Ween - Chocolate and Cheese 30th Anniversary 3xLP

Rhino / Elektra (2024, Reissue)

I had made a point to call out Chocolate and Cheese in my end of the year post as one of the best reissues of 2024 that I just didn't have enough time to write about before 2024 concluded.  Well, here we are in April and I'm finally getting to it.  Perhaps a bit of a disservice to such a fine album, but that's just the way things go sometimes.

Ween was a group that was recommended to me by my friend Pat.  As I was getting obsessively into Beck at the time, he thought that Ween would also be up my alley.  Completely unheard, I went out and picked up Pure Guava as well as Chocolate and Cheese pretty much at the same time.  I vaguely remember getting them the same day, but at different stores, but we're talking 1994 here, so I cannot say my memory for events like that is still sharp 31 years later.  I loved both records immediately, though I gravitated more towards Pure Guava, which remains my favorite in Ween's catalog.

That's not to take anything away from Chocolate and Cheese as it has stood the test of time as being my second favorite Ween album.  It's not quite as sprawling and weird as Pure Guava can get, though it is sprawling and weird in its own way.  I think it plays a little bit better as an album and definitely has more cohesive songs in general, despite the dizzying array of styles throughout the album.  You go from the lounge inspired crooning of "Take Me Away" to the fuzzed out yelling of "I Can't Put My Finger on It" to the perfect pop of "Roses are Free" and "What The Deaner Was Talkin' About." And every single one of these fits perfectly in the context of the album.  Quite the feat.

This 30th anniversary edition is a triple LP with the third disc essentially being a new album of unreleased outtakes and a few demos.  You can, and I do, listen to it as a completely separate entry in the Ween canon and it holds up with most songs of that era.  This makes it absulotely the essential version of Chocolate and Cheese and I was happy to double dip on this one.  Boy oh boy, do I wish they would put out one of these for Pure Guava as well.

Ween - Chocolate and Cheese:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m6KA_G_DkUhl9UwCPVH1JD4ovzP4Um6dI

Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda 3xLP

Fat Beats (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

A few years ago I wrote about the bootleg version of this Organized Konfusion record and lamented that no one had been able to figure out a proper reissue.  Well, Fat Beats has corrected that with a lavish triple LP reissue of the second Organized Konfusion album Stress: The Extinction Agenda.  They really went all out by including the entire album, remixes, bonus tracks and instrumentals.  

The album itself is a classic, even if it's a classic that I wasn't aware of when it was originally released.  The slow, jazzy beats churn throughout the album while Pharaohe Monch and Prince Po unleash lyrical mayhem on every track.  These guys deal in hyper complicated, stacked rhymes that dazzle, but they never feel like they're showing off just for the sake of it.  All of the rhymes serve the beats and vice versa, making it one of those albums that fires on all cylinders.  I typically prefer my hip hop production a little more upbeat than what's on Stress, but everything just works. 

Hats off to Fat Beats for finally figuring out how to get this album back in print.  I do sort of wish they made a version where you didn't have to buy the instruntal versions along with the main album, as I don't often listen to those for any record really.  It mostly just makes this more expensive for me/. But that's a minor complaint as Fat Beats made a super deluxe version that sounds great and allows me to retire the bootleg version that has held this spot in my collection.  Now, who is going to step up and rerelease Organize Konfusion's debut?

Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kDvj6SIEh08bvffjPcDPsyD82D9ZsPojA

Swami John Reis - Time To Let You Down LP - Black Vinyl (/500), Yellow Swirl Vinyl (/1500) & Mystery Wax 7" (/136)

Swami (2025)

As the years have gone by and more music by John Reis has entered the world, I've found that I've had an increasingly difficult time writing about new records and finding ways to describe said music accurately or interestingly.  His bands have been such a gigantic part of my life for over 30 years now, and the sounds that he crafts are in a way part of the lifeblood that keeps me functioning day to day.  I realize that sounds a little heavy handed and perhaps kind of stupid, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if there's a soundtrack to my life, John is absolutely one of its main composers.

Time To Let You Down is is third record as Swami John Reis including a one album detour as Swami & The Bed Of Nails.  Of the the three, this one is my favorite.  The first album, Ride The Wild Night,  was build on top of a lot of acoustic guitar and piano.  The second, All Of This Awaits You, was more electric with a focus on tight, economical songs. This third one probably has more in common with All Of This Awaits you sonically, but with a more diverse array of song styles.  There's tight, hook filled pop songs like "Prince of the Parade" right along side of slower, more deliberate songs with noisier guitar bursts like "Fed to the Dogs." 

There's so much to love here and it's definitely the record that has gotten the most repeated listens for me so far this year.  There's even a cover of the Kamen Rider theme song.  He'll be in NJ next week and I'm really looking forward to hearing these new songs live. 

Regarding the different versions released, the main release that's in stores is a limited to 1500 copies pressing on yellow swirl vinyl.  There are an additional 500 copies that are limited on black vinyl.  300 of these were sold via the Swami webstore and the remaining 200 copies are being sold on the upcoming tour dates.  And if you want to hunt even more, 136 random orders from the Swami webshop also received a Swami Mystery Wax 7".  These are 7"s that the Swami has affixed a label onto so that you don't know what it is until played.  These are typically older 45s and my copy ended up being "My Meloncholy Baby" b/w "Really Need Your Love by The Marcels.  A fun little bonus.

Swami John Reis - Time To Let You Down:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=uOIpCbqDL-w

Circle of Power - Circle of Power 3xLP

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

If you read the things I write on a semi-regular basis, you know that I have been singing the praises of the German record label 90s Tapes for some time now.  They have embarked on a reissue campaign of 90s hip hop that's probably unrivaled in our time.  They have been unearthing obscure indie albums, reissuing albums previously available as self released tapes and giving deluxe treatments to classic albums from the golden age.  Every release really could be considered a deluxe version as the quality of everything they put out is the best of the best.  Circle of Power gets the 90s Tapes reissue with a triple LP version of their 1993 self titled album.

Even though Circle of Power originally came out on Rumble Records, a label that only ever put out records by Circle of Power, its influence was felt enough over the years that I had discovered it well before 90s Tapes got their hands on it.  I had been hoping for a reissue for quite some time, as it's original release on vinyl was a promo LP with no artwork that didn't contain all of the songs from the CD version.  Getting triple LP version with the full track list (apart from a switched out intro that really is better than the original) and what appears to be everything the group released on singles and what not is even more than I could have hoped for.

Musically, Circle Of Power sit right in that sweet spot on early 90s hip hop that is everything I'm looking to listen to.  Upright bass lines, jazz influences, rugged drum beats...it's the sort of record that really only could have come out in 92, 93 or 94.   I love the production throughout and lyrically, these guys weave stories around the beats in a way that makes the end product even more satisfying.  There's so much skill on display here that I'm really confused as to why Circle of Power didn't get more of an opportunity to shine when they were active.  But that's OK, the album has been rereleased in its best possible version and I'm so excited to be able to add it to the shelf.

Circle of Power - Circle of Power:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/circle-of-power

Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy LP

Granary / BMG (2025)

If you were to give an award out for the most consistent rock and roller over the past 30 years or so, one could make a really strong argument to give that award to Bob Mould.  Plain and simple, he's a guy that pretty much always puts out good records.  Sure there were some that weren't quite as great as others and the less said about his forays into electronic music, the better - but, as a whole, he's got quite the catalog.

