Various Artists - Big, Big Wave LP - Mixed Color Vinyl

Feral Kid (2022)

This is a compilation album.  I feel that comps are really a thing of the past at this point.  I never really see them anymore, but were it not for comp albums there are so many bands that I never would have discovered otherwise.  This particular album focuses on a pretty specific scene, a burgeoning one in Hattiesburg, MS.

Most of the bands on here get two songs, but not all of them.  The songs represent many genres and for whatever reason, most are very short with over half of them clocking in at under two minutes.  Now there's definitely stuff on here that's not for me.  The breakneck screaming of Fumes isn't the sort of thing I would listen to on most occasions.  Same with the sludgy, stoner rock of Stellatone (they're one of the bands that only got one song on this) and the Stranger Things synth of Control Room.

That said, there are a few bands on here that I thought were pretty solid.  Pleather is a band that I have a 7" by, and their Baby Shakes-ish guitar pop is enjoyable.  The Squirms put forth a serviceable rock and roller called "Stiles."  It's not amazing or anything, but it's totally fine.  My favorites on the album are the two entries of Ded Jewels.  Both are fuzzed out guitar tunes that have a slight debt of influence to the sort of early rock of the late 50s and early 60s.

Is this the sort of compilation that I bought in the 90s, the kind that instantly alters my taste in music?  No, it's not.  But there are some decent songs in here and it definitely changed my opinion of what could be happening in towns like Hattiesburg.

Various - Big Big Wave:
https://feral-kid-records.bandcamp.com/album/big-big-wave

Various Artists - A Rigid Digits Production - A Tribute To Stiff Little Fingers

Snuffy Smile (1996)

These days. there aren't all that many Snuffy Smile records that I don't have in my collection.  I'm all caught up on 7"s, but there are still a handful of CDs that have eluded me.  While they were never as high a priority as the 7"s, I really do want to get my hands on all of them in order to truly call my collection complete.  This compilation is one of the few I was still hunting.

This is a three inch CD with four bands each covering a Stiff Little Fingers song.  Registrators, who were never one of my favorite bands to release a record on Snuffy Smile, give a spirited rendition of "Wasted Life."  Sprocket Wheel tackle "Wait and See" in an interesting manner that bounces around genres mixing their trademark pop punk sound with a little bit of doo wop backing vocals and frequent tempo changes.

Nails of Hawaiian turn in the highlight of this release for me, a bouncy version of "At The Edge" with excellent guitar riffage and breakdowns.  Finally there's a band I'm really not as familiar with, Sawpit.  If their version of "Rough Trade" was an indication of the rest of their releases, I'd probably want to hear more.  That said, a quick browse through some YouTube video shows me that they typically deal in a more screamy version of hardcore which is probably why this and an appearance on the Ultimate Slow Beats compilation were their only Snuffy Smile releases.

These 4 cover songs don't make up the most compelling Snuffy Smile CD ever released.  They're fun songs, but not the sort of thing that would warrant repeated listens.  That said, from a collector position, it was very important for me to add this to my pile of Snuffy Smile releases.  Hopefully I'll be able to track down the last few.

Sprocket Wheel - 1992 - 1997 Best of Shits 2xCD

Sweft (2000)

I wrote about a Sprocket Wheel 7" a few weeks ago and mentioned that I had found another interesting release at the same time.  This double CD is the release I was talking about and it's one that I found in a 7" bin while record shopping in Tokyo during my trip a few years ago.  I didn't really know what it was at the time that I bought it (I was buying a lot of records and in some ways not paying total attention to what I was buying), I just knew it was a Sprocket Wheel release I didn't have.

When I got back to the hotel to review my bounty, I realized this was a double CD full of Sprocket Wheel songs and from what I can tell now, it appears to be a complete collection of their entire discography.  It has all of the songs from both of their full lengths.  It has songs from their split 7"s with Goober Patrol and Less Than Jake along with the 7" I wrote about a few weeks ago.  It also contains every compilation song that I am able to find as well as a few demos.  What I'm getting at is that it's very complete.

