Steve Adamyk Band - High Above 7" - Black Vinyl & Orange Vinyl (/150)

Steve Adamyk Band - High Above 7" - Black Vinyl & Orange Vinyl (/150), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2013)

Wrapping up my week of La-Ti-Da singles with my favorite of the bunch and one of my absolute favorite current bands. The Steve Adamyk Band can almost do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, but despite my lofty standards for them, they still manage to blow the doors off of this record.

This is a band that has put out quite a few great 7"s in the last year or so. High Above is the best of the bunch. The 2 originals on the 7" are instant classics. Fast, full of energy and the hooks this band churns out are just insane. In particular "High Above" is yet more proof that no band can write choruses as catchy as these guys. But for me, the main event is the 3rd song, an unsuspecting cover song that I imagine most people outside of Canada probably have never even heard of before.

"A Promise Is A Promise" is one of my favorite songs of all time. It was written by a Canadian band called Bum. It was first released on a 7" in 1991 that came out on Lance Rock Records. It also ended up on the full length album Wanna Smash Sensation. That record came out in 1993 on Pop Llama/Munster records. Wanna Smash Sensation is easily in my top 10 records of all time. They never amassed the biggest following in America from what I could tell, but there were a group of us in New Jersey that really loved this band. Just go buy Wanna Smash Sensation, please.

The Steve Adamyk Band take on the song is just perfect. Don't fix what isn't broken. The band plows through it full speed ahead, picking out all of the buried lead guitar parts & background harmonies. They also brought in some guest vocals from one Chris Page. Chris fronted The Stand GT many moons ago and is still cranking out hits both solo and with his other great band Camp Radio.

There are rumors of a Dirtnap Records showcase in NYC this year. One would think that Steve Adamyk Band might play that show as they have NEVER come to the NYC area. All I'm saying is it would be pretty great if they pulled out A Promise Is A Promise while they were playing. I never got to see Bum play. But anyway, go get this 7", it's great!

Steve Adamyk Band - High Above 7":
latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/high-above-hate-myself-p...

Needles // Pins - Outta This Place 7" - Clear Vinyl (/150)

Needles // Pins - Outta This Place 7" - Clear Vinyl (/150), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2013)

Outta This Place is the Needles//Pins entry into the La-Ti-Da singles subscription, and if you're getting the feeling I'm saving my absolute favorites for last, you'd be right. I truly believe that Needles//Pins are the Canadian all star team. Not because of the individual folks in the group; but because they manage to harness the best parts of some of my favorite bands into their songs.

For starters, I can't fathom you not liking Needles//Pins if you don't like Mother's Children as the bravado they take to their songs strikes me as being very similar. Do you like your pop music with straightforward hooks and a slight retro vibe like something the White Wires might do? Well, all you need is one listen to the B-Side "Date Night (You Bring The Napalm)." Wrap all of this up in a high energy, crunchy guitar sound not too dissimilar from The Steve Adamyk Band or Sonic Avenues and you've got a band that has really cranked out some great records over the past few years.

It's really a must have 7", and La-Ti-Da also just reissued the band's debut full length from a couple of years ago, so you'd be a fool to not grab that as well while you're at it.

Needles // Pins - Outta This Place 7":
latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-this-place-date-n...

The Wild Ones - Day Drunk 7" - Green Vinyl (/150)

The Wild Ones - Day Drunk 7" - Green Vinyl (/150), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2013)

I decided that I'll spend the rest of this week catching up on the remaining La-Ti-Da singles subscription releases I've recently received. Today's entry comes from a band called the Wild Ones. I wasn't familiar with them prior to hearing this 7" and I don't know that they would have ended up on my radar otherwise. But that is what I love best about signing up for a series of singles. It's the surprises and discoveries that keep me coming back. Even if I've been burned by some labels that just never fulfilled what I subscribed for, I'll probably always be a sucker and come back for more. I just love the discovery process.

The Wild Ones immediately remind me of the old Douchemaster band The Baby Shakes. They play a similar jangley, 60's girl group influenced style of guitar pop. The songs are infectious and the vocals are so much stronger than what you'll get out of your run of the mill garage band. The first song, "Day Drunk" is a faster, carefree track that really harnesses the bands energy. It's an immediate attention grabber and I can't think of a better first song to hear by a band.

The B-side, Come Around, slows things down a bit, but really captures that 60's style song of yearning better than anything I've heard in quite some time. La-Ti-Da is becoming particularly adept at finding bands who can cull the sounds of 50 years ago; but present them in a fresh and exciting way that holds up with anything being released in 2014. I wish them continued success in this endeavor and offer more money flung at them for future singles subscriptions.

The Wild Ones - Day Drunk 7":
latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/day-drunk-come-around-lt...

The Jay Vons - Night (Was Stealing From The Sun) 7"

The Jay Vons - Night (Was Stealing From The Sun) 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

La-Ti-Da (2013)

Part of the 2013 La-Ti-Da singles subscription, The Jay Vons seem to be coming from a similar place as their equally fantastic label mates The Ballantynes. The Jay Vons are playing organ laced, 60's style soul. They have a real attention to detail when it comes to production as both songs sound less "retro" and more like an actual product of the time frame that they obviously have a great affection for. I've thought for a long time that old soul music was ripe for a renaissance and it's great to see La-ti-Da leading the charge.

The one thing I find confusing is that the record I received was on black vinyl. I thought as part of the La-T-Da singles subscription, I was supposed to get a limited colored vinyl variant, but I'm wondering if that ended up not happening as I couldn't find a reference to what color it was supposed to be anywhere on the La-Ti-Da website. If anyone out there knows if there is another version of this 7" floating around, please let me know.

The Jay Vons - Night (Was Stealing From The Sun) 7":
latidarecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-was-stealing-from-...

Minutes - Roland LP

Minutes - Roland LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Self Released (2014)

This album was released in on Bandcamp in December of 2013, but it looks like the vinyl wasn't out until January.  This means you can file Roland 1 of 2 ways.  It's either one of the best records so far of 2014 or it's an early contender for the best record of last year that I missed. For the sake of year-end lists, I'm going to call this a 2014 release.

Minutes is a band from Michigan that is carrying on indie rock traditions of the 90's with much success.  Though the album starts off kind of slow, once it hits; it really hits. You might want to dismiss them during the lead song "Get Off Your Ass." A slower, darker song that would really make you want to lump these guys in with the slacker movement of 20 years ago. Things aren't a lot better on the 2nd track "Stolen Wallet." While neither are bad songs, they don't make the band seem like anything special.