Here We Go Crazy is his latest album and it follows his string of upbeat, aggressive rock records that he's been consistently releasing since 2012's The Silver Age.  It's just as good as any of them.  Lot's of great songs, with poignant lyrics.  Bob's definitely got a lot to say about the state of the world these days, though he does it in a way that doesn't beat you over the head with a hammer about it.  It's still a record that's enjoyable to listen to and isn't designed to bum you out so much as to maybe give you a bit of hope that we'll get through it.

If there's a negative here, it's that this record is just as good as any of the other records he's put out recently.  Again, they are all really good, but I find that most of them end up sitting on my record shelf after that initial flurry of listens because it's a new release.  I think part of the problem is that if I'm really in the mood to listen to Bob Mould, I'll probably grab on of the Sugar records or The Silver Age.  Those are the records that really connect with me.  Here We Go Crazy isn't quite at the level of those, so I have a feeling I'll probably grab it if I want to listen to Bob Mould, but for whatever reason don't feel like listening to one of my favorites.

Comparisons to other Bob Mould records aside, Here We Go Crazy is a great listen.  It's got everything I'm looking for in a Bob Mould record with no disappointments.  I'd be shocked if it didn't end up being one of my favorites of the year.  Maybe he just needs to put out a few intentionally bad records to make me appreciate how good records like this one is.  

Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy:
https://bobmould.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-go-crazy-3

Zephr - Past Lives LP

Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Zephr is back with Past Lives, a follow up to their debut LP from 2020.  It seems inconceivable to me that was nearly five years ago already, but time does fly.  I was glad to see Zephr made a second album.  I liked their debu well enought, but more than anything I thought it showed a lot of potential for a band that may have still been coming into their own.  Particularly given when that record came out.

The last time I wrote about Zephr I mentioned that, for me, they fit in nicely with the Dear Landlords and Off With Their Heads of the world.  They bring similar things to the table: Aggressive vocals, dynamic guitar work and these folks definitely know their way around a hook.  I did want to touch on the vocals in particular.  I had made a comment about their debut that I didn't like one of the vocalists as much because his singing sounded a little strained to me.  I don't feel that way at all about this new album.  Both singers to a great job of carrying the melodies, while still maintaining that gravel-y roughness that works so well for this sort of thing.

In general, I think this record is an improvement from their debut.  The songs feel a little more put together this time, and everything comes across tighter as a result.  I like some ramshackle rock and roll as much as the next guy, but Zephr has just the right amount of polish that makes their record sound really big, but never falling victim to an artificial gloss.  That's mostly just a dumb way for me to write that I think this record sounds really good.

Zephr - Past Lives:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/past-lives

Legion Of D.U.M.E. – '94 D.U.M.E. EP

Dope Folks (2011, reissue)

On Wednesdays, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

One of the things that I've been doing over the last couple of years has been buying old issues of The Source, a magazine that was essentially my bible when I got into hip hop in the early 90s.  I've been able to acquire all of the issues from 1990-1994 (those pre-1990 issues are impossible to find) and I've been reading them in order.  I've been paying extra close attention to the Unsigned Hype columns as I go through them, doing some internet sluthing to see if anything got released by any of the ones that didn't know of.

And that's how I found Legion Of D.U.M.E., who were featured in an Unsigned Hype column in 1992.  From digging around it looks like the group had self released a two song single in 1994 and then couple of the guys splintered off into a group called Darc Mind that had a few releases.  The only thing that really surfaced from Legion Of D.U.M.E. is this eight song 12" released by Dope Folks in 2011.  It's an eight song, 40 minute long 12" so while I guess it's technically an EP, it's a much more satisfying listen to me than a lot of those 4-6 songs ones that never feel like they settle into a groove before they end.  

Legion Of D.U.M.E. is a multi MC crew rapping over the perfect sort of beats that I love from this era.  Thick bass lines, cuts in the hooks and hard hitting snare drum cracks.  Perfect.  The lyrics that these guys are throwing around are also quite nice.  I think that if they had gotten a break back then, they'd be more fondly remembered by fans of the era.  I know that had I heard this in 1994, I would have absolutely loved it.  I love it now too and just wish there was more of it.

These songs make up a 1994 demo, but I can't help but wonder what songs were given to The Source in 1992?  There most be more unreleased songs out there or different versions at the very least because the article references two song names that aren't on this 12".  I for one would really like to get my hands on those and hope that someone out there can cobble together another Legion Of D.U.M.E. release.

Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard - Give 'Em The Finger

Rarebreed (2025, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Give 'Em The Finger is one of those records that I've been after for quite a while.  It's another one of those albums I stumbled across on a 'forgotten hip hop of the 90s' type list.  When it was originally released, it came out on a no artwork, promo LP.  I'm not a huge fan of those, but sometimes that's the only way you can get something on vinyl.  I just could never find a good deal on a copy.  Luckily we finally get a reissue.

Rarebreed, who reissued the Saafir record last year, are back with a full artwork, remastered version of Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard's debut album.  I was surprised it wasn't a double LP like most of the better hip hop reissues of late.  But while there are 14 tracks on here, the whole album is only 15 minutes long, so it's not an egregious amount of music to try to fit on a single disc.

As far as the music goes, it's a ver solid Golden Era record.  It originally came out in 1993, though the production doesn't feel like what was cutting edge in '93.  The bulk of the album was produced by Trackmasters, who worked with Chubb Rock and The A.T.E.E.M. record I wrote about a couple weeks ago.  These songs have a similar feel in that they maybe sound a little more like they could have come out in 1991 or early '92.  I know that probably seems silly when you read it, but you can't forget how quickly the sound of hip hop was changing and growing during that time period.  Still, I love many albums from 91 and 92 just as much as anything from 93 or 94, so it's kind of splitting hairs.  

No matter the year, Give 'Em The Finger is still a great listen.  Pudgee reminds me a bit of K-Solo and he sounds good throughout the record.  He even holds is own on a track with Kool G Rap, and there are plenty of MCs in that era that weren't able to do that.  This is worth giving a listen to if it floated under your radar.

Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard - Give 'Em The Finger:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mYKSZb30ykNkD6nl72wREuLDr9Ty1QEqY

Minutes - Minutes LP

Michigan Independents Network (2012)

When I stumbled across Minutes' sophomore release, Roland, I was blown away by their scrappy take on jangly indie rock.  Pretty much from that moment I started looking for their sold out, self titled debut album.  I looked and looked and looked and added it to my Discogs want list and just waited.  And waited.  And waited.  That stupid record never showed up for a decade.  Then one day, there it was on Discogs for $20.  I couldn't have bought it any faster.

Much like their album Roland, Minutes attack their songs with a reckless energy that reminds me a lot of Boat, with similarly successful results.  At it's core, it's a Pavement leaning sound, but with a little more punk enthusiasm that keeps everything trucking along.  I've had this record for a few months now, and while I certainly haven't listened to it as many times as I have Roland, I have listened to it enough times to proclaim it to be just as good.  It's a tricky find, for sure, but I really recommend trying to track down both records if you can.

Minutes stopped putting out records after releasing Roland, but several members went on to release a couple of records under the similarly unsearchable name, Out.  I can't say I dug those quite as much as Minutes, but all of them are worth checking out if you want to hear some 90s style indie rock.

Minutes - Minutes:
https://minutes.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-lp

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Abandoned In Da Streets was originally released on CD and cassette on a label called Noir.  A quick peruse of Discogs shows that this album and an accompanying 12" single may have been the only releases that the label ever put out.  The same can be said for this group.  I certainly never heard of Da Homlez back in 1995, when this was originally released.  I imagine they didn't make a lot of noise being on a new, independent label.   And to be honest even if they had gotten a sniff of exposure on Yo! MTV Raps or the Source, I wouldn't have heard anything about it in 1995 as I had moved on from those.

