Alvie & The Breakfast Pigs – Plastic Surgery EP (Self Released)
Gone
are the Flat Duo Jets/White Stripes, lo-fi aggro Blues of their 2014 debut EP Snake Headed Faceless Cowboy. The former
Tempe now Bay Area resident rockers Alvie & The Breakfast Pigs have now
embraced a darker, more cynical feel to their music. This is the band’s third
EP now so evolution in their music was inevitable I suppose. The guitars sound
like they’re plucked straight out of the 70’s, think Machine Head era Deep Purple. High point for me was the song “200
Deer, 1 Rabbit” (which they also have a pretty nifty video on YouTube
for). Apparently it’s a true story about
roadkill, pretty rockin’ tune none the less. - JC
The Anomalys – Trooper EP (Slovenly)
This
here 4 banger EP just doesn’t let up. It’s a carpet bomb attack that explodes
all around you, scorching your heels as you run to take cover. The title track
lays down a bass line so solid you can launch an interstellar vehicle off of
it. The song “Fire in the Hole” has a feeling of anxiety and desperation to it.
The third song called “My Way” displays some killer supped up Link Wray style
guitars. We finally get a reprieve during the last tune titled “Anomalyphant”
which is a catchy instrumental number that’ll put some style in your step. All
in all another winner for Slovenly. With only four songs, you’ll still have to
wipe the sweat off your brow after this one. - JC
A
new EP from this long running New Jersey band is always a cool thing. Listening
to this band always takes me back to my capricious youth. I played their LP The Good, The Bad and The Argyle ALL THE
TIME back in my high school days, which for your information still holds up.
Unfortunately I kind of lost track of the band and haven’t listened to them in
a while. Bouncing Souls were never the most profound “wordsmiths” but what they
lacked in that department they made up for with heaps of heart. Listening to
this EP shows that the band hasn’t lost their charisma at all. The song
“Favorite Everything” is as good as anything they ever did back in 90’s. - JC
The Cave Men – Lowlife EP (Slovenly)
New
Zealand’s kings of fuzz muck return with 3 more songs of wadded up, spit on, trash
rock. The first tune and title track is a melodic, mid-tempo, swinging sledge
hammer of a ditty. It may not be a scorcher but it’s got a groove so tight it’ll
make your hips twitch. The second tune titled “Baby I’d Do It For You” is the
hard, fast pumping, lo-fi assault I’ve been bracing for. The final track, a
song called “Drownin” is a fantastic broken blues number that perfectly caps
off this amazing record. If you’re not
familiar with this band, this is a great place to start. The Cave Men effortlessly
run the gamut of garage punk on this one. - JC
Ditches – The Taste 7” (Jarama)
The
first thing that screamed out to me when I first heard this record was Steve
Adamyk Band. That’s not a bad thing at all mind you. This Swedish band plays a
similar style of quick, ultra-melodic punk with a garage style production
that’s almost “pop punk” but there’s a little too much angst. The two songs on
this 7” were mixed and mastered by Jeff Burke (of Radioactivity fame) so that’s
where that comes from. Radioactivity
shares a similar sound. All in all not a bad couple of tunes. If you like any
of the above mentioned bands you should also pick up Ditches 5 song EP titled Elephants that they released last year
too. - JC
Emperor Penguin – Walnut Fascia LP (Kool Cat)
UK’s
Emperor Penguin have released one of the most intriguing records I’ve heard all
year. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s really, really good actually. These guys
are a power pop band at their core, that much is clear. But they use trippy
atmospheric sounds swirling around some of the catchiest melodies you’ll ever
hear. They’re then laid on a strong foundation of guitar rock n’ roll. Imagine
The Jam covering the Beatles Sgt. Peppers
album and you might be able to start picturing what Emperor Penguin have
done here. Emperor Penguin have put their own unique touch to the power pop genre
and the results are quite magnificent. -
JC
The Gentlemens – Triage LP (Hound Gawd)
This
Italian band plays really cool punked up rock n’ roll with a light layer of
fuzz covering the whole thing. The songs on this LP are lean and mean but
backed up by some killer guitar hooks.