Once you get to the third song, "Against Your Will," that is where the album really starts to pick up. From there the band starts showing their mastery of the genre. Some songs have a Pavement pop feel to it. Others have the crashing energy of Vee Vee era Archers of Loaf. And more often than not, you can hear Minutes channeling the melodies and excitement of The Dismemberment Plan, without all the goofy, pretentious sound effects. It's such a great album that I absolutely must find their out of print first LP. It just needs to be in my collection immediately.

Roland is absolute one of the best records I've heard so far this year, even if it's not officially a 2014 release. This year is not starting off nearly as packed with good records as 2013 did, so now is a good time to go check out this album, like me, you might have missed it.

Minutes - Roland LP:
minutes.bandcamp.com/album/roland

Flying Kangaroo Alliance - Hit The Wall 7" - Clear Splatter Vinyl

Flying Kangaroo Alliance - Hit The Wall 7" - Clear Splatter Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Punk Fox (2013)

I've mentioned before that I don't get sent records for review very often (feel free to fix that and send me some) so when I do, I really take my time and listen very carefully before I pop something up on this site. Especially if I'm not really a huge fan of the record. Case in point is this Flying Kangaroo Alliance 7".

I've had this 7" for a few months and I've been trying to articulate exactly how I feel about it. I don't hate it, it's certainly no the worst thing I've ever heard, but there's something that just sounds so dated to me. Flying Kangaroo Alliance is a female fronted band that at best I can describe as a 90's grunge tribute. The singer slips into that Sleater-Kinney warble that I've never been a huge fan of and the music is total 90's start/stop guitar verse with a slightly faster chorus.

You can name drop a who's who of 90's female rock bands; Garbage, Hole, Veruca Salt...there are bits and pieces of all of these bands in the 2 songs on this 7". Like I said, it's OK, I would rather listen to 90's knock off bands than a lot of other things these folks could be doing, but it's not something I would anticipate going back to very often.

And lastly, if you're a record label, don't send out a one sheet talking about how punk rock your label is because you don't have a website or a Facebook or whatever. If you don't want to have one, fine, but that shouldn't be some sort of bizarre selling point. It just comes off as being really goofy.

Flying Kangaroo Alliance - Hit The Wall:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8w3yIhv5as

BOAT - 50 Sweaty Boat Fans Can't Be Wrong LP (/200)

Boat - 50 Sweaty Boat Fans Can't Be Wrong LP (/200), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Hail The Sound (2013)

This was a bonus LP bundled with the first 200 pre-orders of the vinyl release of the Boat album Songs That You Might Not Like. It gathers some demos and rarities that the band recorded in 2004. After listening to the album a few times, it's pretty obvious why these recordings were shelved for so long. While the band shows flashes of brilliance, in general the songs are lacking the punch that Boat was able to harness on later recordings.

The thing that really stands out to me about these songs are the bands heavy reliance on keyboards sprinkled throughout their songs. While it adds to some, it kind of stamps certain songs definitely as rough demos. A lot of the album reminds me of some of the deeper cuts on mid era Pavement albums, where the band sounds a little tinny and the vocals are a bit distorted.

There's 15 songs on the album, so it is an enjoyable listen overall. But the LP also comes with a digital download containing even more tracks; 28 in total. It's a lot of Boat demos to get through in one sitting. I'm glad the band emptied the vault for this record, it was a great bonus to come along with the Songs That You Might Not Like LP, but I probably won't get as many listens out of this record as I will with the rest of the band's albums.

Boat - 50 Sweaty Boat Fans Can't Be Wrong:
hailthesoundrecords.bandcamp.com/album/50-sweaty-boat-fan...

Boat - Songs That You Might Not Like LP

Boat - Songs That You Might Not Like LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Hail The Sound (2013, Reissue)

I stumbled across the band Boat via their 2011 LP, Dress Like Your Idols. I was immediately taken by their unabashed 90's indie rock throwback vibe. While that is a theme that has become more common over the past 3 years, Boat was on the forefront as far as I was concerned. They had been kicking around for years beforehand, but I haven't really explored their back catalog as much as I'd like.

However, when it was anounced that their 2006 debut was finally being released on vinyl with an entire 2nd LP of rarities, I figured now was as good a time as any. We'll deal with the rarities LP tomorrow, but for today I'll focus on the first Boat full length Songs That You Might Not Like. Hearing this made me really wish I had been on board right from the get go in 2006. It's a very strong LP of loose, upbeat Pavement style indie rock. Not as pretentious as Malkmus can be, but really embracing the laid back ease of their rock.

It's not quite as good as either of their more recent LPs. The production is a little too scrappy and the songs could benefit from a slight amount of tightening, but as a debut or a launching pad for what this band went on to achieve, it's a pretty spectacular start. There are 2 more Boat albums missing from my collection, Hopefully the 1 that isn't on vinyl yet gets the same type of reissue treatment that Boat's debut has received. I'll have a quick write up about the companion LP that came with Songs That You Might Not Like tomorrow.

Boat - Songs That You Might Not Like (4 Song Sampler):
hailthesoundrecords.bandcamp.com/album/boat-songs-that-yo...

Jawbox - Novelty LP

Jawbox - Novelty LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dischord (1992)

As I've stated previously on this website, I missed the boat on some bands in the 90's. Be it due to sheer ignorance or an over abundance of amazing music that no one could possibly keep up with, there are bands that slipped through the cracks for me. One of those bands that I'm desperately trying to catch up with is Jawbox.

Novelty came out in 1992. That's 22 years ago, yet it still sounds like a fresh exciting album. One thing I did not give Jawbox enough credit for when I was younger was their ability to write a catchy song. The band is masterful at building tension in a verse until it explodes into a spectacular chorus. I just couldn't see the melody over what I perceived as a much gruffer exterior. Though looking at the band with fresh eyes, I can only assume that I was probably judging them mostly on some sketchy songs I had heard on compilation albums.

Novelty is a spectacular album, it's not as polished as For Your Own Special Sweetheart, but I've always been one who likes my production a little rougher around the edges. This is the 2nd Jawbox album that has been a total home run for me. Now it's time to really flesh out the rest of their albums & singles as I've decided that my collection needs a complete Jawbox discography.

Jawbox - Novelty:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2joJlr1n_w&list=PLBDDC24E5F0...

Rocket From The Crypt - Boychucker 7" - A's & B's Label Variant

Rocket From The Crypt - Boychucker 7" - A's & B's Label Variant, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sympathy For The Record Industry (1994)

I have a lot of Rocket From The Crypt records. No seriously, I mean a LOT. But, I never seem to be able to have all of them. The labels that they were involved with released so many wacky variants over the years that I feel like I will never get them all (Sell me your red vinyl Pure Genius 7" Norm!!!).

Case in point is this Boychucker 7". I have bought this over and over and over. I have 4 different copies of the picture disc version and now I have 6 copies of the black vinyl version, all with different labels on the record. This last one is actually one of the easier variants to find, but for some reason it just never made it's way into the collection as I was always prioritizing other things. Then one day, I just stopped seeing it. Luckily it popped up again and I can continue my march towards a complete RFTC collection.

