Raging Nathans / Wonk Unit - Split 7"

Drunken Sailor / Rad Girlfriend (2016)

I'm not exactly sure why it took me two years to pick up this 7".  I'm actually not positive that I knew it was out, though that seems weird to me.  Anyway, I grabbed it while looking for something to help qualify for free shipping while grabbing some records from Green Noise.  This split popped up and it fit the bill perfectly.

First up on this split 7" we have Raging Nathans.  A few years ago I wrote about their album Losing It and I definitely enjoyed that.  The two songs on this 7" seem to reflect a somewhat rougher version of the band as they barrel through three chord, pop punk style riffs at blazing speed.  Both songs are short, economical and cram a ton of energy into their brief run times.  "Good For You" is my favorite of the two with it's bouncy, super catchy chorus.  These guys also have a new album out this year called Cheap Fame, but I haven't picked that one up yet.

On the other side of the 7" we have Wonk Unit, a band that I was really late to the party for, but one that I've been trying to make up for lost time with.  "We Came Together" starts thing of with a jangly guitar riff, that feels like something that might be on a deep cut of a Vacant Lot album, but with a slight ska lean to it.  "Candy" showcases Wonk Unit's ability to craft a simple, sparse song that still contains all of the energy of the loudest punk thrasher you can think of.  Their ability to keep things unique, but still cram their songs full of hooks is on full display during both songs.

Raging Nathans / Wonk Unit - Split 7":
https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wonk-unit-raging-nathans-split-7
 

First Base - Not That Bad LP - Blue Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2017)

Not Thad Bad came out towards the end of 2017.  I also dragged my feet on picking it up/listening to it/reviewing it for a bit, so I didn't get it written up before the year ended.  It's kind of a shame as this is one of those records that really should have been represented on my end of the year list and pretty high at that.  The way that the band rolls together their vintage guitar tones and power pop sensibilities, First Base has a hit on their hands.

I actually got a little confused as I had thought I already owned band's first album, but doing a little bit of digging in the 'F' section and it turns out I don't, I only have a 7" of theirs that came out on La-Ti-Da.  That missing LP seems like a pretty big omission to me, especially if their first one is anywhere near as good as this new record.  I can be hit or miss on straight up power pop at the best of times, but First Base do a great job of keeping up the energy to go along with their bouncy hooks.  

The killer vocal harmonies certainly have a lot to do with how great all of the songs are as well, and it reminds me a lot of The Hum Hums maybe mixed with Gentleman Jesse or the Barreracudas first album.  There is so much on this record for the garage power poppers to love, but there's also a lot here for the pop punkers out there as well.  A damn fine album.

First Base - Not That Bad:

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/not-that-bad-lp

Corner Boys - Just Don't Care 7"

Drunken Sailor (2017)

Drunken Sailor is a label that always intrigues me.  They have this funny way of splitting their time between UK style melodic punk rock and poppier garage punk.  I don't find this weird, after all I'm a fan of both styles (country and western), but for whatever reason seeing some of the records they release side by side just makes me chuckle. 

Corner Boys hail from Vancouver and if the three songs on this 7" are any indication, they really love 70's style power pop.  Just Don't Care serves up three songs that sound right out of that era with the jangly guitar and bouncy bass lines.  The songs churn out catchy hooks with singalong choruses that will sound right at home next to whatever forgotten band Hozac trots out for their next reissue.  

The vocals are really up front in the mix on these three songs and the singer does have a somewhat nasally, slightly accented vocal style that you have to be ready for.  It's probably not going to be everyone's cup of tea and the vocals are so in the forefront that it might be a dealbreaker for some.  Luckily not for me as I really dig the three songs on this 7".  They're poppy and catchy and there's no screaming.  What's not to like?

Corner Boys - Just Don't Care 7":

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/just-dont-care-7

Cheap Wine - S/T LP - White Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2017)

As soon as I heard about this new band comprised of Jordy (Creeps, Crusades), Eric (Feral Trash) and Steve (Steve Adamyk Band), there wouldn't be a way you could have stopped me from buying it.  With a pedigree like that, you can easily set yourself up for disappointment by expecting too much.  Luckily, Cheap Whine delivers and then some.