What I can say is that if I had heard Da Homlez back then, there is almost no way I wouldn't have immediately loved it.  Even though I am pretty sure I only bought one hip hip album in 1995, that one was the second Souls of Mischief CD.  Even as I had started losing interest in the hip hop I had access to, I was still taken in by Souls and Hieroglyphics.  And that's the niche that Da Homlez kind of slides right into.  Maybe they are not quite as left of center as Hiero, but they are mining a similar west coast vibe, particularly when it comes to production.  Another kindred spirit definitely being the first Pharcyde record.

Over strong, jazzy beats, the multi-MC crew trades killer lyrics back and forth.  For a lot of the forgotten classics of the golden era that I have come across in later years, I have often said that the production is great and the vocals are good, or fine, or don't get in the way.  That isn't the case with Da Homlez.  These guys are great and if anything their skill only elevates the beats even higher.

As usual, 90s Tapes does a flawless job with this reissue.  Everything looks amazing and sounds even better.  There's more than one reason they are my favorite reissue label.  There's the quality of the packaging and vinyl, of course, but they have done an incredible job of finding these hidden gems and making them available.  I am pretty confident I would have never heard of Da Homlez if not for 90s Tapes, and man is my record collection better off having heard it.  Highest recommendation if you can find a copy.

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/abandoned-in-da-streetz

Bum - Kidd Bitz (& Glazed Rookies) LP - White Vinyl (/500)

Hey Suburbia / Radiation (2025)

If you know me, you know that I think Bum is one of the greatest bands of all time.  Their album, Wanna Smash Sensation ranks among my very favorites ever and I spent years and years hunting down their various singles, EPs and other releases.  I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the same labels that reissued Wanna Smash Sensation in 2022 have come back with Kidd Bitz (& Glazed Rookies), a Bum singles and rarities compilation.

I'll start off with a minor quibble and that's the fact that this isn't an exhaustively complete compilation of Bum material.  Admittedly, I'm one of those guys that wants every song, note and fart that a band cranks out to be part of these type of things and while this one has a lot of great on it, it's not everything.  Some of it, I understand.  A lot of the 7" A sides in Bum's catalog are tracks that were on Wanna Smash Sensation, so we probably don't need those.  But there are others that aren't here and ones that are here that confuse me a bit, such as three of the eight songs from the Make It Or Break It 12".  Regardless, it's not as complete as I'd maybe want it to be (likely spanning a double LP), but there's a metric ton of great songs on here.

A word of warning, when you first put this LP on, the fidelity of the original 7" versions of "A Promise is a Promise" and "Wedding Day" is not the greatest.  It's also not the greatest on the actual original 7", so it's a source limitation, not a problem with the LP.  Once you hit the third song, everything sounds bright, full and delightful.  This compilation collects outstanding Bum songs from the At The Well 7", the Mrs. Rock and Roll 7", split 7"s with Innerface and Pingu, the aforementioned 12" and several compilation tracks.  Spanning their entire existence you get Bum originals and five covers (They did a good amount of covers in their time).

As a maniac record collector, I did have all of these songs on singles and compilations before, but what no one had heard before this LP came out were the three previously unreleased songs.  "1983" is a home recording by Rob Nesbitt from 1993 that is a good song and a nice way to close out side one of the record.  The other two "Everything I Say Is Wrong" and "You, Down Again" are full band, killer Bum tunes that would have been a crime to leave shelved for all of eternity.  It's really nice to be able to hear these two gems and for me, that's reason enough to pick this up.  

Let's be honest though, even if I had every single song on here, I'd buy this.  Of course there's the insane record collector thing creeping in again, but there's also the fact that it is really nice to be able to listen to all of these songs without having to go pull out nine different records or the old mix tapes I use to make to get at them.  It's an essential addition to my record shelf and it just makes me greedy for more Bum songs.  They should make some more of those...

Superchunk / Not Wonk - Split 7" (/300)

Merge / Bigfish Sounds (2024)

This 7" was one that I wasn't aware of until I just saw it on Superchunk's Disccogs page when I was looking up something else.  It's a split 7" with Not Wonk that was made for a Japanese Superchunk tour.   There were 300 pressed in total and 100 of them were sold at the Merge 35 merch table, according to an Instagram post that Mac made that I found this morning.  I wasn't at that show or at any of the Japanese tour dates and it's only through the kindness of my great friend Kazu that I have this in my collection. 

Both songs on this 7" are acoustic, with the Superchunk side being a version of "Hyper Enough."  "Hyper Enough" is probably my favorite Superchunk song, if I was forced to pick one, but at worst it's in my top three.  I'm not positive that it's the Superchunk song that translates best acoustically though.  It's significantly slower and delivered with Mac's vocals being a whole lot more gravelly than they were 30 years ago (it happens).   It's certainly not bad and it's an interesting take on a song that I have loved for 30 years, but I can't really see myself listening to it very often.

Not Wonk is a band from Japan and I have their first two albums, which I like quite a bit.  They've put out two more since then, but I don't have either of those.  Their contribution is an acoustic take on a song called "Asshole."  I'm not sure that there is a non-acoustic version of this one as it's not on either of the Not Wonk records I have and according to Discogs it's not on either of the ones I don't.  It's also not a Beck cover.  Like the Superchunk side, this is a slow song that while nice, isn't particularly exciting.

It probably sounds like I'm being negative about this record, but for what it is - a limited tour only 7" - it does everything it needs to.  Only crazy, completist record collector people like me are going to miss it if it's not in their collection.  But as a crazy, completist record collector, I am deeply and eternally grateful to Kazu for helping me keep my Superchunk 7" collection complete. 

The A.T.E.E.M. - A Hero Ain't Nuthin' But a Sandwich LP

Select (1992)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The A.T.E.E.M. is another one of those 90s groups that I discovered from digging around on one of those ‘forgotten hip hop records’ type lists.  A Hero Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Sandwich came out in 1992, which I can make an argument for being the best overall year of the golden era.  While I wasn't familiar with The A.T.E.E.M. themselves, these guys were connected with Chubb Rock.  He makes a few guest appearances over the course of the album, including the title track, which is probably the strongest on here.

Production on this record was handled by The Trackmasters, who had done work for others during this era like the aforementioned Chubb Rock, Leaders of the New School, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap (Ill Street Blues!).  The production is also the strongest part of A Hero Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Sandwich.  Lyrically, the 3 members of the group (Rob Swinga, F.M. and HOT DOG) are respectable MCs, but they never really take command of any of the tracks in a way that makes them feel like anything other than journeymen rappers.  Nothing on here is bad and I would contend that most of it is good, but it kind of plateaus at good and never hits great.

But the production is a treat, the Chubb Rock appearances are a lot of fun and the rest of the album is totally serviceable.  I do like this as it’s from a period of time where most hip hop sounded like I want it to sound like.  It’s completely of its era and while it might not be in the upper echelon of records from 1992, it still has that sound that makes me keep going back to it. 

The A.T.E.E.M. - A Hero Ain't Nuthin' But a Sandwich:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kC8Nz0GCqa-kc8LHB81UZCC-irlaaxbjY

Ween - The Pod 2xLP - Brown & Cream Vinyl

Chocodog (2023)

Back in 1994, a friend recommended Ween to me because he knew I was really getting into Beck and some of the other weirder strains of indie and punk rock.  I ended up picking up Pure Guava and Chocolate & Cheese first.  In particular, I became obsessed with Pure Guava.  At a subsequent trip into NYC to go record shopping, I picked up the CD of The Pod from Generation Records (amazingly, still open as of now).  The Pod never really connected with me the same way as the others and while I still have that CD, it wasn't one of the Ween records I gravitated towards when I was in the mood to listen to Ween.

