Jay's 2014 Top Ten List
Speaking only for myself of course, I love music, all kinds
of music. My soul is influenced by so much it’s hard to go through and pluck 10
releases out of the past year that I loved the most, it was agonizing in fact. So
I narrowed it down to not only the records I loved and was obsessed over but
also the records that were sent to the Audio Ammunition stronghold that collectively
spent the most amount of time on my various radios. ~ J Castro
1) Impo & the Tents – Peek after a poke LP (Alien Snatch Records)
Late
1970’s style power pop punk like The Undertones or Buzzcocks mixed with a
splash of The Dickies: Super enjoyable, super amazing record that commands
repeat listens.
2)
Average
Times – S/T LP (Hosehead Records)
A
dazzling debut LP: Monumentally catchy and loud bursts of 77 punk-pop inspiration!
These
are sons and daughters of punk from the last 20 years; they gathered everything
that was great about so many bands from that time and discard the dead weight!
3)
New
Trocaderos – Kick Your Ass EP
(Collectors Club Records)
Some of the best rock n’ roll songs produced by
human hands; exciting, exhilarating, exceptional: all understatements when
describing this record!
4)
1-800-BAND
– Diver Blue 12” EP (Almost Ready
Records)
They
learned to channel 1980’s romanticism and inject it into undeniably catchy
songs similar to the Pretenders and The Cars. 1-800-BAND do what so many rock
n’ roll bands wish they could accomplish: they make something old sound new
again!
5)
Dinos
Boys – Last Ones LP (Die
Slaughterhaus Records/Oops Baby Records)
Dinos Boys create a riotous sonic stew of bands like the Damned
and Menace with a power pop execution, it absolutely enslaved my mind.
6)
Ricky C
Quartet – Recent Affairs LP (Wanda
Records)
RCQ effortlessly
evolved from an acid spewing ‘77 style punk band to a stripped down, super
infectious pub rock style similar to the 101’ers and Dr Feelgood on Recent Affairs that’s impossible to
resist.
7)
Blind
Shake – Breakfast of Failures LP
(Goner)
A few
words came immediately to mind: massive, ominous, destructive and glorious. I
imagine a squadron of B-29 Superfortress Bombers roaring overhead and then
suddenly begin laying waste to my hometown.
8)
The
Rich Hands – Out of Our Heads LP
(Fountain Records/Burger Records)
The Rich Hands sound like early Rolling Stones
covering Buddy Holly with a bit more dirt and fuzz collected around the edges,
which just adds warmth and charisma to their music.
9)
Golden
Pelicans – S/T LP (Total Punk
Records)
Ultra tight,
break neck rock n’ roll that reminds me of Radio Birdman mixed with the Testors.
Yes it’s wild, yes it’s sweaty, and if you spend enough time with this record
it will probably take a swing at you. Consider my ass kicked!
10) TV Freaks – Leeches EP (Hosehead Records)
TV
Freaks discharge a furious, shot out of the sky and coming down hard in flames
style of fuzz punk/post punk/hardcore. It’s so great when I can find remnants
of bands like The Stooges and Swell Maps among the wreckage.
Honorable and most distinguished mentions:
Scraps – S/T EP (No Front Teeth)
Space Raft – S/T LP (Dusty Medical Records)
The Estranged – S/T LP (Dirtnap Records)
Maniac – Demimonde LP (La-Ti-Da)
Ed's 2014 Top Ten List
As if Top Ten lists
need a qualifier, but I threw one in anyway. In the making of this list, I
stuck to bands that we either interviewed or reviewed here at the Audio
Ammunition fortress of doom. Unlike Jay, who is far braver, I did not number
them, but just listed them. – Ed Stuart
Average Times – S/T LP (Hosehead)
A hot mess of
early Briefs, Jay Retard, Ramones, and ’77 punk all rolled into tightly wound
package. Average Times are quirky and fun mixing blues, garage, raw
distortion and spreading it over their simple pop songs hidden underneath.
Sometimes simple is good and Average Times S/T
LP is simply good.
Barreracudas – Promises, Promises 7” (Oops Baby)
“I have a pocket
full of quarters now and I’m your Donkey Kong” is arguably too clever to be
just a throwaway lyric and that’s only part of what the future classic
“Promises” has to offer. “Promises” is the song you swear you have heard
before, but you were only just envisioning it your mind. “Young and Dumb” is
full of Dictators tongue in cheek pop mixed with Ramones pop and teenage
wisdom. The Barreracudas had been absent for a while and this is a most welcome
back.
