The No Marks / DeadCuts - Split 7" - Blue w/ Silver (/143)

Speedowax (2013)

Speedowax is one of those labels that put out so many good records.  Now, they probably put out a few too many hardcore leaning records for my personal taste, but when they're in the mindset for pop, they stand head and shoulders above most labels.  Case in point is the fantastic split 7".

The No Marks are the main reason I picked up this record.  They're playing the kind of glorious melodic UK punk that ruled the mid to late 90's as far as I'm concerned.  They have the raspy vocals and seriousness of bands like Broccoli, but they kind of keep things a little poppier.  If anything, the 2 songs here remind me most of the sort of thing Broccoli was doing on their Chestnut Road 7".  There are fewer compliments higher than that coming from me I assure you, so it would be best if you bought this 7" immediately.

And as a bonus, you get 2 songs from DeadCuts.  Fronted by Mark Keds, formerly of Senseless Things, DeadCuts also pays homage to a UK scene, but they take it perhaps a decade further back than The No Marks.  To me, DeadCuts are just a flat out great rock band.  With heavy effect laden lead guitar way up in front, and slightly echo-y vocals that ebb and flow with the progression of the song, DeadCuts are playing a style of music that I haven't really heard anyone championing in forever.  Even though its roots are old, hearing new music like this is such a breath of fresh air.  Between the 2 bands, this is a can't miss 7".

DeadCuts - "Caution Exorcists":

https://soundcloud.com/mk47/deadcuts-caution-exorcists

No Marks - "Renville Road" / "Coming Around":

http://thenomarks1.bandcamp.com/album/split-7-with-deadcuts-on-speedowax-records

Doo Rag - Chuncked And Muddled LP (/500)

Dependability (1995)

There's always a pretty great feeling when you get to remove a long time item off of your wants list.  It's even better when you get to remove one of the big ones.  This Doo Rag LP was a top 5 item on my list and it's just wonderful to finally have this record in the collection.

I've had the CD version of this forever.  I even have the wacky limited CD version that comes in a box and has a gigantic Doo Rag patch, but the vinyl version had always eluded me.  Sure, I paid a healthy amount for this one, but I have seen it sell for substantially more in the past.  The price was right to finally take the plunge.

For the uninitiated, Doo Rag was one of the wackiest bands to kick around during the mid 90's.  They played with Beck, the played with Ween, frankly they played with an awful lot of great bands.  The drummer, Thermos Malling didn't play a drum set, rather he banged on cardboard boxes and garbage can lids.  The singer & guitarist was Bob Log III, a man with a wicked slide guitar and some pretty unusual methods for distorting his vocals.

Though I never thought Chuncked And Muddled was as amazing as the band's 2nd album, What We Do, this album still has some great songs.  If anything, where the band really made strides between this album and What We Do was in the production department as Chuncked And Muddle does sound a bit thin and tinny.  Still, it's a great record and one that I couldn't be more excited about finally owning.

Rather than just link you to a few songs on this record, here's Doo Rag live.  This is where you'll really understand their greatness:

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

Sanhose - Cicada CD

Recess (2009)

A few weeks ago I wrote about a 7" on Snuffy Smiles by a band called Sanhose.  I'd never heard of them before, but discovered that in addition to the 7", they had a full length out as well.  It was surprisingly easy to find as it was put out by Recess in Japan.  The US Recess website also stocked a copy.  Now, it's always a bummer having to buy a CD instead of vinyl, but I will say that when you listen to a lot of Japanese punk rockers, you get used to it.  Almost all full lengths seem to come out on CD with only a few exceptions on vinyl.

Now, I will say I was probably a little disappointed in this album by Sanhose.  It's not quite as good as the 7".  But that 7" was nearly flawless, so I imagine it would be tough to live up to it.  Also the band had about another 5 years of getting better between these releases, so I do get it.  That's also not to say this is a bad record, it's pretty good overall and has a handful of moments that really shine.

Like the 7", the bulk of the songs on here are fast melodic punk rock that could fit in on Snuffy Smiles.  The band really excels when they keep things poppier and take the tempo down just a bit, as they do on songs like "Pigeons" and "Your Stars."  To me, the band is less successful when it's got the pedal to the floor, playing at breakneck speed and just shouting along the vocals.  On Cicada, you can see the foundation of what is becoming a great band.  Since I already know how good Sanhose got by the time they released the Parada 7", I'm really eager to see where they go next.

Love As Laughter - Thru The Past, Brightly, Vol. 1 CD

LAL Industrie (1999)

The absolute number 1 record on my want list is the first self titled Love As Laughter cassette.  I have been searching for a copy for nearly 20 years and I've hardly ever even gotten a hint of it existing anywhere.  The 2nd Love As Laughter cassette Clear Sky = Blue Dye is one of my all time favorite albums, one I've been listening to non-stop in the 20 years that I've been searching for the 1st cassette.  After all this time, I finally went to the source and got in touch with Sam Jayne, the man behind Love As Laughter (and the equally amazing Lync).

Sam was super nice and dug around trying to find me a copy of the 1st cassette.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to procure one, but he did find a copy of this CD for me.  This CD is a self released effort that compiles a bunch of early Love As Laughter songs.  There's a good amount from Clear Sky = Blue Dye.  A song from the split 7" w/ Ringfinger and what I assume are quite a few songs from that first cassette I've been searching for.

Now I can't say for sure which of these new to me songs are from that cassette, but I can say that I just love every single one of them.  This era of Love As Laughter is lo fi, 4 track, recorded at home pop genius.  You've got all the ingredients of classic 90's do it yourselfers.  Fuzzed out electric guitar on one song, strummed acoustic on the next.  Drum machines on a song, super basic kick snare drumming on the next.  Plus there's just that quintessential 4 track fuzz that I loved so much.

This CD is just amazing.  While it will never fill the hole in my record collection that the missing 1st cassette leaves, it's a certainly a more than acceptable placeholder for the time being.  Thanks again to Sam for helping me out with a copy of this and if anyone on Earth has that 1st cassette I'm missing, please get in touch right away.  Even if you won't sell it to me (which you should), I'd really like to get the tracklist for it.

Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else LP - Blue Vinyl

Carpark / Mom + Pop (2014)

A few years ago I caught wind of Cloud Nothings.  I checked out their self titled album (though I do not believe it was their debut) and thought it was OK.  Some good songs on it, but honestly nothing that special.  They released a follow up that I never even listened to.  Then this year I heard they had yet another record out, "Here And Nowhere Else."  I kept hearing really good things about it, so many that it became impossible to ignore.  I decided to give the band another shot.

I am so glad I did.  This record is out of control great.  Along with Sonic Avenues it is easily one of the 2 best records to come out this year so far.  Not only am I listening to this record all the time, I've actually checked the band's website to see if they're coming to town so I could go see them play (and I hardly ever go out to shows anymore). Currently the east coast isn't on their agenda, but I'll be keeping an eye on that.

On this record Cloud Nothings are playing bombastic, huge pop songs.  The kind that have choruses that will be crammed in your head for months.  They've captured an energy on this record that just makes you want to smack people in the face and make them sing along too.  The production is kind of scratchy, and that gives the band a real edge to them that others playing this sort of thing wouldn't have.  Plus the drumming on this record is some of the best I've heard in a while.  They've perfected the art of making a song great, then making it even catchier and louder in the chorus and then somehow one upping that again and going even louder.  It's an incredible feat and one that keeps me coming back over and over.

