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AERONAUTICAL PIONEER – Hop High (Nouveau Electric Records, www.nouveauelectricrecords.com)

Whoa! This is one of the more original concepts I’ve heard lately. Nouveau Electric Records specializes in experimental and traditional music inspired by the language and people of South Louisiana. What that means here, is that Aeronautical Pioneer is a blending of twangy banjo, down home bayou melody, synths, and a dance beat courtesy of some cool drum loops. It sounds very old and very new at the same time. This is the band’s debut single. I’m sitting here listening to it on repeat with my foot stomping and the biggest grin on my face. I don’t want it to end, and I want more! When’s the full album, guys??

AMERICAN TELEVISION – Watch It Burn (Wiretap Records, www.wiretaprecords.com)

Hailing from the Washington, D.C. area, American Television are a new band releasing their debut LP, but you would swear they’ve been around forever, because this sounds so familiar. And I would swear that they were from the West Coast, not the East. The songs are hard-edged pop punk, reminding me of a blend of the power of Orange County bands and the melodic sensibility of Teenage Bottlerocket. There’s an aggressive undercurrent in these songs that doesn’t let up – every song has that powerful sound. Yet there’s tons of melody, bunches of bounce. You can sense the crowd at a live show all singing along loudly. That’s because, as I said, this all sounds so familiar. That may be the album’s strongest point, and the band’s weakest. People love the familiar; it’s comforting. We gravitate to what we already know. People will buy this record and go to their shows, singing their hearts out. But, at the same time, a band needs to stake out its own territory and stamp their personality into the history of music. While this debut LP is a really good listen, it’s hardly going to make waves.

DEAD FRIENDS – High Wasted Genes (Standby Records, www.standbyrecords.com)

This new five-song EP from Virginia Beach’s Dead Friends is heavy. But it features a split personality, too. While much of the record is hard-hitting, pounding and pummeling, in fact, there are parts that are smoother, melodic, and with harmonized vocals. The weirdest thing is that I like the heavier parts a lot more than the melodic parts, and I’m generally not a big fan of heavy metallic music. But in this case, I really like the rapidly changing meters and tempos, the odd intervals, and even the sheer power and the anger of the vocals. The smooth melodic parts, though, are like the bland alternative rock of 15 or so years ago and turn me off. Favorite track – “Uncertain God,” because the smoother melodic parts are edgier than on the other tracks, and there’s even more meter changes on this one than others, keeping the listener off-kilter. The closer, “Branding Iron,” is my least favorite track because it leans heavily on the smooth melodic alternative stuff and is almost a ballad. Meh. If Dead Friends stuck to the harder edgier stuff, I would be more interested.

MRS. HENRY – Mrs. Henry Live at the Casbah (Blind Owl, www.blindowlsd.com)

Mrs. Henry is one of San Diego’s finest rock and roll bands. No, they aren’t punk. They don’t play indie pop or indie rock. This is good old classic soulful rock and roll. Not a lot of bands are playing this sort of music anymore. You can enjoy five extended jams on this live LP, recorded at the world famous Casbah, one of San Diego’s premiere venues for the indie scene. Besides the standard guitar/bass/drums/vocals of most classic rock outfits, Mrs. Henry includes keyboards to warm the sound, sometimes tuned to emulate piano, sometimes organ, sometimes both within the same song. Such is the case with the opener, “All I Can Do.” It begins as a bluesy track, with big organ sounds and wah-wah effects in the guitars, soulful vocals vying with the instruments’ funky sounds. As the song evolves, the keyboards swap between organ and piano, and at the halfway mark turns to full-on classic rock, complete with emotive guitar solo. “Lovin’ You, Baby” is a moving ballad, complete with deeply passionate vocals. At the opposite end of the spectrum, “Where Are We Going” is a manic jam that feels somewhat unhinged and untethered, ranging all over the place. If you’re a fan of classic rock, blues-rock, and good ol’ jams, you can’t find finer than Mrs. Henry.

TELEVISION SUPERVISION – Waldo (Standby Records, www.standbyrecords.com)

This debut LP from Florida’s self-styled “alternative/punk/postpunk” trio, Television Supervision,” is wide-ranging and inconsistent, as if the band is still searching for their voice. It’s also really long, at nearly an hour in duration. Some of the songs are hard-edged post hardcore, some are 2000s emo pop punk, some are indie rock, and others have a dreaminess (though aren’t poppy enough to be called “dream pop”). “Right In The Manhood” is a hard-driving track with edgy guitars, yet with some melodic bounce. It’s a great way to open any LP, let alone one’s debut. “Bombshell,” too, has a high-strung power to it, while managing to convey melodic content at the same time. I also like “Back In The Day” for it’s punchy post-hardcore feel blended with poppy melody. I like “Veterans (The Dad Song),” which is a relaxed, jangly indie song. It starts more slowly, with just guitar and vocals, but about a minute and a half in, the bass and drums join in, the tempo picks up, and the vocals get more impassioned. But the easy jangle just gets bigger. After another minute and a bit, things pick up even more, synths join in, and it sounds pretty joyous. “Volcano” reminds me of so much of the bland “alternative” so-called emo and pop punk of the 2000s, and is one of the weaker tracks of the album. Likewise, “Daydreams” has the same sound, but oddly includes synths that give the track a pop-goth sound in the mix, a really odd and unsettling juxtaposition of sounds. “’Til We Dream” is an outlier. It’s a ballad that tries to be dreamy and pop punk at the same time. I think this one should have stuck to the dreamier ballad feel and left the pop punk out of it. Likewise, “One More Sunset” is a synth-driven track that tries to be dreamy and edgy at the same time, but just ends up sounding like retro 80s music. I can see potential here. My best advice to Television Supervision would be to self-edit. Figure out who you want to be, focus on it, and put only your best songs on the albums; you don’t have to include everything you record. You don’t have to be a single genre band, but a little more focus would be a good thing.

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THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY – All Borders Are Porous to Cats (Alternative Tentacles, www.alternativetentacles.com)

Over twenty years ago, I was introduced to The World/Inferno Friendship Society when I reviewed their debut LP, “The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League.” I don’t remember how I described the record all those years ago, but it made a strong impression. They’re a band that’s a hell of a lot of fun. And on their latest LP, “All Borders Are Porous to Cats,” they remain true to themselves. They’re still fun, they’re still unique. And the years have seen them grow and polish their sound. This is a band that manages to blend indie rock, a punk attitude, ska energy, and ethnic folk sounds from Klezmer and Romani traditions to craft some darn good songs. Some of the songs sound more “serious” than others, and some are quite a “hoot,” likely because of the unexpected combinations of sounds. Right from the start of the album, “Bad Penny Blue” brings together ska (horns are plentiful and there’s a strong backbeat), a martial feel, and a wondrous rock guitar solo just after the halfway mark. I love the name and the feel of “Having A Double Life Is So Hard (But Obviously Something You Enjoy).” It starts out with vocals and piano, sounding like something from a musical, but then quickly we get classical guitar, violin, electric guitar, and organ in succession, providing a Romani-rock feel. This song has so many gorgeous complexities. “The Cat In The Hat Has The Right To Sing The Blues” reaches back to early rap music a la the Sugar Hill Gang, with its disco beat, but it alternates this with something straight out of a dark circus. “I’ll Be Your Alibi” has an awesome retro R&B sound, with baritone sax providing a great foundation and a complement of lush strings to accompany the electric guitar, organ, and deep, soulful vocals. “In The Briar Patch Born And Raised” is probably the wackiest, coolest song of the album. It’s under a minute, but it’s a veritable roller coaster, with melodic lines climbing and falling on the piano, controlled chaos running throughout the track. The album closes with “Freedom Is a Wilderness Made For You And Me,” and it’s got a deep, rumbling bass, and the bari sax is back. The track pulls all of the threads together, ska, ethnic folk, soul, and indie rock, into one glorious epic. The year is off to a fun start!

BANDAID BRIGADE – I’m Separate (www.bandaid-brigade.com)

I don’t think any of the people in Bandaid Brigade were alive when this sort of music was all over the radio. Back in the 80s, this was the sort of music you might have found on the so-called “adult contemporary” radio stations. Though the members of Bandaid Brigade come from well-known punk bands (Zach Quinn – Pears, Brian Wahlstrom – Scorpios and Gods of Mount Olympus, Paul Rucker – Drag the River, Armchair Martian, and Street Dogs, Chris Fogal – The Gamits), there’s really nothing punk about this record – except maybe the irreverent attitude. The songs range from the disco-ish feel of the lead single, “Travel Light” to the Journey-inspired “Losing Light,” to the Neil Young style harmonies of the ballad “Stay Busy.” A real standout to me is the moody “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today,” with just vocals, Fender Rhodes style keyboards, and processed guitar noises to give the feeling of the coming storm. The understatedness of this track is beautiful.

About that comment regarding an irreverent attitude: The band members do take their music seriously, and it comes through in the performances. But there are touches of levity here and there. Like after the fade-out of “Travel Light,” when we hear “I feel like there should be a clip at the end of that fade.” “Maybe,” comes the reply. “Eh, we’ll figure it out.” Or the emphatic “cool!” left in at the end of “Stay Busy.” Or at the end of the “closing” track, “Nothing” (bookending “opening track “Everything”), when we hear steps away from the piano and a sarcastic “That one will do!” The biggest surprise of the album comes in that last track. After “Nothing” and another 40 seconds of silence is a song that Zach Quinn has been performing in his solo act for some time, the hilarious bayou blues song, “Butt Train.” It’s entirely unlike any of the other songs on the record; it’s rockin’ blues without a serious bone in its body. “What’s that smell? Do you smell it?” I do, Zach! This record smells like lovely nostalgia for an era not experienced in real time by many who will listen to this record. If you’re expecting punk rock, you’ll be disappointed, but if you’re just expecting a good time, well, get ready for it.

DARK THOUGHTS – Must Be Nice (Drunken Sailor Records. www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Featuring garage punk intensity and pop punk melodies, Dark Thoughts’ latest release is an awesome blast of energy. Generally put into the “Ramones-core” category, Dark Thoughts are actually more than that. The instrumentals are more garage, the vocals are snottier, and the melodies are more evolved. Sure, the resulting music is pretty simple, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. The guttural vocals remind me a lot of Texas garage pop punks Kira Jari, and the instrumentals are bouncy as hell. None of the tracks are particular standouts, because they’re all good. Fast and loud bouncy and melodic, they’re all going to get your whole body moving and jumping. Special mention must be made of the closing track though. “Must Be Nice” has a slightly different sound, more wistful, with parts with thicker guitars. “It’s so easy to be lonely / It’s so hard to be loved,” cries out the chorus, as keyboards that sound like chimes ring out mournfully. Recommended.

THE DROWNS – Under Tension (Pirate’s Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Part working class rock and roll, part street punk, The Drowns hit hard from the start and don’t let up for a single second of the 37 minutes over eleven songs. There’s plenty of melodic hooks (yes, hooks!), tons of gang vocals, loads of rock and roll attitude and energy, and Rev’s perfectly gruff vocals. One song that stands out as a bit different from the others is “Them Rats,” which, while it’s not a ska punk song, by a long shot, has a hint of ska guitar jangle and a strong back beat. “Wolves on the Throne” has a strong anthemic feel, like a rousing protest song. The previously released “Demons” is one of my favorites of the album, as it also has an uplifting sound. And a completely different sounding song, “Wastin’ Time,” is another favorite. I love the desperate sound in Rev’s voice as he sings, and the retro power pop feel to the song. “Cue The Violins” is an incredibly melodic bouncy song, and each song keeps getting better than the one before it. As good as their debut LP, “View From The Bottom,” was, “Under Tension” is even better. Strongly recommended!

FLOAT HERE FOREVER – Stacking Tombstones (www.floathereforever.com)

Detroit’s Float Here Forever have followed up last year’s debut full-length LP with their third EP, released on New Year’s Day 2020, one year after the LP. The three songs here are a blend of alternative rock and classic 90s emo (not the crappy pop punk that got called “emo” in the 2000s). “Back to Hell” has a raucous, driving feel in the guitars, even as the harmonized vocals smoothly glide through the music. “Planning to Matter” is more placid and serene, dreamier and janglier. The smooth vocals are still there though, softly soaring. And the title track that closes the EP is very reminiscent of the music of Bob Mould, sounding like something he might have written for a latter day Hüsker Dü LP. This is a band I was not previously familiar with, but listening to this EP makes me want to go back and listen to previous releases.

INNOCENCE MISSION – See You Tomorrow (Thérèse Records, www.theinnocencemission.com)

The Innocence Mission, who have been performing together since 1986, have now reached a milestone, a baker’s dozen LPs, with “See You Tomorrow.” The LP continues their brand of delicate, fragile easy listening music. This is the sort of thing aging hipsters might listen to in the background on a lazy Sunday morning as they sip their fair trade coffee and page through the newspaper. Quiet piano or guitar accompanies singer Karen Peris’ vocals, often with strings and light percussion in the background. The vocals sound vaguely like the casual little girl vocals so popular with many vocalists today. While many of the tracks are just inoffensive, kind of there, not all is lost. Some of the tracks are actually memorable. “We Don’t Know How to Say Why” blends acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, and vocals to create a breezy indie pop tune. “St. Francis and the Future” is a pretty song with the feel of a blend of ancient folk melody and liturgical music, particularly toward the end. I do really like the melodic line of “John As Well,” which sounds like a cross between a Beatles song and a French folk pop song. And “Stars that Fall Away from Us” feels like medieval minstrel music combined with the music of the band Beirut. But most of this record is just nice quiet background music.

KT (AKA KIDS TECHNO) – The Harmony of Spheres (Cherub Records, www.cherub.rocks)

Who is KT? It’s a mystery, but what’s not mysterious is how engrossing the thirty-minute “tone poem” is that is this album. Eighteen tracks make up this tone poem, including the introductory “Dear Listener” and closing “Yours Respectfully,” both of which feature a synthesized voice. The former welcomes listeners and exhorts them to discard distracting devices and immerse themselves in the music to come. The latter bids farewell and requests listeners to share the experience with others. In between are various short tracks of ambient instrumental music, with all of the tracks in the one to two minute range. Some of the synths are buzzy, growling, and bitter sounding. Some are clearer and smoother, but still have a dark tinge. These songs all feel dark and dystopian, particularly the tracks that include synthesized or sampled voices, often muffled. What are these people or machines telling us? Their cryptic comments lend an air of hopelessness and loss to these tracks. Even the pieces that have a dance-like beat and brighter synths still sound like to the soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic world. This is not something typical Jersey Beat readers would gravitate to, but I suggest giving it a listen.

STRING MACHINE – Death of the Neon (Know Hope Records, www.knowhoperecords.com)

“Engine/It’s Time” opens the sophomore LP from this Pittsburgh septet. Overtones of Neil Young greet the listener, sounding like classic country tinged soft rock. One might be excused if one decided in the first minute that this wasn’t one’s cup of tea, but one would be missing out. As the track evolves, it becomes dreamy and ethereal, thickly instrumented, and much more interesting. “Eight Legged Dog,” too, starts out very mellow, retro soft rock, but also evolves. As it builds toward the end of the track, it takes on a bit of pop punk feel, even with big gang vocals. “Old Mack” has sections of shouted gang vocals, too, getting a bit punk-like, but the song is, of course, more sedate overall. I love “Rattle on the Spoke,” which reminds me of a more acoustic, more delicate Cymbals Eat Guitars. The acoustic guitar line is quite pretty. “Mara In The Breeze,” too has a Cymbals Eat Guitars lite sort of sound in the back half of the song. In the back half of “No Holiday/Excite Again,” I hear hints of old school emo, the kind that was made in the 90s, after the hardcore era, after the screamo period, but before pop punk faux emo. There was that short period of time when a number of bands were making quietly beautiful emo music, and that’s what I hear a bit of here. It’s interesting to me how these songs evolve. They start plain, sort of Americana tinged soft rock, and then by the second part of the song they’ve changed tone considerably, morphing into something much more interesting. It’s nice, but I wish there was a little more oomph.

SUN KIN – Private Time (sunraykin.bandcamp.com)

Sun Kin is the “stage name” of Oakland-based artist Kabir Kumar. Born in India, Kumar’s family moved between countries often before ending up in the Bay Area. Pulling together a rotating cast of indie musicians from Oakland’s scene, Sun Kin plays a brand of pop music he called “alt-pop.” It’s not mainstream pop, but it’s not what we normally consider indie pop. It’s more synthesized and has more of a dance beat. In fact, it’s clear this music is made for dancing. Keyboards are prominent, and the guitar and drums provide more of a disco dance accent. Some of the songs are quite cheesy, like “Boyfriend’s Car,” complete with female backing vocal chorus and lyrics about being in the back of her boyfriend’s car, steaming up the windows. Some songs are like minimalist stripped down new wave songs from the 80s. Honestly, I can’t imagine the average Jersey Beat reader having any interest in this. I know I don’t.

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TOM BAKER – Dirty Snakes (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com)

No, this isn’t the British actor famous for his time as the fourth Doctor. Tom Baker is the front man for both The Dirty Truckers and The Snakes. On this, his first solo record, he’s joined by members of both bands, yielding the album’s title. The music on this six-song mini LP is pure rock and roll. It ranges from early R&B rock sounds to power pop to early new wave sounds. From the very first track, “Cancel It,” you know exactly what you’re in for. It’s got an early rock and roll R&B sort of feel and Chuck Barry style guitar sound. “Out of Focus” is a more laid back tune, with a mid-tempo lope. This is more like a hybrid of Americana and power pop, making use of harmonica to accentuate the hooks. I really like the Elvis Costello-like “Pushin’ You Away.” It’s got the sound that Costello did so well on his early albums. “Turn Your Head Around” is another Americana-tinged track, mixing acoustic and electric guitars. Though Baker isn’t blazing new trails, he’s hoisting the rock and roll banner high and doing a solid job of it.

RAMOMS – Teachers Pet (Pirate’s Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

The Ramoms are back with three new tracks on this EP. The first cut, “Going Into 3rd,” is the best, by far. It’s a pretty great garage rocker, snotty and greasy, like great garage rock is supposed to be. The next track is the Ramones parody, this time taking “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and turning it into” “The PTA Took My Mommy Away.” The lyrics are inane, and the tempo drags. The final track is the cover, this time “Beat on the Brat.” I’m not a fan of these parodies, and the covers don’t need to be done, really. If Ramoms would stick to doing originals like “”Going Into 3rd,” they’d have something I would be more willing to spend time and money listening to.

THE REAGANOMICS – The Aging Punk (Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

When the very first song, titled “The Four Clichés,” opens with the lyrics, “I wanna write a good punk song this year / I need to find out what is here / If I wanna write a punk song this year / I better start with the generic shit,” you know not to take anything seriously. The Reaganomics hail from Joliet, Illinois, the suburb to the southwest of Chicago best known for its state penitentiary, former home of Joliet Jake of the Blues Brothers. They describe themselves as “4 sweaty dads playing punk rock,” but they’re much more than that. They’re extremely proficient musicians and singers. These songs are fast and loud and tight. They’re pop punk songs, but played with a Chicago punk toughness, with expertly harmonized vocals. And the lyrics are all….not about serious subjects. A sampling of song titles includes “Meth Gator,” “Grown Ass Man,” “Don’t Be An Asshole,” and “Confessions of a Snowflake Lib-tard.” As I mentioned, the Chicago punk influence is very apparent, but so is the lightness and melodic pop punk styling of The Mr. T Experience. “Dear Jaymez” has a metallic intro that leads into a crazy fast poppy yet crunchy punk song about listening to 90s punk rock. “Dunzo” could almost have been a MTX track. “STFU” crosses Green Day pop punk and heavy metallic punk. And even more so, “Don’t Be An Asshole” has a lot of Green Day qualities in it. A lot of times you come across a “joke” punk band, the biggest joke is how bad they are. This is certainly not the case with The Reaganomics. They’re a funny-punk good time.

THE ROUTES – Tune Out, Switch Off, Drop In (Groovie Records, www.groovierecords.com)

The Routes have taken a circuitous route to get where they are today. After multiple lineup changes over several years, The Routes are back with their seventh album. I reviewed their previous LP, “Dirty Needles and Pins,” a couple years ago, and noted it’s heavy influence from garage and psych. That album, though great, sounded a little too on the nose, as if they were playing covers (though they were all original). This time out, though, the band are definitely using their influences but creating something new, exciting, and all their own. Garage and psych are just starting points. The opening track, “Ricochet,” features a hypnotic drone that feels both psychedelic and dreamy. The song’s lyrics are a warning of how the consequences of your actions tend to ricochet back at you. “The King of Loose Ends” has a strong garage flavor, yet it’s loaded with power pop hooks and a bouncy melody, which make it a fun track. I really like the slower “Up and Down,” with its simple melody and buzzy guitars. Imagine blending garage with shoegaze and you get an idea of the sound of this one. The lyrics refer to the cyclical nature of life; sometimes things are good, sometimes life sucks, and you have to push through to get back to the good. “Just How It Feels” crosses psych and grunge effectively, and “I Think I’d Wanna Die” is a gorgeous love song that blends folk-rock and psych, using a cleaner sound, acoustic and electric guitars, and plenty of jangle. And the closer, “Thinner Everyday,” has some awesome guitar playing in the “tremolo pick” style invented by Larry Collins and popularized by surf guitarist Dick Dale. The song has a really dark feel to it, too, making it another favorite. The great thing about this record is how the different styles are mixed to create original sounds. Recommended.

STAY OUT – Always Late (officialstayout.bandcamp.com)

This LP rips! And, musically, it’s all over the place! It’s got fast, loud, hard-pounding melodic pop punk, it’s got aggressive ska punk, it’s got gut wrenching hardcore, and more. “High and Dry” kicks things off with punishing metallic hardcore, relentless in its power and attack. The music evolves through “Existentialist,” a 90s style melodic hardcore track, to “Carnegie,” a pop punk track with harmonized backing vocals, but still with hard-as-fuck guitars, pummeling drums, and throbbing bass. “Distraught” is one of my favorites, with a great pop punk melody that reminds me of something Green Day might have done back in the early 90s, but with strong and powerful guitars, heavy and bruising. And “Howling at the Moon” sounds like something out of late 80s Chicago, from Pegboy or Naked Raygun, with plenty of whoa-ohs, and with more power and vigor. I think the production, making the guitars really loud and somewhat distorted in the mix has a lot to do with Stay Out’s sound, and it’s really effective. “Banshee” is another great one with the East Bay sound on steroids, a nice jangly melody and laid-back street punk feel, but that power is ever-present. There’s also some 90s Orange County style punk here, in the track “Mad at the World.” It’s not OC skate punk, but listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. “E.T.” is great melodic hardcore, old school but with hooks! And then there’s the two ska punk tracks. “Berkley Nights” is a jumping song, with strong skankin’ backbeat, harmonized backing vocals, and still loud and powerful. And the other ska punk track is the closer, “Sleepy Floyd,” a track with a dark sound. Yeah, this album rips!

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A CAST OF THOUSANDS – Sleeping World (www.acastofthousands.bandcamp. com)

Auburn, New York’s A Cast of Thousands is back with their sixth album, and once again they serve up a tasty diversity of indie rock sounds. Some of the songs are tinged with bits of psych, some have a retro feel, blending 50s doo-wop and 70s Bert Bacharach sounds. Some have a fun 60s beach pop sound. The band offers up some power pop. And there’s even some country pop! I love a band and an album that’s not afraid to change things up, yet it holds together really well. A Cast of Thousands is that band and Sleeping World is that album. The album opens with “A Big White Lie,” a track with a garage-grunge feel, something a little different for ACOT. But it works well. My favorite tracks, though, are probably the ones sung by Beth Beer. There’s a quality to her voice that is very reminiscent of pop bands of yore, a casually elegant voice, an ease with which she sings. From the dreaminess of “Collective Dementia” to the wonderful 50s/70s pop hybrid “Numb The Fall,” these are the songs that make this record for me. I am not generally a fan of country music, but “To Be a Woman,” a twangy tongue-in-cheek number that lists out all the awful things women have to deal with on a daily basis, is great. While the album as a whole has the nice relaxed feel that ACOT has become known for, this album also has a stronger, more confident feel than past efforts. Some of the songs could even be said to have an aggressive edge to them, like “Xmas in June.” The folk-psych vibe is still there, but the band just feels more solid here than on past albums, as good as those were. This may make this my favorite record of theirs yet.

GINO AND THE GOONS – Off The Rails (Big Neck Records,
bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com)

Seems like just weeks ago Gino and the Goons released “Do the Get Around,” the bands fourth LP. That was then, this is now. Back to back, Gino and the Goons have a new LP loaded with gritty greasy rock and roll. As with the last LP, the music is loud and loose, raucous and fun. There’s not a whole lot more that I can say than I did before, so you can go read that review, then come back here. I’ll wait. The recording on this LP is even lower-fi than the previous one – and I think too much distortion can hurt even this sort of garage sound. This time out we get songs like “Got No Friends,” which has a distinct R&B rock and roll sound mixed with pop, sort of like the Beatles playing some rockabilly. It’s got a killer guitar solo filled with noise and feedback, too. “You Ain’t Shit” is clearly a protopunk track, by far the most aggressive and noisiest of the ten tracks. I’m not sure why they released two records so close together, but either way, you can’t go wrong.

GOODMAN – The Era of Buckets
(goodmanmusic.bandcamp.com)

The latest full-length LP from Michael Goodman, an alum of Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen collective, has its high points and low points. The highs are quite good, with a unique twist on indie rock, blending it with power pop and retro pop sounds. Goodman’s vocals, in particular, are a wonderful throwback to the 60s pop sound. The lows, though, are pretty low, too, with cheesy commercial pop sounds and overdone synths. “Don’t” opens the LP, and is one of my favorites, with a sparkly sound courtesy of the glockenspiel and shimmery organ. Acoustic and electric guitars blend together to create the perfect backdrop, as the bass and drums keep a steady, martial beat. And I adore “Watch Your Mouth,” a bit of pop advice with a cool 60s pop sound. “Shallow (Completely Shallow)” is another great one, with a retro rhythm and guitars that alternate between clean and quiet and dirty and loud and buzzy as hell. And “Life Begins” is an epic way to close the album. The song talks about the beginning of life at birth, and how odd it all is, and how strange life is in general. I especially love the verse that may be about Goodman’s own birth, in which he sings, “When I was born I came out crying, came out crying of the womb / And then I pissed all over the doctor’s face, that’s true / The doc, she looked aghast, what became of her? / My mom, she just laughed, said that’s my boy, and that’s the way things were.” I don’t know if it’s a true story, but, like life, it’s funny. The lows include “Wasting Away,” which has a strong dance beat and commercial pop sound, even to the vocals that are changed for this song to match the radio-friendly feel. It makes it my least favorite song of the record. “Something Happening,” too, feels like it would be more at home in a compilation of commercially minded pop ballads than an indie release. Especially with the falsetto vocals. And there’s “Wildcat,” which has some synths I’m not crazy about, and the song feels like it drags a little bit. The lows aren’t enough to turn me off the record, though, which overall is still enjoyable.

MICAH SCHNABEL – The Teenage Years of the 21st Century
(micahschnabel.bandcamp.com)

As good as Two Cow Garage is – that’s the band Micah Schnabel fronts – it’s his solo stuff that I really love. Schnabel is the consummate storyteller, our modern day beat poet. The key difference between this album, though, and his previous masterpiece, “Your New Normal Rockwell,” is that this new LP is more melodic, poppier, and has more singing than the previous LP, which featured lots of spoken lyrics that felt like streams of consciousness. The stories Schnabel tells, though, aren’t pleasant ones with happy endings. They paint a picture of chaos and confusion, of debilitating consequences to our lives from decisions often out of our own hands. Stories about how, as the refrain of “How to Ride a Bike” reminds us, “being alive is so expensive, but being dead is such a lousy alternative.” I love the jangle of the song, especially on the chorus. It’s something new for Schnabel’s solo work, and I like it. “A Celebration” is an edgy sounding track, also very different for Schnabel, though it has the spoken lyrics, this time about feeling the pressure to succeed in the scam that is capitalism – but then ending in the realization that life isn’t about getting rich or dying trying. “Death Defying Feats” is a pretty country tune about how unprepared we all are to live this thing called life, trying to make ends meet on minimum wage and growing up too fast. “Remain Silent” is a very political song that references the rising racism in America, even among our own family members, egged on by the “little boy king” who “sits alone on his throne.” “When did being a decent human being become political?” the song asks, as if to say the song shouldn’t have to be considered political. The song rails against those who want to “privatize reading” by being anti-library, and bemoans how “being murdered at school is just part of the game.” “So, Micah, what’s your point?” asks a voice. The point, he says, is to say something about hope, about banishing hate from our hearts, and about how we’re all the same when you get to the core of it. Where the previous LP seemed more self-consciously poetic, this album feels easier and more confident, and definitely more musical. Both, though, clearly express the feelings of frustration, fear, and uncertainty we feel as we try to make it in the world. It’s eminently relatable, and I think this is why Schnabel’s solo work connects so well.

SLOW RIVALS (Poptek Records, www.poptek.com)

Slow Rivals was born out of a similar Seattle band, Graham Travis. This four song EP is the new band’s debut. Sounding unlike anything you might associate with Seattle, musically, the EP features gentle soft rock. Guitar, bass, drums, and warm sounding keyboards blend together inoffensively, while the heartfelt vocals sing out with emotion, reminding me of Nick Drake, but a bit fuller. Some of the music has hints of Americana, with some bits of twang in the guitars, particularly on “Less or More,” the third track. The opener, “The Channel” has a retro 80s easy new wave pop sound, and “Picking Up Branches” has a big dream pop sound on the chorus, probably making it my favorite of the quartet. “Burning Out” closes the EP, and is the edgiest song of the bunch, though it’s still pretty smooth. And I think that’s my issue with the record, overall: it’s too smooth, too safe. It’s easy listening music for the rock and roll generation.

SWEET PILL – "Miss This" b/w "Tell Me" (Know Hope Records,
www.knowhoperecords.com)

Two brand new songs from this Philadelphia five-piece. The A-side is a strong indie-pop song, with powerful vocals from Zayna Moussef. The melody is exuberant, with guitars jangling noisily, mostly due to the lo-fi recording, something that does a bit of a disservice to the pretty songs. The B-side is a bit calmer than the relatively raucous “Miss Me,” and the guitars swirl around behind the simple melody. The instrumentation gets thicker after the first verse, but it still has more of a serpentine quality that works nicely. This is my first exposure to this band, and I like what I hear.

THE WHIFFS – Another Whiff (Dig! Records, digrecords.bigcartel.com)

Kansas City’s The Whiffs, who stormed the power pop scene last year with their debut self-titled LP, are back again with “Another Whiff.” It’s a worthy follow-up, full of fourteen power pop gems. There’s no sophomore slump here; if anything, these songs are even better than those from the debut. These are bouncy and jangly with loads of melody. The style on offer blends the best of 60s and 70s pop rock. “What Do You Want Me to Do” is a favorite track, reminding me of the bands that first introduced me to the garage power pop genre so many years ago. “Dream About Judy,” too, harkens back to days past, when guitar-fueled pop ruled the airwaves. The harmonizing on the chorus gets me every time. The lyrics are pretty simple, speaking to fantasies of love. “How Could You” is one of the few tracks that isn’t up-tempo, as this one lopes along at a moderate pace, but it’s loaded with hooks, and those great harmonized vocals are there, too. These songs are all new, but they feel so familiar, so comfortable. 2019 has seen some really good power pop records released, and this one is right up there with the best of them. If you love power pop (and who doesn’t?) get this!

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THE SUBJUNCTIVES – Sunshine and Rainbows (Top Drawer Records, www.tdrecs.com)

What would happen if you took members of Sicko and Four Lights, two of the best pop punk bands to ever come out of Seattle, and put them together in a new band? Certainly there would be a lot of pressure to deliver, but that hasn’t fazed Ean Hernandez (of Sicko) and Tahoe Jeff (of Four Lights), who joined forces with Matt Coleman a couple years ago to form The Subjunctives. Instead, they’ve built on the past, taking some of the best parts of their respective other projects, and built something even bigger and better. Many of the songs do sound like they could have come right out of the 90s catalogs of Sicko and The Mr. T Experience, with their high energy and bounciness. The songs are bubbly, even effervescent. Like the opener, “Guinivere in Raybans and Chucks.” It’s a bouncy song with lyrics about a suburban dad’s wandering eyes. “At the Kraken” is an ode to one of Seattle’s premiere dive bar punk rock venues and the people that populate it. It’s loaded with hooks and fun, which is something that comes through in all the songs here – the fun the band members are having playing these songs. They take turns on vocal leads, and sometimes team up a la Four Lights to provide some glorious harmonies, too. None of the songs have deep lyrics – these are simple pop punk songs, after all. But sometimes simple can have some depth, like “Pass It On,” about keeping the scene alive by letting the next generation take their turn to shine. Aging is addressed in “Friday,” a song about staying home cuddling with your significant other, enjoying a bottle of wine and a nature documentary instead of going to a crowded bar for a show. And “My Girl” is a simple sappy love song for the aging punk set that tries to stay relevant in the scene. Sometimes the songs evoke feelings of nostalgia. “Introverted Girl” reminds me of listening to all those Shredder Records comps back in the 90s, with its amazing infections melody, simple lyrics, and pretty harmonies. Favorite songs: “Rotate,” a song that sounds what Hüsker Dü might have sounded like if they were less dark and poppier. And “Waste My Time,” one of the faster ones on the LP, sounding the world like an East Bay throwback to the days of Jawbreaker. And probably “My E String,” a hilarious song about playing a show in front of a bunch of strangers when your E string goes out of tune in the middle of a song and you don’t have time to tune it. The closer (sort of, we’ll get to that in a sec), “Dumbass,” reminds me of an edgier, faster R.E.M. from the “End of the World (As We Know It)” era) and is another favorite, and it ends just like a Four Lights song, with a cappella harmonies. But that’s not the end! After over a minute and a half of silence there’s a short acoustic demo of another song, begging someone to please not leave now that she knows what a mess the guy is. A perfect pop punk sentiment. And a perfect pop punk record.