Oh, and the song Boychucker is one of my top 5 Rocket songs ever.

Rocket From The Crypt - Boychucker:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeGIXdSydBc

Dan Sartain - He Touched Me Digital EP - Travis Jackson Benefit

For the first, and likely only time I will be breaking a rule of this site and will be reviewing an album that was released digitally only.  There's no LP, CD or Tape, but this release gets a pass for 2 reasons.  The first is because I just love Dan Sartain.  But, the 2nd and significantly more important reason is because this album has been released to raise money for the The Travis Jackson Memorial Fund.

Travis Jackson was the founder of Windian records, a label that has released so many fantastic records.  Travis was tragically killed in an accident at work.  He left behind a wife and a child.  In addition to all proceeds from this Dan Sartain release being donated to The Travis Jackson Memorial Fund, there is a 2nd website where you can donate directly to the fund here: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/fgGY8 While I'm sure that there is no deadline for buying this EP, the Fundrazr.com fundraiser is closing in 4 days on February 15th.  Please give a little something if you can.

This Dan Sartain EP is just phenomenal. Sure, it was recorded in just 24 hours. Sure it's all cover songs, but it highlights the very best of Dan Sartain.  His voice and his retro rock and roll take on music.  This release is most reminiscent of his earliest work like Romance In Stereo, Crimson Guard and Vs. The Serpientes.  He gives inspired acoustic takes on songs from Dead Milkmen, X, The Wipers, The Ramones & others. Dan manages to turn them all into thoughtful , borderline ballads.  Although I like Dan's more rocking releases, his slower, old school country records are always the ones I go back to over and over again.

If you are a Dan Sartain fan it would be silly to not grab this.  If you are new to the party, it's a $5 investment that goes to a great, great cause. And if you hate it, you can still give to The Travis Jackson Memorial Fund directly at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/fgGY8

Dan Sartain - He Touched Me:

http://joindansartain.bandcamp.com/album/he-touched-me

Deltron 3030 - Event 2 LP

Deltron 3030 - Event 2 LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Bulk (2013)

I had been waiting for new Deltron 3030 record for such a long time, but I was getting nervous as its release date approached as I read review after review on how this album was a let down and how this was a problem and that was a problem. I went in with tempered expectations. Having listened to this album many times at this point I can honestly say I have no idea what record all of those other reviewers were listing to; this album is outstanding.

The first Del The Funky Homosapien album, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, came out when I was in the 8th grade in 1991. I loved that album from day 1, but it was 1993's No Need For Alarm that permanently entrenched Del as my all time favorite hip hop artist. Everything I love about Del is on display on this record. His absurdly complex lyrics and rhyme structures, his over the top delivery and the fact that listening to him execute a song just makes almost every one else look like a bunch of amateurs. Del has a way of standing head and shoulders above the rest.

Others have remarked that they find this album too dark and they like when Del is more fun and jokey. Well I completely disagree and think Del & Dan The Automator have constructed a rich, deep world that their characters inhabit. Sure it's not all fun and games, but very few things are. The beats that Dan churns out are every bit as good as the first album, with dark bass and an old sci fi movie futuristic vibe throughout.

It's a fantastic album start to finish and I have no idea why so many others have been lukewarm or even down on this record. As someone who has been listening to Del for 23 years now, I can say there's not a moment on this record I feel like I've been let down or that Deltron 3030 hasn't delivered. It's just great.

Deltron 3030 - Event 2 (Several songs on their SoundCloud page):
soundcloud.com/officialdeltron

Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues LP - Blue Vinyl (/1000)

Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues LP - Blue Vinyl (/1000), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Total Treble (2014)

I like all of the Against Me albums. Every single one of them, but even I will admit that the last couple seemed to be a bit lacking in the intensity department. I blame it on the glossy production values of New Wave and White Crosses (though the release of the Black Crosses version of the latter album corrected a lot of the issues I had with that record). While the songs were always there, Against Me sounds best a little rougher around the edges. It just lets the passion shine though.

Transgender Dysphoria Blues is a step back in the right direction. The glossy sterile recording is gone, but this is far from a lo fi affair. It's just perfectly produced with full guitars and clean vocals, but none of the angst lost to the sheen of knob fiddling. Plus the songs; oh these songs. There is a fury in this album that's been missing for a while. Right from the rolling drum roll intro of the first track "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" it's immediately apparent that Against Me is back.

Incredible song after incredible song follow like "True Trans Soul Rebel" (A full band version infinitely better than the acoustic version released on a prior 7"), "Drinking With The Jocks," and "Dead Friend." As the name of the song may insinuate, things do get a little heavy handed on the song "Osama Bin Laden As The Crucified Christ" but it's a rare misstep on this otherwise stellar album.

Against Me - Transgender Dysphoria Blues:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFgFGgjNQ4E

Against Me - Drinking With The Jocks:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcA_jhuKliQ

Against Me! - True Trans 7"

Against Me! - True Trans 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Total Treble (2013)

This 7" was released as a precursor to the new Against Me me record, which I'll write more about tomorrow. The True Trans EP offers up 2 acoustic versions of songs on the full length; "Fuckmylife666" and "True Trans Soul Rebel." I have always liked that Against Me has peppered their albums with acoustic songs. It always provides a nice change of pace and really works in the context of an album.

I haven't always been as big of a fan of their releasing acoustic versions of songs that have a full band version on the album. Not that any of them are bad, and both tracks on this 7" are pretty good acoustic takes on these songs, but it just always felt a little unnecessary to me. I would rather some new songs than redone ones. I guess it's for the same reasons that remixes as B-sides never really do much for me. I have these songs, let's hear some new ones.

That being said, this is partially my fault. These 2 tracks were meant to be heard before the album. But, I missed the limited clear vinyl when it went on sale, so I waited until I ordered the full album and added the 7" to the bundle to save on shipping. I may have been more into these if I had heard them first, but since I heard the electric version first, the songs on this 7" just became remixes to me.

Against Me - True Trans Soul Rebel (Acoustic):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKNam5aulKM

V/A - Something To Du 7" - Blue Vinyl

V/A - Something To Du 7" - Blue Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dead Broke / Drunken Sailor (2013)

I'll be the first to admit, I may not be the best person to judge this record as a tribute to Husker Du. I know I'm in the minority, but I've always been more of a Sugar guy. So I'm much, much more familiar with the Sugar records than I am with the Husker Du catalog. That being said, I was really looking forward to this 7" as it paired up a lot of bands that I really like.