You hear the term power pop thrown around a lot.  Often times it ends up being used on bands who are snotty garage bands missing the pop or bands that are severely laking in the power category.  Cheap Whine suffers none of this.  They songs are all blistering with the sort of energy that I go crazy for, but they never sacrifice the hooks or the wonderful poppy choruses.  In a lot of ways, they remind me of The Marked Men, but with cleaner vocals.

Just pop on any one of the album's myriad of hits.  Try out the full blown downstroke madness of "Fall" or "Kasumi."  Or the slightly more melodic, but equally powerful "A Little Change" or "Best Times."  The entire album is just a blast from start to finish.  Cheap Whine doesn't really sound like and of the members other bands, but they have a close enough vibe and are drawing from similar influences that it would seem like madness to like Steve Adamyk Band but not Cheap Whine.  Put simply; it's a hell of a record.

Cheap Whine - S/T:

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cheap-whine-st

Marvelous Mark - Buzzin' LP - Pink Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2017)

This Marvelous Mark album is comprised of some new songs as well as a bunch of tunes from prior EPs that have been added in to fill out the LP.  While I never quite seem to love Marvelous Mark songs quite as much as the songs he was cranking out in his prior band, Marvelous Darlings, there are some fantastic tunes on this album.

While Marvelous Darlings traded in big pop choruses and a healthy amount of swagger, Marvelous Mark dives deeper into pure pop bringing together a sound that's part 90's guitar pop bands like The Posies, but combined with the sort of upbeat fuzz you'll find in modern bands like Wavves.  Every one of the songs on Buzzin' is drenched in sugary melodies with hooks to match.  

I guess part of me doesn't love this album quite as much as I normally would since I've heard so many of the songs before, but if you only have Mark's last album Crushin', this is a pretty essential pick up.  Even if you have the singles, the new songs exclusive to this release are still great, so I can't really imagine passing on this record no matter what your existing collection looks like.

Marvelous Mark - Buzzin':

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/buzzin-lp

Color TV - Demo 7"

Drunken Sailor (2016)

This 7" is the vinyl pressing of a demo tape I reviewed about a year and a half ago.  I'm pleased it was released on vinyl as I can only take so many cassettes in my life.  Although I did miss the colored variant, I was able to pick this up through a US distro.  Sometimes you have to weigh postage vs. colored wax I guess.  Postage won this battle.

The reason Color TV first came across my radar was because I was trying to find more information about the band W.H. Walker.  Sadly, they had split up, but Color TV is carrying on the tradition of creating good music, even though it's not particularly similar to WH Walker.  Color TV is a much more straightforward catchy punk band.  They remind me a bit of the Marked Men, but with a heavier lean on garage-y sounds and guitar leads.

The four songs on this 7" are all strong, with lots of fast paced, downstroke heavy riffs and upbeat choruses.  I'll admit to missing the party vide of W.H Walker, but judged on their own merits, Color TV is a tight little combo cranking out some big tunes.

Color TV - Demo 7":

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo-7

Broccoli - Home LP - Black Vinyl & Clear Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2016, Reissue)

It is somewhat rare that I get to write about the records that have been most important to me over the years. Occasionally there will be a reissue or a wacky variant of some Rocket From The Crypt record that I have hunted down, but the records that are most important to me are usually ones that have been in my collection for many, many years. Home by Broccoli is one of these records. It is one of the best records I have ever heard in my entire life. You know those people that like to make those 'Desert Island Disc' lists where they talk about the records they couldn't live without. If I was so inclined to make a silly list like that, it would absolutely, one hundred percent have Home on it. This is one of my five favorite records of all time and I think you could make the argument that they may be one of the most overlooked bands that has ever been.