I cannot say enough great things about this record.  I didn't think much of the band going into it, but coming out I'm totally converted.  I'm going to have to give their other records a try and even if I'm not as into them, you can be guaranteed I'll be buying everything these guys put out going forward.

Cloud Nothings - "I'm Not Part Of Me":

https://soundcloud.com/cloudnothings/im-not-part-of-me

Cloud Nothings "Psychic Trauma":

https://soundcloud.com/cloudnothings/psychic-trauma

Wringer - Bullfighter LP - Red Vinyl (/100)

Smellhound (2014)

It is no secret that I love a good pop punk record.  Sure, even the term pop punk has been slighted over the years and so many people just disregard the entire genre.  There are a lot of bad pop punk bands, so I can sort of understand where people are coming from, but there's also some truly great bands cranking out pop punk records.  Wringer is one of those bands.

If you take the punchy attitude of Dillinger Four and mash it up with some of the early Lookout records catalog, you'd probably come up with Wringer.  While they don't really lean towards the Leatherface end of the spectrum like D4 does, they have the same sort of grab-you-by-the-throat energy.  Their songs are a bit more straight forward and when the band comes across a hook, they just run with it.  

The first 100 were on red vinyl and according to the label's website, it is possible they have a few available, but you may want to check with them.  Wringer also has a split 7" out in the world with a band called Trapper Keeper.  I'm going to need to add that to the collection at some point as well.  If it's even half as good as Bullfighter, it will be a hell of a 7".

Wringer - Bullfighter:

http://wringer.bandcamp.com/album/bullfighter

Warm Soda - Young Reckless Hearts LP - Pentacolor Vinyl (/69)

Castle Face (2014)

While I wasn't ever totally on board with the records released when he was in Bare Wires (don't get me wrong, those records are good, just not great), I was a reasonably early adopter when Mathew Melton started up Warm Soda.  Their debut record was one of those albums that makes you reevaluate what you're looking for in a record.  He managed to do several things that I hate production-wise, yet somehow made me love every second of it.  When Young Reckless Hearts was announced, I was checking the Castle Face records website every hour waiting for this to go on sale.

I was lucky, I was at the right computer at the right time and I saw the email announcing this wacky, limited to 69 copies pentacolor vinyl go on sale.  It's clear with red, yellow, blue and white colored blotches.  Definitely one of the cooler looking records I have and man did it sell out fast.  As far as the music goes, it's really good, but I don't like it quite as much as their debut.

The thing that this record is lacking for me just a bit is punch.  The first album had a little more energy.  The songs were slightly faster.  The lyrics were more biting.  Young Reckless Hearts is a more laid back affair, but Melton & co. craft some of the best hooks you'll find on a record this year.  With their breathy, way-up-in-the-front-of-the-mix vocals and tight, well constructed accompaniment, Warm Soda is a truly stellar band.  If you enjoyed the last record, there's no way you won;t like this one as well.  It's a fantastic, extremely well written record; I just wish it had a tiny bit more oomph, that's all.

Warm Soda - Young Wreckless Hearts:

https://soundcloud.com/tellallyourfriendspr/sets/warm-young-reckless-hearts

Sonic Avenues - Mistakes LP - Clear Vinyl (/175)

Dirtnap (2014)

Ever since I put the needle down on the very first Sonic Avenues full length that I mailordered from Going Gaga records (which was almost not delivered due to a mailing mishap) I have been such a huge fan this band.  When their 2nd record came out on Dirtnap, it only fanned the flame even more.  Now that their 3rd LP Mistakes has arrived, I've pretty much moved on to full blown obsession.

This is one of the greatest bands in the world right now.  They have such an exciting way of crafting their guitar riffs, always veering off into unexpected places, but always making sense in the end.  In a lot of ways they remind me of the Marked Men in this regard.  The static-y vocals probably also would make others think of the Marked Men as well, but I would venture to say that Sonic Avenues are pretty close to unmatched in supplying vocal melodies.  They sing higher and hold notes longer than most bands I can think of and always deliver something new and exciting.

Sonic Avenues are a band that you will never mistake for being someone else.  They've created a sound that will certainly appeal to fans of other bands playing fast paced garagey-pop; but Sonic Avenues stand so far apart from everyone else it's almost comical.  This new record is just as great as anything else they've released so far and if 2014 ended today Mistakes would hands down be the best record of the year.

The No Marks / Hyalin - Split 7" - Red Vinyl (/110)

Brassneck (2014)

If you read this website on a somewhat consistent basis, you'll see two things repeated quite often.  1. I'm just a complete sucker for the music of the 90's, the music released then will always just seem like the best to me.  And 2. There has been a real resurgence in bands today taking cues and paying homage to bands from the 90's; which is A-OK by me.  Of all of the 90's things to stage a little comeback, the one I expected the least, but probably love the most is all of these new bands that sound like the glory days of the mid to late 90's UK punk scene.  I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, when bands like Broccoli, Hooton 3 Car and Chopper ruled the world, I never loved music more.

The 2 bands on this 7" not only take cues from that UK scene, several of the guys in these bands were actually part of it.  First up we have The No Marks.  They feature members of Crocodile God and Blocko. The 2 songs on their side of the 7" are phenomenal.  They definitely have that Broccoli-esque raspy vocal thing and intricate guitar playing down, but I find them to be a bit poppier and perhaps slightly more lighthearted than Broccoli was.  In particular the back and forth between clean guitar and fuzzy guitar on "About Tomorrow" really stands out as something unique.

Over on the flip side we've got Hyalin.  A band made up of folks from Blocko and folks from one of my absolute current favorite bands Chestnut Road.  All you really need to know is that of the 2 songs on this 7", one is a cover of the Broccoli song "Constance."  It's great as is their original "Clear As Glass."  If you imagined a band that sounded like a cross between Blocko and Chestnut Road, they would sound exactly like this.

This is just such a great 7" and really, everyone should check it out.  While you're doing that, you really also should make sure you have every Broccoli, Blocko, Chestnut Road and Crocodile God record you can find.  When you have all those don't forget Hooton 3 Car and Chopper.  Oh and you should really grab that donFisher 7" that Crackle put out.  So many record to buy...

The No Marks / Hyalin - Split 7":

http://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-no-marks-hyalin-split-7

Average Times - S/T LP - Peach Vinyl (/175)

Hosehead (2014)

There's something in the water in Ottawa, Canada.  They have bands up there cranking out such incredible records.  Aside from mid 90's San Diego and mid 90's UK, I can't think of any scene that has filled the world out more hits than Ottawa.  Average Times is another band in this incredible lineage and their self titled debut is a real smack in the face.

While you will definitely hear echoes of other garage laced pop bands like Mother's Children, The Cry!, Missing Monuments or Steve Adamyk Band; Average Times still manage to stand out in a crowd with their jagged, blown out vocals and powerful guitar riffs.  They have a certain glam-ish attitude about them, but they really can churn out the hooks.

My biggest beef with this record is that the song "Wasted On Wine" should be at least 3 times longer than it is.  With it's roaring, bouncy guitar, yelping vocals and incredible background "oohs," it's probably my favorite song on the record but is only about a minute long.  Luckily there's plenty of other hits like "Popsicle," "Glitch" and "I Hate Tomato Juice and I Hate You."  It's a hell of a debut record and has a pretty rad car pictured on the front cover.  Big fan.

