Saturday Night Karaoke / Felix! (The Band) - Yes Band Photo Vol. 1 - Split CD

Waterslide (2017)

Once again playing homage to the 7" artwork that Mutant Pop used to use, Waterslide records has put out a split CD with two bands that would have fit right in on MP back in the day.  I do think it's a little odd that the bands alternate songs back and forth on the split.  I guess I'm just more used to each band's songs on a split being clustered together.  It doesn't really matter as even though each band are undeniably playing pop punk, you can tell the difference between the two instantly.

Saturday Night Karaoke are from Indonesia and they really have perfected the sort of bubblegum pop punk that takes its influences from basic Ramones-y chord progressions and simple, sing song melodies.  It's pure pop music, the sort you would have definitely heard on Mutant Pop and kind of reminds me of older bands like Groovie Ghoulies (without the sci fi) or The Riverdales.

The other half of the songs are from Felix! (The Band). I'm more familiar with these guys having written about their full length a little ways back.  They're even better on this outing as their Zoinks! style songs have gotten more dynamic and exciting since their last album.  The energy that the band captures in their two minute blasts is something special and their harmonies are approaching Hum Hums level sophistication.   Great bands, great songs, great split.

Saturday Night Karaoke / Felix! (The Band) - Yes Band Photo Vol. 1 - Split CD:

https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/saturday-night-karaoke-felix-the-band

Felix! (The Band) - What To Do In Case Of Fire? CD

Waterslide (2015)

When I pulled this out of the package of CDs sent to me from Waterslide records, I immediately started to smile.  The artwork for this album is fantastic, a spin on the old art used by Mutant Pop records for their 7"s back in the 90's.  Even though I didn't love everything that Mutant Pop put out, they had some spectacular releases.  If you don't have those Underhand 7"s, you really should go buy them right away.

Felix! (The Band) fits in the Mutant Pop mold as well. At their core they are the epitome of a 1990s pop punk band.  Probably most similar to bands on the pop punk spectrum like The Riverdales, Squirtgun and Zoinks!.  They've got the blasting power chords, the three chord transitions, a little bit of octaves for some dynamics and lots of catchy choruses.  They're at their best when there's a little bit of whoa-ing in the background during the choruses of songs like "Sunday" and "I'm Still Waiting For You."

It's kind of funny listening to Felix! (The Band).  They just sound so much like an American band from the 90's, you find yourself forgetting that this album only came out last year.  It's a nice and refreshing listen.  Twenty years ago this may have gotten lost in the shuffle with so many other bands around at the time, but now they stand out as something new, fresh and pretty unique in 2016 (or 2015 when the record came out). 

Felix! (The Band) - What To Do In Case Of Fire?:

https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-to-do-in-case-of-fire