As the years have gone by, that initial opinion I had is somewhat still accurate.  It's still not one of my favorite Ween records and really cannot hold a candle to Pure Guava, Chocolate & Cheese, The Mollusk or 12 Golden Country Greats, I do find that it's a pretty fun album when I want to be reminded of why I started listening to Ween in the first place.

Since I'm not as familiar intimately with The Pod as I am those others, it's still something of a surprise when I put it on and start listening.  I can still be taken back by the goofiness of a song about pork roll (I assume they mean Taylor Ham), egg and cheese or the oddness of an entire song being someone ordering Mexican food.  It's still a tough listen at times as many of the songs are noisy and weird, but when those gems pop up, it's still rewarding.

I've never had this on vinyl, so it's a nice addition to the Ween collection.  This pressing is on wacky colored and what sure feels like 180g vinyl.  It's not advertised as 180g, but these are some think, heavy slabs of wax.  I'm kind of glad I waited so long to get it as this is definitely the version I'd want to own.

Ween - The Pod:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m29LtZ9U0OkNhLDwXIzlFtgI8OmcSBnbU

3rd Bass - The Cactus Al/Bum 2xLP

Def Jam (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

For its 35th anniversary, Def Jam finally reissued The Cactus Al/Bum as a double LP on vinyl.  3rd Bass' debut album was in dire need of this treatment as the original version, and all reissues, of the record tried to cram 20 songs clocking in at just under an hour onto a single LP.  As you can imagine, it certainly didn't sound its best.  The hype sticker on this new reissue says it was remastered from the original analog tapes and whether it's that or just having less music per side and stretching this out onto two LPs, the record sound better than it ever has.

I'm really happy that this record is getting this sort of treatment.  I've always felt that 3rd Bass never really got sustained credit for how good they were.  They hardly ever come up when other golden era greats are discussed, but both of their records are great and hold up to most others released around the same time.  I mean, no, they're not Public Enemy, but both records are much better than I think most people remember.

In particular, the production on The Cactus Al/Bum is top notch for 1989.  I would put it up against just about anything that came out that year.  And as far as lyrics go, Serch has always been kind of a goofball, but an entertaining one and Pete Nice absolutely is among the most under appreciated of the early golden era to me.  Hopefully this reissue shines some much needed attention on what is in my opinion, a classic album.  I have it playing again while I'm writing this and I really does sound great.  Absolutely worth double dipping if you have any of the earlier single disc pressings.

3rd Bass - The Cactus Al/Bum:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHAZh4VPksh1NjCgvM7FeaDVgf4jJc0T0

Surrender - Summer Never Comes CD

Waterslide (2024)

I am still trying to catch up on writing about 2024 albums and I'm trying to focus on the ones that ended up on my year end best of list.  It's not super common for me to put an EP on my year end album list, but the six songs that Surrender have served up on this EP are so great that it's impossible to listen to it and not proclaim it as one of the very best releases of last year.

Surrender comes to us with a pedigree that immediately catches my attention.  When you've got members of bands like the Hum Hums and CSS coming together to make a new band of punchy, punked-up power pop, it's probably unlikely that I'm not going to love it.  And boy oh boy, do I love this EP.

It's fast enough that you can hear the pop punk influences shining through, but they wrangle harmonies in a way that stands so much higher than most bands, giving it a timeless sound that you can just as easily trace to the Beach Boys as you can some of the more notable power pop bands of the 70s.  

I just love everything about this and the only way that I think it could be better is if it was a full length album.  Hopefully we'll get one of those sooner than later and in the mean time I have to try to get myself a copy of their first EP from 2015.  2015?  I sure hope we don't have to wait another nine years for more Surrender music.

Surrender - Summer Never Comes:
https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/summer-never-comes

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7" - Red Vinyl (/400)

Snappy Little Numbers (2024) 

As a casual fan of Curling (let's face it, it's challenging to be more than that in America with the lack of televised coverage of this great sport), I was immediately taken in by the cover of this Ape-Ettes 7" and was determined to try to like it no matter what the music sounded like.  I was pre-judging the book by its cover, but luckily this 7" is great and I definitely don't need to force myself to enjoy it.

To me, The Ape-Ettes sound like another in the longstanding line of great bands that are sometimes classified under the 'cuddlecore' banner.  I'm not sure you could listen to this 7" in a vacuum and make that statement as the guitars are a little warmer and crunchier than the traditional cuddlecore band and there's a garage pop edge to these songs that make them all the more enjoyable to me.  

At the same time, it's hard for me to not be reminded of bands like Cub, Dressy Bessy and Go Sailor.  Are they one to one comparisons?  Not at all, but I think you'd be hard pressed to not like The Ape-Ettes if you're a fan of any of those bands.  We've got three songs on this record and all of them are great, making this a no brainer recommendation.  And I vote for more curling in the artwork for any future releases.

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7":
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/no-matter-what

Yaggfu Front – Action Packed Adventure! 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I have written about this record before when I picked up a copy of the original pressing, but I felt it was important to say a little bit about this reissue from 90s Tapes that came out a few months ago.  90s Tapes is the absolute gold standard for hip hop reissues and the care that they've put into Action packed Adventure is right up there with the best releases in their catalog.  The original UK version was a single disc, so it was nice to have it expanded to a double LP so that the songs have a little more room to breathe.  Plus the extra LP and bonus 7" allows for six extra tracks that weren't on the original including remixes and an instrumental.

I said most of what I needed to say about the music itself the last time I wrote about this album.  I'll just mention again that this is classic Golden Era greatness from 1994.  The production is everything I want out of an album that came out in '94.  And while I wouldn't describe the MCing as elite for the time period, it gets the job done and makes for a super enjoyable album.

This is the version to hunt down if you need a copy.  No one does reissues like 90s Tapes and with Yaggfu Front, they pay the appropriate respect to a lost classic of the Golden Era.

Yaggfu Front – Action Packed Adventure!:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/action-packed-adventure

The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet 2xLP

Matador (2024)

With all of the Pavement-mania the last few years as they were going on their reunion tour victory lap, it was difficult to avoid imagining the potential release of new music.  But I kept reminding myself that it probably wouldn't be that great.  None of the Steven Malkmus solo records are anywhere near as good as any of the Pavement records.  Even the last Pavement album, Terror Twilight, isn't all that exciting if we're all being honest with ourselves.  It has a few moments for sure, but it can't compare to what came before.

So to say I was skeptical of The Hard Quartet when they were announced would be an understatement.  Here's Malkmus again, this time playing with a new cast of characters with respected indie rock pedigrees, but none from bands I really listened to all that much (Chavez, The Dirty Three).  Still, I'm an obedient fan and I always give every Malkmus project a courtesy listen or two before lamenting that it isn't 1995 anymore.

Imagine my surprise when I found myself being kind of intrigued by the sounds I was hearing.  There was something here drawing me in, asking me to listen to it again.  And I found that the more I listened to the album, the more it grew on me.  I started picking up on little things that just made the songs.  There's something interesting going on here that combines the ramshackle nature of Pavement with the more polished work that Malkmus has been doing with The Jicks.  It sort of sits perfectly in between the two.