Average Times - Average Times:

http://hoseheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/average-times

Jawbox - Grippe LP - Purple Vinyl

Dischord (1991)

I couldn't tell you exactly when this purple vinyl reissue came out, but it was definitely within the past two or three years.  One thing you can say about Dischord; they really try to keep their records cheap and in print.  So kudos to them for that.  As mentioned before, I'm going back and acquiring all of the Jawbox records I brushed off when I was younger, not having gotten into them much back in the 90's.  Along with Seaweed, they're the band I have enjoyed the most rediscovering.

Grippe is a solid record, though if I'm being honest, it is not as strong as Novelty or For Your Own Special Sweetheart.  You can hear a lot of potential in this, their debut, but it's not as fully realized as other records in the band's catalog.  Still, there's lots of crunchy guitar, passionate vocals and some pretty good hooks buried in there if you're willing to dig a bit.

There's only 1 last Jawbox full length that I need to add to the collection and then it's time to start hunting down some of their many 7"s.  But rest assured, at some point their discography will be completed.

Jawbox - "Freezerburn":

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

Jawbox - "Tools and Chrome":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EraFHwVq-WI

Record Store Day Haul #5: Max Steiner - King Kong OST 7" - Blue Vinyl(/200)

Music On Vinyl (2014)

The final record on my hunt from this year was one that my local record store didn't carry. I had some other folks taking a look around for me, but no one was able to find a copy. Luckily, a few days after Record Store Day a copy turned up on the Reckless Records website and it was finally mine.

First and foremost this is a total overpriced novelty record. This stupid 7" was $15; a completely ridiculous price for a 7". This kind of gouging is the reason you read so many articles about how Record Store Day is a bad thing in the weeks leading up to the event. Now granted, I'm part of the problem, I did buy it, but I still feel the need to point out how crazy the cost was.

The record itself is pretty cool. The main theme from King Kong on the A side and the carnival barker organ music theme is on the B side. For me though, as a big King Kong fan, I'm most excited about the artwork. The 7" cover unfolds into a small mock up of the King Kong movie poster. At the end of the day it's an overpriced, silly record, but I still like it. I'd happily buy a Godzilla one as well if they could get songs from the original 1954 soundtrack.

Record Store Day Haul #4: Pixies - Indie Cindy 2xLP + 7"

Pixies Music (2014)

The 4th item on my Record Store Day list was the first new Pixies album in nearly 25 years, Indie Cindy.  As most folks do, I sure love the Pixies albums that came out on the late 80's and early 90's.  So, while it was interesting to hear they were putting out a new record, I was extremely reluctant to get even remotely excited about it.  Having high expectations for this sort of thing is a fool's errand and I wasn't going to set myself up for disappointment.  Still, I figured I had to pick it up, it's the Pixies after all.

Well, I'll start off by making it very clear that this album is in no way anywhere close to being as good as anything they released in the old days.  Not even close.  So if you're expecting something as good as Surfer Rosa; frankly you're nuts.  That being said, I've read a LOT of reviews of this album where the writer is just going off on how terrible this is and what an abomination this is and how it tarnishes the band's legacy.  Those people are equally stupid.  This record is totally fine.

Sure, the song "Indie Cindy" is fucking terrible and the track right after it, "Bagboy" is somehow even worse. But aside from those two, it's a pretty solid record.  There are some songs that are nice and catchy, some that are a bit slower and more thoughtful and even a few with some good old fashion Black Francis screaming on them.  In no way can this record hold a candle to the original Pixies records, but it's still a pretty good record overall.  I realize I'm definitely in the minority with this opinion, but I think if more people just listened to the record without pre-judging it, they'd be pleasantly surprised.

The Record Store Day version also came with a one sided 7" containing the exclusive track "Women Of War."  Aside from some asinine vocal effects on the bridge, it's a decent song as well.  Upper mid tempo, nice melodies, not at all a throwaway as some might expect.  But those vocals in the bridge nearly ruin the whole song.  Luckily they're brief.

Pixies - Indie Cindy (Full Album Stream):

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F27999981&show_artwork=true&secret_token=s-T32I2

Pixies - "Women Of War":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9BppDosyl8

Record Store Day Haul #3: Built To Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers 2xLP - Gold Vinyl

Modern Classics Recordings (2014, Reissue)

Like the Pinback LP I wrote about yesterday, this is a shining example of what Record Store Day should be all about.  A classic Built To Spill album from 21 years ago never having been released on vinyl until right now.  Regardless of anything else that was for sale on Record Store Day, this release would have always gotten me lined up at the door of my local record store.

Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for Ultimate Alternative Wavers to finally get a vinyl reissue.  Even though it's always kind of been the forgotten record of theirs, Built To Spill is big enough and has an old enough fan base that you'd think this would just be a gimme.  Well, at least it's here now.  They did a great job with the artwork.  The gatefold cover is super high quality, the gold vinyl looks good with the art and everything sounds really good spread out over two LPs.  My store charged $35 for this bad boy, which seems pretty steep to me.  But I just don't see how I'd ever pass up the chance to own the very last Built To Spill record I needed to complete my collection on vinyl.

The music on the record is the same as it always was.  It's not quite as good as everything BTS released after it, but it's certainly not too dissimilar either.  Lots of long dynamic guitar solos, great pop melodies and pretty much everything else you'd expect from this band.  Particularly, I've just always loved "The First Song" and "Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup."  Definitely a worthwhile purchase, albeit, an expensive one.

Built To Spill - The First Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBVoHOq3JRc

Built To Spill - Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2KfqL13Omg

Record Store Day Haul #2: Pinback - S/T LP - Clear Vinyl (/2000)

Ace Fu (2014, Reissue)

To me, this symbolizes what Record Store Day should be all about (Aside from my local store doing a bit of price gouging and selling this for $4 more than anywhere else I saw it being sold).  There is an actual point to this reissue.  This is not some record from the 70's littering used bins everywhere; it's a record that never came out on vinyl.  It's about time too.

I have to admit, prior to getting this reissue, I'd never heard this Pinback record.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a really big fan and have been for years.  I've been on board since Blue Screen Life, but for some reason I never went backwards and picked up their first full length.  Well shame on me because this record is every bit as good as the rest.

Pinback songs have a way of chugging along at the type of slower pace that would typically bore me if other bands were doing it.  But the way they layer the gentle plucking of the guitars and the absolutely stellar backing vocals and melodies make the songs just bristle with energy, despite their somewhat slow pace.  This record is just full of great songs like that.  Pinback seems to be one of those bands that just emerged perfect.  There was no tinkering with the formula necessary, they were just ready to go.  Thrilled to have this in the collection finally.

Pinback - Tripoli:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krTzn0kk3ss

Record Store Day Haul #1: Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart LP

Atco (2014, Reissue)

Record Store Day 2014 was the year that the event seemed pretty bloated to me.  Last year was a bit chaotic, but the fact that there were 2 Rocket From The Crypt records and a Superchunk 7" made things still seem pretty exciting.  2014's version didn't have anywhere near as many records as I've wanted as previous years.  On top of that, man oh man, there were a lot of crap reissues.  Maybe Record Store Day is losing its way (pretty sure it is), but when the day came I couldn't help myself from getting caught up in everything and once again standing in line in front of a record store all night.