NATO COLES AND THE BLUE DIAMOND BAND – Flyover (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com / Don Giovanni Records, www.dongiovannirecords.com)

Who is the champion of working class rock and roll? No, despite the name of this publication, it’s not New Jersey’s Bruce Springsteen. It’s Minneapolis’ Nato Coles. I first came upon Nato at Awesome Fest 5 in 2011, and I was immediately taken by the passion and energy from the consummate showman. On this latest full-lengther we get ten prime pieces of evidence that rock and roll isn’t dead. There’s a warmth to the Blue Diamond Band. You instantly feel like they’re family, and they know exactly what you’re going through; they feel what you feel. That connection is one of the things that makes Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band special. Other things are their professionalism, their joy, and their talent. Guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards (sometimes organ, sometimes piano) blend together to make us all feel at home. It’s odd that this is only the band’s second studio LP, because they’ve been around for so long. But that makes it all the sweeter than the record is finally here. Favorite songs include “L.P.’s Yard.” I just love the jangle in Sam Beer’s guitars, the great melody, and the warmth infused by the keyboards. “Milo and the Bars” is a gorgeous slower number, which makes use of acoustic guitar and piano to set a delicate mood. “Disposable Camera” similarly makes use of plucked acoustic guitar to great effect. “Demolition Man” is one of the most raucous tracks on the LP, some real hard-driving rock. And “Standing on the Corner Alone” and “The Roadrunner” have a great power pop feel, and the mandolin break on the former is so cool. The album closes with “The Avenue of the Saints,” and you can feel the epic story unfold. This sort of everyman rock music is not the sort of stuff I normally go for, but Nato and the BDB are just that good. I just wish they would tour beyond the Midwest once in awhile.

DIEALPS! – More Important Things (New Granada Records, www.newgranadarecords.com)

DieAlps! are an indie-pop band from Tampa, Florida, but they seem to have a bit of a split personality. This likely comes from the fact that the two lead vocalists, Cornelia and Frank Calcaterra, have very different approaches to their craft. And as a result, the songs sound very different depending on who’s singing the leads. Frank’s songs tend to be edgier, more indie-rock, and injected with a level of dreaminess, while Cornelia’s songs are more straightforward pop songs, more stripped down. Case in point, the opening track, “It’s the End,” has a slight Americana feel, but there’s also a hazy feel to the guitars. And right after that, “Common Denominator,” there’s a definite lightening to the feel; it’s bouncier and more melodic, with Cornelia’s pretty yet unadorned vocals a perfect companion. I think my own tastes lie more with these songs. Even when she does a song that’s a bit thicker and richer, like “In Color,” I just feel her vocal qualities make the song better. “In Color” does have a full, thick, dreamy sound, courtesy of the keyboard. But her voice is so direct that it makes a connection that’s clear. “Stride” is another of her tracks and it’s got a great indie-pop bounce to it that makes it one of my favorites of the LP. Frank’s songs just sound…busier. More forced?

THE FULL COUNTS – Next Up (Phratry Records, www.phratryrecords.com)

Hailing from Pittsburgh, The Full Counts play music that’s primarily power pop, though the quartet also venture into more garage-like and blues rock styles, too. What strikes me is how smooth all the songs are. These songs should be a little more raucous, a little more aggressive. But they come across as too safe, without the exciting highs and lows these styles deserve. Power pop songs like “She Said,” “Hold Your Hand,” and “Another Way (EGAGDA)” are fine, with jangle aplenty. There are the bluesy rockers like “Not Tonight” and “I’m On the Outside” that fail to spark, though. “I Know” has the feel of a 90s alternative rock track, and then there are the garage rockers like “Let’s Go” and “Don’t Waste My Time.” Probably the best track is “Don’t Waste My Time.” It’s got the most energy of any of the songs on the LP, with a strong garage feel. The closer, “Oh Whoa Oh,” has more of a psych folk rock feel, with acoustic guitars jangling away. But the whole level of the record needs to be amped up, in general. This is just too gentle.

MONOTROPE – Immutable Future (New Atlantis Records, newatlantisrecords.bandcamp.com / Ambition Sound, www.facebook.com/ambitionsound)

Back in the 90s there was an indie subgenre of math inspired post rock instrumentals. Monotrope attempts to recreate that sound, and on their sophomore LP, offer seven mostly long-form tracks filled with angular rhythms amid smooth yet dissonant guitars. But while earlier bands were creating something new and unique, Monotrope comes across as a rehash of twenty-year old music. Guitars, bass, and drums play complex melodic lines that seem chaotic yet controlled. The music swirls and darts, yet it all ends up sounding pretty much the same, despite its attempts to be “experimental” or avant-garde. I found my attention drifting during listens to this record. Maybe that’s just my tastes. Twenty years ago I did listen to and enjoy this genre, but maybe those earlier bands were creating something daring. Maybe because their songs had variety. Mono means single or one. A trope is a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression. So maybe Monotrope is aptly named: a single musical expression, repeated. I couldn’t get into this.

MORE KICKS (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

More Kicks are a trio from London that play a distinctly retro brand of mod-tinged power pop. On this, their debut full-length LP, More Kicks give us eleven bouncy songs (plus one short instrumental “intro” track) featuring guitar, bass, and drums (plus keyboards on select tracks). They pull from a variety of influences from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I really like “She’s a Reaction,” which has the feel of a more garage-like Beatles. “I’m on the Brink” blends the sounds of the Paul Collins Beat with Elvis Costello. “Rock and Roll Again” seems to be about having dropped out of the scene and getting bitten by the bug to start playing again. And “Your Vibration” closes the LP, starting out with tons of jangle right out of the garage, but getting more and more hardcore garage as the song evolves. This isn’t the normal sort of record Dirt Cult puts out, but they’ve been experimenting with expanding their horizons recently, and that can only be a good thing – just like this record.

PARKER LONGBOUGH – Green and Gold/Drink the Hemlock (Wilderhood Music, www.parkerlongbough.com)

Parker Longbough is the name under which Matthew Witthoeft performs. The Anchorage, Alaska resident made a name for himself in the local scene performing with the band Uncle Jesse, but after that band broke up he began this new project with a rotating cast of supporting musicians. This LP features dream pop with a dark edge and deadpan, ennui-filled vocals. On some of the songs the dreaminess comes from big shoegazey guitars, on others from synths (though the synths have a distinct 80s new wave retro sound). On the opener, “Statement is the Answer,” we get a thick shoegaze guitar pulled back in the mix, a single note guitar whine prominently in the mix, and languid vocals right up front. It creates a jarring feel of things not being quite in tune. “Avalane Beacon” goes the synth route, with some buzzy sounds, some smooth. Witthoeft’s vocals, once again, sound unenthused. “Governor’ (Butter) Cup” has a strong guitar tone throughout, which starts out with a shoegaze feel. But during the chorus a higher pitched guitar whines loudly; it feels very out of place and it’s grating. “We Go Golfing” tries to sound like Sonic Youth of the 1990s, with a modal key and minimalist repeating lines. But with the guitars pulled so far back in the mix and the heavy reverb, it just sounds like a mess. “Two Months Out” has a poppier feel with cleaner guitars during the verses, but in the chorus it gets chaotic and dissonant, and not in a good way. There’s some variety in how these songs are constructed, which is a good start. But the constants are a feeling that things are a bit out of tune and the blasé vocals that sound like Witthoeft wants to be anywhere else but in the studio. I could not get into this record.

SLEEPCRAWLER – "HTN" b/w "Albatross" 7-inch (Phratry Records, www.phratryrecords.com)

Sleepcrawler is a new trio from Cincinnati, Ohio, made up of two former members of State Song and one founding member of The Dopamines. Don’t be fooled into thinking that there’s any element of pop punk here because of that Dopamines connection. The two songs on this single are gorgeous, emotive songs with huge dynamic range, reminiscent of bands of the 90s like other Midwestern bands Slint and Rodan (Kentucky is close enough to Ohio to be called Midwest for these musical purposes). The A side, “HTN,” opens with quiet jangle of arpeggiated guitar, but soon the huge, dreamy shoegaze guitars join in with a thundering bass to produce a gloriously colossal melody. Scot Torres’ pleading vocals come in as the guitars quiet again. This is amazingly beautiful stuff, and this style still holds up well to the test of time. The flipside, “Albatross,” is a calmer track that builds slowly and has a pretty melodic approach. The clean guitar tone is a stark contrast to the noisy buzz of the bass. And the dynamic mastery is also on display in this track. Of the two, I think I like “HTN” more, but both are amazing. This single is just the band’s debut, and it makes me anxious to hear more.

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GINO AND THE GOONS – Do The Get Around (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Drunken Sailor Records is moving in on the territory long held in the UK by Dirty Water Records. Known mostly for classic punk sounds, Drunken Sailor’s latest release is solidly greasy garage rock deeply rooted in R&B. The music is loose and lo-fi, a raucous party where the idea is to have more fun and less serious art. This is music that’s loud and in your face just because. Take the song “Pills in my Pocket.” There’s no pretense here, it’s just party music, with a hint of surf rock feel that makes it the poppiest song of the album – but it’s not pop by any stretch of the imagination. The title track is an anti-love song, with its opening lines declaring, “I don’t like you anymore / So don’t come knocking on my door / Don’t call me on the telephone / ‘cause I won’t answer, I’m not home.” There’s feedback a plenty from the guitars, underscoring the feeling of derision, with a grating guitar solo too. “Prissy Missy” sounds like The Beatles crossed over to the wrong side of the railroad tracks in 1965 and became grease monkeys instead of world famous pop stars. “Break Your Hearts” has the sound of The Rolling Stones, if they had…well, been The Rolling Stones; they were already bad boys of rock and roll. “I’m Your Man” has the sound and some of the melody of The Beach Boys, but definitely not the squeaky clean attitude; this is rough and reckless music here. And that’s the appeal of the genre and this record. It’s a reckless good time.

INGS – Lullaby Rock (ings.bandcamp.com)

Oh my god, this is beautiful! Ings is the Seattle-based project of Inge Chiles, a purveyor of self-styled “lullaby rock,” which I guess is a genre of rock suitable for lulling one to sleep. But I sure don’t want to sleep through any of these songs. They’re so delicate and pretty. Acoustic bass, electric guitar, brushed snare drum, strings, and multi-tracked harmonized vocals blend to create jazzy indie-pop of the first order. The songs are dreamy without having to resort to banks of synthesizers. It’s hypnotic and mesmerizing. Chiles’ voice is lovely and the songwriting is emotive. Sometimes the singing is barely whispered and you feel like you’re being let in on a profound secret. The fun starts from the first track, “If Not You,” which has a graceful bounce to it. The use of harmonics on acoustic guitar is quiet effective, and every part fits together like a finely made machine. The lyrics seem to be about living life in the moment, not worrying about things that don’t work out and loving yourself. Included is a track called “Best Friend Meditation,” a spoken word piece about the warmth and joy of being present and in the moment with a person you truly love. The record does have a couple of almost raucous moments, too. The fragile and ethereal “Amelia” weaves its magic spell, then its chorus amps up ever so slightly. At the end of the track, though, on the final instance of the chorus things build to a crescendo and then explode with a rocking electric guitar and soulful wails. “Pick Yourself Up” is a cool song with undercurrents of a spiritual that’s much edgier than most of the tracks. “Maker” reminds me of a song that would have been included in the soundtrack of a 1930s Hollywood film; it’s so, so beautiful. The arrangement is amazing, too, starting out with just acoustic bass and vocals before more strings join in along with multi-tracked harmonies. The sound of the strings with Chiles voice when she croons is something to behold. The song feels so hopeful, too. It’s a song that uses Noah’s ark as a reference in declaring that it’s perfectly okay to toss out something that isn’t working and start over. “It’s alright to listen to the rain / throw it all out and start again / Creature and creator, pleasure and pain / It’s alright to listen to the rain.” I am in awe of this record. It’s a late entrant but a definite contender for my list of best records of the year.

LION’S LAW – Cut the Rope (Pirate’s Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

The kind folks at Pirate’s Press records are bringing Lion’s Law to American listeners. This Parisian band has been around since 2012, purveying their unique blend of Oi and hardcore music across Europe. Perhaps this single means they’re working on an LP with Pirate’s Press and a big American tour? The first song on the record, “Cut the Rope,” leans more toward the Oi side of things, but with hard, crunchy powerful guitars. As befits an Oi band, the vocals are gruffly shouted rather than sung. “Get It All” on the B-side is more hardcore and metallic than Oi, The vocals are even more guttural, and include gang shouts on the chorus. The music is darker, and the bridge has an amazing guitar sound that leads into a short solo before the band launches back into the chorus for one last time. If you like hardcore with an Oi edge, check this band out.

PARDON US – Wait (Johann’s Face Records, johannsfacerecords.bandcamp.com)

What happens when you mix street punk, power pop, and pop punk? Well, if you have it played by Liverpudlians from the bands Down and Outs, Flamingo 50, and Town Bike you get the music of Pardon Us. These three non-mop-tops reportedly intended to create a band in the vein of Off With Their Heads, and they failed at that task, but succeeded beyond their wildest dreams in crafting a sound more consistent with British greats like Stiff Little Fingers and The Buzzcocks. The music is poppy but aggressive, and the gritty vocals sing lyrics about social and political upheaval. For example, the opening track, “Beyond the Valley of the Wolves,” speaks to how stagnating wages for the masses in the face of the rising cost of living is wreaking havoc on us all, but particular smaller working class towns. “Half Empty” is a song of resignation, it seems. The world is what it is, and big dreams won’t change it, and as the chorus sings, “You’ll soon understand that the half empty glass in your hand is better than no glass at all.” This seems at odds with “It’s a Phil Ochs Kind of Day,” a reference to the late, great protest singer-songwriter. It’s a song of hope and optimism in the face of seeming hopelessness. “Try not to lose heart when all the world’s so heartless,” begs the chorus. “In the end it comes down to a simple choice,” the song declares. “Do we struggle to get smarter or sit back content and dumb?” “If the Black Shirt Fits” is a song that decries the growing casual fascism afflicting so many people in recent years, people who would deny having fascist ideology, but, as the song says, “if the black shirt fits…” And I think my favorite song, both musically and lyrically, is the excellent loping tune, “Inconvenient Reminder.” The song references how we tend to forget and repeat the horrifying mistakes of the past, in this case, turning away those seeking refuge from violence and threats of death. Through a great bouncing melody the song offers hope to those suffering the pain of discrimination and hatred in their new homes: “And now they wanna send you back from whence you came. But you’re already home, so don’t you believe them. If you need a helping hand we’re here with open arms, and we’ll stand together against those who’d do you harm. If you need sanctuary, sanctuary you’ve found, cos we know you’ve crawled through hell and fire to reach this solid ground.” These are lyrics that apply equally here in the United States under Donald Trump as they do across the growing fascist tendencies in Europe. Not every song is political, though. “Thankful” has a great indie rock melody and lyrics that speak to both regret at what one has missed in life by pursuing other goals, being thankful at where one is in life, and looking forward to whatever lies ahead. And the album closer, “We Aren’t The Champions,” is self-deprecating fun. And fun is a key word. Even though some of the topics are serious, the band is obviously having a great time singing and playing these songs. And that’s infectious.

SLUMB PARTY – Spending Money (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Following hot on the heels of last year’s debut LP, “Happy Now,” Slumb Party’s sophomore full-length features similarly manic music that’s a throwback to the hyper creative past punk era of the late 70s and early 80s. This outing, though, finds them sporting a cleaner sound, adding some R&B funkiness, and blending keyboards into the mix. Some of the songs even have a bit of 80s new wave sounds. The opener, “Go To Work,” has a nice funky bass and prominent keyboards, giving the song a great bouncy sound reminiscent of bands like The B52s. Vocals on this LP are delivered with intense urgency; guitars are used as much as percussion instruments as to drive a melody, and that wailing saxophone screams for attention. Clarinet is used in the mix at times, too, an unusual but effective move, as in the song “All These Boxes.” The songs are just as off-kilter as before, as on the song “Shingles Bell,” just as frantic and frenzied, but there’s just more. The addition of keyboards using an 8-bit video game sort of sound brings a lot to these songs and the cleaner sound makes it easier for extended and repeat listening. It all makes a good band even better. “Back Stabber” is a favorite for its funky minimalism, the thin arrangement highlighting the sax and especially the deep R&B bass. “Sound” off has vocals that remind me of Duran Duran on speed, all the paranoia setting in, the harried vocals and hectic sax vying for dominance. Slumb Party have another winner on their hands.

TIM HOLEHOUSE – Come (AAAHH!!! Real Records, www.real-records.co.uk)

Tim Holehouse is a UK based singer-songwriter who has roots in the hardcore and indie music scene. The songs here are played on acoustic guitar, with assistance from violins, cello, acoustic bass, and occasional piano and steel pedal guitar. Holehouse’s credo is making music for music’s sake, and it shows. These songs are heartfelt and personal. Like on the opening track, “Numbers Game,” a song that speaks to how our outlook on life evolves as we age, but certain things hold true all along the way. The line that gets me the most from this song is, “There’s no chance in looking back, there’s no rear view mirror in this life.” The strings really make this song; it’s quite beautiful, though the drums are a little heavier than I’d like. “Aveiro” is another personal one, a joyous song about touring in Portugal and enjoying time with friends. Again, it’s the strings that really convey the emotions of this song so well, especially when they’re played pizzicato. “One Day at a Time” is a wistful tune that has as its basic message the old saying, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. “I’m Not Icarus” is a song that seems to be about lack of confidence in one’s self. “They say the sky is the limit / But I can’t get off the ground / They say you got to have the head for height / But I don’t have the head for that right now.” Vocals are partly sung, partly spoken, as if telling a story. And that’s what these songs do, is tell stories, reveal private feelings and emotions. There’s only one song of the nine on this album that I couldn’t get into, and that’s “Placid Lake,” a song that felt too dissonant and out of place. But that’s OK, the other songs are really gorgeous. They effectively set a mood and put you into the picture, letting you see the places and feel the feelings of the songs. Nicely done.

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BLUES LAWYER – Something Different (Revolver USA, www.midheaven.com)

Urban Dictionary defines “blues lawyer” as “the target market for very expensive guitars, the implication being that the only people who actually buy them are rich hobbyists and not actual gigging musicians.” This Blues Lawyer, though, is a quartet from Oakland and are definitely legit musicians who play minimalist, quirky, hooky indie-pop music. The band started as a side project, but has morphed into a Bay Area staple. This record is their sophomore full-length. The lo-fi recording makes the record sound relaxed and casual, as if you’re listening to a recording the band made in their living room. The title track starts things out with a driving song. “I don’t know what I want / But I know that I need / I need something different” the song cries out. It could be an anthem for today’s young generation. There’s a dryness to the sound that gives it a solid presence, despite the lo-fi quality. “It’s Not Up To You” is a real standout. I love the slightly wobbly feel in the guitars in the chorus, mirroring the wobbly feel we have when we fall in love, which is the topic of the lyrics. “It’s All A Chore” could almost be a punk song, if it weren’t for how light and jangly the guitars are. That dichotomy is pretty nice. The minimalist melody and lyrics of “Nothing Complex” makes it a fun one. The melody and lyrics are simple and repetitive, just like the love felt toward another. Blues Lawyer may not be breaking any new ground, like the proverbial blues lawyers, but they sure make fun music.

CLASS PHOTO – Light Years Later (Jansen Records, Jansen Records, www.jansenrecords.com)

Here’s the key question: Are Class Photo a synth-pop band, an indie-pop band, or a disco-pop band? The answer is “Yes. “ They’re a comedy group, too, based on the bookending opening and closing tracks, which simulate those infuriating automated telephone answering systems most companies have these days. In between, the band offer up eleven eclectic tracks that range from the light electro-disco dance beats of “Yeah You Break (My Heart),” “Metallic Shades,” “Does the Cap Fit,” “Foreign Pictures,” and “Narrow Escape,” to the twee-pop songs “I’ve Been Cleaning Your Room,” “Keyboards on Her Fingers,” and “Magic Energy,” the latter of which is probably my favorite of the LP. A couple of the songs are both, like “Hard Conversation” and “Driving in a Storm.” All of the songs are done with tongue firmly in cheek and performed with an easy feel that belies how technically proficient the band is. The songs feel so relaxed and casual, but everything turns on a dime. When I first started listening, I was sure I was not going to like this, because I’m not a fan of disco. But this is so well done that it’s won me over.

HUSTLE AND DRONE – What an Uproar (hustleanddrone.bandcamp.com)

This record is dark. Synths swirl, tremble, and vibrate as Ryan Neighbors (ex- Portugal The Man) provides plaintive vocals and the steady beat from a drum machine keeping everything moving forward. This is not fun, joyous music; this is serious cathartic stuff. Buzzy electronics and beats, nasally ambient swirls, and minimalist guitar are all you get here, no big rock music. Most of the songs have spare instrumentation, with a very thin sound. A few of the songs are a bit thicker sounding. “Stranger” is a dancey number that layers the electronics to build a full sound, but it still has a pall cast over it, like a dark cloudy day, the only brightness coming from the splash of the raindrops in the puddles. An outlier is the pair of piano-based tracks, the short introductory “God Daughter” and “Stuck Inside of the Rain,” which follows without pause. The piano tracking has a meandering sound, recorded to feel old and ghostly. Neighbors’ vocals sound tentative. There’s a lot of open room in this gorgeously melancholy pair of tracks, and this is my highlight of the record. Also in the same vein is “Borrowed Time.” The electronic beats are much more subtle, and the mournful feel is prominent. These are songs of quiet desperation, and the mood is amazing. The album closer, “Never Sleep Alone,” is achingly good; the painful tension in the dissonant high-pitched synths is so unsettling. The lyrics reflect the pain of being apart from someone that you love so much that they’re part of your own soul. It’s these quieter numbers that make the record for me. You can keep the electro-beats.

MARK LIND AND THE UNLOVED – The Last Bastion (State Line Records, www.statelinerecords.com)

Former Ducky Boys front-man hasn’t been in the studio to record since 2013. And to break that streak, he rejoins with The Unloved for their first record in a decade. This is Boston-style punk’n’roll, or working class street punk, if you will, heavier on the rock than on the punk. And that’s about all I can really say about it. Honestly, there’s nothing that grabs me about this record. It’s not bad, it’s just nothing that moves me. Well, that’s not a hundred percent true. “Who’s To Say” is pretty good. It’s an acoustic track with angst in the vocals, accordion deep in the mists, and lyrics about the inevitability of everything. The lyrics are a bit repetitive, but the song’s feel is great. But the rest of the record just doesn’t move me.

RATIONAL ANTHEM – It’s Only Permanent (A-F Records, www.a-frecords.com)

Man, I love Rational Anthem! And it’s been way too long since their last LP, “Emotionally Unavailable,” came out – five years, to be precise. In the past they had been putting out an LP each year and touring incessantly, but the past half decade has seen then almost hibernating. It’s definitely been worth the wait, though, as this LP represents some of their best output ever. I didn’t think they could top the excellent “Emotionally Unavailable,” but they have. There’s a change in Rational Anthem’s approach here, but unchanged is Noelle Stolp’s enormous voice and big guitar, Chris Hembrough’s pounding bass, and Pete Stolp’s driving drums. The tightness is still there, too. While the opener, “Welcome to Paradise City” (a takeoff on Green Day’s “Welcome to Paradise” and Guns’N’Roses’ “Paradise City?”) is more akin to earlier efforts, other songs expand on the Rash’s pop punk sound. “Photographic Memory” has a speedy skate punk sound, and lyrics that reference Hüsker Dü, photos, fast driving, and aging – it’s almost as if it was written for me. As the album evolves, the songs get bigger, more expansive, and more adventurous. It’s clear this isn’t just the simple (yet excellent) pop punk of the past. Like “Stay Together for the Chicks.” It’s a little slower than other songs, and it really gets different on the bridge, in which it becomes more of an indie rock song with a wistful, lonely sound. “Alright Already” starts out more quietly, and even when it starts to get more raucous, it’s at a loping pace, with a strong bass line that drives the song. Again, when we get the bridge, right after the guitar solo (!) things get really different, with a cool throbbing guitar line pulled back in the mix. It’s this back half of the album where things really come alive, too. I love “Godspeed You Black Empanada,” not just for the hilarious title, but for it’s more moderately pace and its powerful rock. “Dragger” brings back the speed, but it’s a song that goes through changes in tempo and feel, sometimes sounding like skate punk, sometimes like more indie-rock. And The Rash save the best for last. “Through Being Punk” sings a song decrying the punk rock band lifestyle, calling for something more, something better. It’s got a huge, hopeful sound, rather than a resigned whine. The chorus’ melodic line is pretty great and the breakdown of the bridge is something I’ve not heard from the trio before. I like that, though the band is moving into a new direction, there’s still familiarity here. It’s an evolution, not a revolution. And it’s a recommended LP.

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BOTHERS (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

This rips! It’s like taking fast garage punk in the vein of Radioactivity, then blending in hard-driving rock and roll, like Motorhead. The guitars are used almost as percussion instruments, with a strong, steady, rapid beat of power chords. Vocals are sometimes shouted, sometimes roared, and sometimes sung with harmonies. The distorted guitars and lo-fi quality of the recording belie the tightness and creativity of this band. The power is almost non-stop, with minimal breathers. “No Trust” is one of those breathers sort of, as it slows things a bit and adds a ton of melody to the power chords. There’s a cool jangly bridge, too! But it’s still hard as hell, controlled chaos, and when the jangle yields back to power, it’s with an awesome deep rumble of bass. “Shut In” begins with a steady drum beat that sounds like it’s a the far end of a room, and then a huge, deep chord rings out, gets quieter, then louder – and then that bass sounds like it’s a plane about to land on you. That’s when the song begins in earnest. It’s one of the most intense song openings I can recall this year. The vocals are both growled and harmonized, which is an amazing feat. “Claw to Bone” is another favorite for it’s effortless gliding surf guitars, contrasted with the noisy chaos of everything else, all played at a breakneck pace. This is an exciting debut from this band from Portland. Their PR says “Bothers brings you napalm daydreams for the dystopian present.” Sounds about right. Highly recommended!

CINEMA CINEMA – CCXMD (Nefarious Industries, www.nefariousindustries.com)

OK, listen up, Jersey Beat readers. I’m going to tell you this as a friend. You need to expand your horizons. I can tell you’re stuck in that pop punk and indie rock rut, listening to the same bands play the same songs over and over again. I know it’s comforting, and it’s even fun. But there’s more out there! Some of it’s weird and exciting! Like Cinema Cinema, the art-punk outfit from New York. Guitar, saxophone, flute, drums, and bass are used to cross free jazz with a punk aesthetic, yielding outré improvisations over a steady beat and sometimes funky riffs. This is primarily instrumental, with only a couple occurrences of vocals, used as a musical instrument, with melodic lines from the vocals somewhat echoed in the instruments. The long-form jam, “Ode to a Gowanus Flower,” blends ancient tribal and Celtic sounds, with drums and flute, then funks things up with a grooving bass line, and the synths and guitar provide an angular alien texture. As the track evolves, the beat steadies and the funk becomes more dominant for awhile, before becoming more tribal again. The tracks are generally only three to five minutes long, with one exception, so is a good starting point for people who want to experiment with adventurous listening.

NIGHT SURF – The End of the World With… (Wiretap Records, www.wiretaprecords.com)

Back in the day, it used to be that certain record labels had a reputation for putting out quality music. If an album was released by a certain label, you knew you would like it. Lookout! Records and Dischord Records are two such labels that spring to mind. Labels like these have been hard to come by for a long time, but Wiretap Records is proving to be one. Head honcho Rob Castellon has a great ear, and I’ve liked pretty much everything he’s been putting out over the five or so years or the up and coming label’s existence. Brooklyn’s Night Surf, born out of the remnants of Habits a couple years ago, announced they had signed with Wiretap just this past summer, and this LP, their debut full-length, is the fruit of that partnership. The music drives hard and dark, but is ever melodic punk. Harmonized vocals are present, but used sparingly. Instead we get loud tuneful Orange County style punk rock, pounding bass and angry guitars joining the fury of the lead vocals. Some of the songs are just great hard pop punk, like “Not Today, Satan!” a fun bouncy song. The band is really tight, sounding like a group you would find at a larger venue, but the attitude and feel of the music is more intimate than that, like what you would hear at a dive bar. The songs are almost universally like this, more than mid-tempo but not quite loping, poppy and fun. Some of the songs do tend to blend one into another, but these are good songs. The standout is “With The Damned,” which ends the album. This one has a loping pace, slower than the other songs, bigger and more epic sounding than poppy. Night Surf is a worthy addition to Wiretap’s stable of artists, one you should be getting into.

NO VACATION – Phasing (Top Shelf Records, www.topshelfrecords.com)

Light, breezy indie pop from a cross-continental band with members based in both Brooklyn and San Francisco. Lead vocals from Sabrina Mai are dreamy, the drums are crisp, and the guitars are clean and jangly. “Estrangers” is an interesting song, with bubbly instrumentals, but lyrics that are more about a breakup. I like the contrast between the bright jangle and the hazy vocals. Sometimes it gets a bit over the top, with the overuse of mood-setting synths in a few of the tracks on instrumental breaks. Speaking of instrumental, the closing track of this five-song EP, “Last Dance,” is an instrumental. It’s a waltz, dominated by piano, that’s won my heart. It’s light and delicate, and feels like the soundtrack to an old 8mm family movie from ages ago, watching an ancestor playing as a child on a crisp autumn day. At least that’s the image that fills my head as I listen to it. I see the colorful leaves falling off the trees, the wind swirling around. It’s a wonderful soundscape. And the EP is quite wonderful, too.

PEANUT BUTTER – Don’t Stop (pbddc.bandcamp.com)

Peanut Butter is another one of these cross-country bands with members in multiple locations. In this case, members are on opposite sides of the continent, in Seattle and Washington, D.C. At least they’re both “Washington.” Don’t Stop” is the band’s third full-length LP, and they’re joined by Renata and Devin Ocampo this time out. The band is donating the first year of all online sales of the album to EG Justice, and organization dedicates to protecting the human rights of the people of Equatorial Guinea. Musically, Peanut Butter offer up a mix of psych and folk-pop music. It’s light and airy, and occasionally twangy, like “Berkeley Pit,” which has a swirly sound in the guitars, but also hints of an Americana sound. “Asteroid Negotiations” has an underlying feel of light jazz, with the rolling and swirling moving to the bass. I like the use of acoustic guitar in “Slow Retreat Too,” which opens the LP. The song has a nice jangly pop feel, but the acoustic gives it that retro folk-pop feel, a throwback to the late 60s Woodstock era. The surf guitar sound of “Secret Policeman’s Ball” is pretty effective, too. Peanut Butter isn’t necessarily breaking new ground here, but this is a solid LP.

PROTECTED LEFT – Fossil (protectedleft.bandcamp.com)

Oakland and the East Bay are not normally what springs to mind when you mention skate punk. The East Bay is more associated with pop punk, and skate punk is most frequently found in Orange County. But Protected Left turn convention on its head on this five song EP. Streaks of metal run through the music. It’s fast and loud, but also more melodic and less crunchy than other bands of the genre. Even the super fast and loud opener, “Never Know,” even has melodic hooks and harmonized vocals. The songs are played at a frenetic pace with loads of energy. And if you like guitar flourishes, well, Protected Left do too! “Old Life” starts out with gorgeous acoustic guitars before launching into some fairly brutal metallic punk. “Reboot,” the closer, is probably my favorite, having an epic feel and heavy dose of glam pop mixed into the powerful punk. I think the proximity of all that pop punk has had an effect on Protected Left, and mixing genres can be fun!

SCHIZOPHONICS – People in the Sky (Pig Baby Records, www.pigbabyrecords.com)

Damn, I love this band! San Diego’s Schizophonics are a high-energy hard rockin’ band playing the best retro crossover music this side of the pond. Imagine the early Beatles as a super-charged garage band instead of a smoothed out commercial pop band. Now triple the amount of soul by adding in James Brown at his peak. That description barely does justice to what this band sounds like, and their live shows are something to behold. This album contains twelve unrelenting tracks that, if they don’t get you off your ass and jumping around the room like a crazy person, it’s because you’re dead. And, while most of the tracks are typically short pop-song length of two and a half to three and a half minutes long, the opening track, “Something’s Got To Give” is an epic five and a half minutes of pure ecstatic release that’s the sort of thing that’s perfect as a closer for a live set. “Steely Eyed Lady” is one of the hardest driving tracks you’re likely to come across from an active band today, with the drums, bass, and guitar propelling the song forward like a locomotive. The title track takes the same formula but includes a heavy dose of psychedelic 60s tones to get you tripping while you’re speeding, as does “Battle Line.” It’s crazy how these genres are so seamlessly blended together, but it works so well. I love the simple “Like a Mummy,” a track that uses the most basic rock and roll blues line, then includes a guitar solo with an Egyptian flair. The closer on this album, “She’s Coming Back,” is a gloriously hopeful sounding song, and is the sort of thing that’s perfect for opening a live set, to get everyone jumping. There isn’t a single lull on this album; Schizophonics don’t let up for one second. Highly recommended! The only thing I would change would be to exchange the first and last songs in the running order.

WACO – Human Magic (Standby Records, www.standbyrecords.com)

Originally planned for release in early 2019, the first singles were dropped a year ago. This debut LP from the UK group, however, was delayed and is just now seeing its US release. It’s a good thing the record made it out, because it’s a good one, with variety in the sound and feel of the songs. “The Jersey Devil” is the leadoff, and was one of those early singles. It reminds me a bit of a slightly more relaxed Rocket From The Crypt. I like “Levenshulme Lover,” a song that alternately sounds of ancient folk tune and modern sing-along pop punk. There’s the vaguely Latin rock of “N15,” and “My Brother, We’ll Rise Again” is a dark dusty spiritual. “The Valleys” is a strong indie rock song, with big guitars, and “Smalltown Goths” opens with the same melodic line, but played slowly and quietly on keyboards. It’s a great transition, and then the track starts in earnest with a great garage rock sound. “Six Feet Under” is folk-punk played on acoustic guitar and with the warmth of organ, then transforms to bluesy country as the electric guitar, bass, and drums come in. “By My Side” reminds me a bit of Elvis Costello. It’s the same brand of pop music he made, and the vocals have a similar sound. Another early single, “Catbrain,” is a powerful one, musically and lyrically. There are some great angular guitars, tribal rhythms, and wailing saxophones, and the lyrics reference the growing divide between the rich and everyone else, all around the world. The album closes with a poem, “Tomorrow’s Gorgeous Globe.” It’s a hopeful ode to what could be, if only….if only. The album is diverse, yet cohesive. That’s the perfect sort of album, in my mind.