That's not to say I couldn't nit pick a little.  The songs that Malkmus doesn't sing are still good, but for me they always kind of feel like interludes that just make me want to hear the next song where Steve gets to stand in front of the microphone.  The album's also a bit too long.  It would probably be better if it was tightened up a little with maybe three or four less songs.  That said, this is the best album that Steve Malkmus has been involved in since the 90s.  It rewards repeated listens and and is engaging in a way that a lot of his solo work hasn't always been.  

The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet:
https://thehardquartet.bandcamp.com/album/the-hard-quartet

House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was LP + 7" - Yellow Vinyl

Tommy Boy (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I had been looking for a decently priced copy of the second House of Pain album for a few years when it was finally announced a reissue was coming.  And a colored vinyl LP with a bonus 7" reissue to boot for the album's 30th anniversary.  This is one of those albums that has aged really well for me.  When I originally bought this on CD in 1994 I was kind of disappointed in it and really didn't listen to it very much.  I remember a high school buddy Scott who liked it more than I did.  The album was fine, but it didn't really keep me interested enough to warrant repeated listens.

But as the years have gone by, I've been able to really appreciate this record in a way that I wasn't able to initially.  Most of that is based around the production of the album, which is really stellar.  Same As It Ever Was is the last great Soul Assassins record.  The next year they would lose the plot for me with Cypress Hill's Temple of Boom and Brothas Doobie by Funkdoobiest.  Both of those sound like they were produced by completely different human beings than the ones responsible for five pretty classic albums from 1991 to 1994.  So this House of Pain album was their last stand, at least when it comes to hip hop production that I like.

And man are there some good beats on Same As It Ever Was.  The bass lines drive the album with the Soul Assassins trademark horn screeches wailing in to emphasize the point.  Sonically, it's just a joy to listen to and it really elevates Everlast's rhyming.  And let's be honest, Everlast is something of a cartoon character when he's rapping in House of Pain.  He's totally fine and I'm not in any way insinuating that he doesn't have skill, but the character he plays is silly at times.  Luckily the whole package makes it easier to overlook some of the inherent ridiculousness of rhymes like "I got skill kid and I'm gonna milk it."

I'm just glad I was finally able to add this record to the collection at a reasonable price.  This is an affordable version of the album to pick up if you don't already have it.  And if you haven't listened to it in a few decades, give it a whirl.  I think you'll be surprised how well it holds up.

House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n5SBoH3Ms3ti3LD5MFON23aa-LhARsF0Q

Short Straw Fate - Forgotten But Begotten CD

Self Release (2024)

Back in 2017, Short Straw Fate released For The Heroes In My Record Rack, and album that I have just loved ever since.  This year, we finally have a new release, Forgotten But Begotten.   At seven songs, it's a little long for an EP and a little short for a full album and it mostly makes me wish there were just a few more songs on it, but boy oh boy do I dig the songs that are here.

I think if you made a ranked list of people in America with extensive Japanese melodic punk rock releases in their collection, I'd have to think I would end up in the top twenty at least.  I bring this up because I absolutely adore the Japanese take on the sound that bands like Snuff and Leatherface brought to prominence.  They've never given up on that sound in Japan and over the years so many incredible albums have come out of this wonderful country.  Short Straw Fate do it as well as any of them, which is me trying to say this is pretty much the exact kind of music I want to listen to.

The songs have the energy and passion that is so difficult to replicate.  The songs are all upbeat, the vocals are delivered with passion and I'm just obsessed with the hooks.  The band named themselves after a Broccoli song, so chances are I'm going to like the music they put out (see also: Chestnut Road).  This was one of my favorite releases of last year and I can only hope that it's not another seven years before I get to hear more from them.

 

The Peawees - One Ride LP - White Vinyl (/500)

Wild Honey (2024)

I bought a Peawees album back in 2008 when It's Alive Records released Walking The Walk.  That was the first time I had come across The Peawees and I have a weirdly specific memory of listen to the MP3s that came with that album in a rental car while in a parking lot in Missouri, when I was there for the wedding of one of my wife's friends.

If I'm being honest, the band fell off my radar after that, until I got an email several weeks back alerting me that they were back with a new record.  I was then very generously sent a copy of that record, and here we are with One Ride.

I assumed I knew what to expect, since I had one of their other albums, but I was still kind of surprised by how much I liked this the first time I played the record through.  It's so catchy, the hooks always work and the choruses are tight that I kind of get annoyed that I don't know the words yet because I reflexively just want to sing along.  Sadly, I can only mutter vague melodies currently.

The Peawees are also one of a few number of bands that can work a decently long guitar solo into a song without completely annoying me.  That's typically a gigantic turnoff for me, but they have a way of making it work.  It never feels unnecessarily showy, it's just there to get you to the next part of the song.  It's utilitarian in a way and I like it when a band is grounded like that.  Just a really fun, solid record.

The Peawees - One Ride:
https://thepeawees.bandcamp.com/album/one-ride

Yall So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Yall So Stupid isn't a group that I was on board with when they were originally out in the 1990s.  1993 in particular was one of those years where there was a classic being released about every three hours or so, and a lot of really great groups flew under the radar during that time period.  I discovered Yall So Stupid many years later, but quickly fell in love with that quintessential 90s sound that they brought to the table.  It took me a while to finally track down the original pressing of that LP and I wrote about it a couple of years ago.

I sometimes hem and haw about whether I need to write about a reissued album when I've so recently written about another pressing that I picked up.  Often I will skip it as I don't want to be repetitive, but sometimes the reissue is so great that I just have to go again.  Such is the case with Yall So Stupid, which was my favorite reissue of last year year.  But as always, I mismanaged time and didn't get to write about this one before the year ran out.  Makes only logical to be the first Ed Lover Dance Day write-up of 2025.

90s Tapes does an absolutely impeccable job with all of their reissues and there are times where I think they should be the only people allowed to press hip hop records that I want.  This pressing of Van Full Of Pakistans is no exception.  It sounds amazing, with rich, full bass that can withstand me turning the volume up on my stereo to wife-annoying levels of loudness.  Unlike the original pressing of the album, this version has every song from the CD on it (the original was missing four) plus an extra 7" with bonus remixes.

Expertly redone artwork in a gatefold sleeve just seals the deal.  This is such a well done package and quite honestly, I can't think of anything that could make the record itself better.  I mean a bundle with a shirt would make me even happier, but it's not like that would improve the record itself at all.

That's a lot of words about how great the reissue is, but let's not forget that the music that Yall So Stupid put out is the very definition of a classic for me.  This is the soundtrack of my early teenage years, even if I wasn't able to hear this specific record at the time.  When I refer to my golden era of 1988 - 1994, this is the sound I'm taking about.  Killer production with killer lyrics.  Sign me up for more of that.  I just hope 90s Tapes can eventually get in on the second and third Maestro Fresh Wes albums at some point.  For me those are the grails that need a treatment like this.  Plus, I'm not about to pay $500 for an original pressing of Black Tie Affair...

Yall So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/van-full-of-pakistans

Bad Year - Bad Year LP - Red w/ Black Splatter Vinyl

Snappy Little Numbers (2024)

Five Years after a 12" EP, Bad Year are back.  As I mentioned last time I wrote about them, if you're naming yourselves after one of my favorite Sicko songs, there's a better than average chance I'm going to be into what you're doing.  And I am into Bad Year.  While they don't really sound like Sicko, you can hear the influence as the band builds off of that.

I tend to think they sound more like something from the No Idea roster of the 2000s.  There's that fleeting base of a Leatherface sound, with gruff, but still melodic vocals.  Off With Their Heads a bit maybe, Dear Landlord is probably closer, but it's a sound that doesn't strike me as being too dissimilar from bands like that, but with those big Sicko influenced hooks.

