Occult Detective Club - Alright Gentlemen 7"

Occult Detective Club - Alright Gentlemen 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dirtcult (2013)

There are a lot of bands that write good songs, but then do something screwy when they're recording. You've got the garage bands writing killer pop songs, but then they put a huge layer of static over the vocals. Then you've got the pop punk bands that have catchy tunes, but everything sounds so slick and clinical you lose all emotion. And finally there's a band like Occult Detective Club; a band doing everything right.

Occult Detective Club play extremely catchy punk rock with gruff vocals and unlike a lot of bands, they recorded this 7" perfectly. The guitars sound huge, but there's no unnecessary gloss here. The vocals have that great lived in, rough around the edges quality, but not so fuzzed out you can't understand them. It's really a perfect sounding record which makes it even more depressing that it appears the band has split and this 7" is their swan song.

Hopefully they come to their senses and make some more rock, in the meantime I need to finally go buy their other LP's. Anyone know of an online store selling both of them?

Occult Detective Club - Alright Gentlemen:
dirtcultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alright-gentlemen-7

Something Fierce / Occult Detective Club - Split 10" - Red Vinyl (/200)

Something Fierce / Occult Detective Club - Split 10" - Red Vinyl (/200), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dirtnap (2012)

My wife said something about me recently that really stuck out. I know exactly how she meant it and I know it wasn't meant as a slight. She said "Tim doesn't like change." And she's right, for the stuff I like, I don't want things to change. I don't like that someone else is running the show Community. I don't like that cereal boxes only have enough cereal for about 3 bowls now. I don't like how someone having an MP3 of a record has replaced actually buying them. I don't like that you can't buy a big square car anymore. I'm old and set in my ways for a lot of things.

That brings me to Something Fierce. I recognize that the songs on this 10" are very good. I mean that, these are killer songs. Catchy as all hell. Melodies for days. If this record came out and everything was exactly the same and just had a different band name on it, I'd love it. My problem is Something Fierce changed. Many would argue they got better. I would never say they got worse. I just missed the loud crunchy noisy assault of their record There Are No Answers. That's the Something Fierce I want, and I know I can't have them back. I'm just being selfish.

Occult Detective Club, however, does satisfy my need for loud. They play brash punk rock full of hooks, piss & vinegar. I have an older record of theirs that was really good, but the songs on this 10" blow away everything on that album. I can't wait to hear more from these guys. I know they have a new 7" out on Dirtcult that I need to pick up next time I order from them.

Something Fierce / Occult Detective Club - Split:
somethingfierce.bandcamp.com/album/split-10