Sure, I will admit that's a lot of hyperbole for an opening paragraph, but I need you to understand how fundamentally important this record is for me. I started listening to Leatherface because of Broccoli, not the other way around like most folks. Granted, it wasn't this particular album that pushed me towards Leatherface, but Broccoli was already an influential band to me before they release Home in 1998. In 1997 my friend Alan and I went to England for a trip of record shopping and band watching. In addition to picking up a ton of Leatherface and Mega City Four records, we got to see some amazing bands like Chopper, Skimmer, Crocodile God and Starmarket. The other band we got to see was a pre-Home Broccoli opening up for Metroschifter in Leeds. Twenty years on, my memory of this show isn't quite as sharp as I would like, but considering the bomb that Broccoli dropped the following year with Home, I'm so grateful I had that chance to see them play, if only once.

Home is a once in a lifetime sort of record. Sure, you can hit on some easy to digest touchstones like that they are a melodic punk band with leanings towards raspy vocals and an obvious fondness for Leatherface. But is there anything I can write that can truly convey the hugeness of the hook in the song "Chestnut Road?" It's a hook so powerful a band from France named themselves after the song. Can I make you understand the way it makes me feel when that the guitar distortion kicks in right before the chorus of "I Am A Robot?" Are there even words in the English language that can describe how much I just fucking love every single second of "R.S.V.P.?" We're only though the 4th track on this beast of an album and already I feel like my vocabulary is painfully inadequate to try to make you understand just how important this record is to me.

Home has been out of print for years. The label that originally put it out, Rugger Bugger, called it a day many moons ago. Broccoli broke up not too long after this record came out. This is the record that should have made Broccoli one of the most loved and respected bands in the world, but for whatever reason it just didn't pan out that way. Drunken Sailor should be commended for stepping up and bringing this record back to the world.

Home should quite simply be a mandatory addition to anyone's record collection that even remotely likes this sort of punk rock. Yeah, they're better than Jawbreaker and every bit as good as Leatherface. I'll say it and you will never convince me otherwise. Broccoli has also announced that they are getting back together for a tour of Japan. I don't know if that will ever lead anywhere,. I don't know if we'll ever get more shows or another record, but it gives me just a bit of hope that perhaps others will have a chance to experience what Broccoli did for me 20 some odd years ago. Go buy this record right now and if you happen to have their two demo tapes or a Broccoli T-shirt, please email me and sell them to me.

Broccoli - Home:
https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/home

The Fur Coats - Short-Brain 7" - Green Vinyl (/300)

Drunken Sailor / Rad Girlfriend (2015)

Drunken Sailor threw in this Fur Coats 7" with the most recent order I had placed with them.  I encourage more labels to do this.  If you don't send me records to review because I already buy a lot from your label, cool.  I'm happy to give my money to support your stuff.  But if you wanted to toss in things that I'm not already buying, even cooler.  I'll certainly get around to reviewing it at some point.

Anyway, from what I've read The Fur Coats are fronted by one of the dudes that runs Johann's Face records. Marc Ruvolo.  It is also said that this fellow is a big fan of bands like Naked Raygun and The Smoking Popes.  I can definitely see that.  There's a simplistic charm to these three chord (at times only two chord) poppy punk songs.  The guitar has that unmistakeable 1990's Chicago buzzsaw sound and the hooks are built up pretty nicely.

Vocally, things sound a little odd to me at times. Ruvolo sounds like a cross between the singers from Fear Of Lipstick, Toys That Kill and the guy who sung that old novelty song "Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun."  While I wouldn't say the vocals are bad or even detract from the songs, they'll definitely be an acquired taste for some as it took me a few listens before I everything clicked for me.  All in all it's a solid little 7".

The Fur Coats - Short Brain 7"

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/short-brain-ep-7

Marvelous Mark - Crushin' LP - Yellow Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2016)

We're pretty deep into February at this point and you may have noticed that there has been a severe lack of new releases featured on this website.  I'm not sure if the year is off to a slow start in general, or if I'm just being extra picky this year.  It's probably a combination of the two, but I can say without hesitation that this Marvelous Mark record is the first really great album that I've heard this year.

Marvelous Mark used to play in one of my favorite bands, Marvelous Darlings.  Though they are sadly missed I can take solace in the fact that Mark has churned out a pretty great little record on his own.  While Marvelous Mark is missing some of the balls to the wall energy and the swagger of Marvelous Darlings, he appears to have won custody of all of the hooks.  

