Spells - Loose Change, Vol. 2 - Red w/ Black Smoke Vinyl (/300)

Snappy Little Numbers / Motorcycle Potluck Records / Big Neck Records / Keep It A Secret Records / Shield Recordings (2023)

It's been about ten years since I first discovered Spells when I picked up one of their 7"s on a lark while buying an LP by Hooper.  In those intervening years, Spells have unleashed a torrent of releases.  A couple of full lengths, yeah - but their bread and butter, to me, feels like singles and one offs.  Loose Change, Vol.2 compiles eighteen songs that had previously been available on singles, splits, comps and some that were digital only.  That's a lot of songs, and I'd like to point out that this is the second volume of Loose Change.  Vol. 1 just came out in 2018.

For a band as prolific as Spells, there's sort of a little trepidation.  Is a band releasing this much material just recording every idea, noise and fart that they can think of?  Which is why it is always so surprising to me how high the quality of all of their songs are.  Everything on this LP is really great.  There a a few really short songs, but there are no throwaways on this edition of Loose Change.

I always compare Spells to having a similar vibe to Rocket From The Crypt.  That's not to say they sound alike, because they don't most of the time.  But, they are a band that exudes that same sort of infectious energy and every time the next song fires up, it's a party.  I'm always psyched when a new Spells record is released, and even though I've heard some of these songs before, having everything put on a single LP just makes my life so much easier.  It's a blast to be able to throw this LP on, sit back and join the Spells party.  And yes, I see that Zoinks! sticker on the cover.

Spells - Loose Change, Vol. 2:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/loose-change-vol-2
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/spells-loose-change-vol-2
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/loose-change-vol-2
https://keepitasecret.bandcamp.com/album/loose-change-vol-2
https://shieldrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/spells-loose-change-vol-2

Lawsuit Models - Unknown Ghosts LP

Motorcycle Potluck / Snappy Little Numbers (2022)

Anyone in need of a bright and shiny pop punk record to help jolt you out of the doldrums of day-to-day life?  I'm always looking for something like that and Lawsuit Models deliver that with gusto.  Unknown Ghosts is their second full length album, following up 2018's excellent Off The Pavement LP.  I really dug that album, but this new one hits me even harder.

When I wrote about Lawsuit Models in 2018, I compared them to a Peach Tree era Pollen.  For this new one, I can still hear that a little bit, but the band that more immediately comes to mind this time out is The Stereo.  In particular the way The Stereo sounded on their first album, Three Hundred.  It's got the big, crunchy guitars for sure, but the vocal melodies are what really take it over the top for me.  Just listen to the way they sing "co-o-o-matose" on the album's second song and then try to convince me it won't be stuck in your head for the next six months.

The whole album is full of hooks and melodies like that.  Super catchy stuff, with just the absolute tiniest hint of a Tom Petty-esque twang hear and there.  Ands that's not a complaint or a detriment.  That's very much a selling point as it adds a slightly rough-around-the-edges authenticity to things, even though the production on the record is somewhat slick overall.  In summary: this a great, fun, upbeat, catchy, energetic record.  The raised the bar from their debut and have easily claimed a spot in my list of best records of 2022 so far. 

Lawsuit Models - Unknown Ghosts:
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/unknown-ghosts

Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band / State Drugs - Split Cassette

Motorcycle Potluck (2019)

Minus three points for being on cassette.  OK, now that I've gotten that out of the way, lets talk about this split cassette release from Motorcycle Potluck.  It has five songs and two bands.  One band I'm familiar with and the other I haven't heard before.

Nato Coles and The Blue Diamond Band are the band I've heard of before.  I have a split 7" of theirs with Your Pest Band and I'm super familiar with one of Nato's older bands, Modern Machines.  I really liked the Modern Machines and I was reasonably into Nato's next band, Used Kids.  There hasn't been anything that he's released as Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band that has really struck a nerve with me.  It's just a little too rootsy and Springsteen-ish for my personal taste.  It's certainly not bad, but it kind of feels like old people music to me.  Yes, I know I'm old, but there's that 80s rock sound that Bruce champions and I'm not really a fan of it.

State Drugs are more my speed.  Even though you can still hear something of an Americana influence (Tom Petty is the reference that comes to mind), they're playing it faster and more dynamic.  None of the three State Drugs songs sound like they are trapped in the past.  The inspiration is there, but the band is using it as a jumping off point to create their own sounds.  These songs are pretty decent and I would check out more from them in the future.

Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band / State Drugs - Split Cassette:
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nato-coles-and-the-blue-diamond-band-state-drugs-split

Mutant Love / The Yellnats - Split Cassette

Motorcycle Potluck (2019)

I'm not familiar with either of the bands on this tape (aside from an acoustic song from Mutant Love that's on a comp), but I've liked pretty much everything that Motorcycle Potluck has sent my way so far.  While the band names had me concerned that this might be more along the lines of high school neanderthal punk, I'm happy to report that Mototrcycle Potluck's streak is in tact and both bands are worth checking out.

Mutant Love falls on the gruffer side of the pop punk spectrum.  To me, they kind of sound like a mix of some No Idea bands like Dear Landlord or Shallow Cuts, crossed with the hooks and melodic tendencies of a band like Rumspringer.  All three of their songs are fast, energetic and pretty top notch.

The Yellnats don't have that same No Idea vibe in the two songs they contribute to this split, but they've carved out another section of the pop punk world to inhabit.  Both of their songs, but in particular "Small Town," have a vibe to them that I find similar to American Steel.  There's a storyteller feeling that they've got going here and combining that with their guitar racket yields a pair of strong songs.  They do make some interesting choices regarding breakdowns and tempo changes for their outros that I can't say I'm completely on board with, but there's good stuff here.

Mutant Love / The Yellnats - Split:
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mutant-love-the-yellnats-split

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

JSR - ...It Roars Cassette

Motorcycle Potluck (2018)

The moment that the fist song on this tape, "I'm Not Gonna Lie, It's Been A Weird Year," starts off, the only thing I can think of is how much it sounds like The Karl Hendricks Trio.  Specifically my favorite Kark Hendricks song, "Dead Flowers."  Now the ending bit of the JSR song is a bit more frantic than how Karl chose to crescendo his opus, but there's a humanity and storytelling aspect of the song that makes me think they are kindred spirits.

The rest of the album is full of punchy rock songs with heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics.  Let me make that description crystal clear, the lyrics have a personal, almost poetic feel to them, much like Karl Hendricks.  I am not referring to some bullshit over emotional midwestern band desperately trying to get signed to Polyvinyl.

I had no expectations going into this tape.  If anything I was holding the fact that it was released on cassette against it.  But after listening to it a few times, I can say I'm pretty shocked by JSR.  I don't think they have a really easy modern comparison, but I believe that had they been around in 1994 or so, a lot of folks would have really taken notice.  I would absolutely buy this album again on vinyl if it ever were to be released and I recommend checking these guys out.  This is a sleeper release, it deserves your attention.

JSR - ...It Roars:
https://motorcyclepotluckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/it-roars