The entire record is really strong all the way through, particularly in a year that hasn't been very giving with this kind of punk rock.  If I were to point to a single song to check out to get a vibe of what this band is all about, I'd recommend "Idle Hands."  It's got a great chorus and that catchy, but energetic sound that is a common thread in the punk rock that I tend to like the best.  This was an album that was on my top records of the year list for 2024, I just wasn't able to get this write up posted before that.  Regardless of when this is read, Snappy Little Numbers has a winner once again.

Bad Year - Bad Year:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-sln-254

The Absolute Best Records and Reissues of 2024

As 2024 unfolded, that now familiar thought that there is less new music that interests me was in my head a lot.  And it's true, from a quantity standpoint, I probably bought fewer new releases than any other prior year.  That said, as far as quality goes, when I started to assemble this list I realized that my fears of new music drying up are unfounded.

Now I will say, this year was lacking that singular, blow away unbelievable number one record.  There were lots of excellent, excellent records, but there wasn't that one that I went back to on repeat non stop.  After a lot of consideration, I ended up putting the J. Robbins record at number one this year.  I’m not sure it would have been the number one record most prior years, but in 2024 the stars aligned.  And it really is a great record.  

I debated that number one spot for a while as Swami and the Bed of Nails, Gentlemen Rogues and Custody all put out albums that could be argued as being the best.  For the Swami record, I mostly just wish that it was longer.  It leaves me wanting more in a way that's almost unsatisfying sometimes.  It's right up there and it might be more accurate to call it 1B as opposed to 2.  

The Absolute Best New Records of 2024

01 - J. Robbins - Basilisk - Dischord

02 - Swami & The Bed of Nails - All Of This Awaits You... - Swami

03 - Gentlemen Rogues - Surface Noise - Double Helix / Shifting Sounds

04 - Custody - 3 -   Brassneck / My Ruin / Combat Rock Industry / Shield / Sell The Heart

05 - Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times - Forge Again

06 - Stress Eater - Everybody Eats - Silver Age

07 - Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! - No Threes

08 - Short Straw Fate - Forgotten But Begotten - Self Released

09 - Pinhead Gunpowder - Unt - 1234 Go!

10 - The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet - Matador

11 - Cloud Nothings – Final Summer – Pure Noise 

12 - Four Lights - Four Lights - Bypolar / Double Dōs

13 - Bad Year - Bad Year - Snappy Little Numbers / Motorcycle Potluck

14 - Surrender - Summer Never Comes - Waterslide 

15 - Spells - Past Our Prime - Snappy Little Numbers / Big Neck / Rad Girlfriend / Keep It A Secret / Shield   

I don't normally list or rank reissues reissues at the end of the year, but it's become very apparent that the older I get, the more I'm drawn to the more formative music of my life.  I tend to play records from the 90s as much or more than new releases these days, so I figure it's probably worthwhile to point out some of the best as there were outstanding reissues this year.  

From the hip hop side of things, the label 90s Tapes had an insane year.  I put five of their records in my top fifteen reissues and they had others that didn't make the list that were also very good.  They also claimed the number one spot with their rerelease of the 1993 Yall So Stupid LP, which was a desperately needed reissue that they knocked out of the park.  It was also nice to finally get a double LP, full artwork version of one of my favorite hip hop records of all time, Casual's 1994 masterpiece Fear Itself.

For the punk, indie and rock records it's certainly hard to beat Sicko's reissues of all four of their full length albums.  Multiple colors of vinyl, remastered sound, new liner notes and bonus tracks all make these must haves.  I did rank all four together instead of splitting them up since they were released at the same time and I don't want to have to try to rank individual Sicko records against each other and the rest of the 90s.  It's too chaotic to try.  There are some on this list I haven't written about yet, so I want to also point out in particular the Ween reissue of Chocolate & Cheese.  It has essentially an entire album worth of bonus unreleased tracks.  I wish they'd do that for Pure Guava as well.

It's difficult to rank these as I'm sort of juggling how much I like the record and how good it sounds and how comprehensive it is along with the records being in different genres.  So while something like Boys Life probably has the best packaging of anything on the list, I can't ever say I like Boys Life more than Casual.  And while I like Casual more than Yall So Stupid, 90s Tapes had a much nicer overall release when you take into account sound quality, artwork and completeness than Get On Down.  Everything on this list is great and the differences between number one and number fifteen are kind of trivial at the end of the day. Not to mention we had reissues of Organized Konfusion, Shipyards and Unwound that are just outside of this top 15.

The Absolute Best Reissues of 2024

01 - Y'all So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans - 90s Tapes

02 - Sicko - All Four Albums - Top Drawer

03 - Casual - Fear Itself - Get On Down

04 - Jesse - Complete Discography -  Waterslide Records / Little Rocket / Sounds Of Subterrania /Rad Girlfriend Records

05 - Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words - Beihai Park

06 - Ween - Chocolate & Cheese - Rhino

07 - Yaggfu Front - Action Packed Adventure! - 90s Tapes

08 - China Drum - XXX - Mad Butcher Classics

09 - Boys Life - Home Is A Highway - Numero

10 - The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate - 90s Tapes

11 - Boogie Down Productions - Edutainment - Get On Down

12 - Da Homlez - Abandoned In Da Streetz - 90s Tapes

13 - Ultimate Fakebook - This Will Be Laughing Week - Rocket Heart

14 - Saafir - Boxcar Sessions - Rare Breed

15 - Mystidious Misfitss - A Who Dat? - 90s Tapes

As usual I will likely be taking a break for a few weeks to start up the year and recharge my batteries a bit.  As I go into the fourteenth year of doing this stupid website, I do think a lot about wrapping it up at some point, or at least maybe changing up what I do on it a little bit.  I don't know what I'll end up doing, but I'm pretty sure that it will be business as usual in 2025 at least.  Merry New Year everyone.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12" - Red Vinyl

Self Released (2024)

I wrote about Bad Idea's full length, Sonic Hellride, last year.  This year, they followed it up with a five song, 12" EP.  I'll throw in my obligatory complaint that I really don't like EPs as I prefer a full length or a single if you want to get less than a full course meal out into the world.  It just always seems like a waste to press up an LP but not put an LPs worth of music on it.  But that's far from a complaint unique to Bad Idea, they're just the record in front of me right now.

Like their album from last year, this EP has songs very much in the straight up punk rock space, occasionally leaning towards a more hardcore sound and sometimes having a garage-y sort of vibe.  In general this sort of thing is fine for me, but it's also not the kind of music that typically fits neatly into my wheelhouse.  I'm usually into a poppier sound...

Which the band is obviously capable of after one listen to the best song on here "Too Good To Die."  Does that main chord progression sound kind of familiar, of course, but they band still gets milage out of it by putting their own spin on things.  And as I mentioned last time I wrote about the band, they have a really great singer which helps them stand head and shoulders above other bands with similar sounds, who always seem to have uniquely shitty singers.

I think folks that are into meat and potatoes punk rock more than I am will get more milage out of this EP than I do.  It wouldn't surprise me for someone to listen to this and have the exact opposite opinion as me and think "Too Good To Die" stands out in a less than positive way from the others.  But I think we'd all agree that Bad Idea is very good at whatever they are doing.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12":
https://badideampls.bandcamp.com/album/breakout

Stress Eater - Everybody Eats LP - Red Vinyl

Silver Age (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

If you know me, you know I love early 90s hip hop.  If you know me, you also know that I really struggle to find hip hop that came out after 1994 that I can connect with.  I'll occasionally find something from the later 90s or early 2000s that scratches a similar itch, but as far as new records being release right now, it's exceedingly rare that anything makes sense to me.  The one exception to that is Czarface.  You may be able to tell from the artwork that Stress Eater is a new group from that same 'Czarface Universe.'

