REVIEWS by Jim Testa
THE
ANDERSON COUNCIL - Looking At The Stars (Sinclair
Recording Co. reverbnation.com/theandersoncouncil)
The Anderson Council may be as Jersey
as you can get - lead singer Pete Horvath has been
playing in New Brunswick bands for almost as long
as I can remember - but the uninitiated listener
would be forgiven for thinking they're as British
as a pair of knickers. Horvath, bassist Rob Farrell,
drummer Joe Chyb (since replaced by Christopher
Ryan), and guitarist David Whitehead launch a one-band
British invasion with this disc, gleefully pillaging
from decades of UK pop, from 60's Beatlemania and
early psychedelia to the 70's Mods to 00's Britpop.
Oh, and don't forget the Kinks, lots of Kinks, including
the uber-catchy leadoff track, "Don't You Think."
There are echoes of the Jam, Beatlesque music-hall
pop, and on big, bold pop numbers like "First
of November" and "Watch You Sleeping,"
the Anderson Council even sound a bit like their
Jersey forebears, the Smithereens. Farrell's "Gardening
Man" could be an outtake from the Syd Barrett
Floyd. Kurt Reil's production keeps the guitars
shimmering, the bass peppery and insistent, the
drums booming; everything sounds big and bright
in a way you don't hear much anymore. There's certainly
an element of nostalgia in what the Anderson Council
do so well, but mostly this is a band that's embracing
old tropes and making them sound new again.
THE
CATHOLIC GIRLS - Exposed (thecatholicgirls.net)
Decades before Britney Spears turned
school girl uniforms into a scandalous pop sensation,
the Catholic Girls were ripping up Jersey dives
like the Dirt Club and playing coquettish punk-pop.
They were on the cover of Jersey Beat #5 back in
1982, and at the time, I wrote, "Belinda Carlisle
of the Go Go's may have the beat, but Catholic Girl
Gail Petersen has more: Better songs, a more distinctive
voice, a greater sense of herself in her lyrics,
talent, and style." Now here we are 30 years
later, but much can still be said of the modern-day
Catholic Girls: Petersen still has that distinctive
plaintive yearning in her vocals, more womanly than
girlish now but nonetheless affecting. Roxy Andersen's
new-wavy guitar still shimmers and glows, the harmonies
still send a shivery down your spine, , and the
songwriting still communicates female longing, dreams,
and heartbreak. "Airplay" even captures
the frustration of making music you believe in that
can't get on the radio. Doreen Holmes still delivers
a pounding backbeat for the more powerful songs,
while current bassist Steve Berger adds a roiling
bottom to the mix. The dreamy "Sleepwalking"
connects the dots that link the Catholic Girls to
the Ronettes, while "Heartbreak 101" recalls
the harmony-soaked new-wavey pop of the Bangles
and Go Go's. That three-quarters of the Catholic
Girls have come back to bring us more music 30 years
after charming audiences in clubs that have since
been leveled is a bit of a miracle; if I ran the
Vatican, these Catholic Girls would be candidates
for sainthood.
BOXED
WINE – “Cheap, Fun.” EP (boxedwine.bandcamp.com)
After a debut 5-song EP and a charming, quirky
collection of 70’s cover tunes, NJ’s
Boxed Wine give us three new songs that show a new
energy and direction. Imagine a crunchier, noisier
Vampire Weekend on a steady diet of energy drinks
and candy bars and you might begin to get a handle
on the giddily syncopated enthusiasm the band shows
on these three tracks. I don’t think that
wayward period in the EP’s title is just a
coincidence either; while neither synthy nor as
radio-ready as fun., Boxed Wine’s definitely
going for the same confetti-cannon party anthems
here, only with more basement-friendly singalong
choruses. Boxed Wine’s scruffy, unkempt persona
also makes for a vast improvement over fun.’s
hipster-dork affectations, at least as far as I’m
concerned. Keep an eye on these boys, they’re
going to become major players in the Jersey scene
in 2013 and beyond.
HOLY
CITY ZOO - "Everybody Sells For More"
(holycityzoo.bandcamp.com)
Frantic tempos, vitriolic caterwauling, vaguely
bluesy chord progressions, thrashing drums... it's
a formula that worked for Jersey City hard-rock
heroes Rye Coalition and continued by Holy City
Zoo on this six song EP. Trouble is, all that hyperspeed
screaming is a bit like drowning your dinner in
hot sauce; yes, it adds a powerful kick, but individual
flavors disappear and everything starts to taste
the same. That's true for most of these tracks including
the pounding instrumental, but "Hello, I'm
Awful" offers a welcome respite, injecting
melody into the melee and hopefully point to a direction
Holy City Zoo can pursue in the future.
JULIAN
FULTON & THE ZOMBIE GOSPEL – “Heart
& Arms” EP (julianfulton.com)
As an old geezer, I sometimes have to remind myself
that there’s an entire generation for whom the
Strokes and Vampire Weekend already classify as “Classic
Rock.” You can hear that influence filtering
down in the jittery, upbeat indie-pop of “Kiss
The Sun,” the most Strokesian track on the debut
EP from young Asbury Park songsmith and bandleader
Julian Fulton. But there’s also a reverence
here for Britpop and Syd Barrett, echoes of the trashy,
ironic irreverence of the Dandy Warhols, 60’s
piano pop, and even a little Beatles on spacey psychedelic
of tracks like “Lie,” “And Now,”
and “Wishing Well (A Fool’s Waltz.)”
Unlike most young rockers, Fulton favors waltz time
(or a faster 6/8 version of it) over the 4/4 beat
of most contemporary rock, which adds a subtle hint
of nostalgia to these tracks. Fulton also likes to
bathe his boyish vocals in distortion, as if you’re
hearing him through the crackle of 60’s AM radio.
The effect isn’t retro so much as timeless;
it’s as if Fulton and his band (who are neither
zombies, as far as I know, nor an actual gospel choir)
were making music in several different eras simultaneously.
The band doesn’t seem to play out much though,
and this six song EP (including a short instrumental
intro track) came out over a year after I first discovered
the group performing at the 2011 Bamboozle. So talented?
Definitely. Prolific? Not so much. I hope to hear
much more of Mr. Fulton reimagining pop music’s
past in the near future.
SINK
TAPES – “Please Touch” (sinktapes.com)
These twentysomethings from New Brunswick (by way
of Red Bank, since they play the Brighton Bar quite
a bit) channel influences like the Velvet Underground
and Jesus & Mary Chain into a wonderfully dreamy
fusion of chugging guitars and airy soundscapes. “Real
Eyes (with backups)” sounds like something out
of the Eighties college-rock (i.e. pre-alternative)
era, with its chiming guitars and ethereal vocals,
“same strange dream.inward bed” adds Sonic
Youth-y distortion and clangorous chimes to the mix,
and “The Soul Is In The Kitchen” suggests
early Mission of Burma. These kids are either taking
a lot of good drugs or listening to a lot of awesome
old records, but whatever they’re doing, it
works.