The 7" starts off with Unfun and their take on "The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill" and flat out I do not like this. Sure the original is a little blown out and a little shouty, but Unfun really takes it too far and this is just an overblown screaming mess of a song. Tenement, one of my favorite current bands, takes on "Obnoxious" and also takes that song way over the top. It's just a shouting, borderline inaudible pile of fuzz. Things get back on track with Crow Bait's "Dead Set on Destruction," which is the first track you can hear the music and lyrics on. Good production and a catchy take on the original.

Over on the B-side, Bent Outta Shape leads off with "Terms Of Psychic Warfare." it's another one of the highlights of the 7". Nice guitar tones and a clarity missing from a lot of the other songs. The best cover on this 7" is turned in by Dauntless Elite. The chose "I Don't Know What You're Talking About," one of Husker Du's catchier songs, and really took some creative license with it. The Dauntless Elite version puts a real UK/Clash/The Tone spin on the song and manages to make the it their own. Lastly we have another one of my favorites; Your Pest Band from Japan. Their version of Green Eyes is dreamy and swampy and vaguely feels like it was recorded underwater. It's not my favorite thing they've done, but does kind of fit in with their more recent records, which have definitely been heading in this direction.

So, I guess I'm kind of disappointed in this record. The bands that I was most excited to hear didn't live up to my lofty expectations, but bands I wasn't expecting really shined. It's always tough judging a band based on cover songs, so I'll just say it's an interesting record to listen, but maybe not an essential one to own.

V/A - Something To Du 7":
drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/husker-du-tribute-7

Samiam - Samiam LP - Purple Vinyl

Samiam - Samiam LP - Purple Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

New Red Archives (2012, Reissue)

I will be the first to admit that I'm going about Samiam all wrong. I never really listened to them much back in the 90's, but was inspired to start relistening to their albums to give them another shot. Needless to say, I like them much better now than I did then, so it's been a quest to start adding LPs to the collection. Luckily every label on Earth seems to think it's a good idea to reissue Samiam records, so they're very easy to come by at the moment.

The bad part of getting into this band now, is that I'm tending to listen to all of their records out of order, so even though this is the first Samiam LP, i've already heard the albums they put out 5, 10, 15, 20 years later. It gives me some perspective on how the band has evolved over the years, but it definitely makes this first album stand out from the initial batch of the Samiam releases I've picked up.

Compared to albums like Clumsy & You Are Freaking Me Out (the two I am most familiar at this point), the self titled album is significantly rougher around the edges. It takes much more of a hardcore influence and doesn't have the pop sensibilities of their later work. That's not to say the album doesn't have its catchy hooks, it does, but in general it's a much louder, angrier affair than some of their other records. That probably makes it sound like I don't like this record, but that isn't true at all. This album has bursts of energy and enthusiasm that are not as obviously apparent on some of their other albums and it's fascinating to see the band's growth.

I still have a lot of Samiam records to get through. I have had Whatever's Got You Down for a bit but have only played it once as it came during a busy end of the year rush of new records. I got Soar for Christmas but haven't given it a spin yet, I have Astray on it's way over to me and I have to pick up Billy still, so there's a lot to go on my continuing Samiam education.

Samiam - A Youtube Playlist of a bunch of songs off of the self titled LP:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=ALBTKoXRg38BDUJ1qEpIv9ZaI0S...

Autistic Youth - Nonage LP - Clear Vinyl (/200)

Autistic Youth - Nonage LP - Clear Vinyl (/200), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dirtnap (2013)

Autistic Youth is one of those bands that I've been keeping tabs on over the years. I buy their records when they come out, I listen to them and enjoy. I'm never blown away, but I'm never disappointed, they've just been a good reliable band. That is until their 3rd LP Nonage. You can mark this record down as the moment that Autistic Youth became a great band.

The biggest change from their past work is that they've slowed things down quite a bit. Rather than sap the songs of their energy, this shift in tempo allows everything room to breathe and expand. The backing vocals are more pronounced and effective and the underlying lead guitar adds so much in the way of dynamics.

The songs are catchier than anything the band has done before, but without giving up their identity. I would never call this a pop record, it's far too dark, but the hooks and choruses are so well written and instantly grab your attention. It's dark punk rock, but it's catchy in the way a band like The Wipers are, with less downstroke guitar though.

The fist 200 were on clear vinyl through Dirtnap mailorder, but those seem to be long gone at this point. Absolutely worth picking up on good old fashion black vinyl though.

Autistic Youth - Nonage LP:
dirtnaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/autistic-youth-nonage

Sam & Dave - The Best of San & Dave LP

Sam & Dave - The Best of San & Dave LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Friday Music (2012)

This was a Christmas gift, but was a record that had been on the want list for a while. The original pressing of this came out on Atlantic Records back in 1969, but Friday Music did a fancy reissue in 2012. Though you could find an original cheaper for sure, there are times where I'd rather not play the hunt for a copy that some 60's teenage didn't beat up game. Sometimes it's just easier to get the reissue and this is a good one.

Sam & Dave are favorites of mine, stemming from my love of the Blues Brothers. Ass the Blues Brothers were my first favorite band as a 3 year old, I've explored their influences over the years and you'd be harder pressed to find a better influence than Sam & Dave (Though I will certainly hear arguments for Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding). Though maybe this LP isn't as chocked full of songs as some of their CD compilations, this 14 track set is lean and mean. Truly the best of. From "Soul Man," to "Soothe Me" to "Hold On I'm Comin'" these songs are simply amazing even all these years later.

The reissue itself sounds outstanding and I appreciate the little details like the reworked red, white and green Atlantic label on the record itself. This label is reissuing one of the most important records to me in February, Briefcase Full of Blues. After hearing the Best of Sam & Dave, I'm pretty confident that one will be worth picking up as well.

Sam & Dave - Hold On I'm Comin':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREppyQf5uw

Spells - Take Time 7" - Red Vinyl

Spells - Take Time 7" - Red Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Snappy Little Numbers (2013)

I can't say I was familiar with Spells, but when I ordered the Hooper record from Snappy Little Numbers I decided to pick up a couple of 7"s from them as well to try out some new bands. That ended up a smart move as I really dug The Knew 7" I wrote about on here a few weeks ago and I like this Spells 7" just as much.

This 7" is something I'm going to call higher level pop punk. There's a lot of pop punk bands that are kind of generic, to the point where the word became something of an insult to throw around. But for me the phrase pop punk will always take me back to the 90's when the term allowed for a bit more variety within the genre. So we'll just call Spells higher level pop punk, it's a group of people getting together and writing a couple of supremely catchy songs with big sing along choruses, tons of backing vocals and a real appreciation for that old time rock and roll music. Looks like this band has some more tunes kicking about, and I will have to start tracking those down as well.