Where Czarface is 7L, Esoteric and Inspectah Deck, Stress Eater is 7L, Esoteric and Kool Keith.  So, we get the really nice production that is what always draws me into Czarface and then we swap out one of the guys from Wu Tang for one of the guys from Ultramagnetic MCs.  Not sure how this is a record that could possibly miss for me.  And it does not.  I mean is has a song called "Mecha and the Sole Brother" and that is one of the best song names I've seen in a long, long time.

The thing about Czarface (and now Stress Eater) that really sets it apart from most hip hop these days is the production.  It's full, it's varied, it has loud drums, it's everything I like about the sound of 90s hip hop without actually sounding like it's from the 90s.  I mean, there are echos, for sure, but it sounds like a modern evolution of that sound - not a carbon copy of an older sound.  

Lyrically, Esoteric is coming out with his usual rapid fire, pop culture heavy lyrical flow.  Dropping references that I chuckle about and also making some deep cut comic references that go completely over my head, his raps always hit for me and make me pay attention to what he's saying.  Speaking of paying attention to lyrics, Kool Keith is one of those MCs that always benefitted from repeated listens.  

For me, this is the best Keith has sounded since the 90s, and a lot of that is because he finally has top tier production that really take advantage of his unique delivery.  I feel like you'll always get the best results from Kool Keith if you give him a beat that has a steady, consistent pace.  He's at his best when you let him go off beat if he needs to, rather than forcing him to adapt to some bizarre, nutty production.

It's nice that it seems like we can count on a Czarface project most years.  I'm hopeful that means we can also start to count on future Stress Eater records in the future.  I dig this every bit as much as any of the Czarface records I have.

Stress Eater - Everybody Eats:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l9VsBx05p_mg8SmPSSMJOeFOuoGyCh3DM

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! LP - Clear Red Vinyl

No Threes (2024)

I will never pretend I am the world's foremost authority on the Fastbacks' discography.  I was a latecomer to the party and wasn't paying attention like I should have when the band was in their 90s heyday.  I've been doing my best to make up for lost time, picking up a record here and there as I see them available for the nice price™.  I can't say that I was expecting a new album from them in 2024, 25 years after their 1999 full length The Day That Didn't Exist.

And to my untrained, novice ears, it sure sounds like this is an album that could easily slide in next to one of their 90s records.  Everything that I'm looking for in a Fastbacks record.  The band as a whole is tight as hell with bouncy upbeat songs driven by an impeccable rhythm section.  Lulu & Kim's harmonies are as slick as they've ever been, complimenting each other and elevating each song.  Lulu and Kurt's guitar antics also are perfectly in sync with Kurt's extra riffing as top notch as you'd expect.

I know many people who evangelize Fastbacks as one of the great rock bands of our era.  It makes me annoyed that I missed out when they were active in the 90s.  While I really dig their records quite a bit, I don't think I'll ever have the same emotional attachment as people who have 30+ years history with them.  But I can say they are a great band and this is absolutely one of the best records to come out this year.

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason!:
https://fastbacks.bandcamp.com/album/for-what-reason

Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Blue With White Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue) 

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD. These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes). In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks. I still obsess over all three to this day.

Here we are at the fourth and final Sicko reissue, 1997's You Are Not The Boss Of Me.  I don't know how it was everywhere, but when this album came out it felt like there wasn't as much fanfare as there was for Chef Boy-R-U-Dum, at least in our little world in NJ.  It's not that anyone had ever expressed disappointment in it or anything like that, but it felt like had gone from Sicko being kings of the world to folks being like, 'Oh yeah, I like Sicko.  They have a new album?  That's cool.'  While my fandom was no less fervent when the album was released, it didn't feel like that was the case for everyone. 

Maybe it's because Sicko wouldn't make it back out this way to play any more shows.  Maybe the writing was on the wall that the band was reaching the end of their lifespan.  Maybe because things were moving so fast musically back then that in the two years between albums tastes had started to change.  It could have been any of those things, but what it doesn't change is that looking back on this record all these years later, I still think it's pretty stellar.

The album starts with "Window of Opportunity."  An incredible album opener from a band that sure knows how to open albums.  And it's just full of great songs like "Hipster Boyfriend," "High Hopes" and my favorite Ean song, "Indie Rock Daydream."  If there was ever a song that should be twice as long as it is, that's the one that would get my vote.

While I wouldn't say that "A Song About A Rabbit," "My Sister Is A Werewolf Tonight" or the "Wrathchild" cover would rank as my favorite Sicko moments, they do flesh out the album with a more varied sound.  Though I think back then probably I just wanted more pop punk.  I've also never really liked any kind of metal, so an Iron Maiden cover would always probably lose me no matter the band or the time.

Like all of the reissues, this one sounds great.  We've got two bonus tracks as well, both covers.  The first is the Misfits' "Astro Zombies."  I probably wouldn't care too much about Misfits covers most times, but they do a good job with it, playing it at warp speed.  The second is a cover of "8.6" by Husking Bee, who were another band that I really loved around this time.  This version is sped up a bit, but it fits right into the Sicko canon.

And that's going to wrap up all of the Sicko reissues.  At least until a grand, all encompassing, demos, singles and compilation songs collection is released (which I encourage).  It's great to see these albums out and being talked about again.  They truly mean so much to me and sure I have the original pressings, but you could spend your money a lot worse than having three copies of each Sicko record (well, four if I also count the CDs).  

They'll also be playing a few shows here and there, and while I don't think I'm going to be able to get out to Seattle next year, I'm still happy it's happening and hope it continues to happen every now and again.  Even though those are the days that I will remember, these songs are all too important to just leave in the past.

Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-not-the-boss-of-me-remastered

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV 12"

Tommy Boy (1991) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

This record is something that I've been hunting for ages, but I just never saw it come up on Discogs or eBay for whatever reason.  If you looks at Discogs sales history, it has popped up a few times over the last couple of years, but I just never saw it I guess.  But, a few months ago one popped up for $25 and I just went for it as I really have wanted it in the collection for a while.

That said, the record is kind of dumb.  Good dumb, but still dumb.  It's a parody of "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature except now we're "Down Wit MTV."  I vividly remember when they used to play this video on Yo! MTV Raps.  Even then I recognized it as something kind of silly that just took time away from the other videos I wanted to see.  But as the years have gone by, I look back on it with warmer feelings than I had back then.

Todd 1 and Ed Lover are totally fine delivering their goofy lyrics about why MTV is fun and cool and what not.  Neither excel, but they don't embarrass themselves either.  the beat is essentially just lifted from "O.P.P.," but it's an iconic beat so I find it difficult to not get caught up in the silliness.  is this record the sort of thing I'll even play once a year?  Not a chance, but there's a comfort knowing it's on my record shelf and I *could* play it if I had that insatiable urge to hear the song again.

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV:
https://youtu.be/eTpiZwO8mgQ?si=PZ3vkUeEw_lYftss

Superchunk / Quivers - Split 7"

Merge (2024)

I love me a good split 7" and I also do enjoy it when bands have exclusive merch when they tour.  But when that exclusive merch becomes impossible to obtain unless you happened to go to a show at a very specific time in an extremely specific geographic region, I'm not as into that.  That's where this split 7" comes in. Sold only on the briefest run of tour dates in the center of America, had it not been for the tremendous kindness of my buddy Danny, I would have been shit out of luck.  Nary a copy has shown up anywhere on the internet since this tour happened, not even on eBay or Discogs.  Again, I like cool merch, but some of us have been collecting Superchunk records for 30+ years.  I would have been most distraut to miss this.