BOXED
WINE – EP
(boxedwineisaband.com)
Adam from Those Mockingbirds turned me on to this
New Jersey foursome, whose website describes the band’s
music as “fun fuzzy dancey indie rock.”
That works, although when they start singing about
werewolves in the skittering uptempo “Feral,”
I couldn’t help but think of Vampire Weekend’s
appropriation of South African polyrhythms and Ezra
Koenig’s playfully boyish vocals. I’ve
also seen the band compared to everything from They
Might Be Giants to Fountains of Wayne to the Strokes
(and I’d add the Spinto Band,) but what you
really need to know is that these young gentlemen
are turning out extremely likable power-pop with terrific
melodies and interesting beats – sweet, fizzy,
and as intoxicating as a 5-liter box of Franzia’s
best swill.
THE
GRAVEYARD KIDS
“My Only Company” EP
(thegraveyardkids.bandcamp.com)
Originally the bedroom project of singer/songwriter
Chadbourne Oliver, the Graveyard Kids slowly morphed
into a real live band which - after two catastrophic
missteps – wound up recording this impressive
debut 7-song EP at Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen
in Brooklyn. The songs vary from the grungy blues
shuffle “Staircase Blues” to the dream-pop
ballad “The Fountain” to the flat-out
awesome garage-rocker “Raft Of The Medusa”
(which has the best pop riff, hands down, of the year).
“Clint Eastwood Teddy Bear” offers an
elegiac, instrumental time out before the EP resumes
with its presumptive “side two,” two downbeat
ballads soaked in beer and regret followed by a fuzzy
spastic uptempo garage rocker. Forget that the name
sounds like a Misfits cover band and get with the
idea that the Graveyard Kids are yet another addition
to the fine young roster of talented musicians and
songwriters coming out of the Mama Coco’s collective.
RUN
ON THE SUN - "New Empire" EP (runonthesunmusic.com)
This teen band from Greenwich, CT impresses with
five tracks of romantic pop-rock, inspired by classic
album artists like U2 and Coldplay. The musicianship
and production remain excellent through, from the
lovely piano intro to "My Name" to the
strummed acoustic guitar that brings us into "Midnight."
It's actually refreshing to hear a band that embraces
the lushness of vintage studio production and straightforward
romantic balladeering without a hint of post-modern
tweaking; nothing here sounds washed out, over-reverb'd,
chill, witchy, autotuned, or ironic. The vocals
are pitch perfect and elegant, the guitars swell
and soar on the choruses; clearly, this band made
the best record it could and poured every once of
their heart and soul into every note. I wouldn't
suggest they move to Bushwick anytime soon, where
music needs to be deliberately scruffy to be considered
"authentic." But I wouldn't be at all
surprised if I'm hearing them on the radio sometime
very soon.
MATT CRANSTOUN - The Last Drop of Color
NEIL
NATHAN – The Distance Calls (neilnathan.com)
The showpiece on Neil Nathan’s debut album
is his cover of ELO’s “Do Ya,”
which captures the fuzzy glam of the original while
investing the lyrics with a singer/songwriter sensibility.
But Nathan’s a talented songwriter in his
own right; there’s a bit of Cat Stevens in
his spiritual, breathy ballads, and a little Elton
John in his pop-rock tunes. “Get On”
adds a little boogie to the mix; it’s somewhere
between J. Roddy Walston and something Ringo might
have done on one of his old solo albums. The roadhouse
jangle of “Never Enough” updates L.A.
country-rock for the new millennium, while “So
Much More” adds a dollop of white soul. Apparently
his recent CMJ appearance at Maxwell’s was
something of a disaster, but I hope he’s back
in the area soon, I’d definitely like to check
out these tunes live.
THE VINYLS – “Extended
Play” EP (Purevolume.com/thevinyls)
This new group whose membership spans the Garden State
features former members of Throwing Color, Racing
Kites, and The Call Out. The five tracks here are
all romantic pop songs that make good use of lead
singer Drew Duddy’s melodic vocals. Duddy’s
got a first-class voice, which immediately sets the
Vinyls apart from the throngs of Jersey emo and power-pop
acts with singers who can’t hit a high note
without autotune or, even worse, deliberately sing
offkey as if there’s some sort of artistic payoff
there. (There isn’t.) And it probably doesn’t
hurt that Duddy’s quite the hunk, too. The Vinyls
like soaring choruses and harmony vocals, and songs
about girls who break your heart; the EP boasts a
very full, lush sound that might even win over a few
fans of orchestral indie-rock in hipster Brooklyn.
In the meantime, expect lots of Jersey shows full
of swooning teenage girls.
SPiN
– Believe (spinrockssocks.com)
Philadelphia’s SPiN are on their third release,
although this is the first I’m hearing. The
band melds a very 70’s power-pop sound (the
lead singer sounds quite a bit like Eric Carmen) and
lots of power balladry with very modern-sounding synthesizer.
It’s a unique combination, but the melodicism
of the songs and some nice hooks keep these songs
in your head. Fans of the Raspberries should definitely
check them out.
FUTURE
IDIOTS – Lost (Pacific Ridge)
It’s nice to know that England has its share
of cookie-cutter pop-punk bands too. If the highlight
of your adolescence was Blink-182 or Sum 41, then
by all means check these guys out. “Keyra Augustina”
sounds like the Steinways filtered through an MTV
/mainstream sensibility, “Sympathy Symphony”
proves emo isn’t dead, “The Basement”
starts out with a cool surfy riff but goes downhill
the second the whiney vocal kicks in, and “Confessions
To A Bartender” adds a bit of country twang
to the basic formula. This is certainly not awful
but rarely rises much above generic, although it’d
probably go down swell over the p.a. at suburban Hot
Topics and Urban Outfitters.
REALITY
SUITE – Blueprints For Building A Better _____
(realitysuite.com)
Reality Suite is a bit of a NJ supergroup, with members
who have long careers in the local music scene. Their
debut 6-song EP (released last May, we’re behind
the curve on this one) starts off with the dance track
“Evolution Queen,” with new-wavey synthesizers
and Melissa Cicchelli’s snarling vocals. She’s
got a bit of Pat Benatar or the Wilson sisters in
her voice; she definitely sounds like somebody you
don’t want to mess around with on this track.
“Wingman” stresses an electric guitar
attack and heavy bottom; it reminds me a bit of “Barracuda.”
“Manchester” switches gears from a dance
vibe to power ballad. The final two tracks continue
with this fusion of classic rock and modern dance
music, a fairly compelling mix since it really doesn’t
sound like any other indie band I can think of.
TODD
PARKER & THE WITCHES – Greetings From
The Star Chamber (toddparkerandthewitches. bandcamp.com)
Todd Parker’s aural alchemy beguiled Hoboken
and NYC audiences throughout the Nineties in The Tadpoles,
a band I was lucky enough to see at the first Terrastock
music festival back in ’97. Todd disappeared
for most of the 00’s but has re-emerged with
this new album, a digital-only release that picks
up where the Tadpoles left off – somewhere in
the murky purple haze of 60’s psychedelia. Part
early Velvets, part early Pink Floyd, most of Greetings
From The Chamber sinuously unravels at fairly slow
tempos, building swirling textures around Parker’s
guitar, synths, and lethargic (lysergic?) vocals.