The Spells - Take Time 7":
snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/take-time-slice-away

Wax Packs: The Hundred Acre Woods / Boxer - Split 7"

The Hundred Acre Woods / Boxer - Split 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Secret Audio Club (2013)

This is the 5th and final 7" from my Wax Packs hobby box. Full review of the box itself was posted on Monday at: www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2014/01/wax-packs-casual-cr...

2 more bands that I was completely unfamiliar with. The first band on this split is The Hundred Acre Woods. Right off the bat, I think they've picked a pretty great band name, so I'm hopeful that they sound good too. They're probably the best surprise from this batch of records along with John Moreland. The Hundred Acre Woods plays upbeat, banjo tinged, light & catchy folk-punk. Not in an Against Me/Gainesville arnarcho way, but in a laid back, build up that chorus and tap your foot way. The singsong vocals mix with the slightly twangy, but still crunchy guitar to create a song that's definitely one of the best I've heard from this series.

Boxer doesn't blow me away quite the same way that The Hundred Acre Woods does. They're a little more by the numbers agnsty rock. They kind of feel like one of those old Jade Tree bands that I know a lot of people liked, but never really stood out from the back for me. The band plays at a slower, more melodic speed, but counters that melody with some crazy electric guitar noise swirling in the background. I could actually see this being something that others would gravitate to, but it's not really my speed.

That wraps up my Secret Audio Club Wax Packs reviews. 5 records out of 1 hobby box. There's 5 more split 7"s out there, which I would definitely be curious to get my hands on. The question is now, is taking a chance on 9 more bands I've never heard of worth the risk? Maybe, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the bands from this batch. We'll just have to see.

The Hundred Acre Woods:
thehundredacrewoods.bandcamp.com/album/pipebomb-wax-packs

Boxer:
boxerrva.bandcamp.com/album/secret-audio-club-wax-packs

Wax Packs: Marathon / Fire When Ready - Split 7" - Test Pressing (/20)

Wax Packs: Marathon / Fire When Ready - Split 7" - Test Pressing (/20), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Secret Audio Club (20113)

This is 7" number 4 from my Wax Packs hobby box. For a recap on the box as a whole and the story behing the set, please read Monday's review at www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2014/01/wax-packs-casual-cr.... This split was the 2nd "hit" variation I pulled from my mystery box. I think in trading card lingo, the used to call this a chase card. This particular variant is a limited to 20 copies test pressing for the record. I'm not really one who collects test pressings, so there may be others who would consider this a bigger coup.

As for the 2 bands on the split, again I'd never heard of either prior to putting this on the turntable. I do have to say of all of the bands I've heard from the Wax Packs set, these were the bands I was least impressed with. Marathon's 1st song was a good, upbeat rocker. Big chugging guitar with a catchy chorus, but the vocals didn't hold up to the music. The 2nd songs was an acoustic number with more vocals that just don't work for me.

Fire When Ready is playing a minor chord driven, wacky guitar noodling, late 90s off-beat-drum-signature style that kind of reminds me of some of the Polyvinyl bands from the late 90's era. Again, it's the vocals that I'm just not into with these guys. There's also a bunch of shouting at the end of the 1st song that feels like it comes out of no where. Their 2nd entry is faster and more upbeat, so I like it more than the 1st, but it's still not the sort of band I could see myself listening to very much.

As I said in my first review of the series, there's 19 bands contributing songs to this project. The odds of everyone liking every band seem pretty slim to me. This is just the record that I didn't like of the bunch. I could only find 30 second clips of some of these songs, I couldn't find the whole songs streaming anywhere.

Marathon:
soundcloud.com/plugola/closing-time-at-the-distortion

Fire When Ready:
soundcloud.com/plugola/the-whole-long-while-demo

Wax Packs: Broken Field Runner / Gifthorse - Split 7"

Wax Packs: Broken Field Runner / Gifthorse - Split 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Secret Audio Club (2013)

This was 7" number 3 from my Wax Packs box set. You can read a synopsis of the entire set here: www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2014/01/wax-packs-casual-cr...

Once again, we had two bands that I had not only never heard before, but I had never even heard of prior to this set being announced. Perhaps I'm getting older and falling out of touch with music a bit more than I'm willing to admit. Broken Field Runner chime in with a dynamic, but mid tempo number. Light guitars mesh with cymbal heavy drumming and strong vocals to produce a sound that reminds me a bit of the old 90's band Tugboat Annie. Maybe Broken Field Runner doesn't achieve highs quite as high, but it's a pretty good song.

Gifthorse runs in the acoustic world, but in an early Against Me or Frank Turner sort of way. Both songs on their side of the record are alright, but there's a totally unnecessary lead guitar that weaves through the first song that I find distracting. I think the song is strong enough to stand on its own without the extra noodling.

Broken Field Runner:
brokenfieldrunner.bandcamp.com/track/im-in-a-bad-way

Gifthorse:
gifthorsede.bandcamp.com/album/wax-packs-split-with-broke...

Wax Packs: John Moreland / Austin Lucas - Split 7"

Secret Audio Club (2013)

This is the 2nd 7" from my Wax Packs box set.  For a full description of the series and the trading card-esque way they are rolling out this record, I described it in detail in Monday's review: http://www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2014/01/wax-packs-casual-crybaby-split-7-violet.html

This split 7" holds the distinction of being the only one in the group with an artist I had actually heard of before, Austin Lucas.  I knew he was part of the growing folky acoustic punk "revival tour" crew, but I can't say I had listened to much of his output.  His song, "Splinters" has more of a country twang than I would have originally thought.  There's certainly no reinvention of the wheel going on, but it's a strong song that I did enjoy.

However for me, John Moreland stole the show on this record, he may have stolen the show on the entire series (though there is another band in the running for that; we'll get to them later in the week.).  Moreland's track "Cataclysm Blues No. 4" is just great.  Like a lost song from Bruce Springsteen's Devils And Dust album (My favorite Springsteen release for those keeping track at home), this gruff vocaled, slow, somber number is just an incredibly well written song.

I was very excited to pull this 7" from my Wax Packs box as it was the one I was most interested in hearing,  As I said yesterday, this is a novel concept and certainly leads to more excitement opening your record when you don't already know what's inside.

John Moreland - Cataclysm Blues No 4:
http://secretaudioclub.bandcamp.com/track/cataclysm-blues-no-4

Austin Lucas - Splinters (Live At New West Records):
https://soundcloud.com/plugola/splinters-live-at-new-west

Wax Packs: Casual / Crybaby - Split 7" - Violet Vinyl (/154)

Wax Packs: Casual / Crybaby - Split 7" - Violet Vinyl (/154), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Secret Audio Club (2013)

Wax Packs Hobby Box

Wax Packs is one of the more unique things I've come across record collecting.  They're put out by a label attempting to combine their love of record collecting with their love of trading cards.  It's an interesting singles series concept, but instead of getting 1 record every month, all of the singles are released at the same time, the only catch is that you don't know what records you're going to get.  The basic concept of Wax Packs is that they are selling 7"s in generic sleeves that are sealed.  If you go to the store or buy a single record, it's a lot like the vinyl toy blind box phenomenon that's been taking off over the past few years.  Until you buy your record and take it home to open it, the record your buying is a mystery.