While the number of records I wanted was way down this year, the few I did grab were pretty good.  This is a reissue of the first Otis Redding full length.  It's presented in its original mono release.  I don't know why I need to have the mono version of a record if that's the way the first version came out, but it's something I've been looking into more and more over the years.  It's also undoubtedly why I'm probably going to end up dropping some serious coin on a Beatles mono box set if they ever get around to putting it out.

Anyway, Pain In My Heart does sound really great.  Great enough to warrant the $30 price tag? Yeah, probably. The vinyl is is thick and heavy, the artwork is printed on strong cardstock and the record really does sound wonderful.  Maybe it's not as exciting as a Rocket From The Crypt record and maybe it's part of the reissue problem that Record Store Day is going through, but it's great to be able to add a great sounding version of a pretty important record to the collection.  So I can't really complain too much.

Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GZtDpC_lE

Otis Redding - Louie Louie:

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

Rocket From The Crypt - My Blues Away 7" - Clear Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

The last stop on Rocket From The Crypt's 2013 UK tour was on December 7th in Dublin.  It wrapped up their tour and also wrapped up the Hits The Monkey Islands tour 7" series.  The final band covered was The Boomtown Rats.  This was another band that I was not at all familiar with, so until I searched out and fired up the original, I didn't really have much to compare Rocket's version to.

While the The Boomtown Rats' version of "My Blues Away" is a harmonica tinged stomper; Rocket From The Crypt's take is a little more robust.  They keep the descending honky tonk guitar riff, but add on a generous amount of cowboy bar style piano banging.  The horns are more sparse here than on any other 7" in the set, but when they kick in, it really adds emphasis.  Parts remind me a little of "Killy Kill," but this is another song that really stands out in Rocket's catalog of covers.

That wraps up the series, sadly.  Being able to see Rocket From The Crypt again this past year was a real treat.  They are the best live band that has ever walked the planet.  The extra bonus of six new 7"s only makes this reunion even better.  I know no one in the band has confirmed or denied the possibility of a new album, but after these six cover songs I want to hear new music from Rocket From The Crypt more than ever.

Rocket From The Crypt - My Blues Away:
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760058%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-5sv4g

The Boomtown Rats - My Blues Away:
https://myspace.com/theboomtownrats/music/song/my-blues-away-39831338-42231391

Rocket From The Crypt - Shy Fly 7" - Green Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

Here we are on part 5 of the Hits The Monkey Island tour 7" series.  This one was originally sold at Rocket From The Crypt's December 6th 2013 show in London.  The band that Rocket tackled this time out was Status Quo and the song is "Shy Fly."  Status Quo is another band I'm not particularly familiar with, though having listened to their version of "Shy Fly" I'll say that aside from the Buzzcocks, they've got the best of the originals that Rocket has decided to cover.

The Rocket From The Crypt version is a mid temp song.  It alternates between big crunchy chords and single note guitar lead riffs.  There's an odd start/stop thing going on in the verse that holds back the momentum of the song a bit, but once they hit that chorus...look out.  It's a huge piano and horn driven chorus that really makes the song.  It lacks some of the vaguely psychedelic notes that the original version of the song has, but the Rocket version is significantly louder, fuller and more powerful.

All in all, another great 7".  We've only got 1 more tour date and one last 7" to go to wrap up the series, but that will have to wait until Monday.

Rocket From The Crypt - Shy Fly:
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760050%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-YxjTP

Status Quo - Shy Fly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlt8jryWf0Y

Rocket From The Crypt - Spinning Round 7" - Yellow Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

Number 4 in the Rocket From The Crypt Hits The Monkey Islands tour 7" bundle is from their December 4th, 2013 show in Leeds.  For this town, they covered local band Red Lorry Yellow Lorry; a band that I admittedly have never even heard of prior to Rocket deciding to cover them.  I checked out the original version of their song on YouTube and I was surprised.  It's pretty forward thinking for something released in 1985.  I don't know that I'll start hunting down their records or anything, but it was OK.

The Rocket version is another scorcher. "Spinning Round" starts off with some octave banging, but the song is held down by dueling lead guitar interplay.  It's the kind of thing that reminds me of what the band was doing on "Back In The State" or perhaps some of the RFTC era b-sides.  As has become the band's trademark the horns that they've worked into the bridge sound great and it's nice to hear Speedo tossing in closing "woo" for good measure.

Another great 7" and at this point, four 7"s in, I'm really feeling the need for a new Rocket full length.  The band obviously still had it, now they just need to give more of it to the world.

Rocket From The Crypt - Spinning Round:

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760055%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-hu7Va

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Spinning Round:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZCJIwGkkz8

Rocket From The Crypt - Baker Street 7" - Blue Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

The 3rd 7" in the Rocket From The Crypt UK tour set was sold at the band's December 3rd (which is my birthday, by the way) 2013 show in Glasgow. For this 7" they chose to cover the song "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty.  I have to admit, that name and the song title didn't really jar any memories.  Even when I put the Rocket From The Crypt version on the turntable, I wasn't sure that I had heard this song before.  However, I looked up the original right before writing this review and it all came flooding back to me.  Ugh this song.  The cheese-ball saxophone is the sort of thing 1970's nightmares were built on.  I'm sure the main reason I know it is from infomercials for bad compilation albums I saw as a kid.

I will say that the Rocket From The Crypt version manages to pay homage to this pretty terrible song, but elevate it to something worthy of Rocket.  They speed up the the song for starters and while that horn riff still has the flavor of the theme song of a 1970's cop show,it's much more powerful and loud than the original. The verse is also brightened up quite a bit.  Rather than retreat into minimalist whispering like the original.  Rocket keeps it rocking and turns the verse into something that actually reminds me of the Night Marchers song "Roll On" a bit.  Also, I'm pretty positive that nowhere in the original does Gerry Raffery shout "Jackin' off on Baker Street."

Despite the original being one of those terrifying songs of the past, I actually really like the Rocket From The Crypt version.  It's pretty remarkable how they can keep the basic theme of the original and turn it into something so much better. I guess that's why they're the best band in the world.

Rocket From The Crypt - Baker Street:
https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760535%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-pkvZF

Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7--mbE05A4I

Rocket From The Crypt - In League With Satan - Orange Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

The 2nd of the Rocket From The Crypt UK tour 7"s was originally sold on December 2nd, 2013.  It was released in conjunction with the band's show in Newcastle.  For this cover song, the Newcastle band that they chose was Venom.  I can't say that I listen to much Venom, really.  I've linked to the original at the end of this review, but it's not like I am intimately familiar with their version of the song.  It's kind of evil, you see.

The Rocket From The Crypt version of the song is quite stellar.  Like the original it's got pounding George Of The Jungle style drumming, distorted vocals and a really driving verse.  They bring in the horns to accent the chorus in trademark RFTC fashion. We also get some "Killy Kill" style "woo woos" for good measure, not to mention the nasty guitar solo tossed in the middle.

"In League With Satan" is another outstanding addition to the Rocket from the Crypt catalog,  It leans towards the aggressive side of Rocket songs, but they keep the song lighthearted enough that it still sounds like a party.  Just an evil party this time out.