WARP LINES – Human Fresh (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Mix lo-fi garage punk with melodic power pop, a la Steve Adamyk Band. Now add some powerful repetitive off-kilter lines, like Hot Snakes or (dare I say it?) Swans. You end up with some great music, dark and brooding kind of like The Creeps, but also with tons of poppy melody. Scratchy dark power pop dominates the dozen songs on offer. Of course the band is from Canada, home to many great bands in this vein, including a couple I mentioned. Every song on this debut LP is a banger, unyielding in their power. But a few special mentions must be made. “Measured” opens with an intense angular guitar attack before resolving to some gorgeous power pop with guitars that jangle. The contrast of the hook-filled lines with the zigzagging guitars is unsettling and amazing. I like the driving force that is “Easter Island,” a track that feels like it’s moving forward in an unstoppable way, even has the pop nature of the song breaks through. And “Stay” is a killer, with a three-four meter and dissonance in abundance. And the album closes with “No Device,” a pummeling track that’ll leave you sprawled out on the floor, gasping for air. I love when there are exciting new records from exciting new bands. “Human Fresh” is one such record from one such band.

WET SPECIMENS – Haunted Flesh (Brain Slash Records, brainslash.storenvy.com)

Dark, distorted hardcore punk, with eerie guitars and anguished distant vocals. Imagine melding goth and hardcore and Wet Specimens is what you might get. You can feel the despair, the evil, but also the power and the speed. Four of the five tracks on this EP move at breakneck speed, with only “The Scaphoid” moving at a much slower pace, sludge oozing from your speakers. The band is tight and on point for the genre. If you’re a fan of this sort of sound, jump on this. Though I like good lo-fi garage punk, this one is too distorted for my ears, and comes across as muddy. If the sound could be cleaned up just a bit I think I would be more into it.

GORDON WITHERS – Jawbreaker on Cello (New Granada Records, www.newgranada.com)

Jawbreaker never sounded like this! Gordon Withers has arranged and recorded songs from throughout Jawbreaker’s catalog, multi-tracking the different parts and making these raspy pop punk and indie rock songs sound downright orchestral. Absent, of course, are vocals, and melodic leads are replaced by one of the cello tracks. On the tough grunge-like “Fireman,” off of 1995’s LP “Dear You,” the cello manages to make the song sound both tough and delicate at the same time. I like the rendition of “Ashtray Monument,” one of my lesser favorites from “24 Hour Revenge Therapy.” Withers manages to make this otherwise lackluster song sound downright mysterious. And the version of “Ache” offered up will bring you to tears. The melancholy is so much more palpable on cello, and the arrangement is just beautiful. The classic “Chesterfield King” off the “Bivouac” LP loses something in translation to cello. It’s pretty, like all the tracks, but this is a song that’s supposed to sound rough, full of hope and despair, uncertainty and confused emotions. I guess the cello version is just too even-keeled to get that all across. The title track from “Bivouac,” on the other hand, is one of the most beautiful things you’ll listen to all year, and this one is dripping with feeling. The perennial favorite, “Boxcar,” closes the album, and it’s got the same fun bounce and irreverent attitude of the original. You might say cello isn’t punk, but save your breath. Instead, just listen to this, because at its heart, it shows the wondrous songwriting of Jawbreaker and lets us appreciate the depth and complexity their songs have.

KOBANES / THE SHECKIES – Hangar Time Split EP (Rat Girl Records, www.ratgirlrecords.storenvy.com)

Two pop punk bands from your past are teaming up to haunt you. Kobanes and The Sheckies are firmly in the Ramones-core camp, with simple, poppy, punky songs that bounce. Each band contributes three tracks. First, Kobanes give us a weird intro track that’s not really a song, but then “Nostalgia Is Dead” comes on, sounding just like Teenage Bottlerocket had recorded it, but with the addition of a keyboard. “Monkey Man” is even a little slower, with lyrics that describe a caricature of the life of an ape in the wild.

The Sheckies provide their funny-punk as always (they claim their name comes from a character from the film, “It Came From Hollywood,” but I believe that character must have been named for comedian Sheckie Green). This is obvious as soon as their first contribution starts: “Too Fat for My Leather Jacket.” How many of us has that happened to? Raises hand. The pace is quicker and the melody sparklier. “Me and You, Miyo” slows things down some, and “That’s Not Her” is downright ballad-like, but all the songs are definitely Ramones-core. If you’re a fan of these bands from back in the day, this record wont disappoint.

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SWANS – Leaving Meaning (Young God Records, www.younggodrecords.com)

When Swans came out of hibernation a decade ago I was floored by their LP, “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky.” I was most familiar with the earliest, noisiest Swans releases, and while they were good, they’re also best in smaller doses. I know the band tamed down their sound over the late 80s and into the 90s, but “My Father…” was a revelation, though. They could introduce tension and noise, but do it in a much more accessible way, even using melodic lines. It is still one of my favorite albums of the past decade. Subsequent releases showed an evolution in the newfound style of the new incarnation of Swans, always with the genius behind it all, Michael Gira. The music lost some of its dissonance and added ambience, a little more with each release. Sometime after the release of 2016’s “Glowing Man” Gira announced the end of the reconstituted Swans, which had enjoyed a reasonably stable line-up since the 2010 reformation. Thankfully it did not mean another decade of silence, and Gira continues to record under the Swans moniker, now with a rotating cast of musicians. That brings us to their latest studio LP and the first since “Glowing Man.”

This album runs a full 94 minutes, more than double “My Father…” but not quite as long as “The Glowing Man,” which clocked in at a whopping two hours. In true Swans form, most of the songs are double or triple the length of a typical pop song, but we don’t get any 20-minute epics this time around. The album begins with the shortest track, “Hum.” At two minutes in length, it’s a mysterious introduction, with more of the ambience and less of the dissonance. “Annaline,” too, focuses on ambience, with glimmering synths, strings, and flutes, and a gorgeous simple melodic line, sung in Gira’s deep baritone.

“Amnesia” is a quiet acoustic waltz, with the feeling of a folk tune…except after the initial pair of verses, there’s a pause, and a loud thrum, then we return to the folk tune, but other instruments begin to interject, with moans and wails, and a ghostly backing choir emerges at points. This pattern repeats over and over, adding to the mesmerizing effect, Likewise, the title track is a waltz that throbs with ambient haze, piano being the most prominent instrument.

Things really get going, though, with “The Hanging Man.” It introduces the primary sound for this record: hypnotic. This extended track has a short repeating line that throbs, quietly dissonant guitars strumming away, and a vaguely tribal drum. Gira’s vocals sing the lyrics in primarily a single note line, occasionally raising his voice to a shout. Muted trombone bleats rise and fall, and you fall into a trance. The melodic line slowly evolves, getting louder, a little more dissonant, the key rising. “Sunfucker” melds the hypnotic with the dissonant, the result sounding like evil crawling out of the depths of Hell. Halfway through, the vibe changes, adding a beat, with Gira’s multi-tracked vocals providing the hypnotic effect while the vaguely hip-hop instrumentals loop beneath. This track, too, builds in intensity to the end.

“The Nub” is one that sounds dark and mysterious, with piano tinkling over eerie instrumental ambience. Unison female choir slowly intone the lyrics, as if reciting an incantation. And “It’s Coming It’s Real” has a bluesy melodic line, with Gira’s deadpan vocals, mostly spoken, the female vocal choir sounding more angelic, and a clanging alarm of a guitar lurking in the background. As the track progresses, it builds, and evolves from blues to gospel. “Some New Things” continues the theme of inducing a trancelike state, as the short melodic line repeats over and over, including Gira’s vocals.

But it’s the penultimate track that’s the most astounding. “What Is This” starts out simply enough, with strings, piano, and vocals. But about two and a half minutes into the track, sleigh bells come in, and a backing vocal choir joins the steady drumbeat. Two more minutes in and chimes start ringing and the vocal choir adds its own line. This is a Christmas carol, as only Swans could do it!

While I may have been disappointed with the progression from 2010 to 2016 toward more ambience and less tension, I think “Leaving Meaning” is my favorite Swans album since “My Father…” It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, especially Jersey Beat readers who solely focus on rock genres of punk and indie. But it gets a very high recommendation from me.

THE DROWNS – "Hold Fast" b/w "Demons" (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespress records.com)

The Drowns are one of the hardest working bands in punk right now. They’re constantly touring and putting out records at a frantic pace. Following hot on the heels of their debut LP, “View from the Bottom,” which came out late last year, and the single “The Sound” that came out a few months back, here’s a new single from a new LP that’s in the works already. What this new single delivers is just what you’d expect: two strong working class American punk rock songs. “Hold Fast” is a great, tough song with amazingly tight gang vocals on the chorus. And I love the tension that builds in the instrumental bridge. “Demons” is a great melodic pop punk sing-along, more reminiscent of other such bands from the Pacific Northwest. I love the dry sound in the lead vocals contrasted against the big chorus, and the simple melodic line played in the lead guitar is effective. This is quite a good teaser for the sophomore LP.

EXTRA ARMS – Up From Here (Dadstache Records, www.ddstacherecords.com/ Get Party! Records, getparty.bandcamp.com)

Following up last year’s great debut LP, “Headacher,” Michigan’s Extra Arms is back with eight new songs of power-pop-punk goodness. Filling out the band founded by Ryan Allen are guitarist Michael Gallacher, bassist Ryan Marshall, and drummer Daniel Stover. And the album is certainly a worthy successor, with no signs of a sophomore slump! As with the debut, the songs teeter on the edge between pop punk and power pop, with hints of glam pop-rock tossed in, a la Cheap Trick. “F.L.Y.” opens the party with a track that’s equal parts of each genre and loaded with hooks. I like how the pop punk melody blends with the glam-pop big guitar sound. I love “Disruptor,” a track whose guitars manage to sound tough and jangly at the same time. “No Enemies” is a gorgeous, sprawling pop song, and the quietly buzzing synth doesn’t distract too much from the powerful guitars and gliding vocals. “Hold Me All The Time” is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. It’s a power pop song with tough guitars, harmonized vocals, and a shining melodic line. The transformation of “Space Jam” toward the end of the song, from huge fuzzed out ballad to quiet acoustic is nicely done. And the title track is the perfect album closer, pulling all the band’s threads together to form an epic tapestry. The tambourine drop at the end is a fun touch, too. You like power pop and pop punk? Get on this now!

THE RESTARTS – Uprising (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

This is hardcore punk fucking rock! Lots of bands are nostalgic for the sound and try to play it, but it rarely comes out right. The Restarts, though, are the real deal. An English band, based in London, the Restarts have been around for the better part of 25 years, though they sound like they’ve been around a decade longer than that. This is authentic early 80s hardcore punk, powerful and angry. A few of the tracks diverge somewhat. “Shut Doors” is ska-punk, but there are parts of it played with a surf guitar sound, others with a big punk sound. The vocals, though, are still Oi influenced, gritty and gravelly, like all the tracks. And “20 Years” is the other ska-punk track on the album. It, too, has plenty of Oi mixed in. “First World Problems” is awesome, starting out with a more modern melodic punk sound, and then launching into speedy hardcore, NY style. The track takes a brief metallic detour before closing faster than you can say, “see you in the pit.” “A Dark Day In September” has a less speedy sound, reminding me of some of the great Chicago bands like Pegboy, Naked Raygun, or The Effigies, but crossed with an Oi attitude. It’s favorite of this LP. “The Fork” reminds me of a harder, angrier Crass, but working class Oi instead of crust punk. And “New World Order” has a great eerie feel to it, with a loping pace. The balance of the tracks are some of the best rapid-fire hardcore I’ve heard in years. Angular chord changes abound, and you can feel the heat from the vocals. This band is on fire! Tracks like “Panic,” “The One Percent,” and “Uprising” remind of why I got into this music in the first place: the energy, the anger, and the political statements. This record is excellent.

SLEAVE – Don’t Expect Anything (Engineer Records, www.engineerrecords.com)

Richmond, Virginia has been the birthplace of great bands in the past. Avail, Ann Beretta, Municipal Waste, and more. Now add to that Sleave. Formed in 2016, Sleave has finally gotten around to releasing their debut LP, teaming up with the UK’s Engineer Records. They play a brand of indie/alternative rock that has elements of post hardcore and emo sounds. There’s a huge, sweeping, epic sound to the dozen songs on this record. The guitars sound crunchy and jangly at the same time. “Cataracts,” the second track, is a great example. It’s super melodic, has the big wall of guitar sound alternating with a calmer jangle, and vocals that go from quietly pleading to shouted anger. “Swept” is one that uses gang vocals that are part shouted, part sung on the chorus. It’s a slower track that, nevertheless, is played at full boil. “Check Myself” has more of a standard 2000s sound in the verses, with melodic post-hardcore music, angst-filled spoken vocals, single note riffs, and periods of shouting. There isn’t a standard verse chorus verse chorus structure, but the sections between the “verses” are immense and have the most beautiful guitars and chord progressions. “Better Abettor” is another favorite – like many of the tracks, it’s filled with contrasting textures, which makes for a great listen. Quiet and jangly, loud and angry, dissonant vs. melodic, singing vs. shouting – it’s all here in one track in under four minutes. “Drinkin’” leans toward more of a modern west coast emotional pop punk sound, a genre near and dear to my heart. It’s the sort of thing you’d hear in a dive bar with lots of beer drinking and lots of people pushing to the front to sing along with the band. This is an exciting debut from an exciting “new” band on the scene.

TERRITORIES – "Quit This City" b/w "Defender" (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Calgary band Territories have been busy, supporting nearly every big punk show that comes through their hometown, and now venturing forth on their first tour south of their border. This single celebrates this, with two tracks of very working class rock music, sort of halfway between the working class pop punk of The Drowns and the blue collar music of the E-Street Band. The title track has a warm sound, thanks to the electric organ, and the B-side reminds me of the great UK band Blitz. I hadn’t heard of Territories before this record, but it seems like we’ll be hearing more from them – and that’s a good thing.

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AUDIO KARATE – Malo (Wiretap Records, www.wiretaperecords.com)

Audio Karate, a SoCal band that was active in the 90s to the mid 2000s, went on a long hiatus in 2006, came back to life last year with a new single and a signing to Wiretap Records. It was a teaser for a brand new LP, which is what we’re here to talk about. These songs were all written and recorded in 2006, but never mixed and released -- until now. And it’s a good thing it finally saw the light of day. The previously released two songs from the single act as bookends for this LP, with “Bounce” opening and “Landing” closing the album. As I mentioned in my review of the single, “Bounce” is prototypical 2000s emo-tinged pop punk, with angst-filled vocals and intertwining guitar lines. “Sin Chuchillo” also has a smoothed out post-hardcore feel. And “Get…Mendoza” also sounds like it’s from that era and genre, though the departure from the expected norm somewhat starts here. The song has a more cinematic feel, and more tension than the first two. The surf guitar lines are cool, providing a dark mysterious quality. And then, from there, things get really weird, in a very cool way. “Pardon Me” is a gorgeous romantic pop track that sounds like it spans the 60s to the present. The bells and strings are pretty, and the simple backing guitar is just right. “Good Loving Man” is an expansive track that sounds sort of what the Beatles might have done had they continued on into the 2000s. It has definite power pop influence, but the guitar solo toward the end doesn’t seem to fit. “Room Down The Hallway” is a jangly power pop tune, completely out of character for the band and its era, bit it’s beautiful. The penultimate track, “Saturday Night (You Ain’t Down Foo),” feels more in line with the band’s most well known sound. I still love “Landing,” the quiet ballad, with its clean guitar sound and falsetto vocals. This album is not at all what I expected; it was an amazingly nice surprise!

SUICIDE GENERATION – Prisoner of Love (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

Suicide Generation are back with a three-song EP of sleazy greasy garage punk. Raucous and rompin’ stompin’, the three songs on this record are sure to get you into a frenzy. My favorite of the three is the third track, “Rotten Mind.” It’s old school early punk rock, with all that implies. The title track is more reminiscent of 50s greaser rock, the sort of stuff you would listen to while working on your hot rod. And “Shitty In The City” has more of a classic garage rock sound, a slower tempo, and an even looser feel than the other songs. Garage punk’n’roll has been seeing a resurgence lately, and Dirty Water Records is leading the way.

SCREAMING FEMALES – Singles Too (Don Giovanni Records, www.dongiovanirecords.com)

Covering the fifteen years or so of the Screaming Females’ career as a band, Singles Too collects together nearly every non-LP cut, from all the early 7” records and digital B-sides, plus a remixed track, too. And the download and CD have six bonus cover songs. It’s a great way to hear the progress of the band through the years, condensed down into a convenient listening format. The album begins with the very first 7” single the band released, with the songs “Arm Over Arm” and “Zoo of Death.” “Arm In Arm” is poppier than what would become the band’s signature sound, and Marissa Paternoster’s guitar is downright jangly on the song. Apparently she isn’t happy with the track, claiming she made mistakes and wasn’t aware she could ask for a retake. But it sounds really nice to me. With the B-side of that single, we start to get a sense of what would be the Screaming Females’ bread and butter: grungy rock and roll, dripping with melody and singed around the edges by acid rock. The guitar tone is still somewhat jangly, though the attitude is much deeper, and Paternoster’s powerful vocals punch you in the gut. I really love the dark, jumpy “No Being Disgusting,” from a split EP released with Full of Fancy. It’s the release that showed the world that Paternoster is one of indie-rock’s best guitarists, and her manic vocals are unbelievably intense. “Pretty OK” from that same split gives us the big sound and songwriting that has become the band’s primary sound. It’s a great melodic rock and roll number with pop sensibility, melding sounds of bands like Led Zeppelin and Nirvana to create something new and dynamic. “Ancient Civilization,” from a split with Tenement, has a great hypnotic psych feel to it. The throbbing bass, strong backbeat, and single-note guitar line induce a trance-like feeling, though Paternoster’s monstrous vocals keep one connected to reality. “Skeleton” is another favorite, with its super-buzzy guitar tone and explosive chorus. Paternoster’s guitar mastery is on full display, and it’s enough to make a lesser guitarist quit. That remix I mentioned is of “End of My Bloodline,” from the album “All At Once.” It’s more than a remix – it’s a whole different song! The lyrics are different, and are rapped instead of sung! It’s an impressive track, tough and dark. Those bonus tracks include covers of Neil Young (an edgier, faster version of the lazy “Cortez the Killer”), Sheryl Crow (a more soulful version of “If It Makes You Happy”), Patti Smith Group (an excellent, faithful rendition of “Because the Night”), Guided By Voices (a thicker, richer take on “A Good Flying Bird”), Taylor Swift (“Shake It Off” as only the Screamales can do it), and Annie Lennox (“No More “’ Love You’s’” done more as a 70s rock ballad than the 80s theatrical number of the original). So many of the tracks on this collection are hard to come by these days, so it’s so very nice to have them all together. It’s a must have.

VINNIE CARUANA – Aging Frontman (Know Hope Records, www.knowhoperecords.com)

The six songs on this new mini-LP from the former frontman for the pop punk and post-hardcore band Movielife are vastly different from the music he performed back in the day. Gone is the punk, gone is the hardcore, and gone is the edginess. In their place is dreamy indie-rock, much more introspective sounding than his earlier output. It’s sort of like taking post-hardcore music, but telling it to relax, it lies down for a nap and dozes off to sweet dreams. The music is dreamy, but it has an edge to it, still. This is especially noticeable on “Dying in the Living Room,” a song that has a hazy feel in the instrumentals, but the vocals and rhythm section have more aggressive ideas. My favorite song is probably “Alone,” a track that starts quietly with a dark mysterious sound and builds from there. It gets bigger and bigger, and as the climax of the song is reached it suddenly cuts off, unresolved. “Providence” is another song that builds. It starts quietly with just acoustic guitar and vocals. Over time, as the electric guitars, bass, and drums come in, and it becomes a huge epic tune, less dreamy, more soulful, with multi-tracked harmonized vocals. The closer, “Tex The Rock Johnson” uses ukulele to create a very different feel from the rest of the songs, lighter and bouncier. As the track goes on, the reverb increases, giving the song a more distant feel, an interesting way to close the record. While this record isn’t going to make any waves, it’s a solid effort and a good listen.

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FINE DINING – Grass Fed Tunes (Emmer Effer Records, wmmerefferrecords. bandcamp.com)

Hailing from LA’s South Bay area, Fine Dining are a quartet that specialize in speedy skate punk. True to the genre, the music is melodic and metallic, crunchy, and did I say speedy? The pace of the music blazes. The vocals are powerful and well controlled, but manic when the song calls for it. The guitars and bass are crunchy. This band is super tight. And this is just their debut EP! But these guys are veterans of the scene, all having played in various bands before. Some of the songs also feature gang vocals reminiscent of youth crew hardcore of days gone by. Of the first three tracks, I think “Elephant in the Van” may be my favorite, staying focused on the speed and punk qualities. “A Drink For You” is the most formulaic skate punk of the songs, including (well) harmonized vocals on the chorus. The closing track is a cover – of a cover. The Animals made “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” a rock and roll hit in 1965 and part of rock history, but the song was written for singer Nina Simone, who recorded it a year earlier. This original is delicate and delicious. The Animals’ cover is moody and mysterious. Fine Dining’s take pounds relentlessly, alternately loping at a moderate tempo or zooming along at an incredible pace. It’s metallic hardcore, and the vocals are definitely solidly gruff and metallic. While the band do a fine job playing the song, I’m not sure the style matches the melody. Overall, while Fine Dining aren’t pushing genre boundaries here, if you’re a fan of skate punk, this band acquit themselves more than competently, and you’re going to enjoy this record.

HEAZZA (Audible Paint, www.audiblepaint.com)

Sweet vocals, piano, percussion, and synths blend to create some pretty ambient pop. I really like “The Dark,” the track that opens the six-song EP. It sounds both mysterious and familiar at the same time, and the strings) add a gorgeous touch. Heazza’s vocals are reminiscent of the classic chanteuses of yore, giving the song the feel of a jazz ballad. “Occupied” features powerful vocals, a nice melodic line, and some cool buzzy synths, along with synthesized steel drums, providing a breezy island feel. The use of strings, particularly cello, on “Hazy Blue” gives it a wonderfully introspective sound, but the synth tone selections are a bit annoying, reminding me of the cheap synth soundtracks from the latter Tom Baker seasons of the Doctor Who TV show. More strings would have been better than the synths on this track. And I do like the closer, “Crimson Eyes.” The melody is beautiful, and I like how the song ebbs and flows, and the orchestral arrangement is on the mark, though the vocal phrasings feel a little forced. I’m not crazy about “Stuck,” though, which has the feel of a commercialized, whitewashed, and homogenized “soul” song. I think that, though taken in isolation, some of these songs are quite nice, what bothers me is the sameness of everything: slow ballads with the same piano, synths, and strings. Ballads are great sometimes, but not as every song on a record.

JUMPSTARTED PLOWHARDS – Round One (Recess Records, www.recessrecords.com)

Hailing from San Pedro, California, Jumpstarted Plowhards is a new band featuring the legendary Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Mike Watt and the Missingmen) and Todd Congelliere (F.Y.P., Toys That Kill, Underground Railroad to Candyland, Clown Sounds). Each track features a different guest drummer, including George Hurley (Minutemen, fIREHOSE), Patty Schemel (Hole), and more. The result is some spare, menacing punk rock. The music sounds dusty, right out of the California desert. The vocals are urgent, and the guitars wail inconsolably. In an unusual move, “The Punk Setup,” the second track of the LP, uses a melodica, one of those mouth operated keyboard things. It adds to a mysterious feel. “The Garter Snakes” is a favorite, alternating the dark sound with the brighter relaxed pop punk often employed by Congelliere’s bands. Another thing borrowed from Congelliere’s aesthetic is the lo-fi recording of vocals. It’s a technique used throughout the whole album whenever he’s singing, but when Watt’s voice is heard, like on “Makin’ It All Settle Down,” it’s a much cleaner sound. That track, by the way, is a simple one, but another favorite. The lyrics are simple and repeated, as is the music, but it’s got the feel of a powerful jam. This is just round one – the band plan to record five LPs before they start to play live. If this is just round one, I can’t wait for the next four to come out, so I can see these guys live, because this is great stuff.

LAGWAGON – Railer (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

Another one of Fat Wreck’s longstanding bands is back with another new LP, following in the footsteps of Strung Out, Bracket, and Good Riddance. After three decades of honing their skills and sound, they’ve reached peak skate punk and have the “Fat” sound down pat. Fast, loud, crunchy and melodic, with metallic flourishes here and there, Lagwagon deliver the goods. One favorite song is “Jini,” which starts out with the feel of a rock and roll folk tune before launching into a full-tilt fast’n’loud track. The guitars pound out a single note drone, acting as a percussion instrument, while the folk tune melody continues. I also like “Dark Matter,” a track that in places has a metallic Bad Religion sort of vibe, but gets really melodic in the chorus, expansive sounding, and even a bit jangly. Many of the tracks are focused on the poppiness and the speed of the music, but there are some songs that are edgier, harder, and more metallic than others. “Dangerous Animal” is one such track. Super crunchy, this song races by, guttural growls emanating from the guitars as the bass and drums pound mercilessly. The vocals, by contrast, are smooth as silk on the harmonized chorus. And, after a beautifully subtle and retro opening with piano and guitar, “The Suffering” explodes with a metallic onslaught. If you’re a fan of skate punk and the classic Fat Wreck sound, you can’t go wrong here; it’s a solid release.

LIGHTNING DUST – Spectre (Western Vinyl, www.westernvinyl.com)

The unifying factors in the ten songs on this album are synths, quietness, and subtlety. Beyond that, there are many differences from track to track, with some songs reminding me of Julee Cruise singing the songs of Andre Badalamenti, others feeling like folk tunes, and more like easy indie pop. The opening track is a bit of an outlier, more different from the other tracks by far. It’s heavier on the ambience and synths, and when the percussion joins in it’s with a tribal beat. As the song evolves, the electronics get a little crazy with the strings, in a chaotic jam, while the drums keep pounding away. “Led Astray” reminds me of a 1960s flower power folk rock anthem, and “Joanna” is a gorgeous waltz that feels like an updated version of an ancient folk tune. “More” is another waltz featuring piano, strings, and synths, reminding me of something sort of post-classical. “Inglorious Flu” is a contemplative track, with piano holding more sway than the synths, which are used to create atmosphere more than anything. The tone used is very Badalamenti, and the ethereal vocals remind me of Cruise. The haziness of it all, too, is familiar to all Twin Peaks fans. “Competitive Depression” sounds like a light, synth-based grunge song. And the closer, “3am/100 Degrees,” is an understated indie-rock track. I think my favorites are the songs that sound older than they are, but the diversity of songs amidst cohesion of tone makes this a compelling record.

MINI MELTDOWNS – Destined for Disaster (Good Land Records, www.goodlandrecords.com)

This four-song EP from the two-state band (drummer and vocalist Jon Phillip lives in Tennessee while bassist Scott Schoenbeck hails from Wisconsin) is a blast of power-pop-punk – power pop mixed with pop punk. Four guitar-fueled songs that will remind you of bands like The Marked Men and Radioactivity, but maybe slowed down a touch and with a bit of classic rock and roll mixed in. The sound is thick and powerful, but the harmonized vocals lighten things up with a beachy feel on “Gonna Miss You.” “I Wanna Miss You” is grittier, darker, with hints of mod influence. “Afraid of Everything” has a very classic rock and roll sound, with a chord progression that will sound, at first, familiar, but then the Mini Meltdowns have fun turning convention on its head. And “You Bring Me Down” is raucous fun. It’s great seeing the power pop renaissance going on lately with so many new bands with fantastic songs. Mini Meltdowns is one of those you should check out.

ODD ROBOT / TINY STILLS – Split (Wiretap Records, www.wiretaprecords.com)

Wiretap Records is one of those labels. You know, the ones where you’re pretty sure you’re going to like everything the label puts out. Lookout! Records was like that. Dischord Records, too. This latest Wiretap release is a split EP, with two songs from each band, one original and one cover of the other band. Tiny Stills starts the fun and games with “Everything Is Going Great,” their original contribution. It’s a darkly powerful and melodic song about putting up a front to fool yourself and others. It teeters on the border of pop punk and indie rock, and it makes me want to hear more from this band that I was unfamiliar with before today. Tiny Stills’ cover is of “Schadenfreude,” from Odd Robot’s sophomore LP, “Amnesiatic.” They acquit themselves quite well, giving the already bouncy song even more of a poppy edge, thinning the sound a bit, making the bass more prominent and giving the drums more of a hopping sound in places. Odd Robot’s original is “I Am A Cortisol Factory,” and it’s classic Odd Robot, poppy and bouncy, with Andy Burris’ crooning vocals. The new touch is having two guitars an octave apart on some parts, giving the song a nice depth. I think this is the first recording the band have released since Mike Doherty switched from bass to guitar and Logan Barton joined the band on bass. It provides for a nice, full sound. Their cover of Tiny Stills’ “15-17 Months” does a good job, putting their own spin on it. They go for a bigger, crunchier sound than the original, and one the chorus they go for a quicker pace for a bit, eschewing the nice lilt that the original maintains. Once again, Wiretap hits it out of the park!

SICKO – In The Alternate Timeline (Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

When pop punk was exploding in the East Bay in the 1990s, a small band from Seattle was producing music that was the equal of, if not better than, many of those bands that went on to bigger careers with major labels. Formed in 1991 and releasing four full-length LPs, four singles or EPs, and appearing on some compilations over the course of seven years, Sicko never achieved the sort of recognition of their contemporaries to the south that were part of the Gilman Street and Lookout Records! scene. Now, working closely with the band members to select nineteen of their favorite tracks, Red Scare hopes to correct this by presenting a compendium that shows the world what we’ve forgotten: the greatness of Sicko. Spanning their entire career, these tracks bring back songs that have been long out of print to a new generation of punk fans. It’s so damn hard picking out favorite tracks, because every single one is so damn good. Some of the tracks lean more toward the punk side of things, fast and raucous, like the opening track “Where I Live,” originally from the band’s first LP, “You Can Feel The Love In This Room.” These songs stick closely to the archetype that came out of the late 80s East Bay. “80 Dollars,” from a split single” released with The Mr. T Experience, is a song that I hear echoed in dozens of pop punk bands that followed. And I really love “Farm Song,” which feels so much like a MTX song, but appeared on the album “Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy.”

Others songs are more focused on the pop side of creating songs with great hooks and melodies. “FB Song,” which was released on the 7” EP “Count Me Out,” alternates between raw garage pop and great jangly power pop. “A Song About A Rabbit” is a light bouncy indie-pop song from the LP “You Are Not The Boss Of Me” that’s a lot of fun. I also really love “Little,” a mid-tempo track that has a gorgeous guitar tone and pretty melodic line that, is the sort of thing we heard from may pop punk bands playing slower, more meaningful songs in the decade that followed.

Then there are the tracks that fire with both barrels, fast and punked up, but jangly and poppy, with melodic lines that have way more going for them than any punk song has any business having. “The Sprinkler” is one such track, off the first LP. The song is played briskly, with distorted guitars alternating with a clean tone, but the bass is playing something more complex than a typical punk song, and the melody is quite nice. “High Hopes” is another urgent heart-felt song, played like there’s no tomorrow, yet with undeniable sincerity.

It certainly is a shame that Sicko was stuck in Seattle at a time when all anyone wanted from that town was grunge. They deserved so much more notoriety than they got. But thanks to Red Scare, you can hear that for yourself. Who’s Green Day again? Recommended.

VARIOUS – Red Scare Industries: 15 Years of Tears and Beers (Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

Wow, Red Scare Industries is fifteen years old? That’s like 100 in mainstream label years! To celebrate, boss Toby Jeg has collected together songs from bands new and old that have released music with the label and put out a compilation that illustrates the quality of punk music they’ve been releasing since 2004. And none of these are stale old re-releases of songs from old records; every song is new and previously unreleased! And, yes, every song is a good one. With the self-imposed limitations imposed this particular celebratory releases (there are a mere fifteen tracks here, one for each year of operation), there’s a good cross-section of the label represented here. Long-time acts like The Copyrights, Elway, Brendan Kelly and the Wandering Birds, and Garrett Dale (Red City Radio) are here, as are newer bands like Sincere Engineer, Billy Liar, and Ramona. Sundowner and The Lippies provide their first new music in a long time, and past band The Bombpops make an appearance, too. Missing are such luminaries from the label’s catalog as Teenage Bottlerocket, The Lillingtons, and Masked Intruder, but some appear in cover form. Broadway Calls covers The Menzingers’ “Sunday Morning,” while Brendan Kelly provides his unique spin on The Lillingtons’ “All I Hear Is Static.”

Some of my favorite tracks on this comp are actually the least “punk” of the bunch. Sam Russo’s “The Window” takes his solo acoustic act and makes it bigger, using reverb and electric guitar to fill things out. Elway’s track, “High Drama, Low Comedy,” has an expansive feel and Tim Browne’s vocals have just the right amount of grit for the epic sound. Yes, at the end of the track the tempo picks up for a more pop punk pace, too. Sundowner (Chris McCaughan of The Lawrence Arms) gives us “Bleed Together,” a pretty, pensive track that’s primarily acoustic, but with bass, percussion, and electric guitar included. And Billy Liar, who’s Red Scare LP is likely to end up on my best of 2019 list, contributes the comp’s closer, “The Escapist,” which stays completely acoustic, yet manages to have a raucousness to it.