The way it becomes a bit more like trading cards is the records are also sold in groups on 5 singles, as a Hobby Box.  The benefit of the Hobby Box is that in addition to having multiple chances to get the record you want, you are guaranteed to get one of the more rare variants of the records.  Let me explain.  For each of the 10 7" releases, there's different variants hidden randomly in these hobby boxes. There's a limited to 150-ish version on colored vinyl, a limited to 50 numbered colored vinyl version and the test pressing for each record is also out there.  So if you buy a box of 5, you get a pretty cool box and a sure shot limited variant. There's also  collectible download trading cards, one for each band randomly distributed in each box.

Box Break

It's one of the cooler ideas for record collecting I've seen and while I don't collect trading cards now, I did as a kid.  I had an awful lot of Star Wars cards if nothing else.  I think if your goal is going to be to collect every variant of every record, you might drive yourself to drinking.  But if you buy a couple of boxes and then try to trade for the other records you're missing, it's kind of fun and opens you up to a collecting community of like minded souls.

That's a lot of describing the concept of this series, but with no talk of the actual music.  As I have 1 Hobby Box, it would be an extremely long review to try to tackle everything in this box.  What I'm going to do is review 1 of the 5 records each day this week, that way I can treat each 7" as its own release and can give the bands on the records a bit more time.  I will also say this.  Of the 19 bands in this series, I had only ever heard of 1 of them going in.  I had no clue what to expect.  Some of the records I liked, some of the records I didn't.  It's the same as every singles series, if you line up 19 bands, no one is going to like all of them, but there's enough interesting diversity in this group that I'm definitely glad I have a box of these.

Casual / Crybaby - Split 7"

On to the record at hand, the Casual / Crybaby split 7".  When I did my "box break" I actually had a heck of a box.  I got 4 records on regular black vinyl.  I also got a test pressing and then this split 7" on colored vinyl, limited to 154 copies.  I had never heard of either band before, so I went into this record blind.

Crybaby turned out to be alright.  They remind me a great deal of the Conor Oberst fronted Desaparecidos.  Pretty decent hooks and quivering vocals.  There's some wacky guitar breakdowns that didn't thrill me and I think the band as a whole could use a bit more oomph, but in general, these songs with ok.

Casual was more my speed.  Though they stray close to being a bit too straight forward rock, they string together 2 good songs with strong vocal melodies.  This sounds similar to some early 2000's bands to me. The first song is poppier, the 2nd has significantly more shouting with a big group singalong chorus.  I prefer them to Crybaby, but for bands I had never heard before, I think both are worth a listen.

I'll be back tomorrow with the next 7" that was in my Hobby Box.

Casual Side:

http://casualnj.bandcamp.com/album/split-7-w-crybaby


Crybaby Side:
http://crybabypa.bandcamp.com/album/split-7-w-casual-2

Tony Molina - Six Tracks 7" - Gray Vinyl

Tony Molina - Six Tracks 7" - Gray Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Matador (2013)

Alright, with this record I am all caught up on the Matador Singles Club 7"s that have been sent out to date. As I said earlier in the week, there's still a few more out there and I'm hopeful that they're good ones. No singles club from Matador in 2014, but I'm hopeful to start getting them from the Merge Records series soon. Again, I am a real sucker for singles clubs...

Tony Molina is another great surprise from Matador. Again, I was unfamiliar with him prior to this release, but I'm pretty impressed by the songs here. Everything is short fuzzy pop blasts that cram an awful lot of hooks into such short spans of time. Molina even manages to squeeze in some wacky Minibosses like guitar solos. It's a lot of bang for you buck during a 90 second long song.

It appears that there is an out of print Tony Molina full length that is being reissued by Slumberland in a few weeks, I have a feeling you may end up seeing me review that at some point as well. As has been the theme with these Matador singles, I wasn't able to find any of these songs streaming online anywhere.

Dick Diver / Lower Plenty - Split 7" - White Vinyl

Dick Diver / Lower Plenty - Split 7" - White Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Matador (2013)

I'm still trucking along with the Matador Singles Club releases I've fallen behind with, I have 1 more for tomorrow and then I'll be caught up. Today's record is actually a split 7" by 2 bands I was not familiar with prior to listening to this record. While it does hit the highs of the Smartboys 7" it comes nowhere near the lows of the Bits Of Shit single, so this ends up being a middle of the road release for Matador's club.

Dick Diver's song starts off with a Pixies Gigantic-esque bassline that leads into some clean, treble heavy guitar work. The vocals remind me a lot of the most recent (and frankly sub par) Soft Pack album. It's a decent enough little song, but it's kind of boringly mid tempo and never really goes anywhere.

Lower Plenty's contribution is built off of light acoustic guitar. While it doesn't actually sound like the Silver Jews, it kind of reminds me of that sort of subset of 90's indie rock, the bands you'd end up hearing if you decided to dig deeper than your Pavements or Built To Spills. Again, it's a fine song, but nothing really earth shattering.

I couldn't find either song available to share online. I'm wondering if that was some sort of deal with these Matador singles, the vast majority of them are really hard to listen to unless you have the records. Not that that's a bad thing, I always like people to be encouraged to actually buy records, but it certainly is unusual these days.

Smartboys - A Different World Now 7" - Blue Vinyl

Smartboys - A Different World Now 7" - Blue Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Matador (2013)

Though I haven't heard of them before, Smartboys has 2 members of the band Fucked Up at the helm. After listening to this 7", along with the solo exploits of Young Guv, I can only assume that Fucked Up secretly wants to unleash the world's best fuzz pop record.

Smartboys deliver 2 tracks of lo fi guitar pop. This is one of a few bands that I think could probably sound even better with a bit more fidelity, but in general I really like both songs. The A-side "A Different World Now" builds the verse over some light background guitar noodling, but pays off with a big chorus.

B-Side "Sacked" is just as good, though for both songs, the vocals are buried just a bit too far in the mix. I wish I could hear what they were saying a little more, but I like both of these songs enough to go hunt down the band's other 2 7"s. So I assume you'll see reviews of them soon enough.

Smartboys - A Different World Now:
soundcloud.com/smartboys/smartboys-a-different-world

Bits Of Shit - Riders 7" - Red Vinyl

Bits Of Shit - Riders 7" - Red Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Matador (2013)

I fell a little behind writing about 7"s I received from the Matador Singles Club last year, so I'm going to try to go through my backlog this week. I'm pretty sure I'm still waiting on 4 more records from the club, but I read somewhere that they'd be wrapped up by February. This one is by a band with a simply delightful name; Bits Of Shit.