“Rodeo Clown Blues ‘66” picks up
the tempo for a bit of garage-rock chug, “Tingler”
has a menacing, monster-movie feel, and “Give
It To The Elf” transports us straight to Oz
(or maybe Middle Earth) via magic mushrooms and wah
wah. The Tadpoles were always so out of their own
time that taking a decade off really doesn’t
matter; this album could easily have come out in ’99,
and I would have enjoyed its slinky grooves then as
much as I do today. While the Tadpoles virtually lived
in their own analog studio in a Hoboken warehouse,
I’m guessing most of Star Chamber was conjured
up digitally (and that’s how it’s being
released;) but a psychedelic drone is a drone is a
drone, and if you liked the Tadpoles way back when,
you’ll be eagerly transported back to the same
sonic Neverneverland by Todd and the Witches.
TOMMY
STRAZZA – The Model Citizen LP (tommystrazza.com)
New Brunswick/Asbury Park singer/songwriter and frequent
sideman Tommy Strazza starts his new album off with
an old-timey novelty song and ends it with a classic
rock ballad that sounds like it’s being sung
in an arena in front of 50,000 cigarette lighters
held aloft and waving in time to the track’s
anthemic whoa-oh-oh chorus. It’s what’s
in the middle that’ll really win you over, though
– gritty, tuneful FM Radio rock reminiscent
of 70’s posters like Tom Petty and Nick Lowe.
Strazza has an ingratiating, Everyman voice –
I don’t think he’d last many rounds on
American Idol, but he hits all the high notes and
enunciates his witty wordplay with casual confidence
and brio. Songs like “Sensory Overload”
and “Shark In The Water” swing along on
playful guitar leads and inventive rhyming couplets
that swing from verse to verse with cleverness and
precision. Strazza’s song can be somberly introspective
but I like him better when he’s happy and bouncing
off the walls, like on the slyly self-promoting “So
Much More,” where he’s trying to sell
himself to a girl. “Dinnerall’s Song,”
a story song about a Katrina survivor, engages like
one of Dylan’s classic character songs while
celebrating New Orleans music in all of its colorful
glory. And sonically, the album showcases both crunchy
electric guitar (the opening chords of “So Much
More” chime like church bells – or an
old Flamin’ Groovies record) and nimble acoustic
picking, along with beautifully arranged, vibrant
background harmonies. Overall, Tommy Strazza’s
produced a fine showcase for his talents, but let’s
also not forget that – like Arlan Feiles or
Rick Barry – he’s been a real lynchpin
of New Jersey’s indie music scene for years
now.
Tommy Strazza and band will celebrate the
release of The Model Citizen on Friday, October 8
with The Sunday Blues, The Amboys, and WUPA at Asbury
Lanes, 209 4th Ave. Asbury Park.
WAKING
LIGHTS – “The Rabbit Hole” EP
(myspace.com/wakinglights)
Why isn’t everyone in New Jersey talking about
this band? The orchestral pop group from North Jersey
dropped a vinyl EP earlier in the year but will be
releasing an expanded digital version in September,
with a release show at Maxwell’s on September
17. You should be there, seriously. “Where It
All Began” starts this record with some gently
strummed guitars, a mix of male and female voices,
sonorous violin, and jangly banjo, but then it’s
like Gaslight Anthem bursts into the room and sings
the backup vocals on the chorus – you get a
little Springsteen jolt amid this languorous and lovely
folkie melody. “Only The Sex” adds sinuous
electric organ and a Latin rhythm; the song really
is sexy. “We All Die Alone” is a folk-punk
campfire singalong – “we get pissed on
the weekends to forget the feeling, there’ll
be sex, drugs and rap beats to keep us both laughing”
- and my only criticism of the song is that it should
go on a lot longer. “Never Meant To Hurt You”
introduces xylophone to the mix, with a cuddly pop
chorus that could have ruled AM radio back in the
Seventies.
AIRPLANE
NOISE – “Getting Down” EP (www.airplanenoiseband.com)
If Conor Oberst could sing in tune, he might sound
a little like Warren Miller, the voice of NJ’s
Airplane Noise. Originally a solo project, this EP
introduces AP as a full band, mixing acoustic instrumentation
with zippy synthesizer fills and lots of layered harmony
vocals. “Last Night” has up upbeat, uptempo
vibe that reminds me a bit of the Tattle Tales, with
the boy/girl vocals and especially the synth. “One
Cup Of Coffee” slows things down and showcases
piano, harmonica, and glockenspiel. The simple, straightforward,
light-hearted emo plaint “I Will Always Win”
has a lovely melody accentuated by strummed acoustic
guitar and, again, nicely arranged harmony vocals.
Miller’s songwriting has an innocence and openness
that recalls Jonathan Richman, especially on the closing
ballad, “Goodbye,” which swells into luxurious
orchestral pop. It’s a showstopper, and a good
sign that Airplane Noise will soon a band that the
Garden State’s buzzing about excitedly.
BERN
& THE BRIGHTS – “Swing Shift Maisies”
EP (bernandthebrights.com)
Bernadette “Bern” Malavarca could probably
earn a living on Broadway; she and fellow vocalist/guitarist
Catherine McGowan both have the kind of pipes that
can belt out big brassy melodies to the back of the
balcony. But on this eclectic, engaging four-song
EP, they also deftly handle softer acoustic folk,
twangy country rock, and even a bit of flamenco-flavored
Spanish pop. The real secret weapon here though is
Nicole Scorsese’s violin – bowed, plucked,
sonorous and staccato – which adds depth and
shading to the group’s songs. From the Fleetwood
Mac gypsy folk of “Boo” to the shit-kickin’
country stomp of “It Goes Like That,”
to the lively “Sangria Peaches” with its
snapping castenets and ballroom grace, “Swing
Shift Maisies” enchants, entrances, and engages.
BANQUETS
– “This Is Our Concern, Dude”
EP (blacknumbers.com)
Updating Springsteen for the emo era, this Jersey
City, NJ combo works a lot of whooping whoa-oh singalongs
into their energetic if somewhat derivative pop-rock.
At least they’ve got a knack for song titles
(“Lyndon B. Magic Johnson,” “What
A Bunch of Aaron Burrs,” “I Wish I Was
A Little More Lou Diamond Phillips.”) But if
you’ve heard Gaslight Anthem, you’ve already
heard all these “run all night” tropes
recycled once, and that’s probably enough. “What
A Bunch of Aaron Burrs” does add a little R.E.M.
jangle to the proceedings, but once the vocals kick
in, we’re right back on Thunder Road, headed
for that darkness on the edge of town. Tramps like
us, baby we were born to rerun.