The punkier tracks are great, too. In particular, southern Illinois’ The Copyrights give us “Maine or Oregon,” a fast paced pop punk song that clocks in at under a minute. LA’s The Bombpops, a band that more recently went on to release music with Fat Wreck Chords, provide a great mid-tempo pop punk cover of Enemy You’s “East and West.” Tightwire’s “AYL” (Are You Listening) is a pounding track with an old school feel that melds pop punk and power pop. And the always amazing The Brokedowns give us “Thinking With The Lights On,” a track perfect for singing along to in a small dive bar.

Then there are the tracks that are harder to classify, which makes them all the better. Chicago’s Sincere Engineer play something between pop punk and indie, and “Dragged Across The Finish Line” is a great example of their fantastic sound and Deanna Belos’ great songwriting. And Ramona is one of my favorite newer bands, too, and their song “Yeah Again” has both crunchiness and bounce, with great melodic hooks and jangle. “TJ” is a song from MakeWar, with a mix an emotionally charged pop punk sound.

So, congratulations to Toby, and here’s a big thank-you for the fifteen years of hard work bringing us some great music. And here’s to many more!

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DANA – Glowing Auras and Black Money (Heel Turn Records, www.heelturnrecords.com)

The album title plucked from a New York Times headline about a secret Pentagon UFO program, “Glowing Auras and Black Money” is the third full-length release from Columbus, Ohio’s DANA. And, as a former DJ at one of the nation’s few free-form non-mainstream radio stations (WZRD Chicago), I can safely say this is exactly the kind of record that would have gotten heavy airplay there. This is music as art. The band makes creative use of noise, electronics, guitars, dissonance, and angularity to create some amazing, energetic soundscapes and songs. Some of the tracks are cool throwbacks to the massively creative post-punk era of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The opening track, “Cream Corn,” is one of these, with its off-kilter and angular rhythms and electronics and partially spoken vocals. The track closes with a free-jazz jam of guitar and saxophone, with one of the guitar licks sounding like a ringing telephone. “Pork Pie” is another, with a Jim Carroll undercurrent, with more off-kilter intervals in the chorus. The tension throughout this track is palpable. Some of the tracks are slower and sludgy, like “Chaos,” a nine and a half minute track that starts out very punk-like, and evolves into a thicker stew of guitar harmonics and fuzz. At the midpoint, it shifts radically, the tempo slowing, and the sludge oozing into every pore of your being. “Cupid” is another slower one with plenty of heavy guitar noise and wild electronics. “El Sicko” is a favorite track, and has sections that seem to channel or parody Pink Floyd, with a slow, drug induced ambient feel, alternating with fast manic punk sections reminiscent of a quicker paced Flipper. If you’re into the more adventurous side of music, this is recommended.

DAS CLAMPS – Sh*t Music for Sh*t People (Trash Wax Records, www.trashwax.com / Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

When it comes to garage rock and punk, Dirty Water Records has no equal. Whenever I’ve gotten a record from them, I generally know I’m in for a treat: raw, energetic roots music dripping with attitude. That’s what makes this debut LP from the UK’s Das Clamps a bit disappointing. Even more disappointing in that one of the members is Tina Swasey, of the outstanding Oh! Gunquit, another band in the Dirty Water Records stable. The two-piece comes across to my ears as a little too affected, like they’re trying too hard for a “sound,” and yet they also come across as very thin and unpolished. The former is unsurprising for a two-piece, but the latter is very much. If this was just done for a lark, to have a bit of fun with friends, I could understand. This is something that would be fine as a live act, especially since the band play Cramps covers as well as their own originals. The covers are quite different from the originals, though, and I’m not sure this is a band that needs immortalizing in recording.

FRAMES – Cursed (Know Hope Records, www.knowhopercords.com)

This debut EP comes from a Richmond, Virginia based band that play quiet, lazy indie pop. The understated instrumentals are melded with ethereal vocals, and the tempos are uniformly relaxed. The guitar tone is quite clean, the bass is used sparingly to provide a simple foundation, and the vocals are sometimes multi-tracked to provide pretty harmonies. The keyboards used on the third track, “House Show,” provide a warmth to the song and a slightly richer sound than other tracks. I like “Vase,” a stripped down acoustic track with lyrics about the difficulties of being in a co-dependent relationship in which both people are broken. Also acoustic-based are “Hell” and the closer, “Last Year,” this last having a particularly interesting tone on the guitar, extra reverb in the vocals, and a nice ambient haze in the background. These six songs are quite pretty. The one constructive criticism I might provide, though, would be to include more variety in tempo and tone, as the songs sometimes blend into one another.

FREEZING COLD – Glimmer (Salinas Records, www.salinasrecords.com)

Lush indie rock melded with touches of emotional pop are the key genre touch points for Freezing Cold on their debut full-length LP. The New York based members grew up together in the DIY music scene, and came together merely two years ago to form Freezing Cold. The melodies and vocal delivery remind me a lot of a small defunct pop punk band from San Diego, Caskitt, but more relaxed and laid back. The phrasing in the vocals in particular is almost as if Matt Caskitt himself had recorded them – and this is a high compliment. I really like “Parentheses,” a song about how our society is living in its own waste, quite literally. The instrumentals jangle hard, while the vocals have a pleading quality. The much more sedate “Here Now” is another favorite. It’s a gorgeous track, with piano and strings joining acoustic and electric guitars to create a luxuriant texture. “Teenage Insights” has an expansive, introspective feel to it, with epic guitars and emotionally charged vocals. The organ underneath adds depth, too. “Pill Box” is a power ballad, packed with feeling and big instrumentals. The only track I can’t get into is the penultimate “Squint To See,” which sounds too “alternative radio” to me, and tries to go too slick with loads of reverb, dark guitar locks, and tribal drum beats. But everything else is pretty ace.

HANGMAN – One By One (Flatspot Records, www.flatspotrecords.com)

I think it’s pretty well known that I’m not a big fan of heavy metallic hardcore. But once in awhile, a metallic hardcore band puts out a record or plays a set at a show that’s a step above the ordinary, with unique and interesting qualities. This isn’t one of those bands or records. Hangman is a Long Island Hardcore band that checks all the usual boxes. Crunchy guitars using only one or two chords, growled vocals, breakdowns, and sudden shifts in meter. This is really pretty generic, at least to my ears. Even song to song, it’s the same tempo, the same guitar licks, the same chord(s), the same growl. The one exception to this rule may be the title track, which throws in some white metal rap. I’m not sure which bothers me more, that or the rest of the record.

THE HUSSY – Looming (Dirtnap Records, www.dirtnaprecs.com)

The Hussy, the Madison, Wisconsin band, have been described as “scuzzy rock and roll,” but I prefer to think of them as massively creative garage new wave power pop and punk. Ain’t that a mouthful? But it encapsulates the diversity of their songs and sounds. From the very first track, you can tell that this record is going to be something different, something interesting and challenging. “Coast” opens with quiet plinking on a piano, a repeating phrase that slowly grows louder, until the full band explodes, playing the same phrase, and launches into a fantastic, lo-fi, buzzy garage punk song. Backing guitars play big fuzzed out chords, while the lead guitar plays an angular arpeggio-laden line. “Have To Hide” is great power pop melodic track with warbling interjections that sound like something from a Devo song. “No Credit” has the powerful pop punk sound of a grittier Descendents. “Sorry” has a 60s psychedelic pop and soul sound melded with fluttery flute that yields something pretty unique. I love the jangle of “Cornflakes,” a simple song with a big bounciness. Likewise, “That’s The Way It Is (It Is)” has a great exuberant sound, but this time the prominent piano adds a nice touch. A couple of the tracks are short, odd, and fascinating interludes. “Down In The Dirt” uses backtracking and filtering on the vocals to make them sound like they were recorded underwater. The 37-second track has the quality of an otherworldly folk-punk track. “Tyler’s Jazz Odyssey” is 28 seconds of country swing guitar that abruptly blends into the following track. And “History Lesson Part III” is an almost experimental track, with acoustic guitar playing a nice melody, but with distorted guitar harmonics and found sound tapes of conversations playing in the background. It’s just under a minute of heaven. The album, as a whole, is just under 30 minutes of heaven. Recommended.

KNOCKED DOWN – Anything But Luck (knockeddownband.bandcamp.com)

Skate punk bands are a dime a dozen. The popular style of 90s fast and loud pop punk still has its fans, and there’s no shortage of bands trying to play it. The key word there is “trying.” Too many of the bands are just aping the popular bands of two decades past and yet not approaching their level of quality. Not so with Knocked Down, though; they’re the real deal. And, while they’re definitely in the skate punk camp, they’re poppier and more melodic than is typical of the genre. The vocals are strong and solid, and the band sounds huge – epic even. And there’s an emotional edge to the dozen songs on offer. I don’t think there’s a single song I don’t like on here, but there are a few I’ll give special mention. “Shattered” is an up-tempo song that has guitars that demonstrate both crunchiness and virtuosity. The melodic hooks are attractive, and the feel goes through a couple of shifts through the course of its three and a half minutes. I’m not a huge fan of most ballads, but “Left & Empty” is the closest thing to a ballad on this record, being a slower tempo song, but it’s epic and another favorite. I love the big sound in the chorus, with an almost drone-like guitar counterpointed against another with more flourishes, and the vocals are gigantic. The verses are simpler and quieter, in contrast. The percussion is a tribal drumbeat at the start of the song, and at the end has a martial feel. And I really like the way the vocals are recorded in “Mixed Emotions,” where they’re used sometimes as a musical instrument, provided a ringing quality at the close of a verse, a reverberation of the melodic line. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the songs here.

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SNUFF – There’s A Lot Of It About (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

My first exposure to UK band Snuff was in 1989, when their debut LP was released. I recall falling hard for the band’s brand of melodic hardcore punk. It was as if they had taken Chicago’s tough punk sound and blended in a bit of west coast pop. Sadly, I didn’t keep up with the band much after that, but they remained active throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, slowing down in the middle of the last decade. They’ve only released one LP and a small number of EP's since, with their last LP being 2012’s “5-4-3-2-1 Perhaps?” Now, seven years on, they’re back with another album, packed with a dozen gems. They’re not quite as hard, fast, and crunchy as they were on that debut album all those years ago, but they’ve still got it, and they’ve added a heavier dose of the pop, too. They’re fairly new to the Fat Wreck family, with only their most recent releases on the storied Bay Area label, but they’re fitting in well, with a great pop punk sound, and they even add bits of ska on some songs. The band has obviously grown and matured, in both their playing and their songwriting. I mean, it’s been 30 years, they had to have, or else what’s the point? The songs and arrangements are richer than that first LP.

Right from the start, the band kick things into high gear with “Kings of Spanish Oi Scene,” a raucous loping song with great call and response and harmonized vocals. “Summer’s Over” is a fantastic pop punk tune, fast and loud, with more harmonies and layered vocals than a punk band should be allowed to have. I love the straightforward simplicity of “Love Hearts,” a song that hits hard with staccato rhythms and a one-note melody. And the trombone is perfect here! Speaking of horns, “A Smile a Smile” is a slower mid-tempo track, with prominent horns and organ. It’s got a really nice, warm sound and a great melody. And I love the mid-tempo loper, “Hey Boff!” It’s got a retro garage power pop feel to it, more than a punk feel. And the penultimate track, “Gyoza,” has a huge epic sound, even as the melody is simple. It’s a mark of good songwriting and arranging when you can accomplish this big a sound with something so simple. The only weak song on this album, in my opinion, is “Patient Zero.” It’s a good song and all, and for many bands it would be their best. But it does sound like it could have been written and recorded by any of half a dozen or so Fat Wreck bands back in the 1990s. I much prefer the other tracks, the ones that have a more unique Snuff sound.

And while it may sometimes be cliché to end an album with a quieter acoustic track, I absolutely love the pretty “Job and Knock,” which closes the LP. Plucked guitars blend with mandolin and harmonized vocals, the only percussion being tambourine and kick drum. The song is a calming influence after the mania of the rest of the record. It may have taken me thirty years to get back to Snuff, but now I’m kicking myself for everything I must have missed.

THE BERRIES – Berryland (Run For Cover Records, www.runforcoverrecords.com)

The sophomore LP from The Berries is a throwback to simpler times. Times when southern and progressive guitar-based rock and roll filled the airwaves and the record store bins. Times when all of the excesses of big time rock were making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Some songs have a heavy twang and even slide guitar. Others have heavy reverb and an ambient feel. All represent the things that punk and indie music in the 70s, 80s, and 90s strove to not be. Hard pass.

GIANT SAND – Recounting The Ballads Of Thin Line Men (Fire Records, www.firerecords.com)

Thirty-three and a third years after releasing their second LP, Ballad of a Thin Line, Man, Giant Sand revisits the themes and sounds of that record for their latest LP. Giant Sand are masters of understated indie. True to their past, touches of psychedelic rock and alt-country are prominent in these songs, but they’re all pretty relaxed and stripped down. Some of these songs remind me of the great Lou Reed. They have the same easy feel, focused more on casually relaxed vocals and guitar than anything else, with a retro psych-folk feel. “Reptilian” is a good example of this, as it opens the LP. “Hard Man To Get To Know,” on the other hand, has a harder blues-rock sound, but still feels like it’s just you and the band and an informal session. I enjoy “Desperate Man,” a track that’s a little more updated and a little more intricate in arrangement, while still sounding stripped back and relaxed. “Tantamount” is a cool mix of the Lou Reed retro sound and alt-country, way stripped down, with minimalist surf guitar sound drums using just brushes on the snare. It’s an arrangement that puts the melody and lyrics front and center, and it has to stand or fall on its own – and it stands. “Who Am I” goes even further, with vocals taking center stage, and almost no instrumentation, just little bits of guitar and a steady tribal drum beat in the background. I adore the very folksy “Graveyard,” with its intro played in waltz time before the song shifts to standard meter and adds harmonized backing vocals. But it’s still primarily guitar and vocals. The song shifts back to waltz time for its conclusion. “Thin Line Man” makes a reappearance, having first been on that sophomore LP. This time around the song sounds even more urgent than before, with a rougher performance, dark jangly guitar, and vocals that are alternately intense and relaxed. The album closes with a bonus track, “Tantamount Blast,” a full-band version of the song that’s more raucous and fun. Yes, Giant Sand are the masters of understated indie.

HEXADIODE – Metaxy (EK Product, www.ekproduct.com)

Remember the heavy dance-industrial music of the 1980s and 1990s? The stuff labels like Wax Trax! Records were putting out. Bands like Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Front 242, and more. Hexadiode are a band in that mold. Pounding dance beats, gritty growling vocals, tons of synths and drum machines, distortion aplenty, and an unyielding power are all elements of the music on this album. The result is very mechanical, very…industrial. It’s apt that the band hails from Dayton, Ohio, part of the rust belt, and home to abandoned factories and disappearing industry. These are the anthems of the authoritarian robot overlords who accept no rebellion. Notable tracks include “Markov Chain,” with its synth-heavy beep-boop intro, pounding metallic percussion, buzzy bass, and angular guitar interjections. “6ht Dialect” is an intense instrumental track that focuses on the pounding beat and a buzzy drone that distorts and grows. “Parasitic Static” has an ominous buzzy bass, a dark pall of synth, mechanical rhythms, and sinister distorted vocals. And “13 of 12,” with its whispered vocals and “sideband” sounding synths feels like something from the world of cold war espionage. This is well-executed menacing music.

ONE ELEVEN HEAVY – Desire Path (www.onelevenheavy.com)

Country rock and jam band tunes dominate this sophomore LP from One Eleven Heavy, a band named for a short story about a plane crash. The band owe an obvious debt of gratitude to The Grateful Dead, and are firmly in that camp of laid-back stoner rock. Some of these tracks are extended jams, too, just like you would get in a Grateful Dead arena show. They all seem to start as somewhat bouncy country-rock tunes, but then over time become jams with lengthy guitar solos. “Mardi Gras” sounds like something that might have been on the Rolling Stones’ playlist a couple of decades ago. And “Three Poisons,” the most interesting track of the LP, has a bit of progressive rock sound to it, with some different rhythms. If you’re into this sort of stuff you might want to check it out, but I can’t imagine myself wanting to listen to this again.

THE PARANOYDS – Carnage Bargain (Suicide Squeeze Records, www.suicidesqueeze.net)

This sophomore LP from Los Angeles’ The Paranoyds has the LA sound down pretty well: part punk, part surf, part glam. The songs ooze an “I’m from LA, who the fuck are you?” blasé attitude of superiority. But the delivery is uneven. Some songs veer too heavily into hard rock, like “Bear,” halfway through the record. The guitars and bass throb together like something out of the arena rock era. The tracks I favor are those that are more on the punk and surf side of things. “Face First” has a nice horror-surf sound to it, but also moments of awesome angularity and others of gorgeous harmonies. The title track is part B52s part movie soundtrack, all gloriousness. “Egg Salad” is another cool one, with a shimmering organ prominent in the mix, shifting tempos, and a feel that moves from up-tempo bounce to sludgy grunge. “Laundry” is musically urgent sounding, but the vocals, even when shouted, say otherwise. It’s an odd but effective juxtaposition. I mean, how urgent can laundry be? The closer, “Ratboy,” is an odd combination of surf and grunge. Like I said, the delivery is uneven. These songs are all over the place. I like diversity in my music, and I like a number of these songs, but The Paranoyds need to figure out what kind of band they want to be.

 

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THE ANTI-QUEENS (Stomp Records, www.stomprecords.com)

For the most part this LP, the debut full-length LP for Toronto’s The Anti-Queens, focuses on raw, powerful rock and roll music. A few of the songs stand out a lot for me. “Worse Than Death” is a power pop song, but played with garage punk ferocity. It’s super melodic, yet raw and high-octane at the same time, which is a great combination. “Run” reminds me of a song Bad Cop/Bad Cop would do, and the lead vocals have a similar snotty quality to those of that band’s Stacey Dee. The song is both poppy and edgy at the same time. “Not What It’s Worth” has a melodic line and arrangement reminiscent of a Fugazi song, which I like. And “I’m Sorry Babe” is a great grunge throwback to the 90s. It’s got a nice crunchy guitar sound and rocks hard. Other than these tracks, though, the other seven tracks on this LP don’t do all that much for me. They’re standard hard rock, in the veins of bands like The Blackhearts and The Runaways. They’re well executed, sure, but there’s nothing special or out of the ordinary for them.

DIESEL PARK WEST – Let It Melt (Palo Santo Records, www.palosantotx.com)

Diesel Park West has been around for nearly 40 years, yet this is the first I’ve heard of them. This is the ninth studio album for the Leicester, UK band, and the songs range from the most amazing power pop to Rolling Stones influenced rock and roll. Blues-rock is a heavy influencer in many of these songs, too. The title track opens the album, and it’s a dark classic rock barnburner of a song, with a strong blues influence. Vocalist Jon C. Butler sounds like he’s channeling Mick Jagger (wait, he’s still alive!), with all of the swagger that implies. I like “The Golden Mile,” a track that walks on the thin line between classic rock and power pop, with a bunch of honkytonk blues-rock tossed into the mix. “Scared of Time” is another good one, a little quieter and more relaxed, with a nice warm organ in the mix. It’s heavier on the classic rock side, and not the sort of music I would seek out on my own, but the songwriting and arranging are really well done, a description that’s apt for many of the songs here. Like “Bombs Away,” a song that reminds me of Bob Dylan’s rock and roll era, as does the following track, “You Got The Whole Thing Wrong.” I also enjoy the soul pop sounds of the closing track, “Incredible Things,” a song that feels like it could have been recorded in the late 60s or early 70s by The Fifth Dimension or similar act. But the best song by far is “Pictures in the Hall,” a magnificent power pop track with shades of the Beatles. The track sparkles and shines, loaded with the best hooks and jangle. It may be one of my favorite songs of the year so far. The lyrics, by contrast, are pretty dark, with the refrain stating “There’s nothing different / It’s all been done before / No, nothing different / Except the pictures in the hall.” We’re all stuck, repeating history, repeating mistakes, no control. I wish I could articulate how good this song is, so I entreat you, please go listen to this song. Listen to the whole album, for that matter.

FILTHY HEARTS – Beyond Repair (Hidden Home Records, www.hiddenhomerecords.com)

High energy, powerful melodic punk from Denver, Filthy Hearts keep things amped up from start to finish. There’s a mere one single slow quiet song out of the fourteen on this album, the emotionally charged “Voted Best City To Be Lonely.” This is the sort of punk you’re most likely to hear in a small dive bar, packed with 50 to 100 of your closest drunk friends, everyone jockeying to get up front, PBR tall boys clutched in one hand, the other arm around whoever is next to you, as you press forward toward the nearest mic to sing along. Because of course you know all the lyrics. But unlike a lot of bands that play in those sorts of venues, Filthy Hearts are tight as hell, playing on a level that deserves a bigger exposure. The opening track, “Ambulatory,” has a recurring guitar line in the verses that reminds me of the great UK band, Blitz, specifically the song “New Age.” I like a lot of the song titles, too, as they’re pretty hilarious. “Friends? Strangers? The Mystery of the Bar Tab” and “I’ve Never Skanked A Day In My Whole Life” are two examples. The former is a pretty great rager, and the latter is a jaunty one. “Desire (To Leave Here Forever)” is another stomper, a fast and loud melodic punk track. All the songs are pretty great ragers, for that matter (save for the one that’s the slower one). Taken individually, each song is pretty great, and this seems like a band I would love to see live. Taken as an album, though, the songs are mostly all the same tempo and same feel, with too little variation, and my attention begins to wander sometimes when listening.

THE GOTHAM ROCKETS – Blast Off (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp. com)

This is the debut EP for The Gotham Rockets, a quartet from Gotham itself, New York City. They play music that ranges from working class rock and roll, a la The E Street Band, to more of a rock and soul review sound. The middle two tracks of this 4-song EP, “What Done Is Done” and “Rip This Night” are more on the rock side of things, while the bookends, “Bad With Girls” and “Nothing But A Man,” are much more soulful. Those are my favorites of the group, especially the closer. “Bad With Girls” rocks hard, and the title and lyrics are a play on words: I’m bad with girls, don’t you want to be bad with me? “Nothing But A Man” is easily the best of the four songs, and while it’s mostly great soul, it rocks hard, with fantastic horn and sax parts and complete with backing vocal chorus. Partway through the track there’s a short burst of Devo-like new wave/punk rock followed by some jam-band guitar soloing. Killer stuff. I wish the middle tracks measured up.

THE MIND – Edge of the Planet (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

The future of indie music as seen through a 1980s post-punk lens? This is music that reminds me of that intensely creative period of music, when all sorts of musical experimentation was going on, in the vein of stuff Recommended Records was putting out. Buzzy lo-fi synths, robotic rhythms, and angular melodies combine with ethereal vocals to create something truly unique. “The Mind,” the eponymous song, has machine gun rhythms, radio side-band synths, and vocals that sound like they come from another galaxy. It’s something out of an art house science fiction movie, filmed in black and white. “Running On My Head” sounds like a radio tuned from one distant station to another, one filled with noise and static, another with a strange melodic song, the signal phasing in and out, mixing with that more powerful noisy station. “Technical Intuition” uses telephone touch-tones as a musical instrument just past the halfway mark; it’s unexpected and unbalancing (in a good way). The closer, “Baby Rats,” has a lounge-like jazz feel to it, but you know, it’s off-kilter, with warbly and buzzy guitars. It lulls you into a sense of uneasy relaxation, only to end very abruptly. Leaving you wanting more.

SUBHUMANS – Crisis Point (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Subhumans is a band that needs no introduction, unless you’ve been living as a hermit for the past 40 years. They’ve been around nearly since the beginning of punk rock. Formed in the UK in 1980, they were very active and very political during the Thatcher years, along with bands such as Crass and Conflict. They broke up in 1986, with members moving on to projects such as Citizen Fish and Culture Shock. But they reformed to tour in 1999 and have been at it ever since. Never ones to rest on their laurels, Subhumans (not to be confused with the Canadian band The Subhumans) have continued to write, record, and perform new songs, putting out three new studio LPs and a handful of live recordings. This latest LP proves that they’re still on top of their game, with eleven songs of urgent punk rock, filled with politically charged anger. “Terrorist In Waiting” opens the album with a blistering song. “Everyone’s a terrorist in waiting” the chorus decries, referring to increasingly oppressive behavior from our governments, suspecting and surveilling us all. I like the feel of “Information Gap,” with a sort of bounce to the rhythm, and a dark bass line, and lyrics about the difference between facts and what “they” want us to know. I also like the waltz-time song, “Follow The Leader,” because how cool is a punk song in three-four time? It’s a pounding track about mindlessly following rules and laws and losing control of your own life. The album closes the way it opens, with another sizzling, blazing track. Subhumans still have it, after all these years.

TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET – Teenage Bottlerocket vs Human Robots (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

During a TBR recording session at The Blasting Room, Ray Carlisle’s son Milo wandered in, so they decided to record a couple of songs of his band, Human Robots, and convinced Fat Wreck to release this split seven inch record, two songs for each band. It’s a bit of a stretch to call Human Robots a “band,” though, because it’s just Milo playing all the instruments and singing songs he wrote. TBR gets the first two songs on the split single. “Olivia Goes to Bolivia” is exactly what you expect from TBR, raucous fun Ramones-core, expertly executed. The music is melodic and powerful, the arrangement almost slick, a real throwback to the 90s punk sound. “Everything to Me” is a more relaxed loping number, but it’s got a place in my heart just for mentioning Evanston, a town on Lake Michigan just north of Chicago, and right next door to where I grew up. It’s a love song as only TBR can do it, almost pretty in its own way. Human Robots’ two tracks include “Step On ‘Em All” and “I Want To Hang Out With You.” These tracks show that even at his young age, Milo’s been learning a lot hanging out with his dad’s band. The lyrics are what you might expect from a young kid, with “Step On ‘Em All” referring to the old rhyme, “step on a crack, break your mama’s back.” It’s an old school punk song decrying motherly discipline, and dreams of fighting back. “I Want To Hang Out With You” is a more melodic pop punk song, with lyrics about having too much homework, wanting to skip school and hang out with someone, skipping class and making out. Typical teenage lyrics, right? While the musicianship isn’t on a level with dad’s band, it’s pretty good for a young kid.

VISTA BLUE – Tricks and Treats (Rat Girl Records, ratgirlrecords.storenvy.com)

One of the most prolific pop punk bands of all time is back with a full-length album! Known primarily for seasonally appropriate EPs, with songs on specific topics, such as baseball, summertime, Christmas carols, and more, this time around they give us eleven spooky songs just in time for everyone’s favorite holiday, Halloween. The songs are exactly what we’ve come to expect from Vista Blue: buzzy, poppy, beachy Ramones-core pop punk. The songs are hilariously tongue in cheek, as is typical for the Vistas. “I’m gonna be ugly / I’m gonna scare everyone” and “I’m gonna be selfish / I’m gonna be mean” are lines in the song “I’m Gonna Be You for Halloween.” Wow, talk about mean! “Angela Loves Me” is the best love song for the season, about being loved by a serial killer named Angela, It’s a fast, bouncy number, and the punch line is that because she loves me, “I think I’ll be OK.” Vista Blue also recognize the symptoms and signs and warn someone “I Think Your Boyfriend is a Zombie.” Less spooky but more relatable is “This Street Sucks,” a song about a street that’s a real bummer during trick or treating, with lots of lights turned off, and lousy candy at the remaining ones. Songs are short and to the point, loaded with bounce, buzz, and fun. Favorites include the aforementioned “Angela Loves Me,” the dark “Doll Boy’s Coming,” and “19 Miles to Hemingford,” a song about that scene from every teen slasher film, where they try to escape the carnage in their car and hope they make it to the next town. But they’re all tons of scary fun!

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KNOCKED LOOSE – A Different Shade of Blue (Pure Noise Records, www.purenoise.net)

I need to let you know from the start, I am not a fan of modern metallic hardcore. Most of it is muddy stuff that is meaningless noise to me. I guess I’m getting old. That said, Knocked Loose are not your average hardcore band. Yes, the arrangements are vicious onslaughts. Yes, the vocals are intense and evil. But there are differences, too, from generic modern hardcore. For one, there are two lead vocals, one higher pitched and piercing, the other a deep guttural growl. They duel and vie for dominance and they work together in non-harmonious collusion, seething anger dripping from every syllable. And, while the instrumentals, for the most part, are standard for the genre, there are some great angular melodies and lines used in some of the songs. I really like the angularity of “In The Walls.” At about the halfway mark of this track, the dissonance in the guitars and the back and forth rhythms between the bass and drums and the guitars emits a palpable sense of distress. “Mistakes Like Fractures” is cool, too. The tempo shifts a lot, and the guitar line with interjected high-pitched dissonance is awesome. The bass line is reminiscent of classic metal, too, and toward the end of the track, when things get slow and deliberate, shifting to a three-four meter, those off-kilter guitars are just killer. Another favorite is “Road 23,” which also makes judicious use of angular guitars, and the argumentative opening is one of the best things I’ve ever heard from a modern hardcore record. I could listen to that first 35 seconds over and over. Beyond the amazing intro, “Road 23” is speedier than most of the tracks, with more shifting rhythms. The break toward the end of the track, too, where we get just a rumbling bass, guitar harmonics, and vocals of anger and despair, is incredible. The closer, “Misguided Son,” has spots with a science fiction feel, where the deep guttural vocals are sung over otherworldly instrumentals. I’m still not a fan of modern hardcore, but Knocked Loose has won me over.

JORDAN KRIMSTON – Turn The Page (jordankrimston.bandcamp.com)

Multi-instrumentalist Jordan Krimston is a San Diegan that has made a very large mark at a very young age. After releasing his first records as a high school student with his band Big Bad Buffalo, Krimston graduated from the local branch of the School of Rock. In addition to the math-heavy Big Bad Buffalo, Krimston plays with the post-punk Miss New Buddha, indie band Weatherbox, and the MIDI-based Band Argument. This EP marks Krimston’s first solo effort, and it’s a significant departure from the music he’s previously written and performed. These five songs are unabashedly poppy. The tracks are a testament to Krimston’s versatility as a songwriter. The too short “Need You When You’re Gone” is a bubbly number, filled with sparkling synths, with the guitar, bass, and drums used more as window dressing. “Pry Out The Prose” starts out with a Beatles-esque feel to it, but then it evolves into a folk-rock-pop number, multi-tracked vocals harmonizing on the chorus. “Blitz & Jr.” is a math-pop song that makes heavy use of vocal processing (my only issue with the EP – I’m not a big fan of heavily processed vocals, auto-tune and that sort of thing). The song is otherwise another bouncy poppy one, switching meters every couple of bars, and with multi-tracked harmonies in abundance. “WIP” teeters between radio-friendly and edgy. And finally, “Typecast” is a delicate ballad, focusing on acoustic guitar and vocals, with electronics and digital effects merely adding embellishment. The record is being released digitally, and will be available as a download code included with a zine filled with artwork and writing. Snap it up. I predict big things to come from this talented young man.

PARSNIP – When The Tree Bears Fruit (Anti Fade Records, www.antifaderecords.bigcartel.com)

Parsnip is a four-piece band from Melbourne, Australia. The four women that make up this band apparently love children’s music, because that’s what this album sounds like. Cheesy synthesized keyboards, bass, drums, and vocals make up the bulk of songs here, with an even cheesier vibrato to the keys. The vocals primarily feature off-key unison singing, with very little harmonizing done. I dislike auto-tune, but Parsnip could benefit from it. Every one of the eleven tracks is played at the same tempo, has the same sparse instrumentation, and provides the same juvenile sound. The vocals even sound like it’s children singing much of the time. I know it’s supposed to sound “precious,” but to me it just sounds amateurish.

REDD KROSS – Beyond The Door (Merge Records, www.mergerecords.com)

Redd Kross has gone through many changes over the more than four decades of their existence. Originally an LA punk band called The Tourists, the band changed their name to Red Cross for their first releases, then to Redd Kross after a lawsuit threat from the American Red Cross. It’s not just the spelling of their name that’s changed. They’ve had a rotating cast of members, too, but more importantly, their sound has changed a few times, too. Originally an LA surf-punk sound, they’ve morphed into a rock and roll jam band, toyed with psychedelic sounds, grunge, synth pop rock, garage power pop, and alternative rock. So which Redd Kross make an appearance on this, their latest LP? Rock, psych, garage, alternative, or power pop? Yes. They’re all here. But at the bottom of it all, as always, are great rock and pop songs, however they’re dressed up. The songs all sound somewhat different from each other, yet you know they’re all from the same band. The title track has a retro rock’n’roll feel, like it’s an updated song from the early 60s. “There’s No One Like You” is an early favorite, with a great power pop and rock sound. The song is very understated, with a great melody. It proves you don’t have to go over the top to make great pop songs. Right after that is a beautiful folk-psych track, “Ice Cream Strange and Pleasing.” It reminds me in a way of some of the great music The New Pornographers made on their album, “Twin Cinema.” The verses are relaxed and folksy, while the chorus gets a more raucous. Underlying it all is a great pop melody, like all of the songs on this album. “Jone Hoople” is a perfect example of the band’s unabashed Beatles worship, with a song that sounds like something right out of the Fab Four’s songbook, but maybe crossed with the power pop genius of Paul Collins. This is the first Redd Kross I’ve listened to since I heard their jam band era music in the mid to late 80s, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’m very pleasantly surprised. This is a banger of a record.

THE SAFES – Winning Combination (Action Weekend/Bickerton Records,
www.bickertonrecords.com)

The Safes (brothers Frankie, Michael, Patrick, and Sean O’Malley) recruited a slew of friends and family members to round out this gorgeous and unique album of songs that range from gypsy folk to Burt Bacharach-esque pop music. Guitars, bass, and drums are joined by piano, Wurlitzer organ, accordion, violin, cello, clarinet, and a host of other instruments on many of these songs. The arrangements give each a chance to shine, and providing an off-kilter feeling. Having some of the instruments deliberately out of tune (acoustic guitar and piano, for sure) make them sound a little like toy instruments, making something unique even that much better. I’m in love with “It’s True,” the song that opens the album. The lyrics, when examined, reveal themselves to be about finding love – or at least someone that gives you a reason to feel joy and keep living. “Baggage Claim” has a retro pop feel with hints of pysch influence that I like. There’s a stringed instrument that’s tuned to sound almost like a sitar, and it sounds pretty damn cool, but I don’t see a sitar listed in the credits. Kudos to the O’Malleys for creative instrument engineering. “The Rest of My Life” is absolutely charming, with piano arpeggios running up and down, and bowed and plucked strings, and “Dreams That Ignite” continues the delicate instrumentation, but this time with harmonized vocal choir and vibraphone. It’s exquisite. “Make or Break” reminds me of classic early 70s AM radio pop music. “The Shell Spell” is a jaunty country-ish tune. The Safes live in Chicago, but musically they’re all over the map, and it makes for a fun engaging listen.