I'd never heard of these guys prior to receiving this 7", but I guess with a terrible band name like Bits Of Shit and even worse cover art, I shouldn't have been shocked that the music is pretty bad too. The A-side "Rider" is a slow, plodding mess with a ton of unnecessary pick slides. The vocals are a bunch of yelling with no real melody to speak of.

The 2 songs on the B-side. "Lazy Cowgirls" and "Total Recoil" are thankfully faster than "Rider," but no less annoying. They are both generic, shouty hardcore-ish songs that sound a lot alike to my untrained ears. I love singles clubs, but every so often you just end up with a bunk record from the bunch. The Matador club has had some highs and some lows for 2013; we'll chalk this one up as one of the lows.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of these 3 songs online to stream anywhere, but if you gaze intently at the artwork and try to imagine what Bits Of Shit sound like, you probably wouldn't be too far off.

Jawbox - Tongues 7"

Jawbox - Tongues 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dischord (1992)

To me Jawbox is an awful lot like the band Seaweed. Not really in terms of what each band sounds like, but in the way that both were pretty popular bands in the 90's that I completely blew off for some reason. With Seaweed I corrected that problem and am now the proud owner of every LP and 7" of theirs. Now I'm beginning to see that I'm going to be headed down that same path with Jawbox.

This first 7" in the collection (well aside from the Jawbreaker split that has been in the Jawbreaker section for 100 years) is Tongues. Pretty much the easiest, cheapest one to find, but man is it a good one. Two great melodic songs with dynamic guitars and a real comforting 90's vibe that just makes me so damn happy.

This is likely the beginning of a slippery slope. I have actually picked up a few of the Jawbox LPs already as well, I'll be reviewing 2 of them in the next few weeks.

Jawbox - Tongues:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9tMXJKzXZI

Ween - The Mollusk LP

Ween - The Mollusk LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Plain (2009, reissue)

As mentioned yesterday, this was a Christmas present from my wife and a mighty fine gift it is. The Mollusk represents the last Ween album that I love from start to finish. Sure, there were some good songs on albums that came after this like White Pepper and Quebec, but for my money the Pure Guava to The Mollusk run was the best of Ween.

Like 12 Golden Country Greats before, 1997's The Mollusk was another concept album of sorts. The album has something of a nautical theme to it. While only a couple of songs blatantly deal with aquatic issues, most everything has something of a jaunty feel to it. This especially rings true for my favorite song on here, "The Blarney Stone." It's as if a traditional Irish folk song was overtaken by pirates and then peppered with a rousing amount of profanity. Not only is it a highlight of The Mollusk it's one of the very best songs in the entire Ween catalog.

The quality of this release is just as good as the 12 Golden Country Greats reissue. It's on 180g vinyl, and the sound quality is top notch. Again, worth replacing your old CD if you ask me.

Ween - The Blarney Stone:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA5x_qnJSRY

Ween - Johnny On The Spot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s26XpHL214s

Ween - 12 Golden Country Greats LP

Ween - 12 Golden Country Greats LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Plain (2009, Reissue)

You know that you are loved when someone cares enough about you to get you a Ween record. I received this as a gift from my wonderful wife for my birthday last month (She then scored another home run by getting me The Mollusk for Christmas, but I'll write about that tomorrow). I had been wanting this for a while, ever since the reissue came out. It was one of those records I kept putting off buying in favor of grabbing something new. I'm just glad it didn't go out of print before I got one.

This is the Ween album that came out when I was in college back in 1996. I vividly remember the first time I heard it sitting in the office of my campus newspaper. After the insanity that was Pure Guava and Chocolate And Cheese, it was kind of surreal to be listening to a straight up country record. But Ween's great lyrics and off beat attitude shine through any genre.

In addition to having some of my favorite songs on it, this record also has my all time favorite Ween joke: 12 Golden Country Greats. There are only 10 songs on the record. I don't know why, but I just think that's genius. The sound quality on this reissue is very good. The record sounds warm and full, arguably better than I'd ever heard it before. Definitely worth upgrading your CD copy.

Ween - Piss Up A Rope:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7M3EEHYkJ0

Ween - Japanese Cowboy:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mui4CM2SKWM

Dan Padilla / Down And Outs - Split 7" - Yellow Vinyl (/100)

Dan Padilla / Down And Outs - Split 7" - Yellow Vinyl (/100), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

All In Vinyl (2013)

I believe the All In Vinyl 7" series #3 is winding down with only 1 more release to come after this record. Aside from the Steve Adamyk Band 7", I was most excited about this split 7" by Dan Padilla and Down And Outs, mostly because they were 2 bands I already knew I liked. Both hit a home run with this split.

Dan Padilla has been putting out consistently strong records for years, but the first song on their side of this 7" "Why Bother" might be my favorite song of theirs yet. With a big chorus, dual vocal dynamics and their usual killer guitar work, it's just an incredible song.

Down And Outs also tear up their side of this record as well with 2 songs of sing along anthemic punk rock. It's on par with anything the band has released previously and I really need to pick up their new full length at some point. It's always tough when new records come out at the very end of the year after you've blown through your record buying budget!

Dan Padilla / Down And Outs - Split 7":
allinvinyl.bandcamp.com/album/split-7-12

The Absolute Best Records Of 2013

The Absolute Best Records Of 2013, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

I cannot even remember the last time there was a year in music as good as 2013. You'd probably have to go back to the 90's to find a year that had so many truly fantastic records come out. From the second January started right up until the waning days of December, I feel that all I did this year was listen to great music.

The top 5 records this year were so strong, it really could have been a coin toss to select who got number 1. In the end I gave it to the Night Marchers. As I've been listening to John Reis bands for over 20 years now, it just feels the most like home if that makes any sense.

However, I want to make a special case for some records on this list that really deserve a little extra attention as the bands aren't quite as well known as some of their peers. The Dead Mechanical record could have been a number 1 record in almost any other year. It's just flawless and I really encourage people to check it out if they haven't heard it. Chestnut Road brought me back to my favorite scene of the 90's and they felt like the second coming of Broccoli, Hooton 3 Car or Leatherface, If you like fast guitar pop like The Marked Men, you're a fool if you don't give the Tight Bros record a listen. And finally, that Hooper record I reviewed a few days ago is just incredible. It may have ended up higher on this list had it come out a bit earlier so I could have spent even more time with it.

All of the records on this list are amazing in my humble opinion. I couldn't have asked for a better year in music. Sure, I spent an awful lot of money on records this year (I tracked all of my purchases in 2013, my advice is don't do that, it's depressing), but it was worth it. It's crazy that there's even more records from this year I wasn't able to pick up.  I'd like to grab the new Young Leaves record and I'm pretty sure I would like that Sweatshop Boys LP, but as you may have noticed, as it is I buy way to many records. Maybe next year.