Rocket From The Crypt - In League With Satan:

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760051%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-9RGln

Venom - In League With Satan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5wUr4Lut4A

Rocket From The Crypt - Love is Lies 7" - Red Vinyl (/400)

Swami (2013)

When Rocket From The Crypt went over to England for a 6 date tour this past December,  they produced a batch of limited 7"s to sell.  The songs on these 7"s are cover songs of bands from each of the 6 cities on the tour.  At each stop the band sold 100 7"s specific to that city.  The leftovers of this pressing then were bundled together and sold at recent US Rocket From The Crypt shows this past March & April.  Only 7 cities really had a shot at the bundles, but it's my understanding that these were all but gone by the 5th show.  I was very lucky that I was at stop #4 and I got to the show extra early so I could be 1st in line at the merch table.

The first of these 7"s was made for the band's December 1st show in Manchester.  For this record they did a take on the Buzzcocks' "Love Is Lies."  Rocket's version starts off like the original, with solo acoustic guitar kicking things off.  Drums & bass are added to the mix.  On the 2nd verse we get some electric lead guitar coming into the background to complement the up and down sing-song vocals.  The verses and choruses just keep getting louder and louder, each time adding more instruments to the mix and by the time the horns kick in this song is just firing on all cylinders.

It's much fuller and louder than the Buzzcocks' version, but still keeps all of the sensibilities of the original.  The acoustic guitar really makes this song stand out and I can't think of much in the Rocket catalog that's constructed like this song.  It's a really great cover version and one of my favorites of the series.  It is such pure joy to be listening to and writing about new Rocket From The Crypt records.  Even if they're cover songs, there's nothing better than a new 7" from Rocket From the Crypt on the turntable.

Rocket From The Crypt - Love Is Lies:

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120760053%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-2TsIK

Buzzcocks - Love Is Lies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF5SqJePJpA

Unwound - Faked Train LP

Numero (2014)

This LP was the bonus album you could buy when ordering the Unwound Rat Conspiracy box set direct from Numero.  It contains the original demos for what would eventually become Unwound's debut full length Fake Train.

With the description of the LP on the Numero website referring to this as demos, I was kind of surprised to find out that all of the songs on this are without vocals.  They're all instrumentals, though I'm sure vocals were slated for these tracks before they were abandoned.  I can kind of see why they shelved these versions.  everything sounds really muddy and claustrophobic.  The songs lack any of the crispness and urgency of their final versions.

Maybe a little more than half of the songs on this album ended up on Fake Train, others eventually were farmed out to compilation albums like the Smitten Love Song comp or the Multi-Vitamin comp on Punk In My Vitamins.  Faked Train isn't essential.  It's an interesting listen, but I can't really fathom ever getting the urge to put it on the turntable again.

Unwound - Rat Conspiracy 3xLP Box Set

Numero (2014)

Keeping on with Unwound this week, this is the Rat Conspiracy box set from Numero Group. Like its predecessor Kid Is Gone, Rat Conspiracy documents another time specific chunk of Unwound and fills up 3 LPs worth of greatness.  This era of Unwound is probably my favorite and it's where I first checked in on the band when I was a kid.

The first LP is the 2nd full length that Unwound recorded, but the first one to actually be released; Fake Train.  Unwound really took form on this album.  While still retaining the energy and aggression of some of their earlier work, Fake Train jettisoned some of the extreme noise that Unwound had been playing with in favor of a slightly more structured take on their music.  Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of yelling, feedback and squall, but this time the band seems to have more of a purpose.

The 2nd LP is the full length New Plastic Ideas.  This was always my favorite Unwound record.  The sound is more refined, but the band still has some gnarled freak outs to keep things interesting.  In reading the massive liner notes for this box set, I was surprised that the general consensus from the band is that people didn't really like this album and thought it was boring.  I never got that vibe back when it was originally released and I sure don't see that now with 20 years of hindsight.  In my opinion these are the best Unwound songs aside from a little slice of joy that leads of the 3rd album in this set.

The 3rd and final disc of this box set compiles a bunch of 7", compilation and other assorted tracks.  The odds and ends of this era of Unwound.  The first song on here is "Broken E Strings." This is the first Unwound song I ever heard as it originally appeared on the Jabberjaw compilation in 1994.  Not only is it the first song that I heard from the band, it stands the test of time as being their very best.  The gentle verse, with minor guitar parts and rhythmic drumming careens into the blown out screaming chorus.  As a high school kid hearing this for the first time I was pretty blown away.  The rest of the songs on the 3rd LP are also strong.  This was a time that Unwound was really firing on all cylinders.

The next box set that comes out will be interesting for me.  It's going to contain the albums that many point to as the band's best, but it also starts off the era of Unwound that I wasn't following that closely as I was moving on to different things at the time.  I'm curious to see if those songs just can't hold up to these earlier recordings or if I just blew it when I was younger.  We'll see in a few months.

Unwound - Broken E Strings:

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

Unwound - Dragnalus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA5XFTJISAI

Unwound - Entirely Different Matters:

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

Unwound - 7/26/2001 LP

Numero (2013)

When Numero put the first Unwound box set, Kid Is Gone, up for sale on their website they also provided an ordering option to get an additional LP.  This LP would only be available directly from the label to those ordering the set. The LP was a live recording of Unwound called 7/26/2001. It was recorded in 2001 right before the band released their final album.

The songs that Unwound is performing on this album are some of their earliest.  They pull material from their self titled album, some 7"s and they even play 2 really old Giant Henry songs ("Listenator" & "Chris Jordan") for good measure.  It's a pretty decent quality recording and it is interesting to hear the band at what would amount to the end of their career ripping through songs from their beginning.  There's not much in the way of banter or anything like that. Just a band reliving some memories.

As with the box set, Numero did a strong job with the packaging.  Sturdy cover, great sounding vinyl.  I guess I wish that there was room in the box set to put this LP in with everything else, but that's not really a big deal.  It's a cool record to have and absolutely worth the extra $10 it cost, but I'm not sure it will get a ton of repeat spins going forward.

Unwound - Kid Is Gone 3xLP Box Set

Numero Group (2013)

I've had this Unwound box set for a little while now, but have been holding off on reviewing it.  It's such a daunting task as there's so much here and so much to say about Unwound, but I don't always feel qualified to say it.  Unwound was sort of a fringe band for me.  I got into Unwound in my late teens and they were one of the bands I fell into while I was still finding my sea legs so to speak.  Unwound along with other Pacific Northwest bands like Fitz of Depression, godheadSilo, Karp and Lync were the bands that a lot of my other friends never really got into.  Most of them were somewhat fleeting; I never really listened to much Fitz, godheadSilo or Karp past 1995 or so.  Lync stuck with me and I've been listening to them pretty much non-stop for the last 20 years.  Unwound is more in the middle.  While I never abandoned them completely, I really can't say I've listened to them much until recently digging through these Numero reissues.

This box set is the first of 4 planned sets to reissue pretty much every song, noise and recorded fart that Unwound put to tape over their career.  Numero has done a pretty stellar job assembling this set.  The sturdy cardboard record sleeves, the high quality vinyl, the fantastic photo filled booklet, the inner record sleeves with the original release 7" & LP artwork; it all just looks and sounds amazing.  If I had one gripe, it would be that the records in their cardboard sleeves fit a little too snugly into the box.  Sometimes it's a chore pulling the records out.