I have a lot of these songs already, but I'll admit that it is nice to have everything compiled in one place, particularly all of those compilation songs.  Now if I want to sit down and listen to all of the wonderfully fast and melodic punk blasts that these guys released in the 90s, I don't have to tear apart my entire CD rack to accomplish that.  This Sprocket Wheel compilation is similar to a Lovemen compilation that I have..  Now if someone would put one out for Blew, I'll have the trifecta of the three biggest Japanese bands that I listened to when I first started buying records from Japan.

Sprocket Wheel - Five songs from 1992 - 1997 Best of Shits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVg4QAXTrVw

V/A - Because We Can Cassette

Motorcycle Potluck (2018)

I believe this is the very last cassette that I have that hasn't been reviewed yet.  It's certainly possible that I misplaced a some others that were sent in to be written about, but I'm pretty sure this is it.  I really made a concerted effort to finally get through them all, so I'm glad the pile is no longer sitting there, taunting me.

This final tape is a compilation sent over by Motorcycle Potluck.  It's a batch of bands from the Denver Area and beyond, though the bulk are certainly flying under the radar for the most part.  There a few bands I already know.  I recently reviewed Seagulls and their contribution is another Iron Chic meets OWTH burner.  Bud Bronson & The Good Timers have song that has a lot of 80s sounding guitar riffage, so that would fit on their LP pretty seemlessly.  Spells check in with "Run Away," a track that seems a little darker than most of their other output.  It's still pretty catchy though, particularly when the shorus kicks in.

My favorite song on this comp is by Jack's Smirking Revenge, a band I wrote about recently under the name JSR.  I guess that's what JSR stands for.  Their song "Queen Pity of the Plains" is a slice of tight pop punk a la Zoinks, with vocals that sound like a cross between The Weakerthans and American Steel. They still have that Karl Hendricks style storytelling in tow and I've just been really impressed with everything I've heard so far.

This is a $2 tape.  It's totally worth the two bucks as there are quite a few gems in the bunch.  Worth checking it out, even if you hate cassettes.

V/A - Because We Can:
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/because-we-can-4

V/A - Mainspring Tribute CD (/300)

Further Platonic (2017)

I will have to admit up front that I am not familiar with the band Mainspring.  I bought this compilation CD based on the fact that The Hum Hums and Short Straw Fate were both on it.  Though after listening to this six song tribute, it's pretty clear to me that I may have missed out on a band that is probably right up my alley.

The CD starts off with a band called Springwater.  I've also never heard of them, but their contribution "The Sun Has Not Yet Come Out" is a hell of a song and a great way to start off this CD.  It's got guitar octaves in just the right places and an incredibly catchy chorus.  I think this is another band I need to hear more from.  The Hum Hums's song "Turn Up" is exactly what I would expect from one of my current favorite bands.  Lots of wonderful harmonies and a melody that will be stuck in my head for weeks.  Short Straw Fate (another of my current favorite Japanese bands) takes things up a notch with their rendition of"Ordinary Persons."  They have a bit more of an aggressive sound, channelling their mid 90s influences.   They would sound right at home on Crackle or Snuffy Smile. 

I don't know Cody and The Checkmates, but their song stands out as being mellower than some of the others.  A little less distortion than some bands, but they still have a great guitar tone and this is another extremely catchy song.  Passive Chord turns the fuzzy guitars back up and their song "Still"  reminds me a little bit of the band Thirsty Chords.  They are another band I'd like to hear more from.  Wrapping things up is Slugger Machine, a band that I do have other records by.  "Belief" is their contribution and it's great.  The way the guitars sound remind me of a much faster Silver Scooter, but with stronger vocals and more emphasis on the hooks. 