Anyway, the Superchunk song is a fun little cover of Dead Moon's "Fire in the Western World."  I can't say that I'm familiar with the original, but Superchunk have turned it into one of their standard, upper-mid tempo numbers.  I  really enjoy it and for me it's miles better than a lot of the mopey songs they've been slinging the past couple of years.  Give me more Superchunk like this!

I had not heard of Quivers prior to the announcement of this 7" and I don't know the Yo La Tengo song they are covering, "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind." This one is slower, dreamier and for me kind of fades into the background a little bit.  It's good, but it's nothing that grabs me and makes me think that I must track down more music by this band.

I'm very grateful to have this record and again send many thanks to Danny.  I had a complete Superchunk 7" collection prior to this release (including a longtime omission that's sitting in a stash of records another friend is hording for me in the UK) and I thought that once I had this 7", I was set again.  Then Discogs alerted me to another regional exclusive.  But that's a story for another day.

Superchunk / Quivers - Split 7":
https://superchunk.bandcamp.com/album/fire-in-the-western-world-pass-the-hatchet-i-think-im-goodkind

Sicko – Chef Boy-R-U-Dum - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Yellow With Red Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD.  These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes).  In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks.  I still obsess over all three to this day.

The release of Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was when Sicko-mania really peaked, at least in the little record store that I spent an inordinate amount of my time in back then.  I would stop there multiple times a week, hanging out for many hours at a time, soaking up as much music as I could.  The legend of Sicko really was growing after Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy made its way around town and anticipation for the next record was pretty high.  Flipside is the store pictured in the liner notes of this reissue that made the window display of mock Chef Boy-R-U-Dum cans and when that record finally came out, it felt like nearly everyone owned a copy.

This is also the time when Sicko finally made it out east.  They played at Coney Island High in NYC and The Pipeline in Newark.  I will never, ever figure our why I was not able to go to the NYC show.  There was some sort of conflict that I guess was important at the time, be it work, school or some other nonsense, but I don't know how important it could have actually been since I don't remember what it was at all but sure do remember missing the show.  I did, however, get to see them play at The Pipeline and it was just a joy.  I also interviewed Denny and Ean for my college paper and asked them many stupid questions that were all the rage in interviews back then. Boba Fett and Wedge were their favorite Star Wars characters at the time, if you're curious.

But let us not overlook the record itself.  While I mentioned last week that Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy will probably always be my favorite for sentimental reasons, it really could be argued that Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was their crowning achievement.  Especially in hindsight, it's really impressive to look back on this and see how strong and cohesive it is top to bottom.  This is a record crammed full of songs under two minutes, yet they've been lodged in my brain for nearly three decades.  They don't feel short, they just sort of feel perfect.

Among the many, many highlights are "Half the Battle." "Believe," "Escalator" (which had a music video!) and maybe the song that galvanized our little crew of dorks more than any other: "The Dateless Losers Club."  Despite the fact that the bulk of us had significant others at the time, it felt very much like a song speaking to us as it often felt like we were all just seconds away from being dateless losers again at any moment.  I so vividly remember the moment they played it at The Pipeline and everyone in the room throwing up the 'L' with their hands when the "stuck to my forehead" line came.

Like the other reissues, this one sounds great.  The best Chef Boy-R-U-Dum has ever sounded.  And on this version, the song is listed as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as opposed to "Donit Ask, Donit Tell" like the LP I had from Spain!  We've got one bonus track, which is "Escape Velocity" from the More Bounce To The Ounce compilation album, but I must ask - where is "The Rainy Day" song from the Japanese version of the CD?  See, this is what happens when an obsessive record collector starts writing about records like this.  I ask the tough questions, man.  But that aside, it is most difficult to really articulate how much I love this record and how it's stuck with me for all of these years.  It can't be recommended more highly from me and it's great to see it back in print and on vinyl in America for the very first time.

Sicko - Chef Boy-R-U-Dum:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/chef-boy-r-u-dum-remastered

The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate 2xLP

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

90s Tapes is one of the best record labels going these days, as far as consistency of releases, there are few that are at their level.  In addition to rereleasing some incredible classics of the golden era, they constantly surprise me with indie rereleases of groups I was unfamiliar with.  Now, I had heard of Troubleneck Brothers prior to this release, but honestly only by a couple of months.  And then here's 90s Tapes swooping in with a double LP of early 90s hip hop greatness.

From what I have been able to surmise from various internet writings, Troubleneck Brothers were primarily active as far as releasing music from 1992 to 1994.  Those that bother to read my writing about hip hop know that's my sweet spot where so much wonderful and innovative hip hop was being created.  Love/Hate is a compilation of various material Troubleneck Brothers released as demo tapes and singles.  They were signed to Step Sun for a time, which was a subsidiary of Tommy Boy.  No clue why they weren't just on Tommy proper, I have a feeling more people would have probably heard them if they had been.

Troubleneck is a seven person crew, so I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know who is rapping when, but what I can say is every one of them has skills and shine when it's their time.  And the best part is they're are all rapping over exactly the type of beats I'm looking for with lots of upbeat bass lines, hard hitting kick and snare drums and cuts in the hooks.  It's absolutely a product of its era and I mean that as a huge compliment.  Had I heard this back in my Source reading, Yo! MTV Raps! watching, I likely would have been obsessed.

I'm always grateful when 90s Tapes steps up and rereleases a classic, I'm especially thankful that they saved these tracks and gave them the classy treatment they deserve.

The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/love-hate

Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times LP & Flexi 7" - Green In Clear Swirl Vinyl

Forge Again (2024)

I've had this Fig Dish LP for a while and for some reason I have struggled trying to figure out what to write about it.  First thing first, it's great.  That's not the issue.  But I feel like there's some sort of story that I should be telling about my relationship to Fig Dish over the years.  The only problem is that it's not a particularly deep or profound relationship.  They have always been a band that I really liked and never understood why their CDs were always in the used/cutout bins next to The Figgs and Flop.  Writing that sounds like I'm taking a shot at those bands, but all three put out records in the mid 90s that I think are just outstanding.  If anything, the story of Fig Dish to me is that of a band that for whatever reason never got their due at the time.

Feels Like The Very First Two Times contains songs that were recorded for a planned third Fig Dish LP that was meant to come out in 1998 or 1999 I would assume.  That never happened, though when I listen to these songs, it takes me right back to everything I loved about Fig Dish.  The big, crunchy guitars driving through monster hooks with wry lyrics.  These songs are every bit as good as anything on their second or third albums (Thanks to Alan for reminding me about their first album that I always forget about).  Part of my brain then wonders why material this strong never came out at the time, but then the other part wonders if this album would have been received any different than the others?  I don't really know the answer and that's frustrating in some ways, but the fact that it did finally come out is really the thing I should be focused on.  And the fact that it's out on vinyl is even better.

This is easily one of the best records I've heard this year.  Sure, technically these songs aren't 'new' songs in 2024, but they've never been officially released before, so I'm definitely counting it as a top record of 2024.  I just hope this is the first of at least three Fig Dish records being released on vinyl as mentioned in the excellent liner notes.  I need those first two albums!

Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times:

https://forgeagainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/feels-like-the-very-first-two-times