The Cry! – Dangerous Game LP (Top Shelf/Taken By Surprise)
This is a no
brainer and I’m sure Dangerous Game
is on a million 2014 Top Ten lists and it’s well deserved. The CRY! might be
the hottest power-pop band on the planet. The Portland guys have followed up
their S/T LP with a whole lot better
which was no easy feat. Dangerous Game
is so chock full of punk/glam/power-pop that if this LP were a stew you would
be full after the first bite. The alliteration song trifecta of “Smirk,”
“Shakin’,” and “Seventeen,” has probably cemented these guys as the heir
apparent to Exploding Hearts.
Faz Waltz – Kids Are Wild 7” / Move Over
LP (Contra/Surfin’ Ki/White Zoo)
When you were
studying all the proper subjects in school, Faz Waltz were studying T. Rex,
Slade, Sweet and other obscure ‘70’s bovver rock/glam. While Giuda may get all
the press, Faz Waltz has been delivering the goods for years. “Change” sounds
like “Instant Karma” as if Marc Bolan wrote it and played it; while “Working
Class Teacher” has Slade’s anthemic touch and silver boots all over it.
Feral Trash – Trashfiction LP (Dirt Cult/Mammoth Cave/P Trash)
There is a scene
at the end of Ratatouille, where the highly skilled chef, that is also a rat,
is faced with the challenge of wowing the infamously famous and cynical critic.
The rat chef feeds the critic ratatouille, against the advice of the rest of
the staff, but to the wonderment and amazement of the restaurant the critic
falls in love with the dish, not because of the dishes intricacy, but it’s taste
hearkens the critic back to a poignant and emotional connection of his
childhood. Trashfiction is much the
same way. Feral Trash doesn’t play fancy stuff and isn’t filled with hooks
galore, but their simple melodies and sound remind me so much of Posh Boy era
that I cut my punk teeth on. It’s where teenage kids bashed out classics in
suburban housing divisions that are so full of youthful confidence and energy
that they never faded even as the years went by.
The Gaggers – Blame You LP (Wanda)
While Marco
(Terminal Gagger) and Brandy Row put out more music in a year than most bands
do in their career between Miscalculations and Brandy Row’s solo stuff and a
host of other NFT bands, which are all really good, but The Gaggers are the
pinnacle. Blame You is like a
razorblade kiss for your ears. It’s so good that it could pass for a lost ’77
UK punk LP and “Instant Low” could toe to toe with any song from that era.
Maniac – Demimonde LP (La-Ti-Da)
As if the other
bands these guys are in (LA Drugz, Images, Cute Lepers) aren’t good enough they
decide to form this all-star band and wipe the floor with everyone. Hello LA,
these are your new all-stars. Demimonde
is a mish-mash of influences from The Dickies, Weirdos, Briefs and even Wire
that these guys blend so effortlessly.
Neighborhood Brats – Recovery LP (Deranged)
Neighborhood
Brats is a musical runaway locomotive and Recovery
is no different. Recovery is full of
classic late ’70’s/early 80’s punk hardcore influences. While earlier singles
were a Molotov cocktail, Recovery is
a slow burn with planned gasoline trail to ensure no traces left behind.
The Number Ones – S/T LP (Deranged/Static Shock)
Northern Ireland’s scene was much overlooked compared to its UK neighbors England. While England gets the punk glory, Ireland produced some of the era’s most seminal bands, Undertones, Protex, Rudi and Good Vibrations label. The Numbers Ones is the combination off all these great bands and their S/T LP is picks up where these bands left off.
Northern Ireland’s scene was much overlooked compared to its UK neighbors England. While England gets the punk glory, Ireland produced some of the era’s most seminal bands, Undertones, Protex, Rudi and Good Vibrations label. The Numbers Ones is the combination off all these great bands and their S/T LP is picks up where these bands left off.
Sugar Stems – Only Come At Night LP (Dirtnap)
Sugar Stems may appear to be sweet and soft (especially considering the LP artwork), but they have a mix of sour in there as well. Sugar Stems could be the modern day equivalent of The Shivvers and Only Come At Night could be the proof. If the modern kids liked music with guitars as much as they like music with autotune, “We Only Come Out At Night” would be a mega-hit, but this hasn’t stopped Sugar Stems from writing hits and this shouldn’t stop you from listening to them.
Sugar Stems may appear to be sweet and soft (especially considering the LP artwork), but they have a mix of sour in there as well. Sugar Stems could be the modern day equivalent of The Shivvers and Only Come At Night could be the proof. If the modern kids liked music with guitars as much as they like music with autotune, “We Only Come Out At Night” would be a mega-hit, but this hasn’t stopped Sugar Stems from writing hits and this shouldn’t stop you from listening to them.
Honorable mention
Needles//Pins – Shamebirds LP (Dirt Cult)
http://dirtcultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/shamebirds
Sonic Avenues – Mistakes LP (Dirtnap)
http://dirtnaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/sonic-avenues-mistakes
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