THE
FRONT BOTTOMS –
Slow Dance To Soft Rock
(thefrontbottoms. bandcamp.com)
You hear this post-adolescent voice, and it’s
straining to get the words out, an urgent and earnest
mix of Jonathan Richman and every emo band on the
planet. And yet there’s something there that
is utterly, completely original too: “And I’ll
remember that summer… as the summer I was takin’
steroids… because you like a man with muscles…and
I like you.” And that sums up The Front Bottoms,
Saddlebrook NJ’s contribution to the cadre of
uber-ironic post-millienial pop-punk bands. File next
to Weezer, Bishop Allen, They Might Be Giants, or
maybe Say Anything if Max Bemis had a wickedly self-deprecating
sense of humor, the band flirts with images of everything
from suicide (“there’s comfort in the
bottom of a swimming pool”) to patricide to
panic attacks in its bright acoustic pop and makes
it all seem okay.
WRECKLESS
ERIC AND AMY RIGBY – Two-Way Family Favourites
(Southern Domestic)
This unlikely pair of middle-aged newlyweds –
he a curmudgeonly, semi-legendary British pub rocker,
she a witty mainstay of New York City’s folk-pop
circuit – combine their talents on a collection
of covers for their second album together, providing
all the instrumentation and lots of cozy harmony vocals.
A few of these tracks are nothing short of revelatory
– Rigby’s reading of ABBA’s “Fernando”
uncovers a moving lyric once you strip away all the
pop gloss and disco beats – while others showcase
worthwhile songs overlooked on their first go around.
There are songs by Tom Petty, the Turtles, and the
Who that you probably won’t recognize, a Byrds
song that no one remembers, and a complete reinvention
of Brian Wilson’s “In My Room” that
expands the song from teenage loneliness to a more
universal existential angst. Jackie DeShannon’s
“Put A Little Love In Your Heart” rekindles
fond memories of 60’s AM radio pop in a way
that’s quite unlike what either Eric or Amy
would do on their own records. Only the cover of the
Flaming Groovies’ “You Tore Me Down”
disappoints a bit, but it serves its purpose in that
it sent me scurrying to play the original for the
first time in years. What’s interesting is that
this really doesn’t sound anything like an Amy
Rigby or a Wreckless Eric record; by coming together,
this duo has really created their own sound, stripped
of the irony, sarcasm, and pathos of their solo efforts.
Love does indeed work in mysterious ways.
THE
QUARANTINES – “Robot Girl” EP
(Insubordination Records)
Even though three out of four songs have a scifi theme
(robots or outer space,) the Quarantines don’t
really get silly about it. What you get here are four
very solid and catchy tastes of power-pop with very
likable melodies. “What Have I Done Now”
adds some boy/girl vocals that remind me a bit of
the Tattle Tales (and that’s always a good thing.)
Recommended for fans of the Guts, Leftovers, or Impulse
International.
EGGHEAD
– Would Like A Few Words With You (Knock Knock
Records)
A dozen years after they first called it a day (bravely
championing pop-punk back in the days when almost
no one in New York City cared,) Egghead reunite and
it’s as if they never left. Johnny Reno still
sounds as adolescent and snotty as ever, rocker-turned-movie-and-TV-star
John Ross Bowie still had that Uber-nerd edge, and
Mike Faloon’s there keeping a steady beat, all
to songs that will have you singing along as you bob
your head. Bowie’s brush with stardom may have
inspired “Slow News Day,” a savage jab
at our paparazzi/gossip-obsessed culture, just as
his role as a real-life dad no doubt inspired “My
Daughter Can Fuck Up Your Daughter,” a song
so good it appears twice (the second time as what
we used to call a “radio edit” with the
nasty words euphemized.) The album starts off spoofing
opera and Broadway with an “Overture”
that quickly reprises all of the album’s melodies,
and then it’s off to the races: Songs about
weird girls, fucked up friends, odd celebrity encounters
(“Stuck Inside A Stuckey’s with Leonard
From The Dickies,”) a psycho on a luge…
in other words, the usual Egghead lunacy. Welcome
back, guys. Now if we can just get that Trixie Belden
reunion to work out…
ANTHONY
WALKER – “The Sea Goes On Forever”
EP (anthonywalkermusic.com)
If you missed our interview, Anthony Walker is
the artist formerly known as Anthony Fiumano, a
mainstay of Asbury Park’s indie scene along
with the very talented Rick Barry, Tommy Strazza,
and Arlan Feiles. I don’t really understand
the name change, but this EP suggests that this
might be an attempt for Anthony to most past his
reputation as “that talented teenager with
the big ears” and establish himself as a more
mature singer/songwriter. “Song For The Willing”
has swelling orchestration (including strings) and
an almost Radiohead-like sophistication. “Rosie,”
with its country twang, pedal steel, and sounds
more like the Anthony Fiumano of old with a traditional
verse/chorus structure and warm major chord melody.
The rainy day ballad “I Hope This Helps”
places the spotlight squarely on the emotional resonance
of Antony’s vocals, which I think is his biggest
asset. A full-band full-length is promised for the
fall.
BANQUETS
– “This Is Our Concern, Dude”
EP (Black Numbers)
Garden State reductionism continues with Banquets,
a young Jersey City band that further distills Gaslight
Anthem’s already obvious distillation of Springsteen.
While I like the songs here, the band seems incapable
of outrunning its influences – it’s
Brian Fallon here and the Boss there, some R.E.M.
twang to kick off one track and some Replacements
chords to start another. Banquets lead singer Travis
Omilian was the original singer for the Let Me Run,
another New Brunswick band with a serious Springsteen
jones. There’s a bit of post-modern playfulness
in Banquets’ song titles (“Lyndon B.
Magic Johnson,” “What A Bunch of Aaron
Burrs,” “I Wish I Was A Little More
Lou Diamond Phillips,”) but I wish they were
a little less obviously ripping off Gaslight Anthem.
This is available as a 7 inch or a digital download
from Black Numbers.
THE
GREAT EXPLAINER – “The Way Things Swell”
EP (Chunksaah)
This young Trenton quartet has two vocalists, one
who screams in a hoarse growl and the other who sings
more melodically. Add some chugging riffage and very
clean, concise production by the Bouncing Souls’
Pete Steinkopf and you get a pretty persuavive four-song
EP (available on colored 10-inch vinyl) that moves
beyond the obvious Jawbreaker influence. I’m
not a big fan of the “just drank Drano”
vocal thing but the second singer provides a nice
balance and the playful guitars keep things interesting.
And song titles like “Bourbon…Codeine”
and “Michael Jordan 666” make you wonder
what the hell they’re screaming about. If I
ever see a lyric sheet, I’ll let you know.