Thanks again to everyone who reads this website and an extra special thanks to the folks that have emailed, tweeted to me or sent me records to review. Here's to more good rocking in 2014.

01 - The Night Marchers - Allez Allez - Swami
02 - Dead Mechanical - OK Night - Toxic Pop
03 - Radioactivity - Radioactivity - Dirtnap
04 - The Steve Adamyk Band - Third - Dirtnap
05 - Chestnut Road - Chestnut Road - Brassneck / Speedowax
06 - Warm Soda - Someone For You - Castle Face
07 - Tight Bros - Tight Bros - Rad Girlfriend
08 - The Blind Shake - Key To A False Door - Castle Face
09 - Obits - Bed & Bugs - Sub Pop
10 - Audacity - Butter Knife - Suicide Squeeze

11 - Mrs. Magician - B Sides - Thrill Me
12 - Hooper - How To Become A Ghost - Snappy Little Numbers
13 - Rumspringer - Stay Afloat - Dirtcult
14 - Dirtbombs - Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey - In The Red
15 - Superchunk - I Hate Music - Merge
16 - Boat - Pretend To Be Brave - Magic Marker
17 - Low Culture - Screens - Dirtnap
18 - Plow United - Marching Band - Jump Start
19 - Sundowners - The Larger Half Of Wisdom - Dirtcult
20 - Crusaders - Perhaps You Deliver This Judgment... - No Idea

21 - Iron Chic - The Constant One - Bridge Nine
22 - Humanoids - Humanoids - Throwing Things
23 - Murmurs - Fly With The Unkindness - Dead Broke / Drunken Sailor
24 - The Resonars - Crummy Desert Sound - Burger
25 - Deltron 3030 - Event II - Bulk
26 - The Thermals - Desperate Ground - Saddle Creek
27 - RVIVR - The Beauty Between - Rumbletowne
28 - Shy Mirrors - Negative Collector - Big School
29 - Off With Their Heads - Home - Epitaph
30 - Wrong Words - Everything Is Free - Trouble In Mind

Other records I bought & enjoyed this year:
A Giant Dog - Bone - Tic Tac Totally
Autistic Youth - Nonage - Dirtnap
Bad Sports - Bra - Dirtnap
The Dagger Eyes - The Dagger Eyes - Ptrash
Dumpster Babies - Dumpster Babies - Tall Pat
Heavy Times - Fix It Alone - HoZac
Leatherface - More Mush - Bootleg
The Men - New Moon - Sacred Bones
Mind Spiders - Inhumanistic - Dirtnap
Paper Dragons - Die To Please - Toxic Pop
Southport - Southern Soul - Yo Yo
Space Wolves - IV - UT
Terry Malts - Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere - Slumberland
The Visitors - Yeti - It's Alive
Wavves - Afraid Of Heights - Mom + Pop
Your Pest Band - In My Doom - Snuffy Smiles
Yuck - Glow & Behold - Fat Possum
Zebrassieres - I Am Human - Ptrash

Previously:
2012
2011
2010
2009

Los Straitjackets - 'Tis The Season For... - Red Vinyl

Los Straitjackets - 'Tis The Season For... - Red Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Yep Roc (2002)

Every year I try to add at least 1 new Christmas album to the collection. I just love Christmas music, but I really tend to listen to the old classics for the most part. Modern day Christmas music just bums me out. Now, this record came out 11 years ago, so I'm not sure that it totally qualifies as modern day, but it's a heck of a lot newer than the Gene Autry Christmas albums I listen to anyway.

Los Straitjackets are picking up right where The Ventures left off with their Christmas album. Up tempo surfy Christmas instrumentals. The Venture Christmas Album is far and away my very favorite, so another release in the same vein is a welcome addition to my collection. There's a few repeats from the Ventures' classic, but there;s also fresh songs like "It's A Marshmallow World," "Feliz Navidad," and "Here Comes Santa Claus." It's great and I've been playing it pretty non stop for the last few weeks.

This is going to be my last album review for 2013. In a couple of days, probably Thursday or Friday, I'll be posting my annual, big year end best of list. 2013 was the best year for new music since the mid 90's if you ask me, so it's been a real task trying to rank all of this incredible music. I'm still working on it, but I have just about locked everything down. Happy happy to everyone this holiday season.

Los Straitjackets - Frosty The Snowman:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVtmqhr6X6M

Masked Intruder - Under The Mistletoe 7" - White Vinyl

Masked Intruder - Under The Mistletoe 7" - White Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Fat Wreck (2013)

I'm a real stickler when it comes to Christmas music. I just absolutely love listening to it this time of the year, but I am a bit of a traditionalist and don't really like many modern takes on the genre. I especially don't usually like punk rock Christmas songs. They just always seem so goofy.

Masked Intruder's foray into this field is pretty much what I expected. Now, they obviously are just having a laugh and not trying to create any modern day Christmas classics. I can appreciate this 7" on that level. The songs are kind of funny and Masked Intruder has a knack for this kind of thing, but I can't imagine ever putting this on in December as legit Christmas music. it's fun, but it's no Bing Crosby.

Masked Intruder - Under The Mistletoe:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgn2F6jhbu8

Murmurs - Fly With The Unkindness LP - White Vinyl (/100)

Murmurs - Fly With The Unkindness LP - White Vinyl (/100), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Dead Broke / Drunken Sailor (2013)

I find it hard to imagine that anyone is more excited than I am that so many new bands are creating records that are taking so much influence from bands of the 90's. For a while it seemed like music was turning its back on my favorite decade, but over the last few years there's been a complete renaissance. I'm just thrilled.

Murmurs are playing right into my wheelhouse as they're culling the sounds of some of the 90's pop punk kings. I'm not talking about the really poppy bands like Zoinks or Sicko, but rather the grittier, early Jawbreaker-ish bands. There's at least 2 main vocalists (the liner notes list every band member as contributing vocals, and never having seen them live I couldn't tell you who sings what for sure). 1 of the singers has a smoother, slower voice and tends to front songs that have a Dear You or late Knapsack feel to them. The other guy is grittier like Unfun era Jawbreaker and his songs tend to be closer to earlier 90's, faster punk rock.

It's a great combination and just keeps me engaged throughout the record. This is another band that is brand new to me, and I'm just thrilled to have gotten the chance to hear them, but truthfully, I will always give a chance to anything that comes out on Dead broke or Drunken Sailor. Those folks know how to put out records.

Murmurs - Fly With The Unkindness:
deadbrokerekerds.bandcamp.com/album/fly-with-the-unkindne...