Each song on this record is a perfect little guitar pop masterpiece.  Though everything is pretty mid tempo, the album has a perfect lazy Sunday afternoon vibe to them.  If I had a porch and a lawn chair, all I would need is a glass of lemonade and this record and you could color me a happy dude.

This record reminds me a bit of some of that 90's major label rock that I like so much; the slower moments of Fig Dish or maybe even Pluto with a fuzzier sound and a smaller recording budget.  No matter the reference you want to throw at Crushin', it can simply be said that this is a very good record and one that I've been listening to pretty nonstop since I picked it up.

Marvelous Mark - Crushin' LP:

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/crushin-lp

Malos Modales - Cronicas Terrestres 7"

Drunken Sailor (2015)

I find Drunken Sailor to be a very trustworthy label.  I tend to pick up most everything they release (though they do a lot of split releases, so often I grab those from the American label to save on postage).  When they give their stamp of approval on a band, the odds of me enjoying that band are pretty high.  When they announced this Malos Modales 7" and gave a brief description, I knew pretty much immediately it was a record that I would be picking up.

These guys certainly didn't let me down.  Malos Modales sounds like something of a combination of Fix My Brain era Marked Men crossed with There Are No Answers era Something Fierce.  They've got a ferocity in their guitar riffs and a mastery of catchy hooks that so few bands can combine.   The vocals are all in Spanish, so I only have a small understanding of what they lyrics are about, but let's be honest; I'm not much of a lyrics guy and don't really have any idea what the Marked Men are singing about either.  I'd be surprised if that would really affect your enjoyment of these songs, it certainly doesn't make me love these songs any less.

The Drunken Sailor description of this 7" mentions that it's the best EP they had heard in ages.  I'll alter that slightly and say that this is far and away the best debut 7" I have heard in a long, long time.  It's so instantly memorable and just so great.  I really hope that Malos Modales is working on some more records because rest assured, I will be buying those the very second they are available.

Malos Modales - Cronicas Terrestres 7":

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cronicas-terrestres-ep

Wonk Unit - Pwoison Idea, Feel The Wonkness LP - Green Vinyl (/100)

Drunken Sailor (2015)

Before I say anything about Wonk Unit, an extra special thanks to the Drunken Sailor himself who sold me what I believe was the very last copy of this record on green vinyl after I dragged my feet on buying this one.  I'd be kicking myself if I had missed out on the colored vinyl entirely as this is a hell of a record.

Wonk Unit has been kicking around for a few years now.  They've been on my radar for a bit, having put out a few CDs (this LP is actually made up of songs culled from these CDs).  They were a band that I just never bought anything by for some reason.  All the key selling points were there for me.  Duncan Redmonds from Snuff drums for them at times, the main guy Alex was in a band called The Flying Medallions (I have a split 7" of theirs with China Drum) and lots of people whose taste in UK punk I respect have said great things about them.  Maybe it's an aversion to CDs or maybe it's not wanting to pay those postage fees from the UK, but I can tell you I waited far to long to buy a record by Wonk Unit.

While I did expect to like the Snuff style, catchy punk rock songs like "Guts" and "Lewisham," I was not prepared for how much I would like the songs that stray from that formula.  There are several songs that are built off of completely different styles than tradition UK melodic punk.  "Horses" is a slower, borderline plodding song with a simple kick/snare drum beat and incredible sounding string (cello maybe?) accompaniment.  Then there's the primarily acoustic "You Married A Tortured Genius."  You might get some weird looks buy saying this, but it's just a beautiful song with more strings and just the right amount of screaming.

So it goes across the whole album.  Killer song after killer song.  It's one of those records that I cannot recommend highly enough.  But now there's the question, does this qualify as a record you could put on an album of the year list?  It's technically a compilation of previously released material, but I hadn't heard any of it before.  So begins the debate.

Wonk Unit - Pwoison Idea, Feel The Wonkness LP:

https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/feel-the-wonkness-lp