Sometime The Gentlemens at times stroll into full on blues mode like in
the song “A Second Coming” and other times adding some psych spice to their
repertoire (see the song “John Q Public Blues” which by the way they also have
a great video on YouTube for). Even when
they stray a bit from their usual formula, The Gentlemens never lose their
mojo. It appears to actually just make
them stronger when they bounce back. - JC
Brooding
in a black leather jackets, oh, how I’ve missed The Mandates! These guys play catchy,
high energy, melodic punk with perpetual broken hearts. The music Mandates play
has 70’s punk energy yet woven with a power pop passion. Songs about loves
lost, isolation, and desperation litter Dead
in The Face but it’s not a bummer record at all. You get a sense of “hey we
all go through this crap, we’re in it together” feeling when listening to songs
like “Baby I’m an Outsider”, “On The Run”, and “Any Good Western”. Songs mean
so much more if you can feel the earnestness of the bands playing them. And it
sounds like Mandates put their souls on the line with each one. - JC
Man Hands – The New Malaise LP (Slope)
Yet
another remarkably executed album of shadowy, angst shrouded post punk from
these Arizona agitators. This is the
band’s third and in my opinion, best effort thus far. While you’re listening to
this album you’ll find that light in the area diminishes and the air grows a
biting chill in its presence. Man Hand’s music forms deadly auditory bolts engineered
to deconstruct your faulty cognitive faculties upon impact. I can make some comparisons here, but I won’t bother
because there is no way I can do this record justice in doing so. The New Malaise is just something you
have to experience for yourself. - JC
Moral Panic – S/T LP (Alien Snatch)
This
NYC punk band has kicked it in overdrive since their 2017 debut LP. I know the
cover reminds you of The Dictators Bloodbrothers
a bit right? Well, don’t let that fool you. There’s no cover of “Stay with
Me” anywhere around. These guys put together Voltron style everything you liked
about your favorite 80’s American punk records and create a formidable juggernaut
of an LP that I guarantee will not be soon forgotten. I hear all the greats in
their music. But Moral Panic aren’t a cover or tribute band mind you. You can
hear the ghosts of all those bands, but it’s put into a shell and fired off
from a weapon that’s entirely of their own making. - JC
Mystery Girl – Heartbreaker EP (Brain Slash)
New
York’s Mystery Girl are back with two more sleazed up, catchy as a cold sore
rock n’ roll nuggets of pure gold. Mystery Girl obviously takes nods from bands
like Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers, Ramones and their ilk. It’s hard
not to, bands like that really had something special going on in their prime.
But this band takes that sound, chews it up, and spits it out as something
entirely their own. The spirit of yesteryear is there for sure but this band
plays with such energy and sincerity that the music takes on an entirely
different element, making it sound new and fresh. Mystery Girl are one of my
favorite new discoveries of the year. - JC
Nightmarathons – Missing Parts LP (A-F)
It’s
pretty impressive when you hear a band with a pretty clear sound and direction,
then you find out they’ve only been around a few years. Nightmarathons have
only been together since 2016. This is their debut LP but have a few 7”s under
their belt as well. I don’t know if you guys are familiar with A-F records but
it’s a label formed by the Anti-Flag guys. So when I saw this I thought it
would sound, well Anti-Flag-ish. But it doesn’t at all. These guys have that
cool inspiring, epic punk sound like Face to Face or RVIVR locked down pretty
tight. I think this record could have
benefited with a more robust sound, but that’s just me nit picking. It’s a great release none the less. - JC
Powersolo – Transfixing Motherfucker EP (Slovenly)
The
dynamite Danes known as Powersolo have release their umpteenth 7” comprised of
their trade mark manic, high energy, minimalistic rock n’ roll. Powersolo’s
music sounds like Hasil Adkins fronting the Angry Samoans. The singer for this
band has so much presence and charisma, rare for bands these days. It’s
difficult not to compare him with the late great Lux Interior. If you don’t
believe me, check out the viral vid for their tune “Boom Babba Do Ba Dabba” for
evidence. They actually rolled through my town a few months ago and I was dumb
enough to miss it. This went down on my short list of regrets in life. It won’t
happen again. - JC
The Raws – D.D.D.D.Y EP (Slovenly/Mondo Mongo)
This is the Turkish garage punk warrior’s fourth EP,
but my first time hearing them. They deliver four bloody, sweaty tunes on this
record that sound like they could have been Killed by Death or Bloodstains
gems, unearthed from a time long ago. My favorite song on here is called “Hala Açız”
which translates to “Still Hungry.” It immediately launchers into a tremendous anthemic
guitar riff that sounds like it could have been on the first Saints record. The
whole EP is sung in Turkish. But that’s all good because as we all know, Punk
is the international language. It sure as hell ain’t love or for god’s sake NOT
math! - JC
Scorpion Vs Tarantula – When the Girls Are Gone LP (Self
Released)
Listening
to Scorpion vs Tarantula evokes a similar feeling in my gut as watching an explosive
air strike in one of those old Vietnam War documentaries. The music is fast and
violent yet magnificent. You just have to stand there in awe of its sheer
brutality. I’ve been a fan of this band for a while now and I’ve never heard
them sound as savage and intense as they do on this record, which is a
beautiful thing. If you’re not familiar with this band, they play hard hitting
punk ROCK in a similar loud and sweaty style as the Candy Snatchers or Zeke.