The 3 LPs cover a lot of ground.  The first is primarily made up of some early demos, compilation appearances and the band's first 7" Caterpillar.  This is a band that is noisy, abrasive and stumbling around in the dark trying to find their way.  They hit on some great ideas, but they also get a little lost here and there.  The 2nd LP has the songs recorded for what was to be the band's debut full length plus a couple of unreleased songs.  Ultimately this album was shelved, but then reissued in 1995 as a self titled effort.  The band was starting to get on track more by this point, but the songs were still kind of chaotic.  A few real gems are on this disc though.  The 3rd LP is where they cram in all of the extras.  Radio sessions, unused songs, 7" b-sides.  It's the odds and ends of the bunch.  Not anywhere near as exciting as the first 2 LPs, but neat stuff to have regardless.

It's a really impressive set that is so artfully put together.  Even if the band was still finding their way during this era, Numero has shown incredible clarity assembling this box set. One of the main reasons I wanted to get this review written finally is because the 2nd Numero box set is out now and I'm planning on getting to that one this week as well.  That is the set that contains the Unwound songs that I first found.

Unwound - Caterpillar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9hEZ-PRrI0

The Mountain Goats / Mount Moriah - Split 7" - Turquoise Vinyl

Merge (2014)

Shipped with the Superchunk / Mikal Cronin 7" from yesterday was the second entry in the Merge Records singles series.  This one is a split 7" between The Mountain Goats and Mount Moriah.

We'll start with The Mountain Goats since I am familiar with them.  I can't say I have ever been a big fan, but at the same time I've always appreciated the music that John Darnielle has released.  I remember originally I stumbled across them when I went through my tape label phase in the mid 90's and was buying cassettes & records by bands like Diskothi Q and Charlie McAlister.  For some reason The Mountain Goats just never hit for me and the song on this 7" is another reason why.  It's a strong song, plaintive and honest. It's mostly just voice and piano with some light electric guitar work occasionally in the background.  I think it's just a bit too downtrodden to really embrace. I certainly can appreciate plenty of music that's not fast and catchy rock & roll, but I've always found the Mountain Goats a bit too gloomy for me.

Mount Moriah is a band I've had no prior exposure to.  Their contribution to this 7" is somewhat soulful, female fronted rock.  It's built off of a repetitive, bluesy guitar riff with some nice organ work in the background.  it's pretty good, but I'm not wowed to the point that I'll likely pursue anything further by this band.

So 2 singles into the Merge series and it's a good showing so far.  I'm eager to see what comes up next on the horizon.  I worry that the Superchunk 7" might end up being the highlight for me, but who knows, maybe they'll get the Karl Hendricks Trio on board.

Superchunk / Mikal Cronin - Split 7" - Pink Vinyl

Merge (2014)

Another year, another singles club.  This year I joined up for the Merge records 25th anniversary singles club.  How could I not, it starts off with a Superchunk 7" and if there's 1 thing in this world I have, it's a lot of Superchunk 7"s.  The Merge series looks like they're sending out two 7"s at a time.  I'll write up the 2nd one tomorrow.  The sleeve is a sturdy cardboard with a shiny silver logo on the front and some light embossing on the back.  There's a few odd designs cut into it as well that exposes the vinyl, so make sure to bag this guy up before filing it away.  It looks cool though.

I'll start out with Mikal Cronin.  He is one of the absolute top guys where so many people whose taste in music I trust love him, but he just never did anything for me.  I tried so hard to get into his first record and it just never clicked.  What I can say though is that his song "Takin' It Easy" on this 7" is incredible.  It's got some minor psych/drone on the vocals, but it's not annoyingly distorted like a lot of bands go for these days.  This song has an awesomely loud and catchy chorus.  The verse takes it down a bit, but it just helps build up energy for that chorus.  I've only heard the first Mikal Cronin record.  If anything else of his sounds even sort of similar to this song, than I really need to give him another chance.  Someone confirm or deny please.

Superchunk hardly needs a description.  Their song "Good Morning" is another slice of classic Superchunk greatness.  It's a bouncy, jump up and down because you can't contain yourself anthem. It's catchy in the right places and dynamic where it needs to be.  Superchunk hardly ever lets me down and this song is no exception.  I also love how committed Superchunk is to supporting the 7" format.  All these years later and they're still cranking them out.  This record is a great start to the series.

The Cry! - Dangerous Game LP

Taken By Surprise (2014)

I have the first album that The Cry released and I liked it.  I wasn't floored by it or anything, but it was a solid poppy record that got played in my rotation reasonably often when it came out.  As what happens to all but the very best of records, it got filed away and hasn't been on my turntable in a while.  When I saw the band had a new record out, I absolutely wanted to pick it up, expecting another good outing from them.

I was completely unprepared for the truly dramatic increase in quality in Dangerous Game compared to their debut.  Where that record was pretty good, Dangerous Game is just stellar.  Though I think the first band that might come to mind while listening to Dangerous Game is the Cute Lepers, I'm actually kind of shocked that The Cry isn't from Canada.  I think you could definitely have this filed next to your Mother's Children or Sonic Avenues records and feel pretty good about that classification.  I think The Cry is slightly more glammy, slightly more pop and maybe a bit less garage than either of those bands, but Dangerous Game is every bit as amazing. 

The band really excels in delivering fast past, guitar driven tunes with fantastic backing vocals and harmonies.  The absolute standout of the record for me is "Toys In The Attic."  All of the ingredients of the perfect guitar pop song are present and it's likely one of the best songs I've heard in 2014 so far.  I can't recommend this record highly enough.  Even though there's a kind of goofy picture of the band on the back cover, I'll let them slide because the music is just so damn good.

The Cry! - Dangerous Game LP

http://takenbysurpriserecords.bandcamp.com/album/dangerous-game-lp

V/A - Puke & Destroy III 7"

Snuffy Smiles (2013)

It only happens a couple of times a year, but almost nothing makes me happier than when I find out there's a new release on Snuffy Smiles records.  Hands down, the best label in the world and they've been cranking out records for over 20 years.  Their latest is a 3 way split 7" with each band putting in 2 songs.

First up is perennial favorites Your Pest Band. Their first contribution is a fast punky song called "Foolish Decade.". The vocals are a little echo-y as far as production goes, but it's more like their earlier releases than it is like the more bluesy songs on their last 10".  The 2nd song "Something In My Head" is even better. Hyper fast, catchy and awesome.  Kind of reminds me of car chase music with a hint of Rocket From the Crypt in the chorus. Just a great band.

Next is Car10.  The first of their songs "Get Drunk" is a mid tempo, but catchy song.  It has some weird, production on the vocals, like the singer is underwater, but it's got a good call and response chorus.  The B side, "Falling Night," is kind of slow, short and unmemorable.  Neither song is bad, but they're not as strong as the other bands on this record.

Finally there's Dog Hotel.  Their first entry "Everything Is A Joke" sounds weirdly similar to Car10 as the song starts, kind of mid tempo 60's rock.  But it has stronger vocals than Car10.  2nd song "My Race" is a bit more powerful with big crunchy guitars.  It's has a fast bang-bang-bang guitar driven verse that kind of drifts into a chorus that reminds me of boozy karaoke.  All in all another pretty strong 7" in the illustrious Snuffy Smiles catalog.  May they continue for 20 more years.