This is a great CD.  It makes me want to hear more of the band that wrote all of these songs, Mainspring, plus it's given me my first taste of three new bands that I'd like to find more records of.  It seems like every time I buy a record from Kazu, it makes me want to buy ten more.

V/A - Radical Punk For Shits CD

Anti-New Waves (2000)

This compilation CD is one that I definitely picked up while I was in Japan.  In addition to the fact that it has quite a few bands that I'm already a big fan of, it's also the very first release that Anti-New Waves ever released.  While that label isn't really known outside of Japan as well as a label like Snuffy Smile, they've put out quite a few records that I really enjoy, so it was kind of cool to be able to buy the record that started it all.

The basic concept of this compilation is Japanese punk rockers covering older UK punk songs.  While cover songs aren't always the most exciting thing for me to listen to, I certainly understand how much fun it is for a band to play a song that they love and was influential to their music.  The good news is that most of the covers on this comp are pretty great.

For me the standouts are Cradle To Graves' take on "Kleenex" by Generation X, Oval's version of "Ulster" by Stiff Little Fingers and Short Circuit taking on "In The City" by The Jam.  Each manages to pay homage to the original version of the song, while still allowing the band's to put their own stamp on the recording.  But really, all eight songs on this are pretty solid.  They all manage to capture the energy and passion that I love about Japanese punk bands, and pour that into some classic punk rock tunes from a prior generation.

The Mr. T Experience - Shards Volume Two LP - Red Vinyl (/200)

Sounds Rad (2018)

This is the second of two LPs of Mr. T Experience songs that had no real home on any albums or EPs.  It will also be another instance where I write about this band and aside from this sentence will exclusively refer to them as The Mr. T Experience and not MTX.  For reasons I cannot explain, but will attempt to describe, the use of the three letter abbreviation as the defacto band name has always kind of bugged me.

When I worked in the music 'biz,'  I worked at the company that did the college radio promotion for Yesterday Rules when that album came out.  Lookout insisted on using the abbreviation for the promo materials and on the CD itself and how the album was listed in the trade charts.  When I asked them why they were burying a band name with almost twenty years of history at that time - who were also, by the way one of my very favorite bands - I was given some sort of non-committal answer about it being hipper and for 'the kids' and to definitely not mention it to Dr. Frank when he came to our office to say hi.  I didn't mention it.  I've always wondered what would have happened if I did as it was the only thing on my mind the entire time he was in our office.  Oh well.

Back to the matter at hand, this is a compilation of a lot of random Mr. T Experience songs from a lot of different eras of the bands existence.  Some are great and I've always loved like "Hello Kitty Menendez" and "T Shirt Commercial," both from influential compilation albums I had as a youngster.  Others are somewhat newer to me like "We Are The Future People Of Tomorrow" and "Crash."  These are also from compilations, but I didn't have those when they originally came out, so I don't have the preexisting connection and nostalgia.

Lastly, it also includes one of my very favorite songs, "How'd The Date End?"  But, it's not the same version as the one that's on the Tapin' Up My Heart 7".  This one has an extra part with more lyrics that wasn't on the 7" version, but I just don't like it as much.  That 7" version has a certain roughness and energy to it that has always connected with me and I have loved it just the way it is for the last twenty-four years.  Part of me thinks that it is kind of humorous that all these years and rereleases later, it is still sort of the hidden gem you can only get on that specific 7", but then the other part of me wonders how many people have never heard the version of the song I like the best.  I also wonder why on earth I would possibly care?  I still have the 7" and the song, why does it matter what anyone else hears?  I do not have answers to quandaries like this.

I can say that it is nice to have all of these songs compiled into one nice and easy LP.  I will also echo a point I made from the last Shards review and that is I really hope that somewhere along the line, an actual singles compilation with every 7" and EP song gets released. That's what I would most like to see next in the Mr. T Experience reissue project anyway.