They’re the kind of band that leave a smoldering crater in the ground under
where they just played. - JC
The Survivalists – Everything is Awful LP (Hidden Home)
This
album from what I understand was pieced together by its two members, one living
in China and the other in Ontario. You couldn’t tell that just by listening to
it though, it’s very well mixed. Some tunes are a little on the treble-y side.
That however was probably done on purpose, to give the music an edge, which it
does. The whole “folk punk” ship sailed without me though, leaving my tired old
self long faced on the edge of the dock. But if you’re into Andrew Jackson
Jihad, Bomb the Music Industry and that lot, you’ll dig what The Survivalists
are doing here on this long player. - JC
Teenage Bottlerocket – Stay Rad LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
This
is the Wyoming pop punksters 9th LP, yes you read that correctly
ninth! If you haven’t heard these guys
yet then I’ve got to assume you’ve been stuck in a remote Arctic cave for the
last 17 years or so. Teenage
Bottlerocket, along with The Copyrights and The Lillingtons have taken the true
pop punk torch from predecessors Screeching Weasel, The Queers, and The Mr. T
Experience and have been burning it brightly since. I’ll be honest, this isn’t
TB’s best effort in my opinion. High points, the songs “Everything to Me” and
“I Never Knew” standout. Low point is the sappy tune “I Wanna Be a Dog” and
it’s about, well I think you can probably guess. - JC
Tiger Touch – Hawthorne Boogie 7” (Tyrannical Volts)
Portland’s
Tiger Touch are back with another heavily armored two banger. These well
trained rock n’ roll soldiers play catchy, hard driving punk rock while heavily
leaning on the ROCK. The vocals are delivered in a sly and cunning manner while
the guitars stand atop and command the tank. The bass and drums are the heavy
cannons firing away, destroying pieces of your ear drums with each shell fired.
If you wish there were more bands out there that put as much blood and sweat as
the Stooges did on Ray Power, then
your wish has been granted. Behold, the mighty Tiger Touch! - JC
U.S. Depressed – Bored Again LP (Self Released)
Listening
to AZ’s U.S. Depressed reminds me of summers growing up in Phoenix. Where it’s so hot all you can really do is
stay indoors, listen to music and play video games all day until its night time
and the temperature lets up. Luckily for me I had a used record store about 10
minutes away that sold cheap used tapes. It was during this time I discovered a
lot of music including groups like fireHose, Meat Puppets, and all that Sub
Pop, SST Records types of American Post Punk. Like the above mentioned bands
U.S. Depressed play beautifully eerie, captivatingly quirky, hypnotic rock n’
roll on this, their 2nd LP. I can’t help but wonder if these guys
have a similar story growing up in the sweltering Sonoran Desert. - JC
Various Artists – Down South Spaghetty Accident LP
(Spaghetty Town)
This
is one of the best comps I’ve heard in a really long time. I don’t know if it’s
because it’s preaching to the already converted since I’ve loved the fabulous
Spaghetty Town records for a while now. But whether you’re already a fan or not
it’s undeniable that this record is packed full of some of the best currently active
punk bands around. The coolest part is it’s almost entirely tracks I haven’t
heard yet. What I also really love about this comp is that the bands all have a
similar Dead Boys/glam/back alley sleaze to them. So it feels like a cohesive
record as opposed to a sampler with a bunch of songs crammed together that
don’t gel. Highly recommended! - JC
Vintage Crop – Company Man 7” (Drunken Sailor)
WOW!
Killer angular, pissed off post punk from this Australian quartet. I haven’t
heard post punk this hostile in a while! Of course with this kind of music you
need a healthy dose of snark and sarcasm, which Vintage Crop happily and effortlessly
deliver in droves. If you like bands
like Wire, Swell Maps and more recently Art Brut then Vintage Crop are here to
wrap their loving arms around you. The band has a couple of LP’s and a couple
of 7”s prior to this. Guess I’m heading to Discogs next to hunt those down now.
This is one of my favorite releases of the year so far! - JC
Young Skulls – Bomb Train Blues EP (Slovenly)
From
the very beginning bits of the first song and title track, the hot, blown out
guitar riff and fist pounding drums hit you hard and fast like you’ve just been
run over by a cement truck! Then the vocals tear in, which sound like they
belong to a man clinging to the final threads of his sanity. It’s at this
precise moment you realize, this is going to be a fantastic record! The B-Side
introduces some primitive keyboard sounds, which are allowed in the co-pilots
chair for this one. The song is called “We’re Gone” and it too is a primal rock
n’ roll heel stomper. This New York trio delivers the goods, and do it with
just two songs! Most impressive! - JC
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