Mission Of Burma - Youth Of America - Clear Vinyl

Matador (2013)

I'm going to start writing about the new Merge singles club pretty soon, so I figured I should probably wrap up last year's Matador club.  This is the last "bonus" 7" and the neat little box that Matador sent over to hold the whole series.  This series was plagued with delays that Matador had to continually apologize for, but honestly, it didn't bother me much at all. The entire series was wrapped up just a couple of months later than expected and when you are putting out 13 7"s, delays are to be expected.  I thought they did a great job keeping everyone in the loop and I would definitely subscribe again.

The quality of the records was all over the place to me. There were stellar entries that made the whole series worth while like Superchunk and Royal Headache.  But, there ware also a ton of 7"s that I will never play again.  Even though I'm sure many people were thrilled to get Mission Of Burma as the bonus 7", I can't say that I cared that much.  They've always been one of those bands that everybody likes, but they don't do anything for me.  This 7" doesn't change my opinion.

It starts off with "Youth of America," a Wipers cover.  They do nice work with the lead guitar riff intro, but once the vocals kick in, I'm checking out.  Echo-y yelping in the background that sounds like they turned on the wrong mic where ever they recorded it this.  The chorus is a bit better, but it doesn't live up to the downstroke fueled energy of the original. 

My reaction to the B-side "Tremelo" is as follows.  It has a lot of tremelo on the guitar.  Wow this is a pretty long intro.  Wait, has the song started already, is it an instrumental? OK, it must be an instrumental.  After about half an hour the drums finally kick in.  There's some minor 'ahhhh-ing' in the background that sounds more like a ghost from Lord Of The Rings than any sort of vocals.  The tremelo effect gets turned off at the 7 hour and 45 minute mark.  I'm literally counting the grooves in the record to see how much longer this cursed song is.  And it's over.  Not a fan, but again, I'd sign up for another Matador club in a heartbeat as the good far outweighs the bad. 

Chestnut Road / BUZZorHOWL - Split 7"

Brassneck / Boss Tuneage (2013)

There have been a lot of records put out recently that have bands harkening back to some of the styles of music that were all the rage in the 90's.  Being the age that I am, the 90's will always be a special time for me and I'll probably always think that was the best time for buying records.  I think it's true for most people that the music you discover in your late teens and early twenties is the music that really sticks with you throughout your life.  Enter this 7".

Some of the best records I've ever bought came out in the UK in the late 90's.  The Chestnut Road / BUZZorHOWL split could have easily come out during that time.  BUZZorHOWL features members who were also in the band Drive (go grab their discography CD right now).  I can certainly see the influence of Drive in BUZZorHOWL, but the band I'm immediately reminded of when I listen to the first song "Little Cop" is Alligator Gun. The melodic vocals soar over the big crunchy UK punk style guitars and this song just blows me away.  The 2nd track is an instrumental and though I actually love it when bands throw an instrumental onto a full length, since there's only 2 tracks to work with here, I probably would have preferred another with vocals.

Chestnut Road are really cementing themselves as one of my absolute favorite current bands.  They've put out a lot of records over the past couple of years and I've yet to hear a bad song out of them.  Hell, I haven't even heard a song from them that was merely good, they've all been great.  They really take their influences from some of my all time favorite bands like Broccoli, Hooton 3 Car and Leatherface.  Gravely vocals over dynamic guitar work.  It's just perfection.

 Chestnut Road / BUZZorHOWL - Split 7":

http://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/buzzorhowl-chestnut-road-split-7

Can Of Beans - S/T LP

Recess (2013)

It never fails that I end up writing about records that came out during November and December well into the start of the following year.  It bums me out a bit because I always feel like I'm doing the records a disservice since I wasn't able to include them on my end of the year round up.  I try to stay on top of new releases, but I guess I'm just destined to be a few months behind on certain things.

Can Of Beans would have definitely ended up on my best-of in some capacity.  It's a terrific album that manages to take some pet peeves of mine and flip them into something really enjoyable.  I've probably gone on record a few time saying that I just can't get into bands like Nobunny or Hunx And His Punx.  The super high pitched vocals and general goofball vibe of it all makes it impossible for me to take seriously.  So, whenever I hear anything kind of similar, I tend to not like it as much.

Can Of Beans completely turns that around for me.  Yes, the vocals are quite high pitched and have similar production values to those aforementioned folks.  However, Can Of Beans slows things town and takes everything much more seriously.  I'm not saying this is an important, stark record or anything like that. It's a good time, but it's not played for laughs.  These are just great well written pop songs. At the same time, if you are someone that does typically like Nobunny & co., this record should just floor you as I think it is that style of bubblegum garage pop perfected.

Can Of Beans - S/T:

http://canofbeans1.bandcamp.com/

Dulac - The First of the Last Chords LP

Taken By Surprise (2013)

It's always exciting when a brand new band ends up on your radar.  Taken By Surprise is a record label that I trust, so when they started letting the world know that this Dulac record was on the way, I sat up and took notice.  When the label put the record up on Bandcamp, I clicked play on the first song.  I was adding this record to my cart and sending money to the label before the song was even finished.

When a band puts out their debut record and it's just a beast from start to finish, that's a hell of an accomplishment and Dulac deserves the accolades.  They're playing an upbeat, treble heavy style of rock and roll.  In particular, the guitar sound and riffs remind me of The Statues, but in a more subdued and not quite as explosive way.  That's not saying Dulac isn't full of energy; but they are channeling it in a different way, as the band has a slightly darker and certainly more serious tone.

A reference point on the vocals are a bit hard to pin down.  Aspects of them remind me of some of the bands you'd find on Snuffy Smiles out of Japan. But there are other songs where I get a really strong Starmarket feel.  There are even times where I'm reminded of the band Rusty James.  Regardless of what other bands the the singing kind of sounds like, the end result is a mix unique to Dulac.  It's a fantastic record from start to finish and should have made my best of 2013 list.

Dulac - The First of the Last Chords LP:

http://takenbysurpriserecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-of-the-last-chords-lp

Chopper - Last Call For The Dancers LP - Blue Vinyl (/300)

Crackle (1998)

A while back I had written about one of my favorite bands from the late 90's UK punk scene Chopper (http://www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2012/04/collection-chopper-lp-7.html).  I put up a picture of my collection of all of their records.  A pretty complete collection of their vinyl aside from the glaring omission of their LP on colored vinyl.

I had always kind of wondered how I missed the colored vinyl version of this album as I was really on top of things back then and I know I bought the LP the moment it came out.  In doing a little research before writing this up I discovered that the blue vinyl version was actually a repress that came out about a year after the first pressing on black vinyl.  To me that at least kind of explains how I missed it.

The best part about finally adding the blue vinyl LP to my collection is that it was sent to me by Dave from Chopper.  An extraordinarily nice man, who has really gone out of his way being nice to a sad old record collector like me.  Cheers Dave, it's much appreciated.

As far as the tunes on this LP, they're just some of my favorite from one of my favorite eras of music.  This LP managed to take the incredible hooks that the band was creating on all of their 7"s and move those into a slightly more mature direction.  Produced by Frankie Stubbs from Leatherface, this album shows the band slowing their songs down just a hair (seriously, just a hair slower, there's plenty of fast songs on this record) while mixing in a bit more influence by bands like Broccoli. The result is a smoother album, that is impactful, but has more staying power and holds up well through the years that have passed since its release.  An essential album that you go out of your way to add to your collection.