SOMOS – Prison On A Hill (Tiny Engines, www.tinyengines.net)

Boston’s Somos returns to Tiny Engines for their third full-length LP. They incorporate tons of 80s new wave synth pop influence in their guitar-based pop music. Underneath, there are hints of pop punk, with the emphasis on the pop. The synths, though, and the incessant dance beat, harken back to big hair days and MTV music videos (when MTV actually meant “Music Television”). The end result is slightly dreamy, but with hard edges and more energy. It’s a sound that’s a little unbalancing, like being thrown into an alternate timeline where everything is familiar, yet different. The production is very smooth and even-keeled, with none of the songs getting too out of control, and none coming off as too dull. “Farewell to Exile” is a great example of a song that feels retro and new, edgy and dreamy, all at the same time. The lyrics refer to the horror of being sent off to war, being forced to kill someone who’s not so different from yourself, and then having to live with that the rest of your life. “Absent and Lost” is heavy on the retro 80s sound, with loads of buzzy synth and a strong danceable backbeat in the rhythm section. On the other hand, “Ammunition” focuses more on a rumbling bass and strong guitar sound, yet that dance beat is still there, and the smoothed out vocals keep a lid on things, lest they get too raucous. And ultimately, I think that’s what prevents me from enjoying this record as much as I otherwise might; it’s too smooth, too even-keeled. It never gets out of control.

WESTERN SETTINGS – Another Year (A-F Records, www.a-frecords.com)

They’ve kept us hanging for way too long, those Western Settings boys. Their lone full-length LP, “Yes It Is,” came out four years ago, and the “Old Pain” EP has been out for three years already. So, this sophomore LP from this San Diego outfit is way overdue. The wait, though, has been very worth it, as Western Settings have given us their best effort yet. These songs are brighter and more melodic than anything from their previous releases, and bassist/lead vocalist Ricky Schmidt’s vocals are stronger and more confident. The arrangements are more intricate, there’s more pop, and, dammit, they sound like they’re having fun playing these songs! As much as I’ve loved Western Settings since the beginning, some of their past output has sometimes seemed a bit overwrought, too emotionally heavy. With “Another Year,” there’s a spring in their step, like a weight has been lifted from their collective shoulders. You can hear the difference right from the very start, with the title track. Schmidt’s vocals border on crooning, and there’s a definite pop quality to the melody, much more so than on past songs. There’s more of a powerful attack to the music, too. “Big” is an energetic track, more than most, and “Break” has a jangle to it. “Back to 52” sounds downright exuberant, and “Spinning World” has a triumphant feel. These are things you couldn’t say about Western Settings before this record. “Charmian” has a gorgeous melody that bounces and lopes. It bounces and lopes! Three of the songs here, “That’s Pretty,” “Duckets Is Tight,” and “Agnus,” appeared on the limited lathe cut eight-inch EP the band released a few months ago. “Agnus” closes the LP, as it did the EP, and it’s still a moving piece of work. The whole record is, for that matter. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: this is Western Settings best effort yet.

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THE ATOM AGE – Cry ‘Til You Die (Tiger Dream Records, theatomage.bandcamp. com)

The Atom Age is a garage band. No, wait. They’re a rockabilly band. No, wait. They’re a surf band. No, wait. Yes. They’re all the above and more! Oakland’s The Atom Age are an unrelenting, high-energy rock’n’roll band. They take all sorts of retro 50s and 60s rock sounds, blend them together, and add a modern flair to create something intensely fun. Guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and saxophone work together unyieldingly, hitting often and hard. My favorite track of the ten songs comes early. “We Disappear in the Night” has a cool jazzy feel, in the rhythm and the guitar lines (which remind me a little bit of Thomas Dolby’s “The Keys to Her Ferrari”). “Walk Through Walls” has the sound of rockabilly crossed with “horror-garage”, the keyboards and sax being very prominent here, and the anguished lead vocals are particularly strong on this track. “Lost on Me” has a nice easy lope to it, contrasting with an evil thrashy distortion going on. I love “Bad Seeds,” one of the most retro sounding tracks of the LP. The call and response in the chorus is a lot of fun, as are the growling bass breaks and the intense surf guitar sounds. The sax gets a chance to shine with an extended solo, and the woo-hoo backing vocals are spot on. The whole album is played and sung with a sense of urgency, like they have to get these songs out NOW or there will be consequences. They do it in twenty-six minutes, and what a fun, exciting twenty-sex minutes those are!

EMPTY COUNTRY – Ultrasound (emptycountry.bandcamp.com)

If you were wondering whatever happened to Cymbals Eat Guitars in the three years since they released “Pretty Years,” well, I have too. They’ve not toured much. But front man Joe D’Agostino has been busy with a new project, Empty Country, releasing two new songs ahead of a full-length LP due out early in 2020, and it sounds somewhat like earlier CEG, a treat to my ears. It’s no secret that “Pretty Years” was not my favorite CEG album, but I was a huge fan of their first three LPs. But this is not CEG, this is Empty Country, so how are the two songs on this single? The title track is maybe a bit heavier and more raucous than a lot of the stuff D’Agostino has done before, and it eschews the dreamy keyboards for a straightforward guitar/bass/drums sound. The chorus has some great harmonized vocals, featuring D’Agostino’s wife Rachel and his guitar teacher, Charles Bissell of The Wrens, and I love the jangly guitars behind the vocals. As raucous as the track is, the production has a nice hazy feel to it, a hallmark of D’Agostino’s sound. The other track, “Jets,” is a quiet, delicate thing, with piano and acoustic guitar. High register vocals give the track an ethereal feel, and the instrumentation builds somewhat toward the end. It’s a pretty song unlike much of what D’Agostino’s done before. Empty County is starting to play some shows now, and I look forward to the LP and for the tour to make it to the west coast.

OH, ROSE – While My Father Sleeps (Park The Van, www.parkthevan.com)

Olivia Rose is Oh, Rose, get it? She, along with Olympia, Washington pals Liam Hindahl (drums), Kevin Christopher (bass), and Sarah Redden (synth) play a sort of mildly grungy dream pop, with Rose singing and playing guitar. Rose’s lead vocals sound like she’s trying very hard to sound like the popular “alternative” female vocalists, with a high pitched breathiness and halting quality. The arrangements feel somewhat thin, and the whole thing comes across as fairly generic indie/alternative. Some of the songs are downright annoying, like “Baby.” “I’ve been a baby / I’ve been a baby / waah waah waah / waah waah waah waah waah waah waah / waah waah waah waah waah…” you get the idea. There’s also a song called “Harrypotterjuana,” which jarringly changes tempos and overall feel a few times. I just couldn’t get into this record.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS – Be Good (Epitaph Records, www.epitaph.com)

Ryan Young needs a hug. He wears his emotions on his sleeve whenever he picks up a guitar. Though their musical style is quite different from what’s typical of the genre, Off With Their Heads may be the most emo band in the history of punk. Every song is huge, epic. The album opens with the lead single, “Disappear,” a song about breaking up and learning who you really are, and being incredibly disappointed with that. “I should have seen this from the start / I should have always been on my own / Now it’s perfectly clear / I never should have stayed here / I should have just disappeared.” The song continues to discuss separation and self-reflection, of feeling lost and of self- indictment. After a quiet opening, the song explodes with OWTH’s unique style of huge punk. This is what OWTH do, and do so well: epic songs that tear themselves down. “I just wanted to feel love / To be loved, to be loved,” Young screams near the end of the song. But he feels that he blew it and deserves to just disappear. Suicidal thoughts are not good ones, but songs of self-destruction and self-deprecation are de rigueur for OWTH.

The other lead single, the title track, comes next. It’s the closest thing OWTH has ever come to a song of triumph. “It’s true / It’s loud / It’s hard / And it’s all I know / I can’t take anymore / I just want out right now.” After recounting again how much he wants to just disappear, Young goes on to tell us “I had assumed I would have been gone by now.” But he’s still here. The same feelings are still there, but, as he declares, “I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to gain,” and he exhorts us all to “Be good / Be loud / Hands up / To the sky and shout / At the top of your lungs / ‘Til the floor falls out.” We’re all still here.

I love the waltz time of “You Will Die.” I mean, it has the same basic formula of all OWTH songs, but you know, three-four time. Change things up, you know? The different structure gives it sort of a martial feel, with lyrics of the inevitable death and decay that awaits us all. Other songs continue these themes, such as “No Love,” “Tear Me Apart,” and more. “No Love,” in particular, finds Young raging more than ever. Think back to the lyrics at the end of “Disappear.” “I just wanted to feel love / To be loved, to be loved,” but that’s gone. How would that make you feel? The song is harder and more intense than most of the others with reason.

Self-deprecation, self-accusation, feelings of despair and suicidal thoughts, all shouted with abandon to epic sing-along punk are why OWTH shows and records are so cathartic. We can all shout out all the things we feel about ourselves, get drunk and sweaty, and release all the pent-up frustration. This new record finds OWTH in top form.

BOOJI BOYS – Tube Reducer (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailor records.co.uk)

Booji Boys, named for the famous Devo character, masquerade as a raw punk rock band. Through all the lo-fi fuzz, though, through all the distortion, through all the manic playing, there’s a super-melodic, hook-filled pop punk band lurking. The band sound brash and confident, a not unfounded attitude. The playing is fast and furious. Vocals are solid, and assured. The band reminds me of a cross between, say, The Marked Men and Vacation. There’s the simple garage punk mixed with hints of psych. I love “Lucky Citizen,” the third track of the album. It’s loaded with melody and is tight as hell while sounding both angry and easy. “Nothing Good” is another favorite. The melody is pretty simple, and it’s a pure pop punk song, but set on fire and played like there’s no tomorrow. “Cody Oi,” similarly, has a fun melodic bounce hiding in all that distortion. The guitar jangle is discernable beneath all the fuzz and the banging and clanging. The high pithed guitar harmonics on “Stevie Cool” contrast brilliantly with the easy bouncy melodic line. “Moto-Hard” is the outlier of the album; this closer really is as manic, sloppy, and out of control as you might think! For their third LP in as many years, with a slew of singles, EPs, and comp appearances, Booji Boys are prolific, productive, and a hell of a good listen.

JOY AGAIN – Piano
(joyagain.bandcamp.com)

Quirky, fun, synth and MIDI-driven indie-pop. Joy Again, from Philadelphia, have been around for about five years, turning conventions on their head. Their songs are generally short, offbeat, and sparkly. There are lots of odd digital effects, stuck sounds, and discontinuities throughout the mini-LP. The record starts with “Abaigh’s Song,” a track whose instrumentals sound vaguely like they were recorded underwater. The vocals have a relaxed ease to them, contrasting with the off-kilter instrumentals. “Special Secret Medicine” is more relaxed, but still quirky, inserting what sounds like synthesized dog barks throughout the song. I love how “I’m Your Dog” opens, with super chill fuzzy guitar. I would love to hear a whole song with the vibe of that intro! When the vocals come in, the whole vibe shifts back to kitch. The song actually shifts feel multiple times through its three-minute length – the longest song of the record! Sometimes it’s chill, sometimes it’s big and bold, and sometimes it’s in between. “Couldn’t” is the most standard sounding indie track of the record, and “Country Song” has a really cool effect where the frequency response narrows down a lot in places to give an old-time lo-fi sound. Strings and slide guitar blend with the more oddball synth beeps and boops to create something vaguely country, vaguely indie, completely great. “Disorder,” has a tentative feel through much of the song, as it morphs, starts, stops, restarts anew with a different sound. The title really matches the sound! “Rats” closes things with a feel most like the opener, more oddball quirky indie-pop with synths and weird digital effects. The vocals swap between male and female lead on these songs, and the record, as a whole, can best be described as “adorably cute.”

THE LILACS – Endure (Pravda Records, www.pravdamusic.com)

Talk about a blast from the past! This is the first new record from Chicago’s The Lilacs in twenty-five years, and it’s coming out on a record label that’s been documenting the Chicago pop and rock music scene for the last thirty-five or so years. The Lilacs were co-founded by Ken Kurson, who was in the legendary band Green, and by David Levinsky. Both played guitar and sang lead vocals, both also contributing songs for the band. Here, we get two songs from each. “Monica” and “I Saw Her First” are Kurson’s, and “Shadow of a Doubt” and “Blue Spark” are Levinsky’s. Kurson’s songs tend to be poppier, while Levinsky’s rock a little more. Even the ballad, “Blue Spark,” which sounds a little like a lounge-like Elvis Costello mixed with R&B. I don’t know if these songs are newly recorded by a reformed band, or if these were pulled out of the vaults, but I hope it’s a harbinger of more to come.

SUSPECT PARTS – You Know I Can’t Say No (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Suspect Parts play what they call “Apocalypse Pop.” I call it garage power pop, as it blends the garage sound with power pop, and adds in a dose of Southern California beach pop. This kind of makes sense, because Justin Maurer, of Maniac, LA Drugz, and Clorox Girls is involved. I have never heard a band he’s in that I haven’t liked and Suspect Parts is no different. The title track is a mid-tempo instant classic, heavier on the garage side of the house. “Song for Sadie” has more of a rock’n’roll feel to it, but with a heavy dose of jangle. It’s a great song of sympathy for someone who’s lost her dad. “Hundsgemein (Ideal)” closes the 3-song EP. It’s got a spare, gritty, loping feel, and the song is sung in German. The vocals are shouted with a choking spit and vinegar sound, and the backing vocals are way back in the mix. It’s an odd sound that doesn’t seem to blend as well with the other two tracks, and is my least favorite of the three. But it’s not bad. Nothing Maurer is involved in is bad.

VERSUS – Ex Voto (Ernest Jenning Record Company, www.ernestjenning.com)

Wait, what? Yes, it’s that Versus! The band that formed in 1990, was active through 2000 or so, came out of hibernation in 2010 to give us a record, only to disappear again are back with a new full-length LP! Versus were one of the bands that defined the indie-pop sound in the 90s, releasing records with a host of labels that formed the backbone of an entire genre, like Teenbeat, Merge, K, Simple Machines, Pop Narcotic, and more. And, though they’ve had a couple of long periods of inactivity, they haven’t lost a beat and are as vital as ever. The album contains eight examples of pure indie pop, without the need to embellish it with heavy synths or effects. It’s a demonstration that solid song writing beats any amount of “clever” instrumentation, and that you can make great music with just the basics. Favorite tracks include the bouncy bright “Moon Palace,” with its gorgeous melody and beautiful interplay between the instruments and backing vocals. “Mummified” caught my attention instantly, and is a track I keep coming back to over and over. I love the striding, wobbly guitars, and the jangle under the lead vocals. The counterpoint in the male and female vocals toward the end of the track is perfect. “Baby Green” starts out quietly and simply, and builds and builds throughout the song. The use of bass for the main melody at the start of the song, with the guitar embellishing is clever and effective. The end of “Atmosphere” gives us the sound of the ocean waves, and it blends into the start of “Nothing But U,” which opens with gorgeous classical strings and oboe. The song has the feel of a chamber orchestra melded with a folksy singer-songwriter, and is incredibly pretty. The album closes with “Re-Animator,” a song that, like the album as a whole, starts simply and builds and builds to an epic conclusion. Just as each song does, the album grows on me more and more upon each repeated listen. Versus are back again. Let’s hope it’s more than a flash in the pan and they stick around for a while.

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AWEFUL – Me Me Me (Beer Can Records, www.facebook.com/beercanrecords)

Aweful are Chicago’s post-garage-punk-grunge trio. Featuring Traci Trouble, Lucy Dekay, and Izzy Price, Aweful have a sound that’s rooted deeply in 80s post-punk, yet has modern garage flair and intense neo-goth vocals, with notes bending and dripping in the vocals. The music is thick and lush, with a hard, sharp edge that’ll cut you if you’re not careful. The lyrics are dark and gloomy, too. Like on “Why,” the opening track. “Hey! What were you thinking? What’d you bring me into / You just want to take my heart and tear it out for you.” Or on the title track, “Ask me why some should care / When the end is near / Do you want a better life / Or a face full of tears.” The music sounds hard, but with a soft fuzz around the edges. The vocals have an anger to them, with a touch of sadness. Dark punk goodness.

BAND ARGUMENT – Slides (bandargument.bandcamp.com)

Band Argument are a newish, young band from San Diego. They’ve previously self-released a single (“Buddy”) and a five-song EP (“Patchwork”). “Slides” is their latest and they’re calling it a “double-single,” but it’s the digital equivalent of a 7” with “Dang Horse” as the A-side and “Hopscotch” as the B-side. Band Argument are a traditional guitar/bass/drums band – but they very untraditionally run everything through MIDI – instruments and vocals. The band has a math-ish quality to it, with sounds bouncing all over the place. “Dang Horse” is an off-kilter calypso sort of track with a breezy island feel. Bassist/vocalist Sil Damone’s singing is easy and smooth, to fit the relaxed feel of the music. “Hopscotch” has more of a striding feel to the music, and the math-ish feel is even stronger. I think MIDI use has been growing a lot lately in the pop underground, and Band Argument seem to be quite adept at it. It helps, too, that they write truly engaging songs. When’s the debut full-length album, guys?

BRAT CURSE – Brat Curse
(Just Because Records,
justbecauserecords. bandcamp.com/
Anyway Records,
www.anywayrecords.com)

Brat Curse, hailing from Dayton, Ohio, was founded by none other than Brian Baker. Brian Baker? NOT THAT ONE! But the Ohio Baker is no less musically proficient than the more famous one. This latest LP is a kick in the pants, blending rapid paced garage punk and beautifully melodic indie-pop. They call themselves pop punk, but it’s not like any band that gets categorized that way, not at all. Yes, they’ve got elements of both pop and punk, but Brat Curse are so much more creative and complex than pop punk. There are some tracks that are straightforward garage punk (“Sweat Pants Lawyer,” “Spring Break Reagan”) and some that are straightforward indie (Psycho In The Furnace, “Modern Snakes”). But my favorites are the ones that get unconventional. “Who Do You Call” is a great manic track, full of intensity, but there’s no way this could be called garage punk; there’s too much melody. There’s no way it could be called indie pop, it’s too edgy. It’s my favorite of the LP. Likewise, “Freak Net,” though calmer than “Who Do You Call,” still has a hardness to it, and the melody has more bounce to its step. It’s another favorite. And “Blink And It’s Gone” alternates between edgy and smooth, keeping the listener off-balance and guessing. An outlier is “It’s On,” a track that owes more to Seattle grunge than anything pop or punk. The bottom line, here, is that Brat Curse are an unconventional band that refuse to be boxed into your narrow interpretation of genres, and are worthy of your time and money.

GLOM – Bond (La Reserve Records, www.lareserverecords.com)

Dreamy pop, but not dream pop, Glom play upbeat indie pop, adding synths and reverb to move the music into the ethereal. The use of both acoustic and electric guitars, both in lead and rhythm capacities, adds a nice texture, as well. The opening track, “Tell Me Who To Be,” is probably the weakest, to be honest. It feels the most commercial, and the synth feels a little wobbly. It’s another case, though, that listening all the way through rewards one with improving songs. The record really gets going when it reaches the third track, “My Red Spine.” It’s less dreamy than many of the tracks, with less reverb, a nice bouncy melody, a catchy guitar hook, and harmonies on the chorus. “Stuck” brings back some dreaminess in a gorgeous upbeat ballad that reminds me of a lusher Nick Drake, high praise indeed. The interplay between the acoustic and electric guitars is quite pretty. “Walking” has big buzzy synths that remind me of 80s new wave ballads, but the rest of the execution of this song is more 90s alternative. “Afraid of the Rain” turns up the dreaminess, with more big synths and reverb, and “Forlorn” is a great pop punk track disguised as dreamy indie, acoustic and electric guitars competing underneath breezy vocals. Glom have created something new and interesting with their debut LP.

GRLWOOD – I Sold My Soul To The Devil When I Was 12 (Sona Blast! Records, www.sonablast.com)

Born two years ago in Louisville, Kentucky, Grlwood is a self-described “two-piece band of Kentucky fried queerdos, wailing at max capacity,” and “angry queerdo genderfuck feminists screaming at you.” That’s fair enough. Guitar and drums pound out the sounds while the aggressive vocals shout and scream angrily and accusingly, or croon out sweetly or sadly. The songs generally cover topics of sexuality and gender identity. Stereotypes are exposed for the absurdity they are, such as on “Get Shot,” the opening track, which tells young girls that they need to be nice to the boys or they might get angry at them, leading them to get shot. Rejection for being one’s true self is explored in “I Hate My Mom.” Sexual violence is covered in “Take Off Your Clothes.” “No Tongue” is about life in the closet, with vocals that range from sweet, innocent, and confused to raging and monstrous. Musically, Grlwood is vaguely indie rock with hints of punk and pop (but not pop punk). For being just a two-piece the music doesn’t sound thin. In some respects they remind me of early hardcore punk and its stripped-down aesthetic. Grlwood has the rawness of early hardcore, too, and the honesty. But Grlwood is more evolved. Grlwood has been getting a lot of buzz, including coverage from none other than NPR. It’s all well deserved.

OUTSIDER – When Love Dies (Flatspot Records, www.flatspotrecords.com)

Do you like metallic hardcore that’ll rip your face off? Richmond, Virginia’s Outsider hope you do, because their new five-song EP is designed to do just that. The music will pummel you, thrash you around, and crush you into submission. The onslaught begins with the lead single, “Life Runs Out.” The song is about seizing the moment and going for whatever it is you have a passion for, rather than waiting or yielding to the easy path. The onslaught continues through four more intense offerings, with the title track closing the EP. We get a brief respite, in that song, with a quiet reflective ambience, guitars playing a simple melody with a ton of reverb. But then the song gets started, with a relaxed rock feel at first, and then the hardcore takes off like a rocket. Do you like metallic hardcore that’ll rip your face off? If so, enjoy getting your face ripped off by Outsider.

THE RITUALISTS – Painted People (Out of Line Music, www.outofline.de)

This New York City outfit is a real blast from the past. No, they aren’t a reunited group from the 80s, but they could be. They have the sound of 80s post-new-wave pop (is that really a genre?) like Echo and the Bunnymen or Lords of the New Church, maybe blended with the over-the-top theatrics of U2. The difference that the Ritualists bring, though, is a cleaner, more modern synth sound. Technology has advanced a lot in the last thirty years, after all. But I was never into Echo and the Bunnymen, nor U2, and the combination of the two isn’t any more clever or pleasing to my ears.

STRANGE RANGER – Remembering The Rockets (Tiny Engines,
www.tinyengines.net)

Strange Ranger hails from Philadelphia, and they play solid indie rock and pop. “Remembering The Rockets” is the latest in a long string of releases dating back just three years. The music is quiet, reflective stuff, smooth and calming. The album opens strongly with “Leona,” a song that’s easy and bouncy, with lyrics telling of awkward love. “Sunday” cranks things up, adding dreamy synths that ring out loudly, though the melodic line still has a nice bounciness. Acoustic guitars are used to smooth the atmosphere in this song of losing love but keeping friendship. I love the short instrumental interlude, “Athens, GA.” It’s a slow dirge on pipe organ, with ambient recordings of people talking in the background. It’s very moody, and it leads into the equally moody “Message to You,” a track that uses synthesized pipe organ and a quiet dance beat. The vocals are so delicate and brooding. “Pete’s Hill” is quiet with beautifully meandering guitars, keyboard, and synth. Right after is the noisy, buzzy “Beneath the Lights.” The smooth vocals are in sharp contrast, and it makes for an interesting listen. I love the instrumental break toward the end with a Celtic sounding synth solo. The weakest track of the album is “Ranch Style Home;” the vocals are sloppy and off-key, probably on purpose, but this country-ish song is just a mess. However, I won’t let it ruin my enjoyment of an otherwise solid release.

TONY APPLESEED – Entropy (tonyappleseed.bandcamp.com)

New Jersey’s Tony Appleseed may not be roaming around planting apple trees all over the place, but he’s sure planting diverse musical ideas. On this latest LP, his third, Appleseed brings together his largest ensemble of musicians to date, and provides us with a lucky thirteen tracks of alternative, psychedelic, progressive synth-folk-rock. At nearly an hour, that’s a lot of music for one album. But it never gets boring or repetitive. The album opens with a short introductory track, “Twenty-four Weeks.” It feels like something out of a science-fiction film, with the sounds of a pulse and ominous synth droning in the background, getting louder and louder. We hear a periodic ping, like something from a NASA spaceflight from the 70s, and then it all fades. Synths, piano, vibraphone, bass, and drums are key instrumentation on many of the tracks. Other tracks use instruments like banjo and flute to great effect. I love the title track, which uses banjo for a folk feel, flute for a jazz feel, and guitar, synths, bass, and drums for a harder rock quality. The resulting musical soup is unique, exploratory, relaxed and edgy at the same time. “Reincarnation” is a cool indie-folk-rock number, again using the banjo, but with psychedelic guitar and a melody that’s much more pop than folk. “Free Bird” includes trombone, piano, and an old-timey jazz sound. “Ballad of Braque” reminds me of the late, great Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, with its odd and changing meters and progressive jazz sound. The piano’s arpeggios glide, and the single note guitar lines are angular. While there is great diversity in the songs and styles on this album, it also feels cohesive. All of the tracks have a relaxed feel with an underlying anxiety. The simultaneous differences and connectedness of the tracks make for a fascinating, enjoyable listen

TOWNER (Crush Grove,
www.crushgrove.com)

Many moons ago, there was an amazing band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, called The Vertebrats. They changed my life. In early 1980s rural Illinois, this band was playing amazing garage and power pop. They were the first band I regularly went to see perform live, as they usually played once a month at Mabel’s a campus town bar near the University of Illinois. And, while Towner can’t really be called garage or power pop, there’s a quality to their sound that reminds me of that band that was so important to my life. Towner’s music is more indie-pop and pop punk oriented, but there’s some power mixed into their pop. Their choice in harmonizing vocals also reminds me of The Vertebrats. Towner are also very much a DIY effort, unpolished in their presentation, raw and honest musicians, much like The Vertebrats. And a couple of the songs almost could have been recorded by the Vertebrats. “These Worlds Are Yours” and “Calm Down” sound like an update of their sound. Towner’s lead vocals also have similar qualities to Kenny Draznik, The Vertebrats’ singer. Towner are still green though, and this is their debut EP. They’ve got some room to grow, some rough edges to polish. I look forward to their next release.

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THE BLACK TONES – Cobain and Cornbread (Reptar Records, www.theblacktones.com)

Cobain and Cornbread. Seattle and the South. What a perfect name for the debut LP from The Black Tones, a band that plays bluesy, grungy rock music. Featuring brother and sister Eva (vocals/guitar) and Cedric (drums) Walker, the music is rocking and soulful at the same time, though the arrangements are a bit thin as might be expected. Eva’s vocals are gorgeous, as she belts out songs like “Mama! There’s A Spider In My Room,” bending notes and adding tons of vibrato in just the right spots. I adore “Rivers of Jordan,” a song with the feel of a spiritual. It’s very spare, with harmonica, vocals, and percussion, and it feels very down home. “Plaid Pants” is a great balance of grunge and blues, showcasing Eva’s vocals again, though it runs a little longer than it should. “Striped Walls” is my favorite track of the album – even though it’s the most different from the rest. Banjo and vocals with percussion after the intro, the song is a beautiful ballad. And lest you think that The Black Tones are just a sound, they get political, too. The second track is “The Key of Black (They Want Us Dead).” It’s got a deep bass intro and grungy-funk feel. “We want love, they want us dead / We want peace, they want us dead / We want to go to school, they want us dead / Pay our taxes, they want us dead…” Yes, The Black Tones are black, and yes, too many people in this country have the attitude expressed in these lyrics. Musically, the song is a blues-jam and maybe one of the weaker ones, but the lyrics more than make up for that. “Welcome Mr. Pink” closes the album strongly with a waltz-time song that’s best when the guitars are thick. By mixing downhome blues and northwest grunge, The Black Tones give us something new, always a great thing in my book.

THE DARLING FIRE – Dark Celebration (Spartan Records, www.spartanrecords.com)

The Darling Fire, from South Florida, blend heavy indie rock with dreaminess. The guitars, bass, and drums have a hard post-hardcore crunch to them, while the vocals are haunting and dreamlike. And though The Darling Fire is a fairly new band, with Dark Celebration being their debut LP, these are not green musicians. The band features members of bands such as Dashboard Confessional, The Rocking Horse Winners, Shai Hulud, and other familiar groups. The influence of these previous experiences is pretty clear, but what’s new and unique is the mixing of hard and soft. The songs are all somewhat long form, too, with all of them clocking in at more than four minutes – most are nearly five minutes or more. This gives The Darling Fire time to stretch out and explore the melodic themes they present. This works to their advantage on songs like “Nevertwin,” the second track on the LP. It’s got an expansive, rolling sound, and even though the pace is leisurely, the feeling is one of ever moving forward. “Omaha” is another slower one, but it’s got an intensity to it, with emotionally charged wall of guitar instrumentals and light airy vocals. The components of this record will seem familiar, but the combination of them is what’s novel here, and what works well.

FALLOW LAND – Slow Down, Rockstar (Spartan Records, www.spartanrecords.com)

Midwesterners Fallow Land are pretty mellow. Or at least their music is. And one of the best things about them is the diversity in that music; songs don’t all sound the same! Some songs are fairly straightforward indie, others blend together dreamy indie and light jazz, while others are get edgier and noisier. On many of the tracks, there’s interplay among the layers of the instrumentation, with guitars, bass, drums, and synths elegantly dancing around each other. In that way the band reminds me a little bit of a lighter, less lush Cymbals Eat Guitars. Oddly enough, the album opener, “The Things You Say,” is probably the weakest, sounding like generic alternative emo-pop. I thought I was in for a snooze-fest until the next track, “The Self,” which has a nice, easy, math-jazz-pop feel. I really love the duel going on between the guitar and synth on “The Body.” The track has an off-kilter rhythm that goes well with the instrumentation. The album keeps getting better from there. “The Dog Song” is an exercise in beautiful minimalism battling hard-edged excess. And the guitars in “The Boredom” swirl around, making me feel like I’m in the middle of the band, rotating around and around. I’m glad I continued listening beyond the first track, but too many reviewers don’t – an important reason to always put your best song first, bands!

GOOD RIDDANCE – Thoughts and Prayers (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

Long standing pop punks Good Riddance just released their latest LP, their first since 2014’s “Peace In Our Time.” GR has always been one of my favorite Fat Wreck bands, because they’re masters of the sound that defined the label. They play unabashed pop punk, fast’n’loud, tight and poppy. And, true to their punk roots (they formed back in the 80s, after all), GR aren’t afraid to get political. The opening track, “Edmund Pettus Bridge,” is a reference to the bridge in Alabama where an infamous clash took place between African Americans marching for voting rights and state troopers who were enforcing the racist order in the South. The bridge itself is named for a Confederate general and grand wizard of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. The track opens with dialogue from the film, “Wall Street,” in which Michael Douglas’ character, Gordon Gecko, explains that the richest one percent own half the country’s wealth, and the vast majority of the country has nothing, and how the wealthy make all the rules, asking, “You’re not naïve enough to think we’re living in a democracy, are you, buddy?” As if voting rights and voting would make any difference. Some of the tracks are more hardcore than others, like “Our Great Divide,” a speedy, crunchy song, or “No King But Caesar,” one that’s even harder, with angular and dissonant guitars. Others are heavier on the pop side, like “Don’t Have Time,” a slightly more than mid-tempo cut loaded with melodic hooks. But, honestly, if you know Good Riddance, you know exactly what to expect – maybe with the exception of “No Safe Place,” a slower more alternative rock track that sounds like something from the 2000s emo-ish pop punk era. The closer, “Requisite Catastrophes,” is a mid-temp poppy one, but it’s loaded with hooks and bounce. Yep, Good Riddance gives us exactly what we expect – and I couldn’t be happier to hear it.

THE LUCKY EEJITS – Out of Time (Bypolar Records, www.bypolarrecords.com / Wiretap Records, www.wiretaprecords.com)

Well, damn! The Lucky Eejits are back with a new full-length LP, their third since forming a handful of years ago. These Bay Area Eejits play some pretty great pop punk with a Fat Wreck Chords skate punk vibe. The tracks are pretty rapid paced with tons of poppy goodness. The Eejits are super tight without sounding slick – perfect for this style of music. The whoa-ohs are plentiful, as are the sing-along opportunities. Some of the songs are pretty damn anthemic, too, like “Happy Accidents.” The song has double-time going on in the rhythm section, while the vocals seem to float over the instrumentals at a regular tempo. I can imagine a raging pit during this song, with another group of punks shoving their fists in the air, singing along. Though the album as a whole has an urgency to its sound, as if the band really are out of time, the title track ironically has a more leisurely pace. “Cold Stare” is a mid-tempo track that has a vaguely ska-punk feel in parts with a strong backbeat. It’s a fun, bouncy song, and the rolling bass line adds to the effect. If you’re a fan of the Fat Wreck sound, check this out – you won’t regret it.