JUNIP – “Rope And Summit” EP
Swedish singer/songwriter Jose Gonzalez scared a
few people (a writer at Pitchfork included) by stating
his intentions to do a rock band project. Actually,
revive a rock band project; Junip was born 10 years
ago but got put on the back burner when Gonzalez’
solo career took off. But Junip is less “rock”
than a pulsating mix of synths, nylon string guitar,
and Feelies-esque rhythms. The songs emerge from shadows,
percolate a while, then recede again. Gonzalez’
tuneful vocals remind me a bit of Glenn Tillbrook
on the poppier “Far Away,” but each of
these songs has a distinct personality and feel that
suggests the much-anticipated Junip full-length coming
later this year will be an eclectic and richly rewarding
affair.
THE
LIGHTS – Failed Graves (Wantage USA)
Effective post-punk from this Seattle trio (their
third album) which suggests a natural evolution of
the Pacific Northwest’s grunge fixation of the
Nineties. Much of the bombast has been pared back
to sinewy guitars, snarling vocals, and pert percussion.
“Deathless Distances”’ opening line
“Because of a lack of funds… there will
be no more fun” certain resonates in this economy,
as does the eerie, sinuous groove of “The Fixer,”
which suggests that a false sense of financial security
is the new opiate of the masses. “Puerto Escondito”
adds an alluring Mexican groove to the proceedings
– Dylan’s “Heaven’s Door”
as interpreted by The Fall, perhaps? – and the
album ends with a (presumably) tongue-in-cheek stoner
reworking of Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown.”
Worth checking out if you find it in the bargain bins.
LESSER KNOWNS – Get Famous (myspace.com/lesserknowns)
When this band emailed me with a link to their record,
I had high hopes when I saw song titles like “Drinking
Schlitz With Jesus” and “We Killed Michael
Jackson.” Turns out the titles are more clever
than the songs, which are solid bar-band rock with
a bit of a country twang and some jam band grooves
( the group actually hails from somewhere in Massachusetts,)
but don’t actually get very funny. There’s
enough energy to tracks like “Doom’s Day
Clock” and “Life Of The Party” to
suggest the band’s fun to see live, but don’t
pick this up expecting John Prine or Hayes Carll.
MALL'D
TO DEATH - Can't Make A Living (Geykido Comet)
Imagine if the guys in the Copyrights or Off With
Their Heads got really drunk one night and recorded
an album in their basement, and you get the vibe of
this amiable and fairly goofy anthemcore band from
Minneapolis. With song titles like “Bomb The
Defense Industry,” “The Hymns Of J Crew,”
and “Skateboards for Afghanistan,” they’re
obviously playing to the pop-punk collector nerd crew,
and you gotta love a line like “From DOA to
RKL / DI to TSOL / He knows the letters well / But
he don't know what they spell.”
MANFRED KANTHER EXPLOSION – Death And Blood
Man, I tried really hard to get into this, which
offers itself as true anti-folk. But it’s
just unlistenable hippie dithering, like if the
Fugs or David Peel had no sense of melody or sense
of humor.
MILK SHAKES – “Ooh Mommy” Cassette
(milkshakes.net)
Boston’s Milk Shakes call their music “garbage
rock,” punning on garage rock with a reference
to the band’s lo-fi sound (and the fact that
they’re selling this baby on cassette, although
you can download it for free from the band’s
website.) And indeed it’s all throbbing, fuzzed-out
fun, connecting to a Boston legacy that runs from
DMZ and the Lyres to the new generation of Beantown
garage-punks like TAB The Band. There’s both
boy and girl lead vocals (“Nobody’s Girl”
is an especially kitschy, girl-groupy treat) while
“Memory Foam” lays on the distorto vocals
and trashy beats like some mutant offspring of the
Cramps and B-52’s. Then just to prove they not
entirely stuck in the retro 60’s, they cover
the Magnetic Fields’ “Underwear,”
and follow that up by ripping off the riff to the
13th Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna
Miss Me.” If you like noisy simple garage-rock,
you’re gonna frug your buns off to this.
THUNDER POWER – “Hearts Intersect”
3-song EP (Slumber Party)
So what do you think a band like Thunder Power out
of Omaha, Nebraska would sound like? Apparently the
band began as an experimental neo-folk project for
singer/songwriter Matthew Hutton heavy on woodwinds
and glockenspiel, and then morphed into a very straight
ahead twee-pop ensemble, with Hutton sharing lead
vocal duties with Kacynna Tompsett. This three song
EP entertains without exactly blowing you away; it’s
a left-handed compliment at best but the word that
best sums it up is probably “nice.” “Heartifact”
(two extra points for the pun) sounds like typical
indie twee pop with some nice vocal interplay from
the two principal singers; “Home Office”
adds a loungey bossa nova vibe; “Take A Hike”
brings an almost Feelies-esque propulsion to the proceedings.
In the context of a whole album, I’d have no
gripe with any of these songs. Such a short EP, though,
really cries out for a statement song. Granted, neither
“thunder” nor “power” have
much to do with what this band’s about, but
at the very least, one of these songs should have
sent me away humming for hours. And didn’t.
THE
HOLD STEADY – Heaven Is Whenever (Vagrant)
I think it’s time for people to stop whining
about how much Craig Finn supposedly sounds like
Bruce Springsteen. The man had an entire career
in Lifter Pull and now five albums with The Hold
Steady; this is what he sounds like, so get over
it already. Either you get Finn or you don’t.
What sets Heaven Is Whenever apart is the departure
of keyboardist Franz Nicolay, whose absence leaves
a vacuum that guitarist Tad Kubler fills quite nicely,
thank you. On big fat rockers like “The Smidge”
and “Hurricane J,” Kubler’s guitar
roars, farts, and chugs out chords that perfectly
accentuate Finn’s garrulous, gratuitously
name-dropping, self-deprecating vocals; again, you
either get this guy, or you don’t. Me, I get
it. In fact, I love this album; the later at night
(or actually, the earlier in the morning) I play
it, the better it sounds. This is what being a middle-aged
loser with a huge record collection and a whole
lot of regrets sounds like. Leave the Springsteen
comparisons for Gaslight Anthem and Titus Andronicus;
Craig Finn’s transcended his influences. Let
him wallow in them all he wants, he’s earned
it.
RHUBARB JONES – Demo (myspace.com/rhubarbjones)
I discovered this band almost accidentally while
covering The Bamboozle this year; it turns out these
talented teenagers from the Millburn-Livingston
area won a statewide battle of the bands to earn
a spot at the festival. Imagine my surprise when
they turned out to be not the latest flavor of hairspray
emo, or even a typical Jersey basement hardcore
band, but a talented and sophisticated funk/soul
combo creating a suburban version of James Brown’s
trademark grooves. The band’s demo shows an
impressive range, from the dancey funk grooves of
“Right Now” and “Follow Me, Baby”
to soulful ballads like “Destination”
and “By My Side.” Besides a tight rhythm
section and some tasty guitar, frontman Alex Sugarman
also plays a mean alto sax, adding an extra dimension
to the band’s basic rock lineup.
THE
WAILING WALL – The Low Hanging Fruit (Jdub
Records)
Imagine Leonard Cohen reborn as a multi-instrumentalist
hipster who infuses his tone-poems with the unworldly
sounds of sitar, singing saw, and pipe organ. That’s
an idea of this second album from Brooklyn’s
Jesse Rifkin, who goes by the name The Wailing Wall.