Once again I can not find a version of this album to listen to online to point you towards aside from a Spotify listing.  If that's your thing, you can give it a whirl here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2bJPJUnzxI2QTNH8JNHbGY

V/A - TOTY Split Series #1 7"

Trace Of The Youth (2017)

I haven't bought many records lately.  I recently moved into my first house and money is a bit tighter than usual.  There's only been a few sporadic new things coming in over the last few weeks.  But as I dig around to find records to write about on this website, it's amazing how much of a backlog I have of Japanese CDs and 7"s that I haven't gotten to yet.  Some are still from my trip to Japan nearly two years ago and others are from various mailorder acquisitions since then.  The point is, I'm not running out of things to write about anytime soon.

This compilations 7" features two songs each from three different Japanese bands.  On the record, they're arranged kind of haphazardly, but for the sake of this review, I'll write about each band's songs together.  Summer Months gives us "Before We Fall Asleep" and "Nothing."  "Before We Fall Asleep" is slower and reminds me a little bit of Boys Life.  They have the mid 90s midwestern vibe down pat while still keeping the chorus upbeat and catchy.  "Nothing" is a shorter, faster burst of energy.  Not as intricate as "Before.."is, but it's even catchier.

I was already familiar with the band Bows before I got this 7" and if I'm being truthful, they're the main reason I picked it up.  Their two songs are just what I've come to expect from this incredible band.  They have the I Excuse/Manifesto Jukebox version of dynamic punk rock perfected and both "Other Town, Other Light" and "Time Waits For No One" showcase wild guitar noise channelled into hooky choruses.  One of the more overlooked bands out there right now.

Finally we have Gremlin.  Like Summer Months, I hadn't heard of them prior to picking up this 7".  I should have expected yet another pretty great band.  Really, no one does pop punk better than all of these great bands from Japan.  Gremlin manage to fit right in with the other two bands on this compilation, while still sounding completely unique.  They have some similar elements that you can hear in Bows and Summer Months, going back and forth between fuzzy guitar chords and jangly guitar leads.  However, the way the structure these parts into their two great songs stand out as being different. 

V/A - TOTY Split Series #1 7":
https://traceoftheyouth.bandcamp.com/album/toty-split-series-1

V/A - A Tribute To Broccoli - R.S.V.P.

Fixing A Hole (2018)

If there is a band that deserves a tribute album, in my eyes, it's Broccoli.  In addition to being one of my favorite bands of all time, I also think they are wildly overlooked and under appreciated considering their phenomenal output.  While they were only a band for a short while, they amassed a pile of singles, a pair of albums and some of the best songs I've ever heard.

This double CD tribute album is boasting thirty eight bands, all providing their take on a classic Broccoli track.  Bands from all over the world take part, but Broccoli's influence seems to have been felt most keenly in the UK and Japan.  It would take a long time to point out every cool band and every cool cover, but I'll try to quickly go over a few.

Hyalin does a great version of "Constance." The Corpse's take on "Chestnut Road," a song always in contention for my favorite Broccoli song, is faithful, but still manages to tread new ground. The Hum Hums do a version of "I Am A Robot" that is pretty spectacular.  Though another band doing the same song, Honcho Tiros, is probably the most interesting take on a Broccoli song as they really put their own stamp on it and transform it into something completely new.  I do wish the vocals were just a little louder in the mix, but it is still a highlight of the compilation.

Egotrunk do the song "Short Straw Fate," The No Marks tackle "R.S.V.P." and Bows turn in "Constance."  The band Chestnut Road (named after a Broccoli song) don't cover the song their band is named after, they do "Fido."  The band Short Straw Fate (also named after a Broccoli song) don't cover the song "Short Straw Fate," they do a great version of "Jamaica Street."  And the funniest one to me is Water Closet's cover of "Da-a-a-ance," which isn't even a Broccoli song.  That one was a Lambrettas song that Broccoli covered on a 7". A band covering a band covering a band, but it's still a solid version of the song.

Now, I have to say that you really should own the original Broccoli albums these songs came from.  Their second LP Home is probably the best place to start.  But I think that this tribute compilation could be an interesting way to discover these songs, particularly if you're already familiar with some of the incredible bands that took part in this project.  There's no place online to stream the entire compilation that I can find, trust me.  It's definitely worth a listen.

V/A - Ultimate Slow Beats CD

Snuffy Smile (1996)

I'm very lucky that I've been able to gather a complete Snuffy Smile 7" collection over my years of buying records.  I've said it many times, but they have essentially been my favorite record label in the world for close to 20 years now.  When I went to Japan, one of my goals was to try to fill some holes in my Snuffy Smile CD collection.  I didn't find many of the missing albums, but I did find a couple. One of which is this fine compilation.

I've actually had a different version of this comp for quite a long time.  It was released in America on Broken Rekids under the name Peace And Love.  That never deterred me from seeking out the original version.  Ultimate Slow Beats has some of my very favorite bands from the first wave of Japanese punk rock that I started listening to.

You've got some of the more well known bands like Blew, Lovemen and Navel, all of which are among the best of the best bands you'll ever listen to.  However, there are also some songs from equally great, but not quite as well known bands like Snatcher, International Jet Set and Just One Day (pre-The Urchin).  Let's not forget about Cigaretteman, one of my all time favorites who dish up arguably my favorite song of theirs, "Sister."

These bands are just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many interesting sounds to hear across this compilation.  While this Snuffy Smile version is a bit tougher to track down, if you're not as nutty about things as I am, you can hunt down the US version much easier.  In fact, there's one on Discogs right now for five bucks.  Probably the best five dollars you'll spend today.

Cigaretteman - "Sister":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtLnTrwC5ys

Navel - "Chaos Mind":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2GieDZMIuM

International Jetset - "Today":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIqGpOca90Y

V/A - Strength In Weakness LP - Black / Clear Split Color Vinyl

Lame-O (2015)

I don't buy nearly as many compilations as I did when I was younger.  I actually picked this one up quite some time ago, but have just been dragging my feet on reviewing it.  I had mostly bought it for the at the time unreleased Beach Slang song, Although I was also already familiar with Hurry and Spraynard.  Also, I should note that this is a benefit compilation and all proceeds from this album are going to United Cerebral Palsy.

Spraynard start things up with another one of their passionate, Iron Chic style punk rock offerings. "Haulin' Oats" is every bit as good as anything else they've released, so this is definitely not a throwaway.   Next up is The Weaks.  I've not heard of them before, but they really surprised me with their offering. "Call Me Away" is big and crunchy like the best kind of failed 1990's major label band.  Reminds me a bit of Fig Dish.  I really dig this song.  Modern Baseball fills out the last song on the A side.  This is a band I have heard of before, but never really listened to anything of theirs.  I'm not sure this song will be one to change my mind as it's kind of slow and boring.

Side B doesn't start off on the best foot.  "Old Joe" by a band called Marietta is pretty dull and unremarkable, just plodding along. Things pick up with "Shake It Off" a fantastic song by Hurry, though it is also on their most recent full length album as well.  Still a highlight for sure.  Finishing up is a fully acoustic version of the Beach Slag song "Too Late To Die Young."  It's really not too dissimilar from the version that ended up on their full length, though there's lots of extra static on the vocals on this compilation version.  It is a good song, but it's not really all that necessary if you have the Beach Slang album.

Still, this is a good little compilation for a great cause.  More than anything The Weaks song really blew me away, I'm going to have to look into those guys a bit more.

V/A - Strength in Weakness

https://lame-orecords.bandcamp.com/album/strength-in-weakness

Record Store Day Haul #5: V/A - Hardcore Matinee - Clear Vinyl

Swami (2016)

By now you're probably noticing a trend here, but I'll continue it again in case you haven't read any of the prior write ups I've done on my Record Store Day hauls.  My local store didn't carry the Hardcore Matinee compilation, so once again I was forced to look elsewhere and like with the other Swami RSD releases, I was able to nab this from Interpunk.  So, thanks for that Interpunk, you came through big time this year.

Hardcore Matinee is a throwback to the days of compilation albums that cram tons of bands and variety into a blender and serve it up to you, the listener.  Being of the appropriate age myself, I can't even tell you how many compilations I bought back in the 90s.  It was essentially one of the main ways I discovered new bands.  You find a comp that has a band or two on it you already like, and then you go through the rest looking for new sounds.  It's actually how I discovered Rocket From The Crypt oddly enough.  Swami John Reis has compiled a bunch of bands from his hometown of San Diego, CA and the results are pretty striking.

It starts off with a one-two punch of The Schizophonics and Octagrape, both are bands that I was familiar with, but hadn't really heard all that much by.  While neither song ends up being a true highlight on this stacked compilation, they are both good enough to warrant looking into both bands a little more closely in the future.  

There's some bands already familiar to me who expectedly knock it out of the park.  Pinback, The Heartaches and Mrs. Magician are all at the very top of the best songs on this record and by listening to each it is clear that they were not turning in leftovers for this compilation.  Every one of those songs could have easily ended up on an album or 7".

Of newer bands (or at least newer to me bands), Teenage Burritos and The Soaks really stand out.  In particular, The Soaks stake a real claim at possibly having the best song on the entire compilation.  I already have a demo tape by these guys, but I really hope to hear more from them very soon.  

Next we'll talk about the two John Reis bands on this record.  Chronologically, the first one is the first new Hot Snakes song since they started playing together again.  It's as fantastic as you would hope and instantly makes it obvious this is a band that has lost none of their fire over the years.  If anything it's interesting how much it seems to call on Rick's time with Obits.  Closing out the album is The Sultans.  Despite having been out of action for so long, they are the band battling with The Soaks for my favorite song on the record.  Their inclusion "Hardcore Matinee" is something of a theme song for the entire record.  It showcases all of the incredible chord changes, warm, jangly guitar and catchiness that The Sultans displayed on their last album.  I want new records by all of John's band, but part of me would like to hear some more from The Sultans the most.

There are a few bands that don't get to me quite as much.  The Gary Wilson song strikes me as being a little goofy and I'll never be into the kind of noisy hollering that bands like Death Eyes, Ghetto Blaster and WHA bring to the table.  But as a whole this is an incredibly enjoyable compilation packed with old favorites and new hit songs.  It brings me right back to the 90s, digging through compilation albums, looking for gold.

Octagrape - Rabalais:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD9pP_QEPI

The Soaks - "Boyfriend":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFUzXxQWls8

The Sultans - "Hardcore Matinee":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hQzbGTGAqE

V/A - Jabberjaw No. 1 7"

Mammouth (1994)

The first Jabberjaw CD was one of my favorite compilations back in the 90's.  It just had a little bit of everything on it and believe me I played it quite a bit.  I'd never really gone crazy trying to get the four 7"s that made up the original version of the compilation even though they don't tend to be particularly expensive.  However, when I decided that I wanted to complete the Unwound 7" collection, it would never be finished unless I owned this record.  So after a few weeks of end of the year and holiday wackiness, Unwound Wednesday is back.

We'll start out with Unwound as they are the entire reason I bought this 7".  Their contribution "Broken E Strings" is my absolute, hands down favorite Unwound song.  Its slow, quiet verse suddenly explodes into one of the more chaotic choruses you're likely to hear.  I could listen to this song over and over and over again.  Though the band had many highlights, you'll find none higher than this song.