ROLEY YUMA (https://open.spotify.com/artist/5qERofNeKP1sTC2PbuRawh)

Dayton, Ohio may be a forgotten city in the rustbelt, a place American corporations abandoned. But it also has been a hotbed of musical creativity. Guided By Voices, The Breeders, Brainiac, Toxic Reasons and more have called the city home. Roley Yuma is another Dayton band creating unique music unlike the masses of sound-alike bands out there. Roley Yuma has been around for some time, but it’s been a while between their last release and this LP, some six years. Their music is explosive, angular stuff, and it harkens back to the 90s post-punk era that saw a huge burst of new ideas in music. Things start out quite manically with “Clifton,” angry, noisy guitars fighting each other to bring the melody through, vocals piercing through the din. The song doesn’t end so much as flow into “Bricklayer,” which continues the off-kilter pummeling. Right about the middle of the track, things smooth out some, and the bass line sounds like something from Joy Division. The music, while not poppy, has a definite bounce to its step. As the album progresses, things get a little less chaotic, a little smoother, a little jazzier, and, as a result, less engaging. One place it goes wrong is during “Why Are You So Dark?” The track starts out lightly with a whimsical feel, and then gets hard and raucous. At first I thought it could be a favorite track, but as the song progressed, it began to evolve into a hard rock jam. At the halfway mark it just gets to be too much. “Tarrere” has cool guitar harmonics on a repetitive line that starts around the middle of the track, even as the front half is just a smooth indie rock track. The back part of the track gets noisier and more chaotic, and therefore more successful, in my opinion. When Roley Yuma gets things right, they’re very right.

SUNGAZE – Light In All of It (sungaze.bandcamp.com)

Sungaze come to us from Cincinnati, Ohio, and this is their debut LP. It’s an album full of very chill, dreamy pop music, with lush synths and heavy reverb. The music at times has an ethereal quality, especially on the intro instrumental track, “Wind.” It’s hard to call this album dream pop or shoegaze, because it’s not quite either, yet it’s got qualities of both. There’s less fuzziness to the music, more clarity. The music relies more on atmospherics than hooks. Some tracks almost feel like “easy listening” versions of grunge tunes, because they have a grittier attitude, even as the sound is still chill and dreamy. One such track is “This River,” sounding like it came from Seattle on Xanax. These are really nice, relaxing songs. Curl up on the sofa with a good book and this record playing in the background, and all your tension is sure to disappear.

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THE WHIPS DC – What We Talk About When We Talk About Rock (Settle For It Records, www.settleforitrecords.com)

This is the long-lost album from the short-lived “super group” from Washington, DC. Formed in 2001 out of the ashes of the DC post-hardcore scene of the 1990s, The Whips are made up of drummer Arika Casebolt (of Circus Lupus), bassist James Brady (of Trusty), guitarist Trip Costner (Squatweiler), and vocalist Matt Burger (Worlds Collide). The band never really broke up, but around 2007, after a scant six years, they stopped playing. They recently made the decision to become active again, adding the “DC” to their name to avoid confusion with another The Whips that had since formed. During the short time they were in the scene, they went into the studio twice. In 2003 they recorded three songs at Inner Ear Studios, ground zero for many of DC’s best punk and hardcore records. The master himself, Don Zientara, did the engineering, with Brian Baker and Steve Hansgen producing. In 2006 they recorded the rest of the songs with Bruce Falkinberg. The recordings lay dormant ever since. Until now.

The Whips distilled all of the best aspects of the DC sound of the time, mixed it with pure rock and roll, and lit it on fire. The result was explosive, and they called it “hot rock.” It’s an apt name. They say this album is their love song to DC, and it sounds it. The eleven tracks that make up this album are a testament to the timelessness of the DC sound, because these tracks sound as vital and fresh today as they did when they were written. The album opens with “California (Take a Chance),” the track with the heaviest dose of rock and roll. The band oozes attitude and confidence, especially in Burger’s vocals. You can hear how much fun they’re having just playing the music; it sounds incredibly joyful. That’s one aspect of the DC sound The Whips incorporated into their music – the joyfulness. Another is the vocal style of not quite singing, more speaking the lyrics, with heavy inflections. In the incendiary “Danger Danger” I hear a lot more direct DC influence, with bits of Gray Matter, 3, Circus Lupus, and others. It’s hard to pinpoint, but just the way the melody progresses, the tone of the guitars, it’s all there. Burger’s vocals have a pleading quality, and there are tons of backing vocals interjecting all over the place. The unison lines in the guitar and bass are another thing I recognize as a DC trademark that have been absorbed into The Whips’ repertoire. The piercing high-pitched backing vocals are a key element of “Better Than Good” and “Dave Mustaine Sally,” the latter being one of the more clever song titles I’ve seen lately. The blistering rock and roll music and the ferocity of the vocals are unrelenting. “Kayti’s Song” leans more heavily on the DC legacy, and is the sole track that had been released back in the day, via a music video the band made. The jangly guitars on the bridge that turn into a striding repeat of the same melodic line are right out of Revolution Summer, and it warms my heart. I think this one is one of my favorite tracks of the album. “Bellboys” is the most different track of the album, with more traditional melody and vocals, but you can hear a deep rumble of blues-rock underneath, alternating with a lighter touch. On “Room Service” I hear classic DC in some of the guitar licks. The album closes with “Gratuity Incl,” a track that seems out of place. It’s a southern rock instrumental, heavy on the bluesy sound. It’s a short outro, notable for Brian Baker’s lead guitar.

Now that this album is finally seeing the light of day, and the band is playing a reunion show this summer to celebrate its release, will we see them do some touring? One can only hope they at least play some select dates in various cities around the country, like other reunited bands have been doing lately. The Whips are one of DC’s lost treasures, and now they’re found.

JOEY CAPE – Let Me Know When You Give Up (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

Best known as the front man of Fat Wreck Chords’ longtime band, Lagwagon, Joey Cape has also had a solo career for several years, starting with his debut LP, “Bridge,” back in 2008. He’s released material under his own name with established record labels, with no label, and sometimes with his One Week Records imprint. This latest effort sees him once again releasing solo material with Fat. Joey’s solo records are his opportunity to explore his softer side; where Lagwagon is an outlet for punk rock, his solo material is decidedly not punk. Much of the music is singer-songwriter fare and features acoustic guitar and Joey’s quiet vocals, though several songs include full band. Right from the start, the title track feels, for the first half, like listening to Joey play in his living room. We hear just Joey and his guitar, with ambient noises in the background. His vocals are tentative, full of breathiness. When the full band comes in, the song changes; the vocals get bolder and the guitars are strong. “Let me know when you’re stranded / I’ll rescue you,” one of the verses goes. It’s a song about supporting those we care for, being there for them no matter what, in their toughest times. “Daylight” has an awesome retro pop feel, in a post-Beatles sort of way that makes it stand out as a favorite. I also like “Before My Heart Attack.” It’s got an interesting start-stop-start melodic line and changing time signatures. “Possession” is another track with an acoustic opening – except this one stays mostly quiet, but it simmers with a Latin quality. And the closer, “The Last Word,” is a purely acoustic track, short and sweet. You’re back in Joey’s living room, and he sings, “Wrapping up, say goodnight, trying not to start a fight / It’s the last word tonight, it’s the last word / Solitude, my dear friend, all good things come to an end / It’s the last word tonight, it’s the last word tonight.” It’s the perfect ender. There were only a couple of songs that bothered me a little bit. “Fighting Atrophy” had a synth sound and harmonized guitar solo that reminded me of arena rock too much. And “The Love of My Life” uses a steel guitar to create a country tune. I really dislike country tunes. But other than these, this is a pretty solid, enjoyable album.

THE DOLLYROTS – Daydream Explosion (Wicked Cool Records, www.wickedcoolrecords.com)

If you’ve never heard of the Dollyrots, you must have been living under a rock. The LA band have been around for the better part of two decades and have put out several LPs and numerous EPs and singles, working with Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, with Arrested Youth Records, and most recently with Wicked Cool Records. The Dollyrots play Ramones-inspired pop punk, but way slicker than The Ramones ever thought punk rock should be. The most comparable band these days might be Teenage Bottlerocket, but again, The Dollyrots are smoother, tighter, and more polished than even TBR. Most of the songs are raucous and bouncy, and sound like they could have been written and recorded at the height of the pop punk explosion of the 1990s. That’s both good and bad. Good, because The Dollyrots represent the heights that pop punk reached back in the day. The production quality is top notch, the band is incredibly tight and on point, and the music is bouncy to the extreme. Bad, though, because pop punk in the latter part of the 90s became a commodity to be bought and sold by music industry moguls. And much of this record sounds like a pop punk commodity to me.

FRIEDA’S ROSES – Jessica Triangle (friedasroses.bandcamp.com)

Bands made up of kids have a spotty history. Old Skull had dubious talents, while Noise Addict were indie gold. Metal crossover band Red Kross started life as punk band Red Cross, and before that were The Tourists, while still in middle school. I’ll let you decide that one for yourself. Frieda’s Roses is a trio from Los Angeles, made up of 13 to 15 year-old girls. So it could go either way, right? I’m happy to tell you that Frieda’s Roses is made up of some very talented people. Much of the music has a dark jangle to it, poppy, yet not. I really love “Equal Pace,” a track with psychedelic undertones and backing vocals on the chorus that are dark and mysterious. “Capable” has a cool garage and post-punk goth vibe mixed with folk-punk. “Need To Be Free” is a love song only teenagers could sing, played with acoustic guitar and ukulele. The bouncy melody is fun, and the lyrics about being free by being yourself are pretty great. “Chasing The Light” reminds me of a 60s pop hit, the kind where the woman sings about how miserable her life is. The lyrics are about the many pitfalls in interpersonal relationships. The acoustic guitar, piano, and strings are a gorgeous touch. “Look Into The Light” has this sort of feel, too. They’re like songs that David Lynch could have used in an alternate version of Twin Peaks. The only thing that bothers me (but just a little bit) about this record is that the lead vocals are a little too deadpan, though very capable. Bottom line – this would be an excellent debut for any band, let alone one made up of young teens.

MUTAGÉNICOS – 3 (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

Mutagénicos are a band from Spain that play a variety of styles of music, all loosely with a garage vibe. “Lo Que Digan De Mi” (What They Say About Me) has a power pop mixed with R&B sound. A synth on the tail end of the track changes the tune into a prog rock one.”Actualice Su Fe” (Update Your Faith) is the most punk of the tracks, with a fast pace, though it also has a fairly jangly guitar sound. As a good punk song should be, it’s also the shortest of the album, at just under a minute and a half. There are songs that are theatrical (“La Cumbria De La Muerte”), rockabilly songs (“Autocontrol”, “Menos Mal”), and some classic garage (“Resetear”). “He Venido A Buscarte” is a great jazzy number with a rock & roll jump thing going on. The closer, “Muerte Marte” (Death Mars), has an appropriately eerie, sci-fi horror feel, in the best tradition of that subgenre of garage rock. It’s an instrumental, but parts of the track have a very serious sounding man saying something that feels very important. I don’t speak fluent Spanish, so I’m not sure what he’s saying, but it sounds urgent. Their music may not cause a genetic mutation (mutagenics are agents such as radiation or chemicals that cause genetic mutation), but it will cause a good time.

OCEANS OF THE MOON (Castle Face Records, www.castlefacerecords.com)

Noisy. Unconventional. Synthesized chaos. Gritty. Rhythmic and arrhythmic. Angular. Repetitive. Cheesy funk. All of these descriptors apply to the debut LP from Oceans of the Moon. At times interesting, at times annoying, Oceans of the Moon are certainly making a bold statement. But it’s mostly annoying. I do love experiments in sound, avant-garde music and all. But this really bores me rather than challenges me. There’s way too much repetition, and the lyrics tend to be the song title stated over and over, as well. “Baby Chiffon” is pseudo funk, complete with staccato wah pedal guitar and grating high-pitched vocals, the lyrics primarily being the title of the song repeated over and over. “I’m On A Roll” plods along at too relaxed a pace, also repeating the title over and over in place of meaningful lyrics. “Borderline” has a short melodic line that repeats over and over on the synth while the thin guitar plinks the strings hesitatingly. The same is true with pretty much every track on the album. The only track that is somewhat interesting is “Sully.” It has a droning synth bass line juxtaposed with reverb-laden garage guitar strums, cowbell providing the primary percussion. It’s not nearly enough to justify sitting through the other seven tracks, though.

THE RE-VOLTS – Leeches (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Coming out of the Bay Area, The Re-Volts play power pop mixed with garage pop, in the vein of the great toyGuitar. The songs are bouncy, poppy, and sunny. Three songs are belted out in a joyful manner. The title track comes first, and is my favorite of the three. Imaging mixing early Rolling Stones with power pop and modern garage. It’s the kind of song you can’t help but move to. “Metropolis Or Bust” is a little bit smoother, and “Love Letters” has full-on crooning lead vocals and haunting backing vocals for a true retro edge. The only bad thing about this EP is that it’s only three songs. I want to hear a full album!

THE COPYRIGHTS / KEPI GHOULIE – Observation Wagon (Stardumb Records, www.stardumbrecords.com / Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

Two songs each from these two legends! In preparation of their European tour together this summer, the two bands recorded two songs each, one original and one cover of the other band. The Copyrights’ new song is their first new music since 2014, and it’s a track called “Welcome Wagon.” It’s got a big Midwest pop punk sound, full of bouncy goodness and a little bit of darkness. The Kepi cover is “Are You Passionate?” off of his album, “Kepi Goes Country.” But The Copyrights’ version sure isn’t country folk like the original – it’s pure pop punk goodness. It’s faster, louder, thicker, and more raucous. Kepi’s original contribution is the acoustic-electric alterna-pop sci-fi thriller, “Observation Day.” It has Kepi’s warmth flowing through it, though the synths the harmonized vocals, the acoustic guitar, and the tambourine. Then Kepi covers “Four Eyes,” from the Copyrights’ debut LP. The original is a slower, loping pop punk song, and Kepi’s cover keeps the tempo, but changes it up to a folksy singer-songwriter vibe. It still has a bounce in its step, maybe even more so. This record may have been made specifically for the summer tour, but this sure isn’t a throwaway; this is some good music.

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CEREAL KILLER – The Beginning and the End of Cereal Killer (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

What happens when you mix hardcore, garage punk, and pure evil? This is dark, angry stuff, fast and furious. And who ever heard of saxophone in a thrashy hardcore band? It’s here, and it works. The songs are short, lo-fi, buzzing and hissing at a blistering pace. Vocals are pained and shrieking, and the frenetic guitars create both a wall of sound and incredible garage flourishes. “Your Punk Scene Can…It” is an awesome blast. In under two minutes this track will devastate you, especially when it gets to the minute and a quarter mark and the guitars drone on a riff that gets more and more intense as the end of the song approaches. “Electric Sheep” is pretty cool, with a melodic line that’s mostly partial scales, with a stop-start rhythm. It’s pretty experimental, and reminds me of a more hardcore version of Round Eye, China’s experimental punk band of Western ex-pats. “Should Punks Be Allies” sounds like it could have been a Dead Kennedys demo; even the vocals sound Jello-like, in a way. The titles of some of these songs, as you can tell, are pretty good, too. It took me several listens to get into this record. When it’s just playing in the background, it seems to get tiresome. But attentive listening is quite rewarding with Cereal Killer.

DOTS (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Dots, hailing from Oakland, are made up of members of Midnite Snaxxx, Bad Daddies, and FM Knives. This is their debut LP, and it’s a hectic affair. Imagine crossing psychedelic jams with art punk, and you might have an idea of what Dots sound like. Shouted vocals are sent through heavy reverb and multiple delays, giving them a freaky eerie sound. Instrumentals are manic yet simple, riffage on basic chord progressions. There’s feedback aplenty, too, adding to the immense tension. “Throwing Pennies” is the opening track, and it’s a slight outlier, with guitars that jangle, adding a brightness to the otherwise dark mix. I love the start-stop nature of the gruff guitars on “Blackness,” repeating a 4-chord riff over and over, even as the vocals repeat patterns, too. The delays in the vocals thicken the arrangement, yet add to the effect of confusion that the band do so well. The synths at the start of “Alpha Rat” sound like something out of a 1950s sci-fi flick, and the bass line on this one is pretty cool. The track has the feel of garage punk, but the hazy cloud of fuzz hangs over everything. The feedback used as another instrument is an interesting effect, too, adding to the alien quality. “Surf’s Up” is the closest thing Dots have to a song with a real melodic line, and could be my favorite of the album. Even through the hopped up instrumentals and vocals, there’s a brilliant glisten to the music. I like the sound Dots have created here; it’s fairly unique. But if I have one suggestion it’s that some of the songs end up sounding too much alike, due to the production quality. I’m sure it was recorded the way it was for effect, but it gets to be a little too much about halfway through the eight songs.

DROIDS BLOOD – Be Free (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

I’d never heard of Chicago’s Droids Blood before, nor its progenitor, Broken Prayer. And I’m from Chicago, originally. Droids Blood can best be described as an artcore band. They’re mostly hardcore, but with heavy art intentions. Guitar-driven art punk is melded with dark synth pop and off-kilter shouted vocals to create a sonic landscape. The mix is thick with noise, so the art is mostly abstract, hard to discern what’s going on or what the intent is. Some of these songs are pretty creative. “Rotary Phone” stands out to me. It begins with an ominous low droning against a high-pitched buzz, and there’s what sounds like a synthesized foghorn of some kind, and the sound of a helicopter flying overhead. It certainly creates an atmospheric feel. Soon the drums begin a beat, and some spoken lyrics begin. Morse code-like synths join, and then the guitars fill in the sound. The overall sound is less chaotic, more coherent than a lot of the tracks. I wish more of the tracks were like this. I would have enjoyed this album a lot more. In too many of the tracks, though, any sense of song is swallowed by noise and distortion, and it just tired me.

JOYER – Peeled (Baklava, www.facebook.com/soundslikebaklava)

Joyer is a duo consisting of brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan. Nick is also one of the principles of DIY tape label Baklava. Based in northern New Jersey, the brothers play what they call “slowcore.” It’s an apt description. The music is unhurried, quiet, and relaxed. Just guitar, drums, and vocals are here. The songs are along the lines of indie pop, but with less sparkle than most of that genre. The result feels like you’re sitting in a friend’s (large) bedroom, and he’s playing songs just for you, along with his buddy playing drums, a very casual and laid back feel. The guitars are delicate and understated and the vocals nearly deadpan. It just feels…real. Tracks worth special note include “Don’t Argue,” which gets a bit experimental and a bit psychedelic; imagine your friend gave you a tab of acid while you’re listening to them play in that bedroom. Likewise, “Spunspunspun” is an experimental instrumental track, featuring piano, drums, and electronics, very odd and disorienting, but very cool. “Stem” is a very simple song (most of them are), but it feels more calming than even the other tracks. Simple guitar strumming, simple chord progression, simple vocals (which have a little more verve than the average track on the LP), and these add up to a track that feels like floating down the river. And the closing track, “Moths,” is maybe the brightest of the bunch, though the vocals do tend to meander a bit. This is the kind of record that’s nice to listen to on a rainy day, curled up on the sofa and reading a good book.

KIRA JARI – Spooky Freaky (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Denton, Texas, north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, has been home to some of the great bands in modern punk history. One of the latest is Kira Jari, a band that blends pop punk and garage. This is the band’s second release, a four-song EP, coming two years on since their debut LP. Though guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Jones has moved nearly 1000 miles away to Minneapolis to attend grad school, the band takes every opportunity to get together as a reason to celebrate the short life we have on earth. And it’s evident in the music. Though some of the songs on this EP are somewhat slower than the manic pace of the LP, the energy and intensity are undiminished; this is lo-fi garage punk with a pop punch. The one track that still races at a ridiculous pace is “Is It Noticeable?” and it recalls the mania of other Denton bands, but adds an incongruent pop sensibility, making it a stand-out track. I really like “Sea Sick,” one of the tracks that are more moderately paced. It’s slower, but the intensity makes it seem faster than it is. That power! This is a garage punk instant classic. The bookend tracks, “Another Episode” and “Silver Heart,” are both heavier on the pop punk than the garage, with a definite “Awesome Fest” sort of sound, and they warm my heart. I know Matt’s working to make the planet a better, cleaner place up there in the frozen north, but I look forward to the time when he can spend a bit of time with the rest of the band and maybe do another tour and full-length.

NEW AGE HEALERS – Debris (newagehealers.bandcamp.com)

Seattle is most associated with grunge music, but there are plenty of other bands playing other genres there. The pop punk scene, for one, is thriving. But so is the shoegaze scene, when you have a band like New Age Healers calling the city home. The tracks are all moderate tempo, with relaxed but bright, breathy vocals. Some of the guitars are fuzzed out, others are clear as a bell. “Satellites” is a favorite, for the rolling feel in the rhythm and the wall of guitar fuzz. “Hang On” has a gorgeous intro, with fuzzy jangly guitars back in the mix, and an acoustic guitar in the front, sharp and clear. When the vocals come in the fuzz drops from the electric guitars for a bit. That electric guitar line from the intro continues playing through the whole song, and the vocals are a harmonized male/female pair. I love the contrasts between the clear and fuzzed parts. Each song on the album is very listenable. Each song is a good example of modern shoegaze. But if I have one criticism, there’s too much similarity from song to song. The tempos are all about the same. The guitar tones are just fuzzed or clear. The vocals all have the same quality. When there’s so much the same, the energy begins to be sapped. Adding in some more variation would, I think, help to hold listeners’ attention longer.

OUTER SPACES – Gazing Globe (Western Vinyl, www.westernvinyl.com)

Outer Spaces is Cara Beth Satalino, a performer hailing from the northeastern United States. Her songs blend folk, indie, and retro pop, and have an introspective sound. That makes sense, because, according to the press materials, these songs were written during a lonely period of her life, spent in solitude. None of the songs are raucous or rowdy – they’re all calm and sedate. The guitar tone and keyboards have a haunting quality to them, while the drums feel a little bit lounge-like. Satalino’s vocals remind me a bit of a popular female pop singer of the 70s, but I can’t recall the name and that’s driving me crazy. “Truck Song” starts as a straight-up country folk song, but played on electric guitar; the opening is on acoustic that’s been amplified, it seems, but then the full band comes in, gradually, and with a light touch. The music gets a little brighter and poppier, with a pretty guitar line closing out the tune. Some of the songs have strings added, which I’m not sure I care for. For example, on the title track, which is otherwise another quiet, introspective indie song, the strings are used as an interjection that sounds like something from as movie soundtrack for a scene that features a seduction scene. The wood block percussion used in the song also sounds a bit too cheesy for my tastes. The pattern repeats in other songs. The songwriting and vocals are solid, but the arrangements remind me too much at times of the sort of music from my youth that turned me away from rock music.

THE PROLETARIAT – Move (Radiobeat Records, www.proletariatband.com)

The Proletariat was active back in the early to mid 1980s, releasing two albums (“Soma Holiday” and “Indifference”) and a single (“Marketplace”). That and a few compilation tracks were all we had to remember the groundbreaking Boston band that went beyond the hardcore and thrash of other local bands of the day, playing intelligent, political music with a post-punk sound more reminiscent of bands like Gang of Four or mid-period Wire. Their blending of melody, a punk aesthetic, politics, and anger was one of the highlights of the early Boston punk scene. Then, in 1985, ahead of the release of “Indifference,” they broke up. It wouldn’t be until thirty years passed that The Proletariat would reappear. In 2016, three of four original members reformed the group for a series of shows, which continued into 2017 with a small tour. And now we have a brand new LP, produced by none other than Lou Giordano, the man that recorded so many Boston bands in the heyday of hardcore and punk. Today, The Proletariat sounds more influenced by Big Black and 90s DC post-emo punk than UK post-punk of the 80s. There are a lot of angular lines, judicious use of dissonance, and some nice empty spaces of bass and drums. And as much as I love those old records from the band’s first go-around, I have to say, “Move” is their best album to date. Time has done nothing to dull the edge; on the contrary, they’re sharper than ever and as relevant as ever. The perfect example is the opening track, “Incarceration Incentive,” a song about imprisoning people for profit. The song has a medium tempo; the guitars are raspy and rough, cutting a jagged line; vocalist Richard Brown’s vocals are spewing as much venom as ever. It’s one of my favorite tracks of this new batch. “Indian Removal Act” decries the injustice our government has visited upon Native Americans, repeatedly signing treaties with them and then breaking them, forcing them off their land whenever something of value was found there. The high-pitched harmonics in the guitars on this and other tracks are what bring Big Black to mind, but where that Chicago band featured the mild-mannered vocals of Steve Albini, Brown roars the lyrics out here. “The Murder of Alton Sterling” is the most hardcore track of the album, fast and loud and furious, as we all should be at the unjustified murder of black men by white police officers in America. The title track is somewhat reminiscent of the band’s sound back in the day, but with a harder edge. The topic is also out of the past, the police bombings and destruction of a neighborhood in Philadelphia in 1985, around the time when the band broke up. The incident is barely remembered these days, but MOVE was a black liberation organization founded in 1972, espousing revolutionary beliefs along the lines of the Black Panthers and living in a communal setting. After multiple confrontations with police, a police helicopter dropped a bomb on the row house in which MOVE lived. The result was the deaths of eleven MOVE members, including five children, and the destruction of sixty-five homes in the neighborhood from the resulting fire. I really like the martial feel of “Trophy Kills,” and the closer, “Consumption,” is the most melodic track of the LP. They’re both pretty great. To be certain, I listened to the whole LP, back to back with the band’s tracks from “This Is Boston, Not L.A.” and “Soma Holiday,” and yeah, this is their best yet. I hope they tour out to the West Coast.

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BILY LIAR – Some Legacy (Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

Red Scare has certainly put out some solid records from some pretty good bands over the years, but they’re having a truly bang-up 2019 with a couple of new signings. First was Philadelphia’s Ramona (scroll down to read my review of that debut LP) and now Billy Liar, hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland in the UK. Billy Liar is described as an acoustic/folk punk act in Wikipedia, and that’s true of past releases. But this latest LP has been electrified with a full band, and the music is even more electrifying than past efforts. The folk punk roots are clear though, with songs that wear their emotions on their sleeve. The music is tight and gorgeously constructed, but raw in sheer feeling. Most of the songs are raucous and powerful. Lyrically, this record hits hard. In “The Righteous & the Rats,” Billy Liar sings about the artificial constructs and virtual prisons of society: “When the world began there were no borders / No one chooses where they’re born.” The chorus asks “Do you know any protest songs? The kind that we can sing along?” and decries how “It’s getting harder to tell the righteous from the rats,” as if to tell us that there are too many among us that pay lip service to progressive causes yet do nothing but benefit from the status quo. “Independent People” strips things back to acoustic guitar, more like earlier records, and it’s a tough song about modern economic times, with the growing divide between the super-rich and the rest of us. “My dad says things are gonna get worse a long time before they get better / I hope he’s wrong, but I know he’s right,” Liar opens. “Unemployment’s at an all time high / we’re all depressed so we stay inside / We’ll block out reality with reality television / But bread and circuses won’t pay the rent.” Mass layoffs have become commonplace, and Liar references this with “My boss said he was sorry, son / He had the order and he had to let go of someone / He said I’ll find a new job in no time / But it’s the same everywhere that I look / There’s no one playing by the book / Temporary staff for temporary work / We’re all temporary.” When companies do hire these days, it’s part-time work, so they can avoid paying benefits, another way to extract more wealth from the system for those at the top. Liar sings how this sort of work doesn’t pay the bills, and how we end up getting buried in debt just to survive. “We’re supposed to be satisfied with the thought that we could reach our supervisor’s place,” Liar sings. “I don’t know about you, but I want to feel alive,” he declares. He’s singing about the experience of the UK, but it’s universally true. Powerful and depressing stuff. “Change” is the most “punk” song of the record, fast and loud, yet the power comes more from the vocals than the instrumentals. This record is a revelation. Highly recommended!

CORPORATE CITIZEN – A Brief Moment of Sanity (El Topo Records, www.eltoporecords.com)

Hailing from San Diego, Corporate Citizen specializes in skate punk – and not the mediocre 90s bro-punk variety; they play a blend of 80's hardcore and modern melodic punk. “Batten Down The Hatches” opens the album and sets the tone, with a hard-hitting yet melodic track that reminds me a lot of some of the more melodic bands of 80s punk. Things only go up from there; “95 Sound” is straight-up old school hardcore punk, a la Gorilla Biscuits. After a brief intro, we get a rapid-fire bass line, and then the whole band takes off like a rocket, with the shouted vocals hanging on for dear life. The chorus slows it down and moves back to the melodic, yet retains that great mid to late 80s authentic sound. “Next Big Thing” takes things up a notch, too, if that’s even possible, with more fast’n’loud hardcore alternating with some modern sing-along pop punk that matches any of the best bands playing the style. “Trust Falls” is a favorite for its bright sound, more reminiscent of Bay Area pop punk of the late 80s and early 90s than of hardcore or skate punk sounds. “Got No Time” falls into this bucket, too, mixing the Bay Area pop punk sound with more traditional 80s hardcore punk, for a track that’s just hella fun. Not every track is a gem, though. “Bold-Faced Lies” tries to be more of a 90s hardcore track, but the execution falls short. The arrangement is a bit thin and the execution needs to be tightened up. And “Just Walk Away” is a little too metal crossover for my tastes. But this is a solid debut LP.

DECENT CRIMINAL – Bliss (Wiretap Records, wiretaprecords.limitedrun.com)

The latest LP from the kings of harmonized punk sees the Santa Rosa, California quartet branching out and experimenting with some new styles of songwriting. Their past couple of LPs (2016’s self-titled LP and 2017’s “Bloom”) were studies in how to meld pop punk, 50s rock and roll, and doo wop. But on “Bliss,” we get much more than that. Sure, there are some tracks that are in keeping with what Decent Criminal are most known for. The opening tack, “Nowhere,” is such a song, and has been a staple of their live sets for some time. But things get really interesting pretty quickly with the third song. “Fade” can only be described as an up-tempo dream pop song. It bounces pretty hard, but the guitars are big and shimmering. It’s unexpected, both for a Decent Criminal song, and for the mixing of dreaminess and jangle. The multipart harmonies are still here though, and thicken the track’s sound beautifully. I think it’s the best track of the record. “Bleached” is a more straightforward indie-rock song, very ballad-like, harkening back to 90s alternative. “”Loner” is the most punk the band have ever been; the song is fast and loud, bursting with focused harmonized energy and angular melodic lines. Fittingly, it’s the shortest track of the album, clocking in at under a minute and half. The vocals aren’t smooth and suave, like on other songs; the fury is palpable in both the singing and the playing. “Teeth” is a full-on grunge track, sounding like 1990 Seattle all over again. The song seems to be about escaping a suffocating relationship (“Found my way outside of the grip of you and I”). “Sigh” brings us a bouncy summery beach song, opening with acoustic guitars before the full band comes in. It has an almost Beatles-esque quality in parts, and toward the end, when it starts to slow and quiet, the Beach Boys harmonies are in full-force, and it’s so beautiful. The closer, “Alone,” is the most retro this band has ever gotten. It’s a throwback to 50s romantic pop tunes, and comes complete with strings. But this isn’t a love song; it’s quite the opposite. “And we can tease our hearts all summer / But it won’t change that we’ll be moving on / It’s only naïve to say we’re waiting for a day / We both know may never come.” It’s the heartbreaking idea of rejecting the potential of love for fear that it won’t last. What was it the wise ones said? Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Decent Criminal certainly have been experimenting with their sound. And it’s paid off very well.

JEANINES (Slumberland Records, www.slumberladrecords.com)

I was a huge fan of Slumberland Records, back in the late 80s and early 90s, when the label was still run from its birthplace in Maryland. Slumberland was a champion of the then still new brand of indie pop being made by bands like Velocity Girl, Boyracer, Whorl, The Ropers, and more. It was the kind of label that you trusted to put out music you knew you would like, so it was easy to buy records from bands you had never heard. I lost track of the label some years later, but it’s nice to see that head honcho Michael Schulman is still putting out records, now based in the Northern California Bay Area. This latest release harkens back to the music from those days, simple, pretty indie-pop. Jeanines’ self-titled release is the debut for this Brooklyn duo that play stripped down ultra-jangly music. Jed Smith plays toned-down drums and a gliding bass, while Alicia Hyman plays a twinkly clear guitar and multi-tracks the sparkling vocals. The tracks mostly have a melancholy overcast, but the opener, “Either Way,” has a bouncier major key feel. I love the break toward the end of the track, where the bass and drums drop out, and it’s just Hyman’s crystal clear vocals and quiet guitar strums. Many of the songs have the qualities of a troubadour, feeling vaguely like ancient folks songs telling stories. It’s really gorgeous stuff. The songs are all pretty short, with only three of the fourteen exceeding the two-minute mark. But there’s a lot packed into each track: lots of hooky melodies, lots of harmonized vocals, and loads of jangle. I particularly like the waltz time “In This House,” for the strong wandering minstrel vibe. And “Falling Off My Feet Again” is a pretty one with a ‘60s pop thing going on (something that exists, to one extent or another, in many of the tracks). Slumberland still has the magic touch and a winner with Jeanines.

MONO IN STEREO – Can’t Stop The Bleeding (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com)

Rum Bar Records, in my mind, is mostly known for putting out excellent power pop records, and those in the space between power pop and pop punk. They’ve put out some pretty awesome records in that space lately. This latest record is a five-song EP from Rockford, Illinois’ Mono In Stereo. Rockford is a small city in north central Illinois, nearly two hours away from the hubbub of Chicago, so it may seem an unlikely place for a rock and roll band. But Rockford was the birthplace of Cheap Trick, and they did a few things, so… Anyway, this EP is Mono In Stereo’s sophomore effort, four years on from their debut LP, Long For Yesterday, also from Rum Bar. And, like Cheap Trick before them, Mono In Stereo focuses not on the underground, but on good old guitar fueled rock and roll. The majority of the five songs on “Can’t Stop The Bleeding” are classic rock. ”Different Kind of Man” reminds me a lot of The Who, complete with keyboards right out of the 70s. “Not Your Fault” is working class rock, in the vein of Springsteen, as is the title track, which closes things out. They’re fine and all, if you go in for the classic rock sound, but it was what turned me off rock and roll as a kid (until I discovered the new music coming out in the late 70s and early 80s that changed everything). The other two tracks here are better. “Fores” is a raucous pop punk track, simple in its melody and chord progressions, but with tough guitars, gang vocals, and plenty of whoa-ohs. And the opener, “The Conversation” is a hybrid of emotionally charged pop punk and working class rock. I like both of these a lot. Unless Mono In Stereo has dreams of making it big playing arenas, I would think focusing their efforts more on the underground sounds would be more rewarding, especially given that guitar fueled rock music hasn’t made anyone famous in decades.