Chopper - Staedler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwdzRUiT2j4

Chopper - F. Perry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC4d0kJhkiE

Samiam - Astray LP - Tie Dye Vinyl (/100)

Unless You Try (2013, Reissue)

As I've mentioned before, sometimes timing works out perfectly.  I decided to give Samiam another shot after not really being that into them in the 90's.  Turns out I blew it and they're great.  Then, just about every one of their full lengths gets a fancy vinyl reissue.  So, getting this collection filled out has been pretty easy.  As mush as I do like these Samiam records, I'm completely content with these reissues and I don't have that strong desire to start picking up the original pressings...yet...

Astray is an album that I know a lot of Samiam fans really like.  To me it always stood out because I knew quite a few people (myself included) that couldn't remember if it was called "Astray" or "Ashtray."  Not sure that it's relevant, but I can confirm it is "Astray."  This particular variant is courtesy of Unless You Try records out of the UK.  Ever since the Lillingtons boxed set came out, I wanted to get my hands on a "tie dye" colored vinyl record.  This one isn't that special really.  It's just blue swirled with white and a little red here and there.  I've seen some tie dyes that are super unique looking, but I'm sure I could pull another record out of my collection that looks similar to this one.

As far as the record goes, it's pretty great.  I'd lump it in with Clumsy or You Are Freaking Me Out in terms of quality.  Full, deep guitars with strong vocal melodies. No throwaway songs and as I'd mentioned in another review, I definitely hear some Knapsack style guitar work in here.  I realize since Sergie was in both bands, that is a bit silly to bring up, but I think that Knapsack influence certainly is more prevalent on Astray than on some of the other Samiam records I have.  One of the best records I've heard since giving Samiam another shot, though Clumsy is still my favorite so far.

Samiam - Astray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF0-U_rthTE&list=PL7800432710721428

Outtacontroller - Remote Control Cassette

Sorry about the sporadic updates lately.  Last week I took a few days off work as I was going to a bunch of Rocket From The Crypt shows. Then I ended up getting sick for a few days this week and when I'm sick, trying to write coherently is even harder for me than it typically is, so that's why this site has languished a bit.  Don't worry, I haven't given up on it yet.  I'm still not feeling completely better, but I am feeling well enough to write a few words about this excellent Outtacontroller cassette.

I'm even going to skip my usual cassette complaint as this was specifically made for a tour the band was doing and for some reason bands making cassettes so they have something to sell on tour doesn't bug me at all.  I sure hope these songs end up on vinyl at some point, but for now the tape will do.

On this cassette are 4 new songs, 2 cover songs (1 of a Ladytron song and the 2nd of a "When You Found Out" by The Nerves) and 2 songs recorded live on the radio at CKDU.  Musically I've always felt that Outtacontroller straddles the line in between Hex Dispensers and Steve Adamyk Band, and if there are 2 bands to be compared to, those 2 aren't too shabby.  We've got loud fast guitar, with catchy vocals & choruses.  Though they've never ventured to my neck of the woods, I get the impression from their songs that Outtacontroller is likely a hell of a live band.

I've read that Outtacontroller will have a new 7" coming out soon on Ptrash records and I believe they are also at work on their 2nd LP.  Rest assured, I will be buying both of those records the moment they are available.

Outtacontroller - Remote Control:

http://outtacontroller.bandcamp.com/album/remote-control

Record Store Visit: Repo Records - Philadelphia, PA - 04/04/14

This past Friday I went down to Philadelphia for the first time in many years so that I could see Rocket From The Crypt play.  It was the 3rd show in a row that I was lucky enough to see them play.  Though I didn't really get much time to spend in Philly before the show started, I did manage to hit up 1 record store while I was in town.

Repo Records is a fairly small store.  They certainly slant towards indie music for the most part.  A few racks of CDs a bigger selection of new LPs and a few crates of used records floating around upstairs.  There's a 2nd floor of junker vinyl downstairs as well according to signs in the building, but I didn't really have time to go digging though that.

What the store really doesn't have much of at all is 7"s, which are always my favorite things to dig through.  It's hard to get excited about a store that has fewer 7"s than I do, but I think I have more records in the B section of my 7" collection than Repo Records has in the whole store.  Still, while I was there I picked up the new Cloud Nothings record on blue vinyl, so while it wasn't an amazing shopping experience, there were still things there to keep me interested.  Hopefully next time I end up in Philly I'll be able to hit up some of the other stores as well.

Tony Molina - Dissed And Dismissed - Red Vinyl

Slumberland (2014)

I became intrigued with Tony Molina thanks to his participation in the Matador single club this past year.  That club had its ups and downs, but the Tony Molina 7" was absolutely the biggest and best surprise of the batch.  When I found that Molina also had a full length album that was currently out of print; it was a relief to hear that Slumberland was going to be reissuing it shortly.  And here it is.

Yeah, as a nerdy collector, I would probably prefer to have the original pressing of this, but I'll absolutely jump on a limited colored vinyl version of the reissue.  This record is short.  Really short.  The songs themselves are short.  Really short.  Typically this would probably annoy me a bit, but Tony Molina crams so much into each pop blast it's quite remarkable.

We have fast fuzzy guitar pop crammed full of hooks, melodies, strong vocals and some of the most intense guitar solos I've ever hear during songs so short.  When I wrote about the Matador 7" I compared the guitar solos to The Minibosses.  That comparison still stands I think and they add so much to each track.  I'll go on record and say that in general I think most guitar solos like this are self indulgent wanking, but damn if each and every one of them doesn't work in the context of this album.  It's really something.

Tony Molina - "Change My Ways":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRCXGT8dTmo

Tony Molina - "Walk Away":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlzR_3_pDfU

Beezewax - Who To Salute / When We Were Kids 2xLP

Reveal (2005)

Well, I'm a pretty big Beezewax fan.  I've been one ever since PopKid records started getting ready to release the album South Of Boredom back in 1873 or so.  But somehow, I'm often surprised to find out that Beezewax has released something I'd never heard of.  It's happened on several occasions; I'll just stumble across a record of theirs that just sneaked out into the world.  This vinyl version of Who To Salute is a prime example.  No clue it was out there, then one day...bam.  A discogs entry for it.  Been looking for a copy ever since.

All Beezewax records are great.   Who To Salute is no exception, though you'll forgive me if I have a slightly stronger attachment to South Of Boredom.  Still, just go buy all their records, every one is outstanding.  The band churns out perfect Posies inspired pop songs better than just about anyone (including the Posies on several of their records).  They can take a song slow and tender and they can get bouncy and poppy with equally successful results.  A hell of a band, they always have been.

The extra wacky thing about this LP is that it comes with a second LP called When We Were Kids.  It compiles a handful of songs from the first 3 Beezewax records A Dozen Summits, Who To Salute and Oh Tahoe.  It's pretty cool having a few songs from each of these records on vinyl.  I would obviously prefer each one had been reissued on vinyl individually, but it's nice to be able to hear my favorite Beezewax song "In The Stands" blasting from the turntable.  Someone should release all the Beezewax LPs on vinyl.  If anyone is interested in putting out South Of Boredom, I bet you I could put you in touch with the right people...

I couldn't find any songs from Who To Salute streaming anywhere, but there's a video for in The Stands up on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkgnwzrwcFc