuart
Primitive Hearts – High and Tight LP, (Resurrection Records/FDH Records/P-Trash
Records) & S/T 7” EP
(Resurrection Records/No Rules! Records)
These records
came out last year but they just recently arrived at the drawbridge of the
Audio Ammunition secret mountain castle/fortress. We played them (a lot) and
loved ‘em so we want to share the experience with you, our friends. Just
because they came out a year ago doesn’t make them any less relevant by any
means. Primitive Hearts play a kind of pop punk/power pop hybrid that not a lot
of bands have been able to pull off: The Yum Yums, The Basement Brats, and The
Parasites are just a few that come to mind at the moment. They sing about loves
won and lost, the good times of yesterday and the ones that are yet to be had.
Primitive hearts are the band you put on when your best lady stomped on your
heart and when you’re getting psyched for the big Saturday night. – Jay Castro
Hector’s Pets – Pet-O-Feelia LP (Oops
Baby Records)
Hector’s Pets
takes a lot of cues from Too Tough To Die-era
Ramones, Dictators, Chuck Berry riffs, Thin Lizzy-esque vocals and Beach Boys
harmonies to make a guitar driven Rock N’ Roll, Dirtbombs influenced LP with
enough pop for the power-popper in you. Pet-O-Feelia
has tongue firmly planted in cheek, as if the title wasn’t indication enough,
songs like “Station Wagon” and “Teenacher” are catchy reminder of how early
‘70’s Punk N’ Roll could be tough and fun just like Hector’s Pets. – Ed Stuart
Cat Party – A Thousand Shades of Gray 7” EP (Resurrection Records)
This band is a
current band from California, but sounds like they came from England in the
late 1970’s and early 1980’s marching with the likes of The Cure, Echo and The
Bunnymen and Joy Division. Although they share a dark romanticism with the
above-mentioned bands, Cat Party put a bit more velocity behind it. Unlike a
lot of bands that share the same influences, when you listen to Cat Party their
music doesn’t just make you want to listen to the originals, their music makes
you want to listen to more Cat Party: melodic, melancholy with just a hint of
late 1970’s punk bubbling beneath the surface to keep things moving. Me being a
huge fan of this type of music (yes, I’m a lover not a fighter) I cry brilliance!
– Jay Castro
Snookys – Steroids 7” (Self-release)
Garage-punk from
Italy that would fit right at home with anything Rip Off had ever put out.
“Steriods” has a riff that is as mean as anything from The Infections catalog.
On Steroids, Snookys have given the
world three ripping songs of short, raw, energetic punk rock that mixes 70’s
Australian punk (think Fun Things “Savage”) with late 90’s garage (Infections).
– Ed Stuart
Honey Badgers – Buena Park LP (Resurrection Records)
California’s
Honey Badgers bring forth a brand of catchy, fun, ferocious, Billy Childish
influenced garage Rock N’ Roll to us in matching black suits and skinny ties.
This album is a bi-polar rollercoaster ride of emotion; from playful little
ditties like the song “Funky C” to
full swing garage mayhem demonstrated in the songs “Bumstick” and “Bone Zone” where you can almost
feel the lead singer screaming at you two inches away from your face. The band
does employ keyboards, and it is utilized in some songs way more than in
others, but it doesn’t by any means take away from the 1960’s garage kick that
this record was meant to be an homage to. I think the forefathers would be
proud. – Jay Castro
Lunch – Quinn Touched The Sun LP (Resurrection Records)
On Quinn Touched The Sun, Lunch has added
the ingredients of Gun Club, Wipers, Minutemen, No Wave and garage rock to its
noisy punk rock stew. Lunch, like many other new bands, has been baptized at
the church of garage punk rock, but they do not just stop there. Songs like
“Monochrome Lust” have taken Gun Club’s punkabilly and taken it to new
directions while “Frill and Lace” and “Teen Guitar” can not hide Lunch’s love
of pop melodies employed in much the same way as Wipers did. – Ed Stuart
The Shrills – Melt Down LP, Pink Hotel
Cassette EP, Ghoul Kids Cassette EP
(Resurrection Records)
The Shrills fire
away cannon blasts of lo-fi, trashy Rock N’ Roll chaos with slathers of 1950’s
rockabilly and doo-wop incased in bombshells of 1960’s garage pandemonium. Imagine if Flat Duo Jets and Supercharger
came together in a remote part of the universe like some sort of unstoppable
Rock N’ Roll Voltron robot but instead of a sword is armed with a keyboard. Now
it heads towards earth on a strict mission to rid the world of all that is dull
and tedious in contemporary music. This gives you some idea of what I’m trying
to keep from exploding my speakers for the last few days. All three of these
releases contain the same high proof mixture with little to no let up! – Jay
Castro
The Rich Hands – Out Of My Head LP (Fountain Records/Burger Records)
Out of My Head could be the bubblegum soundtrack for
this generation of lovelorn kids looking for first dates and the perils of
dating with a lack of funds. The Rich Hands mix Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry
three-chords and a riff simplicity with ‘60’s bubblegum pop and ’70 American
power-pop with outsider cool to make some highly catchy power-pop Rock N’ Roll.
“So Fine” sounds like something Teenage Head would have written while
“Teenager” is the soundtrack of late night car races where trying to impress
your girl might end by driving off a cliff. – Ed Stuart
V/A – No
Rules! No Fun Compilation LP (No Rules Records)
Holy Smokes,
this is one of the best comp records I’ve heard from beginning to end in a
really long time. It’s as if they had Audio Ammunition in mind when the fab
folks over at No Rules concocted it. The fun starts off with Oakland’s Top Ten
and their cover of The Real Kids “Hit You Hard” sung with female vocals, which adds a new twist to an already killer
song. The record keeps up the pace with some of my already favorites like
Youthbitch, Primitive Hearts, Mean Jeans, and Chemicals just to name a few.
Bands I discovered on here that I now love are Piss Test, Huff Stuff, and
Perfect Look. If you’re a fan of fun pop punk that’s high on the melodic side
and bursting with energy, then you owe it to yourself to get this record NOW! –
Jay Castro
Dime Runner – Race To Nowhere LP – (Resurrection Records)
Orange County
has a very storied history of punk and has produced many seminal bands from its
two area codes, Adolescents, Social Distortion and The Stitches to name just a
few. Dime Runner takes a more punk Rock N’ Roll approach to their OC sound much
like The Pushers did and other Hostage released bands have done. Race To Nowhere (which came out late
2012/early 2013) is full of razor sharp guitar and the county’s trademark
snotty vocals. Dime Runner, while they may not reside behind the Orange
Curtain, certainly has the trademarks of the county’s best punk bands. – Ed
Stuart
The Shanghais – Pretty Mean 7” (No Rules Records)
The parade of
fantastic releases just keeps coming from the lads at No Rules Records this
time with this EP by these Oakland, California girls (and boy) The Shanghai’s!
What we got here is (and I wanna add that’s it’s not nearly enough) some cat
claw catchy, pop punk with thick buzz saw guitars and furious drum bashing
accompanied by melodic female vocals and on occasion some doo wop-y backing
vocals. The production on the record is just minimal enough to give the songs
that edge and abrasion that music of this sort needs yet isn’t so lo-fi that it
blocks the melodies from beaming through. I look forward to living in a world
with a band like The Shanghai’s walking amongst us and making music. – Jay
Castro
Bad Coyotes – Time for Sex Positions 7” – (Resurrection Records)
Self billed as “Oakland rock n roll sex punks,” Bad Coyotes play a Rip Offs/Infections
style of high-energy budget rock with a guitar sound that sounds like a chainsaw
cutting through sludge at an early The Kids pace. “Rat Breeders” keep up that
intensity while adding traces of Walk
Among Us Misfits into the mix. Time
for Sex Positions is mixed high into the red for maximum energy and minimal
clarity. Greg Lowery would be proud! – Ed Stuart
Sex Scheme – S/T 7” EP (Puppet
Combo Records)
Brooklyn, New
York’s Sex Scheme scruffily thrust at you some brutally blown out, lo-fi,
broken blues, with harmonica and all. Supposedly the band spent 60 dollars
recording this record. Not that it matters; hundreds of thousands of dollars
are spent to produce absolute rubbish. When playing this record however, be
warned that the humidity level of the room suddenly rises to the levels that
are unmatched by the southern states of the union in the middle of the summer
months, the room you’re in suddenly has dirty maroon shag carpeting and the
paintings on the wall turn into velvet renditions of what they once were.
Turned up, sleazy out, and fuming all around: this is the order of the day for
the band Sex Scheme and they execute this order quite well. – Jay Castro
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