Rifkin teamed up with rapper/sound alchemist Tim
Fite to record this album, which showcases Rifkin’s
almost monotone vocals set against striking aural
templates – sparse and stripped down instrumentation
enforcing vibrant, soul-stirring melodies, with
each song featuring a distinctive instrument, from
banjo to organ to some you might have trouble identifying.
Rifkin’s rich use of language wallows in organic
metaphors - animals, fruit, and vegetables all play
prominent roles in his lyrics, on tracks like “Pineapple/Clarinet/Buffalo”
and “Fear No Apple, Fear No Flood.”
Yet it all somehow makes sense, as Rifkin –
raised from childhood in the Orthodox Jewish religion
– searches for meaning and solace in the secular
world. As Mr. Cohen might say, “hallelujah.”
- Jim Testa
THOSE
MOCKINGBIRDS –
"No Symmetry” EP (LE/Sidecho)
Those Mockingbirds are a young indie band from suburban
New Jersey (West Milford, I believe) with a silky
pop-rock sound, not unlike Gay Blades but without
any of the irony. The band subtly mixes violin and
keyboards with guitar textures, although there’s
nothing here that bands like Yellowcard and Quietdrive
didn’t bring to commercial emo years ago. The
production (by True Love’s Tom Beaujour) makes
everything sound as crisp, bright, and commercial
as humanly possible; this could almost pass for the
boy-band pop you hear on Nickelodeon’s Big Time
Rush. It’s almost funny to hear the tumult of
drums and guitars that kick off “Poor Excuse”
(oh boy, a real rock song!) only to have things quickly
devolve into whiney emo pop with big calculated hooks.
All of which will probably sound totally hot if you’re
a 14 year old girl, but it’s a bit treacly and
twee for a jaded old punk geezer like me.
BLACK
FRANCIS – NONSTOPEROTIK (Cooking Vinyl)
Black Francis – aka the Pixies’ Frank
Black, born as Charles Thompson – takes a break
from the ongoing Pixies reunion for a weird little
excursion in which he exercises (rather than exorcises)
those peccadilloes that have made him a cult staple
in the indie underground while preventing him from
ever achieving the breakthrough mainstream acceptance
that the Pixies briefly toyed with. So you think the
guy’s a hipster who’d get his face punched
in if he ever tried to play for a bar room full of
rednecks? Check out the cover of the Flying Burrito
Brothers “Wheels,” irony-free and as honky-tonkin’
as a Catholic boy from Boston’s ever gonna get.
But then there’s “Corrina,” as quirky
as anything in the Black Francis/Frank Black canon,
with its fuzzed-out guitars and hooky backup vocals,
or the goofy “Six Legged Man,” or the
surfy/spy workout “Wild Son,” or the title
track, which sounds like your weird Uncle Louie trying
to play an Elton John song at your cousin’s
bar mitzvah. If you dig Frank Black or Black Francis
or whatever he wants to call himself, complete with
creepy lyrics and big pop hooks that could be radio
anthems if only he’d take himself a little more
seriously, you should find plenty to like on NONSTOPEROTIK.
NO
AIR GUITAR ALLOWED by Steve Weinberger (www.noairguitarallowed.com)
Anyone who spends a good amount of time watching live
music – from stadiums to basement shows –
should get a chuckle out of this book, which pokes
fun at all of the stereotypes and rituals of the American
concert experience. From hipster fashionistas to the
middle-aged dude who keeps screaming for “Whipping
Post,” Weinberger nails the follies and foibles
of finger-pointing, lighter-waving, air guitar-playing
fans. Granted, Weinberger focuses far more on the
mainstream heavy metal doofus than the underground
hipster geek, but some of his entries show that he’s
been to a few small clubs along the way. If there’s
a gripe about the book, it’s that Weinberger
too often finds himself shooting fish in the proverbial
barrel; there’s really nothing terribly original
about pointing out that the tallest dudes at a concert
always stand in front, or that the drunkest assholes
always wind up puking in the back. But there are definitely
a couple of laughs to be had here, especially if you’re
a diehard concertgoer who’s undoubtedly made
many of these same observations yourself.
HOUSE
BOAT – Processing Complaints (Traffic Street)
There’s a problem with being awesome:
People expect you to keep being awesome. House
Boat’s 2009 debut The Delaware Octopus
not only ranked as arguably the best pop-punk
album of the year, but it wound up perched near
the top of my all-around Top 10 list. So it’s
hard not to look at this EP as a bit of a disappointment.
Singer/songwriter Grath Madden’s still
stuck in that turning-30 midlife crisis that
inspired Delaware Octopus’ unique take
on pop-punk angst, but the songs just seem less
interesting this time out, the arrangements
not as fully evolved; even the production (at
least on the digital download I’m playing)
sounds compressed and noisy. There are clever
moments – this is Grath Madden, folks,
clever is a given – but it’s almost
as if he spent more energy on the song titles
than the lyrics or melodies. And while the backing
vocals (from bandmates Zack Rivethead, Ace Sajid,
and Mike Yannich) have their moments, nothing
really smacks you in the face and makes you
want to hear it again and again and again. (And
while I’m quibbling, an Ace song would
have been nice.) This sounds more like that
first 7-inch a new band rushes to get out so
they’ll have vinyl to sell on tour, rather
than the follow-up to one of my favorite albums
. Tough love, House Boat: I still love ya, but
I expect more.
DAN LOVGREN - Self-titled (myspace.com/daniellovgren)
Fans of sad-core will adore this DIY project
from singer/songwriter Dan Lovgren. Home-recorded
with hand-screened CD sleeves, the CD features
six tracks (and one reprise) of downbeat balladry.
Lovgren doesn’t wallow in self-pity, but
with a rich, evocative voice and simple, stripped
down instrumentation (just an acoustic guitar
and organ), his songs conjure up images of isolation
and despair, from the metaphorical refrain “these
dogs don’t bark anymore” to the
more literal “Death Bed Blues.”
“Blue Navigator” sounds a bit like
mid-period John Prine (albeit a very depressed
John Prine, mourning for a lost love.) I wouldn’t
recommend these songs for everyone, but if you
enjoy Mark Kozelek and Elliot Smith, then you
should hear Dan Lovgren.
DEAD
GAZE – End Of Days, Why Not You? (Mirror
Universe Tapes)
Part of the reborn cassette culture flooding
the indie underground, Mississippian Ransom
Cole Furlow presents 10 tracks of super-lo fi
pop: Tons of reverb, heavy distortion, and floating
among the murk, melodic vocals. Fans of Princeton’s
Kurt Vile or early Jay Reatard who like their
music as muddy as possible might dig this, and
I do think there are some lovely soundscapes
buried under the production here, but I’m
just not a fan of this lo-fi approach.