THE PROZACS – Ambivalence (Outloud! Records, www.outloudrecords.bandcamp. com)

The Prozacs have been around for a while, since the early 2000s. This new LP is their fifth full-lengther, not counting split LPs or their live LP, and it may be the best one yet. Modern Ramones-core pop punk aplenty is what you’ll find on this record. There’s certainly a strong 90s pop punk influence in the eleven songs on offer, but I hear more similarity with another current band – The Fur Coats – than any 90s band. And that’s, perhaps, high praise, because The Fur Coats are one of my favorite current pop punk bands. The music here is aggressive without getting too hardcore, poppy and melodic without getting too sappy. It strikes the perfect balance. The record comes out swinging with “Rocking Out,” a powerful speedy track that meets your minimum daily requirement for “whoa-ohs.” “Outta My Face” continues the powerful melodic pop punk, while “Party’s Over” moves more toward the lighter poppy side of things, but with a melodic line and chord progression slightly reminiscent of the classic rock hit, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” “The Ripper” is an “ode” to the infamous and anonymous Victorian era murderer, calling him out for all the fucked up things he did. This one has even more whoa-ohs than “Rocking Out!” “Wishing and Waiting” is a sweet love song with a sunny feel. “Come Out Swinging” brings back the harder edge and adds a hint of skate punk style. I don’t know who Larry is, but “Listen, Learn & Dance” exhorts the listener to dance, and to do it for Larry. It’s got a dark sound to it, as if the world depends on dancing for Larry. Some of the songs sound so good that they instantly sound familiar after just a single play. Such is the case with “Feeling So,” a track with a moderate tempo and a loping feel, about feeling so alone, and bringing everyone down. The closer, “Lost in the Waves,” is more laid back, with a bit of Beach Boys feel. One of the things I like best on this record is the tough guitar sound blended with melodic punk. Those guitars have the “Chicago” sound, and this is probably why I’m reminded of The Fur Coats. Good stuff.

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ALLWEATHER – Through The Floor (Paper Street Cuts, paperstreetcuts.limitedrun.com)

One of the newer bands in San Diego, Allweather has only been around about two years. Featuring members of From Scars and The Blackjackits, among others, Allweather use West Coast emo-infused pop punk only as a starting point. The songs in this, their debut LP, have more complexity to them than those typical to the genre. Some of the songs have a pop jangle to them, even as they retain the epic emotional qualities. This lends a gravitas to the tracks, without them ending up sounding too heavy and onerous. The lead vocals have just the right quality of gruffness, too, to balance out the sparkle of the guitars. “Writer’s Block” is a favorite track. I love the dark mysterious opening, dissonant guitars playing two notes off each other. It then jumps into a moderately up-tempo track with a gorgeous melodic line, the straining vocals lending an honest feeling of pain to the otherwise bright sounding music. I also love the urgency of “Grim Ave,” named for a street that runs through the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. The call and response vocals on “Life Vest,” along with the more moderate tempo, thinner instrumentation, added jangle and easy lope give this song a definite indie rock feel, which I really like. Some of the songs have the feel of DC melodic post-emo, music from the late 80s and early 90s that have influenced so much of what we listen to, often without the bands quite realizing it. I can hear this particularly on “Dogma,” a track that brings to mind bands like Gray Matter or 3. The closer, “Solitaire,” is a wistful acoustic number. It may be a cliché to end a record like this with an acoustic track, but so what. If it works, it works. And it works here. Allweather have done some short tours, but nothing big yet, but I expect that after this LP, they’ll be invited to play some of the East Coast fests in the future.

THE CRETINS – Haven’t Got A Clue (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

Dirty Water Records continues its winning streak of bringing awesome garage rock and roll from around the world into your ears. Their latest signing is The Cretins, a four-piece from the south of England, in Brighton and South London. “Haven’t Got A Clue” is their debut single, and it’s a promise of great things to come. The style mixes classic 60s British invasion sounds with garage rock, as well as a healthy dose of power pop. It’s a nice, mid-tempo track, with lyrics typical from pop songs from back in the day: boy is attracted to girl; boy doesn’t know what to do about it. I know a lot of garage rock bands are purposefully doing lo-fi recordings, and that often works out, but I think in this case, the more melodic style of The Cretins would benefit from a cleaner sound. But this definitely makes me look forward to more from the band.

THE DROWNS – The Sound (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Following last year’s debut LP, The Drowns, hailing from Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, have signed to Pirates Press Records. This new single is the first fruit of the relationship. The A-side title track has more of a gliding feel to it, while the B-side, “The Bricks of Ol’ Rainier,” has a guitar line with gruff and gang vocals that remind me of latter period Blitz. The closing part of this song has a cool Celtic punk feel, too, which I like a lot and makes this my favorite of the pair. There’s a definite street punk vibe going on here, distinctly different from another Seattle band, Success, which shares two members with The Drowns.

LES BOF! – Voila! (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

A band from Scotland, playing French 60s Yé-Yé garage pop, singing in French? Well, yes, that sums up Les Bof! If you’re unaware, Yé-Yé (for “yeah yeah) was a style of pop music popularized in Europe, predominantly in France, in the wake of the popularity of the Beatles. Les Bof! play this style, but with a harder garage rock element fused with the pop. Nowhere is their lineage as clear as on the fourth track of the LP, “Ma Claque,” a poppy little number that could easily have been played by the Fab Four. The “yeah yeahs” are present in the backing vocals, but the guitars are just a little rougher, and the lead vocals more emphatic. The R&B influence of the whole genre of 60s pop is also very clear in “Je Suis Le Boss,” a song heavy on the juke joint blues feel, and featuring a jumpy sound and harmonica solo. “Liberes Moi” is on the other end of the spectrum, with less pop and more garage grittiness, especially in the deep fuzz in the bass and guitar, giving it a feel of the music that bridged the gap between 60s garage pop and 70s proto punk. “C’est La Vie” is an awesome track, blending garage pop, R&B, and early metal sounds. The harmonica solos on this sound like something that could have come from Black Sabbath’s first LP. And “Port St. Louis” is a pretty great jazz-rock-blues instrumental. If you’re a fan of garage pop and rock, 60s rock and roll, and the Beatles, give this a spin; I bet you’ll fall in love with it. Yé-Yé!

LUCY AND THE RATS - "Stick To You" b/w "True Romance" (Stardumb Records, www.stardumbrecords.com/Surfin' Ki Records, www.surfinkirecords. bigcartel.com)

RAMONA – Deals, Deals, Deals! (Red Scare Industries, www.redscare.net)

Ramona is a band that likes cheap booze. I mean, they claim they moved from Seattle to Philadelphia because you can two drinks for $4 at some bars. Ramona is also a band that plays gloriously epic pop punk. They call it “sloppy poppy punky dancy sad times.” There’s nothing sloppy, though. The music is tight, bouncy, melodic stuff, uniformly up-tempo. The instrumentation is thick and rich, with a wall of guitar that’s all fuzz yet still manages to jangle. This album rocks hard from start to finish, and doesn’t let up for a single second. Ten songs in twenty-eight minutes, and I’m exhausted. I can imagine everyone being a sweaty mess after a live show. The band mix things up, too, with dueling female and male lead vocals, but the songs are always sung with a sense of urgency. Right from the start, with “Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Hearts,” about dealing with a relationship with someone who isn’t really invested in the relationship, the songs hit hard, fast, and furious. And furious might be one of the key words here. There’s a palpable anger in many of the songs. Like “Hater’s Ball Parade,” which has a chorus that consists of “I hate you the way I hate myself, too.” It’s about the anger over a break-up, but also the anger at one’s self for the responsibility for it and the lack of courage to move forward in life. “Hard Sulks” talks about avoiding love to avoid the pain of breakup. “I don’t wanna fall in love / I’d be better off alone / Don’t wanna watch it fall apart / Don’t want a chance to disappoint / I don’t wanna fall in love / ‘Cause the more I feel the worse I feel,” cries out the chorus. The huge guitars impart a dissonance in places to underscore the pain that is sure to come. My favorite track though, is saved for last. “Mambo 69” has the coolest angular guitars, and the songs starts out with damning lyrics: “Pardon me, I must have forgotten that everything is fake!” There are lines here about things that are shiny and new, “but when you look underneath, you see it’s rusted through.” Everything sucks, the song seems to say. But hope isn’t all lost. “You can find your own family / be the person that you want to be,” the chorus assures. As fucked up as everything in the world is, as much as our own world crumbles around us, there is still hope. “If I lose sight of what I love, won’t you slap me in my ears / Clear out all the other junk, help me hear.” It’s our friends, our chosen family, that will keep us grounded and help us through the tough times. It’s a great sentiment, and the perfect way to end this amazing record.

THE VICIOUS CYCLES – Motorpsycho (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

The tracks on this new LP from Vancouver, British Columbia’s Vicious Cycles range from street punk to classic punk to garage rock to rockabilly. “Hot Dogs In The City” crosses garage, deep rock a la Motorhead, and rockabilly, throwing in a bouncy bridge that feels very out of place. “Life Insurance” is kind of street punk with a two-tone flavor to it. “Truck Stop Nun” has a bit of classic punk feel, including what seem to be misogynistic lyrics. “Time Riders” is a pseudo-surf instrumental that reminds me a bit of the theme from the old PBS show, “Wild Chicago,” which was a modified version of the classic “Apache,” by The Shadows. The title track has that dark horror garage sort of sound to it…sort of. “If It Looks Like A Cop” has a hint of an urgent feel that moves back and forth between garage and street punk sounds. Sort of, kind of, a bit here, a hint there. Overall, the record is pleasant enough, I guess, but I can’t get over how smooth and slick the whole thing feels, like a recreation of something historical for tourists. It’s too neat, too sanitary, and doesn’t feel real enough. It’s just too “sort of.”

VARIOUS – Antagonizers ATL, Crim, Noi!se, Rude Pride 4-Way Split (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords. com)

How many bands do you need before it crosses from “split” to “compilation? I’ve had arguments with people about this. I contend two bands make a split, and that anything more than two bands is a comp. Pirates Press continues their string of street punk releases, this time with a compilation EP featuring four bands. Antagonizers ATL, from Atlanta, Georgia, of course, serve up some simple sing-along punk with “Marching On,” a song that evokes a martial feel, like much working class street punk and oi. Crim come to Pirates Press all the way from Spain, and their style, while still in a similar vein to the first track, also mixes in West Coast sing-along pop punk and working class rock and roll, as well. Noi!se, besides having an exclamation mark in the middle of their name, have the most interesting track of the quartet on the record. It’s faster, more punk, more angular, and has undertones of skate punk. The acoustic guitar breaks in the middle and end of the song are actually brilliant, too. I would never have guessed them coming from Tacoma, Washington from the sound. Finally, Rude Pride, from Madrid, give us street punk but more melodic and better constructed than what we get from Antagonizers. If you’re into the modern working class oi/street punk sound, these are four bands worth checking out.

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THE AGGROLITES – Reggae Now (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

The Aggrolites are a reggae band from – where? No, not Jamaica, they’re from Los Angeles! And the band is quite prolific, having put out several LPs and singles since forming in 2002. This LP alone features fourteen songs and clocks in at a massive 49 minutes! I was prepared to not really like this record very much, because, let’s face it, who really listens to reggae these days unless they’re stoners? I think one of the key secrets to the Aggrolites’ sound is that they don’t just play a retread of classic reggae sounds; they blend in some 70s soul sounds, too, in some of the songs. Nowhere is this more evident than “Say Or Do.” The song has the classic reggae rhythm, classic bass line, drums, and rhythm guitar, but the organ has a warm gospel quality instead of the bubbliness of typical reggae, and the vocals are pure soul. It gives the track a cool feel, smooth and solid. “Jack Pot,” too, is not a typical reggae song. It’s got the reggae beat, but the instrumental track shares more in common with jazz and funk than anything that ever came out of the Caribbean. And “Love Me Tonight” has a distinct 50s doo-wop influence lurking in the reggae beats. It’s a pure retro love song, with vocal group harmonies and all. “Western Taipan” and “12 15 or 50” are very cool instrumentals, with 50s lounge played on top of a reggae beat. “Why You Rat” has more of a calypso feel than reggae, sounding like something Harry Belafonte might have done if he tried to do a calypso reggae crossover song. There is some great traditional reggae, too, and not the sort of commercialized reggae that flooded the market a couple decades ago. “Groove Them Move Them,” for example, features a breezy feel and classic call and response song structure. And I think that’s what I like most about Aggrolites: they don’t succumb to the laziness of commercialized stoner reggae. They create something with more diverse influences and, therefore, more engaging. I was prepared to not really like this record, but The Aggrolites proved me wrong.

THE BARREN MARYS – Wired Wrong (Suicide Bong Tapes, suicidebongtapes.bandcamp.com)

The Barren Marys, from Philadelphia, blend old school punk rock with modern pop punk. Some of the songs are poppy, bouncy and joyful, while others sound more serious and harder-edged. Those bouncy joyful songs tend to have sentiments to match. “Good Time,” which is the opening track, has lyrics that simply state that “We’re gonna have a good time.” The music is simple, too, and full of the promise of happiness to come. Also in this category are the fun, silly punk songs, like “Guantanamo Bay Beach Party,” which tells the tale of the time the guards conspired with the detainees at the infamous base to take revenge on all the right-wing Republicans who have demonized Muslims. “ The CIA gave Bush away, they said they’d look the other way. / We dressed him up in lingerie, and made him sing a cabaret.” I mean, how fun does that sound? “On the Couch” is another frivolous, chipper tune, telling the woeful tale of taking in a woman friend who broke up with her boyfriend, only to have her smoke all your weed, drink all your booze and eat all your pizza. “I Wanna Be Unhealthy, Baby” sings to praises of smoking, drinking, and overeating. And “Perri’s Pizza” is an ode to the band’s favorite place to get delicious pies. Edgier punk songs are here, too. “It’s Gonna Suck” is some great old school skate punk that decries the current state of the world, and “Roaches and Fleas” is a dark, metal-tinged song about being taken over by bugs. OK, so that one has kind of inane lyrics. “Hero” is another great skate punk track, about the dumb and inept dreaming of being a so-called hero. And the album closer, “I Come From the Swamp” is another dark metallic one. I think one of my favorites, though, blends the two disparate styles together. “Fascists” is poppy and bouncy, but a bit edgy, and has political lyrics instead of dippy ones. The Barren Marys have produced another worthy LP.

BRACKET – Too Old To Die Young (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

Bracket have been around for over two and a half decades, having been born in the pop punk explosion of the early 90s. Like many bands of the era, they burned brightly, getting signed to semi-major label Caroline Records, and then unceremoniously dropped from the label. And even though Bracket have a large gap in their recorded output, they’ve apparently always been a band, unlike some who broke up and reformed when the time seemed right. The great thing about Bracket’s sound is that, while they certainly fit into the broad pop punk category, they’ve got a distinct harder edge to their sound, and the harmonized vocals a la The Beach Boys on top of that edgy music makes the sound pretty unique in the pop punk realm. It’s sort of like taking a frantic band like Hot Snakes, slowing and grunging it a bit, and mixing it with The Mr. T Experience’s sappy pop punk songs. I can see where Decent Criminal gets a lot of their influence now. The opener, “Cloud Ate,” is a great example of the blend of these styles. The guitars open with the promise of a hard-driving track, but that soon yields to something with more of a pop content, though the guitars are still anxious to rock out. When we get to the chorus, the full-on multi-part harmonies join the lead vocals. After a couple of verses, those introductory guitars close things out again. It’s the perfect entrée to the album and to the magic of Bracket. Other tracks that have that similar two-fisted feel mixed with the pop punk include “Canned from the Food Drive,” and especially the roller-coaster of a song, “Warren’s Song Pt. 29,” a favorite from this LP. The intro is uncontrollably raucous, while the main body of the song is actually sort of Beatles-esque. But even the songs that are a little poppier still have a much more powerful sound than typical pop punk. Potentially controversial statement coming: Bracket is one of the best bands on Fat Wreck Chords today.

GEOFF PALMER – Pulling Out All The Stops (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com)

It was just a month ago that Geoffrey Palmer released a teaser single that I declared as essential listening for all fans of power pop. The Connections member is now releasing a full-length solo LP, and it’s even better than the single! Two of the previously released songs find their way onto this LP, but the other dozen songs are brand new. The music is right on that cusp between power pop and pop punk, with some songs leaning a little more one way or the other, and it finds just the right sweet spot. A favorite track is “I Like Murder Too,” a pretty love song that has a sort of dark jangle to it. “Everything Is Cool” is another great one (well, pretty much all of them are), with great hooks and a beachy feel. I love the way the harmonized vocals glide and slide over the buzzy guitars. “Walk Through” leans more to the pop punk side of things, with a great crunchy rhythm guitar, catchy melody, and harmonized vocals. I guess one way to describe this is that it’s sort of like Ramones-core, but a little slower, a little heavier on the pop than the punk. However you want to describe it, this is possibly one of the best records of the year.

THE HAMMERBOMBS – Goodbye, Dreamboat (thehammerbombs.bandcamp.com)

Hailing from the East Bay in Northern California, The Hammerbombs are the essence of modern pop punk. The band is super tight and the songs are bouncy and fun. Bassist Jen Louie and guitarist Ilya Slabodkin trade off lead vocal duties on the songs, and the lyrics range from inane to sappy, like all good pop punk. Take the example of “Shower Beer,” the album’s opening song. It’s about how to handle when everything seems to be going wrong in your life: “There’s only one thing left to do / When the whole world’s crashing down on you / It’s clear, we’re all here, it’s time for a shower beer / Down a sudsy cold one and hose away your problems.” The verses have a dark sound, commensurate with all the bad things in life, while the chorus is bright and happy – shower beers are the solution to all of life’s problems! The chorus is perfect for drunken sing-alongs. Many of the songs are about relationships, good ones, bad ones, and those already over. “I Hate Cars” has Jen singing about the sadness of separation from a loved one, the hatred for cars being that they carry us away from the ones we love. The pogo-worthy song belies the desperation of the lyrics. I think “Full of Shit” must have been a catharsis, because the song is so full of rage without saying a whole lot other than “You’re full of shit. You’re so full of it / You’re full of shit, you’re a fucking liar.” The song with the most whoa-ohs is “Sick Of Me,” a self-deprecating song that Jen sings, recounting every reason why someone wouldn’t want to be around her. She also is featured on “Tiny,” a poppy yet angry track about double standards. “While I’m Bleeding, you get a pat on the back,” the song decries, and “You get a ride while I have to crawl,” indicating the unfairness in life. Another great song of anger and silliness is “Mother Mother Fucker Fucker.” The fun song is the truth telling about someone whose “shit’s on fire out on the front lawn” while you “crack a beer and watch it burn.” Jen brings us all hope with “Stupid Love Songs,” a sappy one I which she declares that even after being left emotionally damaged and cold from past failed relationships, we can find new love and new hope. Not every song has the classic East Bay pop punk sound. Ilya fronts a tune that blends pop punk and sped up grunge in “Cypress Structure,” a track that’s got a harder rock edge than most of the songs. And “Things Aren’t Going Well” has the feel of an early era Offpsring track, with a dark sing-along fist-pumping feel. It’s hard picking out favorite tracks, because every single track is a gem. Every single one. I know I’ve said this about a bunch of records already this year, but this album is sure to make my list of best releases of 2019. If you are a fan of pop punk, this is must-listen music.

HARVEY PEKAR – Paris Green (Steadfast Records, www.steadfastrecords.net)

For a sub-genre that reached its peak some twenty-five or so years ago, metallic hardcore certainly has staying power, just like the broader punk rock. Cleveland’s Harvey Pekar is doing their part to keep the music alive, following in the footsteps of Cleveland luminaries like Integrity. This seven song mini LP is their fourth release, and while most of this type of hardcore seams stale these days, with plodding melodies and ugly, roared vocals, Harvey Pekar does an admirable job of breathing new life into the style. Their PR calls them “thoughtfully brutal,” and that may be an apt description. The songs feel more well constructed and thought out than typical hardcore. Hell, they’re actually songs, unlike a lot of hardcore from back in the day. There’s melody mixed in with the intensity. Vocals don’t sound like a wounded ogre, so you can hear that, yes, they’re actually singing real words. The highlight of the record, for me, is “Glow Aplomb,” the fifth track in. It calms things down, adds more melody, and there are sections with actual singing instead of shouting, and places without wall of guitar noise, where you can hear a lone guitar playing single-string melodic lines. It’s the least hardcore song on the record, but even in the smoother parts it never loses its intensity. Other tracks, even though they update the traditional hardcore sound, do still maintain some of the standard checklist items of the sub-genre, like slow breakdowns and group shouts. But Harvey Pekar never sounds passé.

HETEROFOBIA – Quereos Ver El Mundo Arder (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Most of the punk bands I know from Mexico are from Tijuana. Well, that’s natural, since it’s so close to San Diego, and the two scenes are practically one. But Heterofobia is from the state of Nueva León, which runs south of the southern tip of Texas. Musically, this band reminds me of a hyped up Proletariat, a Boston punk band that was primarily active in the early 1980s. The dark, eerie guitars and primal drums have that goth-punk edge, but this stuff is more manic than the typical goth-punk from back in the day. The vocals are screamed, as if in anger, not just to be loud. The disgust and revulsion felt by the band comes through clearly. And just so you know, I wrote that before I started translating song titles from Spanish. Songs include (translations) “Smell of Death,” “You Disgust Me,” “Hell,” “Life of Lies,” and more. I think my favorite track might be the one most different from the rest. The title track, which translates to “We Want to See the World Burn,” is bright and bouncy, though not poppy. The melody is very simple and repeated over and over, but the brightness makes it seem almost optimistic – as if once the world is burned clean, it can start anew, perhaps without the mistakes of humans. Angry and intense, Heterofobia deliver the punk in spades.

KISHI BASHI – Omoiyari (Joyful Noise Recordings, www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com)

Kishi Bashi is the alias for multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter K Ishibashi, and this is his fifth solo LP since his 2012 debut. I was completely unfamiliar with Kishi Bashi before I received this album, but I’m happy I now know. Kishi Bashi plays a glorious mixture of light pop, contemporary folk, and classical music. Guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin, and cello all make appearances on the album, sometimes apart, sometimes together. It makes for an interesting and unique sound. Some of the songs are light and breezy, while some are a bit more intricate. “Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear” is one of the lighter songs, with picked acoustic guitar and pretty harmonized vocals. It has a delicate airy feel, as befits a “summer bear,” mixing folk and pop genres. “Marigolds” is astounding, leaving me agape in amazement. From the plucked violins that introduce the song to the warmth of the organ, and the electric guitar picking up the line, to the perfectly multi-tracked vocals, this mix of classical and pop is just wonderful. “Angeline” is a pretty one, a moderately up-tempo song that’s really a disguised ballad telling a story. It has a country western feel, courtesy of the melodic line, violin, and the acoustic guitars, yet the two keyboards (organ, and a brighter one with a bell-like tone) provide a warmer contemporary pop sound. The close of the song, when the flute comes in, gave me goose bumps. “Summer of 42” opens with an intense string choir, sounding like something right out an orchestral piece, with wind instrument flourishes. But when the acoustic guitar and vocals come in with a folk song feel, the two blend exceedingly well. Eventually the strings fade into the background and the breezy folk takes over. The cello and strings that open “Theme From Jerome (Forgotten Words)” are beautiful, and “Violin Tsunami” is a piece with multi-tracked violin minimalism, a la Phillip Glass, underlying a waltz time song with epic vocals and synths. At the halfway mark, it becomes a dark ambient piece, full of mysteries and glories, and the multi-tracked vocals come back as a heavenly choir. As the track comes to its close, a single violin rises as if in praise. The closer, “Annie, Hearth Thief of the Sea” has both the feel of a traditional American folk song and a Japanese folks song.” It’s one of the most unique songs ever, on a gorgeous unique album.

KITTY KAT FAN CLUB – Dreamy Little You (Asian Man Records, www.asianmanrecords.com)

Do you like pretty indie-pop? Well, this is pretty indie-pop with a difference. The band is bigger, and the arrangements are thicker and lusher than the usual guitar bass drums outfit. There are keyboards, multiple jangly guitars, and lovely harmonized lead vocals. I hear saxophones sometimes, too. The title track opens the album, and is a cute, fluffy love song. I’m not sure that saxophone works here, though the vocals and guitars sure do. The keyboards really make “I’m Loving You More Than I Should.” The layers of the instrumentation give the song a thick feel, like you can get lost in the forest of the music, much as you can get lost in the forest of love when you love someone too much. “Every Island” is a favorite, a song about growing apart. The song has a big open feel, matching the growing distance between people, and despite the famous John Donne quote (“No man is an island), we are indeed all islands, ultimately alone. “You Got Me Modernized” is an outlier, different from all the other songs. It’s less indie-pop and more garage rock, complete with dark sounding keyboards with heavy vibrato and urgent saxophones. While Kitty Kat Fan Club doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground here, they do give us a nice new twist on the indie pop sound.

LOCAL DRAGS – Shit’s Looking Up (It’s Alive Records, www.facebook.com/ itsaliverecords / Starbumb Records, www. stardumbrecords.com)

The Midwest truly is the home of power pop in the USA, not Los Angeles or New York. Many of the best bands keeping this genre alive come out of the heartland, especially from Wisconsin. Local Drags hail from Springfield, Illinois. Their brand of power pop has a more modern indie rock feeling than most, blending pop punk and even some working class rock and roll feel into the ten songs on this debut LP. The music is great, especially if you’re a fan of the guitar-driven pop music that filled the airwaves from the late 70s to the early 80s, before synths and new wave took over. The one thing that leaves me confused, though, are the lyrics. I’m having a hard time understanding the meanings behind many of these songs. The one possible exception is “Hidden Track,” the third song in, which seems to use the metaphor of a hidden track on a CD for someone who feels invisible to others. What I do know is that the music is fine, almost universally jangly and hooky. There are a few outliers, though. “Double Bird” uses acoustic guitar and strings to provide more of a singer-songwriter sound, and this quiet one is the song most out of place amongst the raucous tracks. “Michelob Ultra” is another one that doesn’t quite fit in, less pop and more simmering rock – especially with the guitar solo that almost sounds like a sax solo from the E-Street Band. “Water Wings” is the pop-punkiest of the tracks, and a favorite. It’s faster and louder than most, with harder-driving guitars and pounding drums. And “Metal Gear Winter” is a slower one, sort of like a power pop ballad, I guess. Give this a listen, if you’re a fan of the genre. And let me know if you can figure out what the songs mean.

VERDIGRLS – Small Moves (Substitute Scene Records, www.substitute scene.com)

Verdigrls are sisters Anne and Catherine Wolk, along with guitarist Rachel Rossen. The Wolk sisters have been making music together since grade school, and have blended their classical training and their love of indie music into something quite beautiful. Using synths, drum machine, violin, cello, guitar, and their gorgeous vocals, Verdigrls create soundscapes that are part retro new wave, part dream pop, and part classical opera. “Daylight Savings” opens the EP with a delicately pulsing bass line and synth organ, which are quickly joined by a very 80s sounding synth and elegant strings. Then the otherworldly vocals enter, with one foot in the classical realm and the other firmly in the indie-pop tradition. The harmonized backing vocals are ethereal. Speaking of ethereal, the title track is just that. The synths are tuned to sound like French horns, and the song just sort of hangs there in the air, dreamily floating along, the harmonized vocals wafting through. The synths on “The State,” which closes the five song EP, quietly shimmer, soft around the edges, and the vocals have their most classical sound here. This is pretty, calming music,

VARIOUS – The New Testament – 2019 International Punk Killers (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

Dirty Water Records is one of the premiere labels of the world championing garage and roots punk rock and roll. They, along with Slovenly Records, are doing more than anyone to promote this high-energy genre. For this sampler LP, Dirty Water have chosen six outstanding bands and given them two tracks each to show their stuff, one being previously released and one brand new. The Black Mambas, from right here in the USA (Los Angeles, to be precise) give us the full-on punk “Up All Night,” which channels UK bands of the late 70s, complete with affected accent. Their second track, “Baby I’ll Give It To You” sounds more like a band out of the 1950's rockabilly scene. Both are packed with power. New Zealand’s The Cavemen offer up “My Baby Knows” and “Too High To Die.” These Kiwis play music that would make the most hardened delinquent seem like an angel. The music drips with greasiness, and you just know these hoods are up to no good – but the music is so good. Everyone’s favorite musical alien watchers and French rockers, The Scaners, provide “No Place In Space” from their debut LP, and “UFO Crash.” The former has an urgency not unlike the Texas band, Radioactivity, while the latter adds synthesizer, sounding like a super-hyped up Devo. The Fadeaways are from Japan. Their songs, “I’m Useless” and “Nowhere to Hide,” echo the greatness of 60s garage rock. Also from France, Les Lullies blend the fast garage punk style with more of a roots feel on “You’re Doing Wrong” and “What You’re Doing,” the latter being heavier on the punk, and one of the more raucous tracks of the comp (if that’s even possible), mixing in early 80s hardcore sounds to the mix. Finally, Spaniards Nave Nodriza slay ‘em all with the most hardcore of all the punks on “Destrúyete” and “Muérete.” They remind me of another killer Spanish language band, Tijuana’s DFMK. Nave Nodriza just kill it! As Dirty Water Records says in their press release, “This sonic pestilence has gone global.” And thanks be to Dirty Water Records for gathering it all together in one place to infect us. If you haven’t been picking up all the ace DWR releases I’ve been praising in past reviews, do yourself a favor and get this one. It’ll leave you wanting more and more.

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CHARGER (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Rancid’s Matt Freeman joins forces with drummer Jason Willer and guitarist Andrew McGee in recently formed Charger, a project created not “as a band so much as a musical challenge between two lifers in the punk scene who wanted to push each other to dig deep into their shared roots, influences and musical passions,” as they put it. And, if you’re expecting punk rock, a la Rancid, change your mindset now. Charger owes more of a debt to Motorhead, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath than any punk band. Yes, this is pure, classic, hard rock. Three of the seven songs on this long-form EP were previously released on a 7” EP last year, but all of them are hard-driving metallic rock music. Not a hint of pop or punk invades these hand bangers. Most of “Damage,” for example, sounds like an homage to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” but with slightly quicker tempo. “All Kings Must Die” owes a great debt to Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades,” too. It has that same gliding quality, and the vocals throughout this record have a quality similar to that of the late, great Lemmy Kilmister. The musicianship is top notch, as you might expect from such musical lifers. So if you’re into this sort of music, you’re going to love this. To me, though, it seems too derivative.

CREATURE AND THE WOODS – Joshua Tree (Blind Owl Records, www.blindowlsd.com)

San Diego quartet Creature In The Woods blend together classic rock, Americana, and soulful spiritual music on their latest EP. The title comes from the place where the tracks were recorded. The band rented an Air BnB in the area, recording several songs, four of which are included on this EP. The opener, “Widow’s Waltz,” begins and ends with grainy sounding, haunting Native American chants, and in between is a grunged up, bluesy number that channels Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s classic 70s blues rock sound. Multi-part vocal harmonies and a warm organ sound are key highlights, even as a surf guitar tone and a gritty bass keep things dark. “Head Above Water” slows things down, and the Fender Rhodes keyboards give this track a deep soul feel. Vocals provide the primary instrumentation on this one, with the drums simply providing a steady tempo, and the guitar, bass, and Rhodes used for embellishment, to bend those notes, and create the atmosphere. “Oh, Well” is a quiet, sparsely arranged, delicate number, with deeply passionate vocals. The closer, “Two Golden Coins,” is a bouncy one, with full-on multi-part harmonies in the vocals. It’s a love song, in which one thought life was just about over until meeting that special someone. “I was just about to lay down / Just about to lay down and die / And I had two golden coins / Two golden coins over my eyes / You just danced and sang / And I was wild again.” The feeling is one of a spiritual revival, the Holy Ghost coming alive, the joy spreading. Maybe that’s how you’ll feel, too, after listening.

GREY GOES BLACK – Records Over Wire (Shore Dive Records, shorediverecords.bandcamp.com)

Shore Dive is a UK label that specializes in shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica. Central New Jersey band Grey Goes Black, who they recently signed, is a good fit. The dreaminess on this record, though, comes less from electronics or keyboards, and more from the instrumentation, the vocals, and hazy pace of the tracks. The trio (Matt Cosoni – guitar and vocals, James Malizia – bass and keyboards, Steven Moraghan – drums and electronics) show that a band can be dreamy without over-reliance on thick electronics. Cosoni’s vocals alone prove that, with aching emotions coming through clearly. An electronic percussion track plays alongside the drums, prominently featured on the opener, “It’s Not Just Another Night,” and lending a chill-out quality to the track. Maybe too chill, though. Each of the four tracks (and the bonus remix of “Can’t Keep Me Here Tonight”) is slow and lazy, lulling the listener into a trance-like state, Each track on its own is an interesting listen, and the music is fairly unique, different from anything other dream pop bands are doing. Taken together, though, the record shares too much in common with strong opiates, and listeners are likely to become disconnected from reality for a time.

HARRINGTON SAINTS – 1000 Pounds of Oi! (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

I guess Bay Area street punks Harrington Saints used to carry more weight than they do now. The album title and title track refer to when they were first playing bigger shows and were likened to Poison Idea, but playing oi music. They’ve slimmed down since then, but they’re still true to their roots, playing punk tock with a metallic edge. After a decade and a half as a band, this is only their third full-length LP, and it contains ten tracks of what they term “American Oi!” It’s American beer guzzling working class punk rock. The band is tight, the melodies are simple, and the vocals are shouted. It’s a recipe for a great live show, with tons of people are shouting in unison, I’m sure. But this sort of thing doesn’t translate that well to record. It comes across to me as too simplistic, and the monotone shouted vocals get, well, monotonous. Song topics range from political, such as “Red State,” which talks about the Republican dominated parts of the country, and “State of Emergency,” about the need for gun control, to societal comments, such as “Pressure” and “Broken Windows.” There’s the inevitable call for revolution in “Rise Up.” Then there’s the title track, which is a song about themselves. A lot of this is a sort of throwback to 80s punk. I know so many bands, even made up of younger people, who seem to be stuck 30+ years ago. And I don’t deny that there’s an audience for this sort of thing today, but it just seems stale to me.