The other 3 were never really among my favorites on the compilation.  I always found Helmet a bit too noisy, but always in a sterile kind of way that I didn't quite understand.  "Turned Out" is no exception.  I can't say it's inherently bad, but I can't say that I like it either.  "Borax" by Slug also isn't going to win any prizes from me.  It feels a little directionless, but it is quite loud.  So it's got that going for it.  Hammerhead's song "Cleaning Woman" would probably be my second favorite on this 7". It has a blazing fast guitar riff, pounding drums and although the singer is quite loud and shouts a lot, he never breaks down into an annoying scream.

Really this 7" is just all about that Unwound song.  It's just perfect.  You could interchange any other 3 bands around it and it would still be an absolutely essential purchase.  Or I guess you could by the Numero Group Unwound box set that has this song on it.  That way you'll also end up with a ton of other great Unwound songs.

Unwound - "Broken E Strings":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqGnEgFvcLg

Helmet - "Turned Out":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgwHGrWhyF8

V/A - La Marraca Compilation 7"

Roto (1995)

On Twitter one day there was an exchange between someone and one of my favorite bands, Bum.  Bum tweeted a picture of a record of theirs that I did not have.  I inquired about it and immediately set off to add it to my Bum record collection.  I'm a completest for them after all.  What we have is a 4 band comp 7", that sadly I can't tell you much about other than it's from Spain and that Grunnen Rocks website thinks it came out in 1995.  I can also tell you a bit about the music.

The main event was obviously was bum and their contribution is a live cover of a The Viletones' "Screaming Fist" (or "Screaming Fen" as the 7" says).  It's a fast and loud shouty punk rock song, that is a good time, but it's nowhere near as dynamic and catchy as a Bum original. What can I say, I like Bum songs more than their cover songs, but the collection is complete again (aside from the colored vinyl version of the Magic Teeth #2 record).

The Pleasure Fuckers give us a song built around the "Oh EEE Oh" chant from Wizard Of Oz, then they shout a few words, then goes back to the "Oh EEE Oh" chant again.  There's a good hook in the chorus though.  

Dr. Explosion is slightly fuzzy power pop.  The vocals have a slight sneer to them, almost like something El Vez would do.  It's actually a really strong song and I'm curious about the other albums this band put out, though there seem to be about 4000 of them.   

Vivoras are fast and upbeat.  They remind me of the Shitbirds a bit.  It's also a good song, total Sympathy For The Record Industry style garage rock.

V/A - Snuffy Smiles Presents: Puke & Destroy 2 7" (Gleam Garden,What-A-Night's, Tenement, Holy Shit)

V/A - Snuffy Smiles Presents: Puke & Destroy 2 7" (Gleam Garden, What-A-Night's, Tenement, Holy Shit), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Snuffy Smiles (2013)

Life doesn't get much better than a Snuffy Smiles compilation. Especially when it pairs 2 of my absolute favorite Japanese bands and 1 of my favorite American bands. The deal with this 7" is that each band contributes 2 songs. One quick 30 second long one, then another longer track.

I could go on for days and days about how much I love Gleam Garden and What-A-Night's and you really need to look no further than this 7" to see why. Gleam Garden's 30 second long song isn't anything special, but their 2nd one, "It Smelled Good," is pretty great. Neither is quite as good as their most recent CD, but this band is outstanding. What-A-Night's just kill on both of their contributions. They cram a lot of greatness into the 30 second one, and "Cry for Nothing" is also a hit. This band has tons of energy and write some of the best hooks coming out of Japan right now.

For the US side Tenement 30 second long song (like What-A-Night's) isn't really a standout, but "The Block Is Safe Again" is a really strong mid tempo rocker with great backing harmonies. Tenement is one of the best US bands going and I suggest you buy as many of their records as you can. Holy Shit isn't really my copy of tea, they lean more to the hardcore, really fast side of things and that was just never a style the clicked with me, especially as I've gotten older.

All in, this is a great 7", but really you should always be buying everything that comes out with the Snuffy Smiles logo on it, they can do no wrong.