THE SCHOOL – Loveless Unbeliever (Minty
Fresh)
Retro is a fickle thing; sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn’t. This works. The
School, featuring the vocals of Liz Hunt, recreate
the 60’s girl-pop sound of Phil Spector
and the hit songwriting of Brill Building greats
like Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry and Lieber
& Stoller. But the production is fresh and
modern, infused with colorful bits like piano,
horns, and glockenspiel, and lots of rich vocal
harmonies. Winsome, innocent, and irrepressibly
bouncy, these dozen songs are a treacly delight.
“Can’t Understand” even adds
a Motown groove to the mix, and there are other
moments that suggest Dusty Springfield and even
the Shangri-Las. This is a wonderfully fresh
retake on classic Sixties pop, and highly recommended.
THE
DEPRECIATION GUILD – Spirit Youth (Kanine
Records)
Depreciation Guild’s core members,
singer Kurt Feldman and guitarist Christop
Hochheim, may have found more success with
their other band, Pains Of Being Of Heart,
but I’m certainly glad they persevered
to release this second DG album. The band
mixes modern electronic-pop (real drums processed
to the point where they sound like drum machines),
layers of synths, and delicate, breathy vocals
that clearly reference the British shoegazer
bands of the Eighties and Nineties. But Depreciation
Guild doesn’t just want to build sonic
soundcapes; there are very real songs here,
with urgent vocals and concise melodies. While
the band does “ethereal” and “dream-like”
very well, I actually prefer their uptempo
tracks like “Crucify You,” “November,”
and “Through The Snow,” which
skitter long with the energy of early R.E.M.
“White Moth” even conjures up
echoes of late period Beach Boys with its
layered vocals and post-teen, Pet Sounds-ish
yearning. This is a thoroughly delightful
release that should appeal to both Brooklyn
hipsters and old-school indie-pop fans alike.
THE
TATTLE TALES – “Moon Glasses”
EP (myspace.com/thetattlestales)
Christian Stefos is a mess. “I shake when
I’m awake so I just sleep,” he moans
on “Anymore Amen.” On “Dave
Mustane,” he’s fucked up in his
room, feeling the pain, singing the love songs
he used to share with the girl who dumped him.
And on “No Pills,” he’s eschewing
medication so he can wallow in his misery. Lucky
for us that heartbreak makes for great songwriting;
the more miserable Christian gets, the more
infectiously winsome and catchy and irresistible
the Tattle Tales become. He even pulls off an
acoustic power ballad that manages to make you
think of Guns N Roses and Wings in the same
four minutes. It’s been way too long since
the last Tattle Tales record, but all the hallmarks
of their signature power-pop sound are here
– zippy synth riffs, harmony background
vocals, scintillating melodies. Keyboardist
Anya takes the lead vocal on the breathlessly
uptempo “A New One,” providing a
much needed spoonful of sugar to the vinegary
woe-is-me mix, but let’s face it: Feeling
bad hasn’t felt this good since the Archies.
Killer Records in Finland is putting out a 10-inch
vinyl version, SP Records and Hang Up records
are pressing CD's, and
PopJinx Records is putting it out digitally
in the UK, so the record should be widely available.
PATCHES
AND GRETCHEN – Sugar Head Pie (Sandpaper
Tongue Records, www.sugarheadpie.com)
Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but
not Minneapolitan Gretchen Seichrist’s.
The comparison to Patti Smith hits first,
with Seichrist’s disconcertingly deadpan
alto vocals coming at you like an outtake
from Waves on the scintillating “Time
Of The Lilacs.” But with her crack backing
band of Minneapolis folkies (Terry Eason,
Derek Rolando, David Loy, and producer Rich
Mattson,) Seichrist soon establishes herself
as a very distinct personality, mixing bar-room
rock ‘n’ roll, country skronk,
John Wesley Harding-era Dylan, backporch folk,
husky ballads, and sinuous lounge-punk. And
when she mixes punk with poetry – as
on the captivating “Ghosts I Love”
– she’ll have you, well, dancing
barefoot.
PROJECT
27 – Missing One (myspace.com/project27)
The 27 tells you that Ben Weasel’s
going to figure in this band’s sound,
but on their second full-length, Long Island’s
Project 27 manage to both embrace and outgrow
their influences. The buoyant melodies and
expressive vocals, rock-solid drumming and
beefy guitars provide a consistently driving
sound, without ever locking into generic Weaselcore.
In fact these guys are pretty damn clever,
as evidenced by the witty wordplay of “Family,
Genus, Species” and the almost Delay-like
uplifting message of “Don’t Pull
Up Lame.” Other strong tracks include
“Word Gets Out” and “Abby.”
The opening riff of “Losing My Mind”
echoes the Ramones but the song quickly establishes
that Project 27 sound – fast, loud,
and snotty, three things this band does very
well.
GLINT
– EP (Rely Records glintonline.com)
Part of NYC’s new-shoegazer movement,
Glint may meld familiar elements from bands
like Muse and Animal Collective, but the parts
here add up to a disarmingly attractive whole.
Jase Blankfort’s keening vocals and
a 3-D mix of synths, drums, and bass create
swirling post-psychedelic maelstrom of sound
– call it art rock, synth pop, or dance
music, the lush production and percolating
rhythms just work. Since the songs all run
around 5 minutes, a 5-song EP keeps the ideas
fresh before your head starts spinning and
your finger reaches for the Menu button on
your iPod.
MOD
FUN - Futurepresent
(modfun.com)
The reborn Mod Fun - who helped lead a mod/garage
revival in New Jersey back in the early and
mid-Eighties, disappeared for a decade, and
then reformed a few years ago - give us an entire
album's worth of new material, and it's been
well worth the wait. As teenagers, the band
wore their influences all too clearly on the
sleeves of their bullseye t-shirts, recycling
the records they loved (Jam, Who, The Creation.)
As the band matured, its songwriting expanded
to included influences like
Nuggets-era
garage, psychedelia, and the L.A. paisley underground
bands; and now, as adults, all of those influences
combine to create a distinctive and less derivative
sound. The blueprint remains the same: Mick
Hale's still boyish vocals and yrebley guitar,
Bob Strete's melodic and propulsive basslines,
and Chris Collins' crisp and efficient drumming.
But the band's musical palette has expanded
to include the richly harmonic "Fade To
Mirror" (with echoes of the Hollies and
Zombies,) the near-metal throb of "Titantic"
and "The Jettison," the Kinks-like
exposition of "Patrick Bishop," and
the sinewy third-world rhythms of "Communication
Gap." Also of note, bassist Bob Strete
sings lead on two tracks of intricate, XTC-ish
pop. No longer just a travel brochure for Carnaby
Street, Mod Fun 2.0 invites you to a world of
groovy sounds.
THE
HEXTALLS - Get Smashed (myspace.com/hextalls)
Even if you don’t get all the Pop-Punk
Message Board in-jokes, the musical shout-outs
to the Copyrights and Steinways, or the references
to Dateless, Rally Records, and Dear Landlord,
you’ll get a smile out of the latest from
Vancouver’s Hextalls. The band writes
ultra-catchy singalong pop tunes about video
games, Tina Turner, baby poo, Bryan Adams, dead
grandma’s, and horny dads, all set to
ultra-catchy pop-punk with singalong choruses,
gleefully cadging riffs from Screeching Weasel,
Teenage Bottlerocket, and the Ramones. “I
Don’t Wanna Be A New York Ranger”
ranks as the best pop song about hockey since
the Hanson Brothers, and there’s even
a “Generic Mid-Record Power Ballad.”
This is hands down my favorite punk record of
the year so far. Pardon me while I crack another
beer and listen to it again.
IT’S
A KING THING – Buffalo buffalo Buffalo
buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo (itsakingthing.com)
Despite the annoying title, you won’t
feel buffalo’d if you visit this Philly
combo’s website and download their new
album. It’s A King Thing play pleasant
low-key indie pop with sparse instrumentation,
just a little guitar, keyboards, and quiet
drums. The songs have the ingratiating charm
of Ben Kweller’s early demos, the relaxed
slacker pace of Pavement, and the catchiness
of early Weezer; these sound like songs a
teenager might sign to his girlfriend on the
front porch, but in fact, the members of It’s
A King Thing seem to be a bit older than that.
And yet, every song seems to ask “what
am I doing with my life?” or “what
am I going to do with my life?,” and
there’s a universality to those themes
that’s hard to deny. Nothing here will
blow you away, but that’s not the point;
more importantly, every song on this album
leaves you eager to hear the next one. The
band offers its entire catalog for free download,
so there’s plenty to catch up on.
HUNTERS
AND RUNNERS – Of Classic Renown (Brightandbarrow.com)
New York City’s Hunters And Runners
bite off a bit more than they can stylistically
chew on their debut album, seguing from ska
punk to reggae to alt-Americana; these stabs
at genre-hopping too often come off like bad
karaoke or worse, like the downright hokey
“Father’s Porsche.” Emo-lite
ala’ All Time Low (poppy and non-threateningly
romantic) seems to be their most natural fit,
on tracks like “The Sims,” “Sociology,”
and “Soon.” Hopefully they all
own tight jeans and at least one of them looks
good shirtless.
ADAM’S
DAGGER - Self-titled
(myspace.com/adamsdagger)
If at first you don’t succeed: Adam’s
Dagger formed in Florida, moved to Southern
California, and called themselves The Shanks
and Zero To Kill before settling on their
current moniker. The trio keeps things fast
and simple, channeling familiar punk rock
icons like the Misfits, Black Flag, early
Bad Religion, and even NJ’s hardcore
pioneers Adrenalin OD. The band recently toured
the entire country, from Long Beach to NYC
and back again, booking all their own shows,
and self-released this 14-song album. The
songs reflect their dogged DIY ethic, with
titles like “The Will To Survive”
and “End Of Suffering,” although
they’ve also got a sense of humor (“Hot
Dog Down A Hallway.”) This sounds like
something I could have reviewed in 1982; nearly
30 years later, the formula still works. Rise
above, guys, rise above.
MAY
OR WEST – We, The End (myspace.com/mayorwestmusic)
They don't have basement shows in Hoboken, but
there's no doubt this young Hoboken quartet
comes from the same basement-show ethic that
spawned the likes of Thursday. MayOrWest combines
technical metal guitars with fist-pumping punk
melodies. There’s certainly no shortage
of ambition or potential here; the band even
recruited producer Tim Gilles (Bouncing Souls,
Thursday,) who brings his signature gang vocals
to help imbue the band’s impassioned songwriting
with an anthemic largeness. With that in mind,
the self-released “We, The End”
sounds as booming as anything you’d hear
from a major label (on radio-ready tracks like
“Devil’s In The Details” and
“Scream Therapy,”) with the deftness
to scale things back for a more intimate ballad
(“Sevier.”) If there’s a criticism,
the band just has to kick its songwriting up
a notch or two and they’ll be ready for
national attention.
BONES HOWELL – “Is Your New
Best Friend” EP
(bandcamp.boneshowell.com)
Bones Howell is a howling lo-fi madman, equal
parts Jay Reatard, Jack White, and Nick Cave. This
5-song EP doesn’t significantly reinvent the
sound this guy patented with the Volunteers –
growling, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll delivered
with a sexy snarl. Guitarist John Cave adds some tasty
licks and Paul Cigolini’s drumming is nicely
crisp and taut, but mostly this is about Bones Howell
leaning back and letting it go, wailing through uptempo
rockers like “BBQ,” “Love In The
Trenches,” and then toning it down a bit for
sensual, insinuating ballads like “Modern Whirl”
and “Nephritis.”
BOY
GENIUS – “Staggering” (myspace.com/boygeniuses)
“Recorded on tape, mixed on tape, and
mastered directly from tape…The result
is an album that has all the warmth and charm
of a classic vinyl pop record,” states
Brooklyn’s Boy Genius, and for that reason,
they’re releasing their sophomore album
on vinyl only (although a digital download code
is available for the phonographically-impaired.)
And indeed, these bright, somewhat twee, inspiringly
upbeat pop songs sound like something that might
have been appeared on an LP back in the Eighties,
perhaps on the fledgling K Records or from one
of Boston’s innumerable jangle-pop combos
like Big Dipper or Dumptruck. Critics used to
call this kind of music “college rock”
and Boy Genius hired one of the masters of the
genre, Mitch Easter, to produce this bubbly
pop confection. The music’s lost none
of its charm over the last few decades, even
if its irony-free sensibility doesn’t
exactly jibe with Park Slope hipsterdom. But
who can argue with the sunny effects of harmonies
and horn sections? Certainly not me.
CHOKE
UP – “Choke Up” EP
(chokeup.bandcamp.com)
No one buys CD’s anymore, and vinyl’s
got a nasty carbon footprint, so it’s
probably not all that surprising that cassettes
are making a comeback in the punk underground.
Boston hardcore band Choke Up new 5-song EP
- released on cassette - should appeal to fans
of the late, lamented Hot Water Music. Despite
frantic tempos and screamed vocals, the band’s
retains a firm grasp of melody, especially on
the catchy gang-vocal choruses, and the guitars,
bass, and drums never get too metal. The surprisingly
thoughtful (and intelligible) lyrics help this
release stand out from the usual sweaty thrash
‘n’ burn crew. See you in Gainesville!
DAVE
PATTEN – Boomerang (davepatten.com)
At the ripe old age of 21, Philadelphian Dave
Patten has already released five albums, and
his homemade videos have a viral following in
the hundreds of thousands on YouTube. His engagingly
boyish
American Idol-caliber vocals
deliver classic pop with a little John Mayer
funk, hip-hop beats, and a big radio-ready sound.
The piano ballad “Stop” sounds like
a hit single, while the more intimate “Back”
showcases beautiful finger-picked guitar and
a lovely falsetto. Although he’s barely
old enough to get into bars, Patten should be
giving seminars on how to do-it-yourself; the
kid is all right.