RAMOMS – Problem Child (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

The Ramoms, made up of Jodi, Sharon, Molly, and Ginger Ramom, are part Ramones tribute band, part comic novelty act. They take Ramones songs and rework them for a new generation. The first track is a revision of the classic “Judy Is A Punk” that honors the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team’s new mascot, Gritty, called “Gritty Is A Punk.” Next up, “Boogie Not Snot,” takes the melody of “Blitzkrieg Bop” and gives it new lyrics all about the problems that come with nasal congestion. Finally, we get a straight-up cover of the classic “Rockaway Beach.” The Ramoms are talented musicians and singers that do a worthy job performing these songs, but I can’t help but think that their abilities would be better served with some original material. Write some originals, and I’ll buy those records!

ROBOT (RE)PAIR – End Transmissions (Night Animal Records nightanimalrecords.bandcamp.com, Rad Girlfriend Records radgirlfriendrecords.bandcamp.com)

Longtime friends Matt and Yami form the core of Robot (Re)pair, and earlier recordings featured just the two of them. In recent years they’ve added Harry and Brad to fill out the sound. Some of the tracks on this album have become staples of their live set, while some of them are new, written on the spot during recording. The band members declare Hickey, 50 Million, and Bust the Action to be the best punk bands ever and strong influences in their younger lives, though they admit they sound nothing like those bands. Instead, they have a loose, DIY pop punk sound and feel, like old friends just playing music together. Which is exactly what they are. Fuzzed and clean guitars duel for supremacy, while a deep bass thrumps along with pounding drums. The opening track holds two songs, the gorgeous indie-pop instrumental “Entering the Heliosphere” and one of the mainstays, “Serotonin Syndrome.” The former is pretty, gossamer thing that moves along aimlessly, like floating down a river, while the latter picks up the pace and becomes a great sing-along, with soaring vocals start and stop rhythm guitar. Some of the songs on this LP remind me of some of the material from the late, great Rumspringer, which makes sense; Matt played in that storied band. The guitars jangle loudly, as the vocals roughly glide over them. It’s the sonic equivalent of a choppy train ride, everything moving forward at a rapid pace, and you feel every bump in the rails, every uneven section of track, but it feels great. Another standout track is “Poverty Bonds,” particularly for the transition it makes from a rapid fire, jangly pop punk track to a mid-tempo song with the lead guitar creating an intensely dark, morose sound. “Origin Story” is one of the great standouts, a truly soaring song with a bit of country twang. The opening to “Dust It Off” is beautiful acoustic guitar, sounding so relaxed like someone sitting in their bedroom, noodling around just for the sheer joy of it. It then turns into another of the many great pop punk tracks here, with simple, yet intensely jangling guitars and those vocals with lots of sustained notes that give it that gliding feel. Many of the tracks have an introduction that sounds very different from the rest of the track. “Sonoran Death Rattle” takes this to the extreme, with verses that are quiet, but with aching tension of guitar feedback in the background, and the fast, jangly, fuzzy pop punk on the chorus. The whole record is a lot of fun to listen to, but I have one major concern: the title. “End Transmissions” makes it sound like a swan song. I hope that’s not the case, because I want to keep hearing and seeing Robot (Re)Pair play for a long time to come.

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CORNER BOYS – Waiting For 2020 (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

After a couple of 7” EPs over the past two years, Vancouver’s Corner Boys have finally given us their debut full-length LP. The music is as fun and bouncy as ever, with garage-like guitars and lots of silly lyrics. The sound this time around, though, is cleaner than the EPs, and though many of the songs are still spoken rather than sung, this time we get some actual singing, as well! I love the jangly garage pop sound and the snotty punk attitude that pervades the whole album. As I’ve commented on previous reviews of this band’s records, you don’t listen to Corner Boys for expert crooning vocals – singing isn’t their strong point. You listen to Corner Boys because they’re so damn much fun to listen to. I love “Joke (Of The Neighborhood),” one of the songs that are partially somewhat sung. It’s got a fantastic power pop chorus, and is highly danceable. The guitar tone is bright throughout the album, but especially on “Lies and Excuses.” It’s another song with actual singing, but just on the chorus. When I first saw the name of the album, I thought it might be a reference to Donald Trump and the upcoming election cycle. But “Waiting For 2020” is more about the impending apocalypse, making it sound like something to look forward to. Mid-way through the song, the air raid sirens begin to sound. It’s the most political these guys get. Another notable song of the album is “Don’t Come Back.” It’s the most retro garage sounding song, with as bunch of 60s lounge influence in the guitar sound, even as the song itself is more manic than lounge. It’s a favorite. But then, all these songs are worthy of being called favorite, they’re that much fun. Even though the Corner Boys still can’t sing.

THE DODGES – This One’s On You EP (thedodgesband.bandcamp.com)

First of all, big ups have to go to Will Castro, head honcho over at La Escalera Records. No, he didn’t put this record out; it’s self-released. La Escalera is not just a record label; it’s a family, a network of bands and people who support each other. And Will has been active in recent years of reaching out to new bands and those in other sub-scenes in San Diego, to bring then into the family, thus providing more exposure to bands that might otherwise have fallen between the cracks. The Dodges is one such band. They started popping up on bills of shows La Escalera was putting on in San Diego, and they instantly became a new favorite. This new EP is a follow-up to last year’s mini-LP debut, “Roll With The Dodges,” and it features four new tracks of music that defies categorization. It’s not punk or pop punk. It’s not quite power pop. But it’s bouncy and melodic, and it rocks hard. The title track comes first, starting with some old-timey piano before the band bursts in with a poppy mid-tempo number with a dark edge, sort of like Green Day mixed with earlier Social Distortion. “Equilibrium” is next, and is the most standard rock and roll track of the quartet, with a dark feel, crunchier, with less pop and more rock. It’s got a nice short acoustic break near the end of the track, too. “Susceptible” is the most power pop like song on the record, with tons of bounce and some great hooks. And “To The Top” is the closest the band ever gets to big sing-along pop punk. This track is faster and even more energetic than the others, with some great fist-pumping moments. The key thing that ties these songs together, and what makes The Dodges instantly recognizable and unique are the chord changes they use. They’re not standard pop punk, and the unexpectedness makes for interesting and engaging songs.

FLESHIES – Introducing The Fleshies (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Do not be deceived! This is not a debut album, even though the title makes it seem so! Fleshies were formed two decades ago, and this album is the band’s eighth full-lengther, though it’s their first in ten years! The record is chock-full of fast and loud, dark, angry punk music. The instrumentation is thick, wall of guitar, and the vocals drip with rage. This is classic, in your face hardcore punk, with plenty of metallic edge in places. The dozen songs only take up 23 minutes, so the average blast starts and finishes in under two minutes. “Hold Me Up” is one of the long-form tracks, at just over three minutes, and is different from the rest in another way – it’s mid-tempo and it’s melodic! “Stone Mason” is another out of the ordinary track for the Oakland band, also melodic, but more in a pop punk vein. “Dirtier Harry” is hard rockin’, and the other track that exceeds three minutes, “Bombs,” is another slow one, this time harder rock but with a tuneful feel. The rest of the tracks are the fast and loud hardcore punk Fleshies are most known for, and it’s good to have them back.

MATT SURFIN AND FRIENDS (Community Records, www.communityrecords.org)

Matt Surfin, aka Matt Seferian, is a New Orleans-based musician, producer, and part-time pizza delivery guy. One of his great loves is collaborating with a variety of other musicians in whatever scene he’s in, and that’s the approach he took with his new band, Matt Surfin and Friends. “I started this band because I wanted more of that,” Surfin says. “For me, it was all about celebrating my musical community and connecting with the people I love.” As a result, Matt Surfin and Friends is less of a band and more of a malleable collective that shifts and changes as the need arises. And that means there are subtle variations in the sounds that pop up in the eleven songs on this LP. They range from the straightforward indie-pop of “Loser” (even with its unusual use of synth at the very end of the track) and “Bleep,” to the harder jangle of “Life of Luxury lol,” and to the quiet acoustic “Get Down.” “Truth” has a bigger sound, due to the keyboard tone and funky guitar and bass lines, while “Get Down” has a retro quality, sort of like the transitional era from power pop to new wave in the late 70s and early 80s. “Vibrochamp” is an upbeat indie-pop song that jangles, yet also has a dreaminess to it, particularly toward the end, as the synths come to the fore. The closer, “Summertime,” with its acoustic guitar and multi-tracked vocals is particularly nice, with a lazy, hazy feel. While the LP isn’t breaking any new ground, it’s sure pleasant to listen to.

NEGATIVE SPACE – Cruelty (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Post-punk out of the UK, with minimalist melodies and shouted and spoken vocals. The drums and bass throb, and the guitars fuzzily drone. Heavy reverb permeates everything. Tracks move along at a moderate pace, vocals are fairly monotone, and there’s a pervasive darkness that infects every track. I think the main issue I have is how plodding the end result is. There’s little variation from track to track, and the minimalist melodies that repeat over and over get tiresome. The reverb makes the vocals feel distant and removed, even though they’re shouted. The lo-fi of the recording creates a muddiness that’s hard to wade through, as well. I just couldn’t get into this one.

NO NEGATIVE – The Last Offices (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

Last Offices refers to the care that is given to a deceased patient and their family. It’s a morbid, depressing thought. I’m not sure what Montreal’s No Negative means by this, but record is manic stuff, loud and relentless. It’s got a progressive rock quality to it, too, somewhat experimental. “Lawfucker,” for instance, has a piercing guitar right up front in the mix, and the vocals are pulled further back and muffled. It’s quite unsettling of a sound, like something from a dystopian future, as seen from a 1980s point of view. The whole album is like this, with a “melody” presented, followed by a lengthy jam, riffing on noise. This is great stuff – in small doses. It’s hard to take all of these songs back to back, though. After five or ten minutes of this, I’m exhausted and want some quiet and some pop aesthetic to calm me down. The track that stands out, though, is “Worm Feed.” It’s the shortest, at only two and a quarter minutes, it’s the fastest, and it’s the most “punk.”

SCRAP BRAIN – A Journey Into Madness (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

The introduction that makes up the first half of the first track of this debut LP from the UK band, Scrap Brain, had me excited. It had fuzzy ambient music, electronics, and found sounds creating a gorgeously eerie atmosphere. Then the intro ended, and the band launched into “Deadweight.” And it’s an album of loud, noisy, chaotic hardcore punk. Vocals are shouted, yet buried deeply in the “mix.” There’s no sense of melody whatsoever, at least not that I could discern. Probably the best track of the album comes right in the middle. “Floundering” is super fast and edgy, with a bridge in the middle that slows things sound – and the whole track does have a melodic line that the vocals and instruments follow together. The other tracks are noisy, feedback laden, and tumultuous. Some people absolutely love this style, and if so, you’re going to enjoy the ten songs on offer. It’s not the sort of thing I go for, though.

TRUTH CLUB – Not An Exit (Tiny Engines, www.tinyengines.net)

Take some clean indie-pop. Add some dreamy synths, but not too much. Gently blend together, and then top with a relaxed casual feeling. Raleigh, North Carolina’s Truth Club makes it seem easy on this debut LP. Travis Harrington’s vocals range from lazy and laid back to tense and emotion-filled, echoing the changes in the backing instrumentals from light and hazy to loud and fuzzed out. When a band’s recording feels like they’re not working too hard to create a sound, that it’s just them playing some songs together, that’s when magic happens. And magic happens on this LP. It’s pretty amazing, too, that you can tell there’s not a lot here in terms of instrumentation, just basic guitar, bass, drums, and synths in the background, yet the songs sound lush and full. “Student Housing” has hints of retro goth feel in the guitar and eerie synth careening in the back, providing a dark mood. That is, until the reverb drops away and the guitars get noisy and punked out in the closing seconds of the track. “Path Render” is a favorite. It’s a slower track, with dreamy, wobbly guitars and Harrington’s easy baritone vocals. Past the halfway mark, things get more intense, with drums and noisy synth coming in. “No Planned Sequel” has such a great, relaxed feel, almost like indie-lounge, The title track is the sparsest of the album, yet is one of the best. This time it’s the guitars that provide the dreaminess, not the synths, which are absent here. The track has a breezy feel, even as it’s driven ever forward by the rhythm section, and parts of it have a math-like feel. The penultimate track, “Tethering,” alternates between quiet, dreamy ballad and noisy indie track, while the closer, “Dry Off,” reminds me in places of Interpol, and is yet another stand-out of the album. This is a very promising debut.

WEIRD NUMBERS – Minotaur Dreams (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

Weird Numbers is the new Seattle-based project from Zache Davis of Maniac and The Girls, Colin Griffiths of The Girls and Tourist, and Ethan Jacobsen of Tourist and Wasted USA. Talk about an incestuous scene! The four tracks in this debut EP range from the loping garage punk of “Dolphin Encounters” and “Obsolete Man” to the power pop on the title track, to the near glam of “Switching the Code” and the retro 80s post punk goth of “Uzis and Bikinis.” The songs are diverse, the music tight and professional without sounding slick, and provide an excellent debut. I would expect nothing less from a band made up of such luminaries.

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BATLORDS – Lords of Shred (Shred The Gnar Records, shredthegnarrecords. bandcamp.com)

So you think San Diego is all sunny and beachy? Think again. There’s a dark, unseemly underbelly to San Diego. Look under enough rocks and you’ll find it. Batlords. As on past records, they’re continuing to terrorize the San Diego punk scene with songs like “Bloodeaters,” “Buried Alive,” “Witching Hour,” “Necropolis,” and more. The style of music is distinctly garage punk, with no pretensions of pop and no lyrics about difficult love lives, though “Buried Alive” has a definite Ramones-core feel, even with harmonized vocals. The sound is bigger than the three-piece they are, with dark, full, guitar fuzz, throbbing bass, and pounding drums. Guitarist Steven Baeza’s lead vocals are emphatic, yet deadpan, like the zombies and other creatures they sing about. “I’m feeling fine most of the time / The doctors say I’ve lost my mind / Rot, ruin, decay” he sings on “Feeling Fine,” as if it was important, yet no big deal, because that’s just life. “Burn The Dead” is a great old-school hardcore track, fast and loud, clocking in at only forty-nine seconds. “Ghoul School” is the longest song on the album, timing out at 2:51. It’s got the same garage-like wall of guitar, but the bass is playing a really great melodic line. It’s one of my favorites of the album just for that great bass line, and the soaring guitar at the end of the track makes this sound almost like an indie rock song. Another solid effort from the prolific Batlords.

BRAD MARINO – Extra Credit (Rum Bar Records, rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com)

Alert readers will recognize that in our last installment, Geoff Palmer of the Connections had just released a digital single and a vinyl 7” chock full of power pop goodness. Well, another Connections member has just dropped a new solo LP, too. Brad Marino’s “Extra Credit” is a trip back to when bouncy, melodic, guitar-fueled music ruled the scene. Images of legends like The Paul Collins Beat, The Plimsouls, and Elvis Costello come floating through my mind. The music blends classic power pop, classic rock and roll, British invasion, and the earliest new wave sounds into a coherent whole. The album opens with “Broken Clocks,” a rock and roll track that could have been written in the 1950s, complete with Chuck Berry style guitar solo, but it’s cleaner sounding, with some more modern flourishes here and there. “No One Else Tried It” channels early Rolling Stones with its blend of Brit rock and R&B influence. And “Wake Up Baby,” apparently co-written with Kurt Baker, is a power pop gem with hints of Elvis Costello’s classic style. I love the guitar jangle during the verses and the big bar chords on the chorus and the simple, brilliant bridge. “Fit To Be Tied” blends many of these characteristics into a single song, making the disparate styles fit together naturally.” I really love the up-tempo “From The Start,” with a simple roots rock chord progression and a Beatles-esque melodic line. “Broken Record Baby” is a hilarious anti-love song about a girlfriend who mistreats precious vinyl records. It’s not the best song of the album, musically, but lyrically I think most of us can relate to it too much. “It’s Not Right” mixes in some acoustic guitar touches on another classic power pop track. And the album closes almost the way it started: “Bye Bye Johnny” covers the Chuck Berry tune, so this time the influence is laid out for all to see. Once again, a member of the Connections has given us a fun, bouncy record that all lovers of power pop will enjoy.

BRADLEY PALERMO – Volume 1 (www.bradleypalermo.com)

Bradley Palermo is a Midwest transplant, having relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to Los Angeles to pursue a solo music career, a topic touched on in his song, “The Long Way.” The song is about how we might think we’ve made wrong choices in life, but how we learn from these mistakes, and they make us stronger. “I should have never moved to Los Angeles / I should have never quit my band / I should have never told them all to fuck off / When I had them / Eating right there from my hand / But I’m glad I did / Cause now I’m stumbling / The only way that I know how.” Acoustic guitar, steel pedal guitar, bass, drums, and harmonica are prominently featured on the ten songs on this collection of remastered songs, which had been previously released as singles over a period of time. The feeling is one of a country troubadour; the acoustic guitar and raspy singing feel deep and honest, but the steel pedal guitar is too Nashville country for my tastes. As a result, my favorite songs are those that eschew the slick trappings of country and focus more on alt-folk and Americana. I really like “Lost In August,” which uses ukulele and accordion in a breezy feeling song. Even the lyrics have an “island” feel: “We were as native / As the palms / No one cared where we came from / We are still here / And it’s now.” Live in the moment, the song seems to tell us. And “Trouble To Find” is just acoustic guitar, bass, tambourine, a bit of harmonica, and Palermo’s gritty voice, effectively telling a tale of paranoia and obsession ruining enjoyment of life. And the closer, “Hollywood, Hollywood,” is a dark track with acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, and vocals, with hints of organ in the background setting a mood of desperation. As with a few other songs on the LP, this one tells of the darker side of life in Los Angeles, like the “quick-stop corner store, poison every night,” or the loneliness one often finds in a big city: “We ain’t friends or enemies, cause we ain’t got the time.” Some of the songs that use steel pedal aren’t bad at all – I just don’t think that it adds to the songs. It feels too slick and country. Some of the songs use synth, and I think these fare less well than the steel pedal songs. To me, the synth (and steel pedal) really only detract from the truth telling of the stripped down songs. I see a lot of potential here for some great Americana. The songwriting is deeply personal and effective, but I think the arrangements could use some work.

OTOBOKE BEAVER – Itekoma Hits ( Damnably Records, www.damnably.com)

My declaration stands: there is no such thing as a bad Japanese band! Otoboke Beaver, hailing from the temple city of Kyoto, play manic garage punk, with a sweet but nasty attitude. The four women who make up Otoboke Beaver met at the Kyoto University music club, and we’re the better for it. The mood shifts rapidly from short song to short song, and even within a single song. The songs go from simple rhythms to arrhythmic, from violent, anger filled hardcore to rap to grungy melodies and everything in between. This is some of the most creative music I’ve heard in awhile, and I don’t understand a word of the lyrics because they’re all in Japanese! The band name is apparently taken from a local Kyoto “love hotel,” and according to the band’s bio, the song subjects include bad love, devious boyfriends, and general sexism. That explains the anger. Just going by the sounds, a favorite track is “S’il Vous Plait,” a rockin’ garage-like number with tight coordination of vocal gymnastics. “Bakuro Book” has sections that are bouncy and melodic, and sections that just go crazy. “Introduce Me To Your Family” is a funky post-punk rap song, something you have to hear to believe. “Love Is Short” is all over the map, musically, with lyrics shouted with military precision and a section with a ska rhythm at double speed. I don’t understand what they’re singing on “Bad Luck,” but this one is my favorite of the album. I feel the anger and frustration in the rapped lyrics and the hardcore sections, but are those sweet melodic sections sarcastic? This song goes through more changes than any of the others, and I love that. “I’m Tired of Your Repeating Story” is pure punk rock and roll, and reminds me of Tijuana’s DFMK, except with Japanese razor sharp precision. OK, I’m going to stop here, because I’ll list every song, because every song is my favorite! It’s that great of an album, and it’s another in my now crowded list of candidates for best records of 2019, and we’re still in the first half of the year!

WESTERN SETTINGS – Angus EP (A-F Records, www.a-frecords.limitedrun.com)

It’s been three long years since we’ve gotten new music from San Diego’s Western Settings. The “Old Pain” mini LP was their last release, way back in 2016. Now newly signed to A-F Records, Western Settings has released a new EP to tease their new full-length LP, coming out this fall, and the first album since “Yes It Is” came out in early 2015. They’ve sure taken their time. So was it worth it? Hell yes! These new songs demonstrate a new direction for Western Settings. The songs still have an expansive emotional feel, but are brighter sounding than past efforts. “That’s Pretty Good” opens the EP, and where past songs were majestic, this song has bounce to it. Bassist Ricky Schmidt’s vocals have grown and matured, and his dynamic range is bigger and more impressive, transitioning from smooth and easy vibrato to his intense gruff singing that we know from the past. “Duckets Is Tight” comes next, and wow! The tempo picks up a bit, the bounce is bigger, and I hear influence of bands like Dead To Me here, yet as different as this is from other Western Settings songs, it’s still recognizably Western Settings. The title track adds keyboards to the band for the first time, and the song is an acoustic one. Organ drones in the background, and all we have is acoustic guitar and Schmidt’s pleading voice. This is a real showcase for him – there’s no hiding. The guitar tone is gorgeous, sounding more like a classical guitar than anything from punk, and the song is unexpected and beautiful. Yes, it’s been worth the wait, but we have a little more time to wait for the LP, and I, for one, am getting anxious, because if it’s anything like this EP, it’s going to be the best thing they’ve done yet.

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PUP – Morbid Stuff (Rise Records,
www.riserecords.com)

PUP is a band that, I’ll admit it, I slept on. All my friends always raved about them, but I had never bothered to listen until fairly recently. And I liked what I heard. So I became excited for the release of the third PUP LP, “Morbid Stuff,” because it would be a great opportunity for me to jump on an excellent bandwagon. PUP songs are huge, loud, brash, exuberant, and angry. Gang vocals are shouted as much as sung. I can imagine a live show being a huge emotional release, and am anxious for their upcoming tour so I can experience that for myself. A lot of PUP songs seem to tell a story, and that’s unchanged here. The title track that opens the album is one such song, about two people who live in different worlds and have grown apart. “I was getting high in the van in St. Catherine’s / While you were rubbing elbows in the art scene.” The raucous number winds down with “I don’t know what you want me to say / ‘Cause back in the city I was on a tear / You had it all, you pissed it away / Back in the city without a care.” It seems like a big “fuck you” to people who think they’re better, but fuck things up and come crawling back. I like the feel of “Kids,” a song about the meaninglessness of life, “I've been navigating my way through the mind-numbing reality of a godless existence / Which, at this point in my hollow and vapid life, has erased what little ambition I've got left,” sings vocalist Stefan Babcock. But “fuck it,” is the sentiment. “And I've embraced the calamity / With an attachment and a passive disinterest.” The lyrics are of despondent resignation, but the music is joyous, as if reveling in the banality of existence. And this is one of the magical aspects of PUP, throughout the album. As angry or dejected or apathetic as the lyrics might be, the music is celebratory. “I’m still here!” the music seems to say defiantly. “I’ll take anything you throw at me and keep going!”

“Free At Last,” one of the lead singles, may be one of the most covered songs of all time – all before it was even released! The band posted the song’s chords and lyrics and invited bands to create their own versions of the song and send them in. Some were terrible and some were awesome. Clips of many of them made it into the music video the band released. The chorus either demands that people get over themselves or is an attempt to comfort them with the thought that they aren’t alone. “Just ‘cause you’re sad again / It doesn’t make you special.” Lots of people deal with problems. Yours are no different from others’.

A favorite track is “Scorpion Hill,” a track that opens and closes with a country folk sound, and in between tells another story, of life stuck in a rut, or worse, spiraling downward amidst layoffs and breakups. And again, the music is rowdy and uplifting, in dramatic contrast to the lyrics. But, as much as I love the sound that PUP has created, the song that is, perhaps, the most honest, the most real, the most full of rage is “Full Blown Meltdown.” With NOMEANSNO style slapping and rumbling bass and 90s post hardcore mayhem, the joy and celebration of the struggle of life is gone, replaced with a frenzy of indignant guitars pounding drums, and bitter lyrics that aren’t even sung. “Fucked up / Oh, who cares anyway? / With one foot in the gutter / And the other in the grave, I was thinking / How long will self destruction be alluring?” Babcock seems to question his entire existence and way of life, with “I’m just surprised the world isn’t sick / of grown men whining like children / You shouldn’t take it so seriously / It’s just music after all / And half the crap I say is just / Things I’ve stolen from the bathroom walls / Of shitty venues across America.” The music matches the mood to a tee.

Yes, I’m playing catch up here with Pup. If you haven’t hopped aboard, I strongly recommend you do, because this record will easily appear on my Best of 2019 lists.

AREE AND THE PURE HEART – Never Gonna Die (Wiretap Records, wiretaprecords.limitedrun.com)

Powerful, emotionally driven Americana is what Aree and the Pure Heart deliver, and they deliver it in spades. The passion is palpable, as are the southern working class roots and punk influence. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a pop punk release, despite their presence on the Wiretap Records roster; this is pure Americana rock and roll, with a dose of Springsteen style arrangement, courtesy of a prominently featured saxophone on some of the tracks and the presence of keyboards throughout. Much of the sound can be attributed to vocalist Aree Ogir’s singing; the animated, heartfelt feeling comes through clearly. The grittiness of the vocals are complemented by the smoothness in most of the instrumentals; the band make the songs feel effortless, like this is just something they’re doing for the sheer pleasure of it. I think my favorite track of the album has to be the quiet ballad, “The Feeling I Get.” It’s just piano and Aree’s deeply passionate vocals, and you can really feel the deep hurt when he sings, “There’s an aching in my heart / Teardrops on my pillow like raindrops on a windowpane.” This isn’t generally the sort of music I seek out, but if you’re a fan of The Boss, Americana, and working class rock and roll, you’re sure to like this album a lot.

BRAVE THE SEA – The Kraken (www.bravetheseaband.com)

Brave The Sea are Ohio’s answer to bands like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys. They play nominally Celtic influenced rock music that also has more than a dose of punk rock, too. I know a lot of people aren’t crazy about this kind of music, but I do enjoy it. I like Celtic music, and I like punk rock, and blending the two together can be a lot of fun, especially when done well. And Brave The Sea do it well. They have a gravelly pop punk aesthetic they bring to the genre, sort of like they’re real pirates. Mandolin and banjo join electric guitars, bass, and drums providing the strong folk element to these raucous sea shanties. And perhaps we should fix our nomenclature here, because these songs sound more of the sea than of Ireland or Britain.

A favorite track is “Siren’s Song,” which starts out as a sad ballad, but then turns into a raucous number singing the praises of the title character: “Liar and a thief and a damned old fish / But she’s the only one I want, she’s my only wish.” “Sláinte” is a short a cappella song singing the praises of booze, in all its forms. Right after is “No Whiskey, No Rum,” a huge sing-along, the sort of thing that makes pop punk so much fun, but with melody and instruments that lend a seafaring flare. The Spanish-influenced ditty, “Bella Donna” is another good one. You can feel the Latin fires simmering in this hard rocker. And “Down With Davy Jones” is a fantastic shanty. You feel like you’re on a 19th century sailing ship, pulling on the ropes to raise the sail, as the first mate yells out the song to get the crew all in time together.

“The Devil Brought Tequila” opens with a bunch of horns, and I thought I was in for a ska punk tune. Thankfully not, nevertheless this song is not one of my favorites. Nor is “Bottom of the Sea,” which doesn’t have horns, but is a hard rock track with ska rhythms, an odd combination. But, thankfully the songs I liked vastly outnumbered those I didn’t. If you’re a fan of this kind of music, check out Ohio’s old tars.

BREAKMATT FASTGYVER – The Light Inside Is Broken but I Still Deliver (https://bmfg.bandcamp.com)

I’m listening to this new five song EP on a Saturday morning, after having been at night two of La Escalera Fest 8, an annual music fest in San Diego run by the folks at La Escalera Records. The climax of the evening was a nearly hour long set by Nothington, the Bay Area band that has announced they’re calling it quits after a few final West Coast shows. So this was their final San Diego show, with only two more to go before they are no more. If you know the style of music that Nothington play – huge sing-along pop punk soaked with beer, with punks crowding the stage, arms around each other, shouting the lyrics along with the band – you’ll know exactly the sort of music Breakmatt Fastgyver play. Yet they aren’t from the West Coast of the USA, they’re from Milan, Italy! But they have the style down cold. Gruff vocals are prominent over big edgy pop punk instrumentals, with songs played at moderate to fast tempos. While Breakmatt Fastgyver are on well-trod territory, they do it well on this debut, so they’re off to a good start.

CLUB NIGHT – What Life (Tiny Engines, www.tinyengines.net)

What would experimental dream pop sound like if it was made by bubble gum anime characters? Club Night is determined to answer that question on their debut LP, “What Life.” The music always sounds a bit off-kilter, a bit wobbly, and a lot sparkly. Sometimes these tracks sound like they were recorded underwater, and there are lots of little twirly bits of electronics darting about during the songs, like little fish scurrying about in the coral reef. Josh Bertram’s falsetto vocals are a unique aspect of the band, too, giving the songs somewhat of an urgent, otherworldly vibe. The overall effect is of controlled chaos, of trying to bring an order to things in order to cry out an important message. And if the music doesn’t leave you feeling disoriented, with its many rhythmic and time signature changes, the lyrics certainly will; they’re more akin to avant garde poetry than song lyrics. The end result makes for a fascinating listen that keeps me enraptured.

THE HECK – Who? The Heck!!! (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords. co.uk)

Netherlands garage rockers The Heck have finally released their debut LP, after a couple of teaser singles over the past two years. And, while those two singles were pretty solid 60s style garage rock, the LP has more of a hard rock and roll sound. Overall, it’s less 60s, more timeless hard rock, though a few songs have the retro edge. Like “For Cryin’ Out Loud,” which has a distinct power pop sensibility; even through all the rawness, it’s got a bounce. But then we get a track like “I Won’t Change,” in which the most garage part of it is the keyboard, while the rest of the song evolves into a hard rock jam. “Money” has the feel of an early rock and roll tune from the 50s, but fuzzed up a lot more. Then “That Moon” is a 70s jam. I think I like the singles and their more retro garage feel better than this LP.

LAS ROBERTAS – Together Outrageously (Rogue Wave Records, roguewaverecords.bigcartel.com)

Las Robertas, hailing from San Jose, Costa Rica, play a smoothed out dreamy version of psych/garage rock. Two of the songs on this EP are in English, and the third in Spanish. The melodic line of “Thunder Rider” glides hazily over garage power pop guitar, while the title track has more of a 70s Detroit rock and roll feel underneath the smoky vocals. “Pesadilla” closes the EP with more than a hint of Latin rock feel, a la Santana, but while keeping those vocals relaxed. Garage rock is supposed to be dirty and dangerous. Las Robertas are making music that sounds too clean and safe, and that’s my main problem with it.

MARTHA – Love Keeps Kicking (Dirtnap Records, www.dirtnaprecs.com)

It’s been nearly three years since Martha’s magnificent sophomore release, “Blisters in the Pit of My Heart,” was released. Three long years since one of the best records of 2016. Would the band from the little town of Pity Me live up to the high bar they set for themselves? Well, this is quite a different LP in many ways from the last one. The word “mature” is tossed around a lot, but I’m going to have to use it here. Martha’s sound has certainly matured. And it’s diversified. The songs feel a little fuller and lusher than the relatively raw songs of “Blisters.” But the exuberance is still there, the sheer joy of the music. And while the predominant style of music offered could be called pop punk, there is plenty of indie pop and even a bit of country in many of these songs. Right at the opening of the album, “Heart Is Healing,” opens with a distinct twang. The song topic is worthy of a pop punk country song, too, talking about “That familiar feeling when your heart is healing” yet “I just keep running from it all.” After a bad heartache, it’s sometimes hard to let go of the bad feelings, and sometimes when we recognize we’re starting to heal, we don’t want to. As always, Martha’s songs seem to revolve around relationships – all aspects of them, the good and the bad. “Into This” is a wistful yet bouncy tune that questions whether the other person is really “into this,” because “you only want to kiss me when you’ve had had a drink,” and sometimes “you’ll act like you’ve never met me.” Being just a friend is sometimes painful, but often that’s what we’re resigned to. “Wrestlemania VIII” is as bubbly lyrically as it is musically, communicating that giddy feeling when you make a really genuine connection with another person. The title track is a beautiful contradiction. The bouncy poppy music is loaded with hooks, and upon casual listening, hearing the title sung as the chorus, “Love keeps kicking, ooh yeah,” might make you think this is a happy song about the power of love to outlast any problems. Yet when we hear the full sentiment in the final verse, it’s “Love keeps kicking the shit out of me. And there’s no solution I can see.” “Orange Juice” is a song of self-doubt, believing one’s self to be the cause of a failed relationship. The song equates one’s partner as being “orange juice,” while you’re the ice that dilutes the orange juice, the cause for the end of love. This is less cheery than many of the tracks, being one of the few that has a melancholy edge to it, especially as the chorus cries, “I don’t know what to do now.” Yet the darkest song is reserved for the closing track, “The Only Letter That You Kept.” It’s a quiet, wistful track of a shattered love that breaks my heart. The songs are all excellent on this newest album from the north of England, and this record is likely to make my list of best albums of 2019. Yet it doesn’t have any tracks that stand out above the others, like “Blisters” did. Whether that makes the new one the better album or not is an exercise left to the listener.

THE MURDERBURGERS – What a Mess (Asian Man Records,
themurderburgers.bandcamp.com)

The Murderburgers have to be the kings of pop punk in Scotland. How many great Scottish pop punk bands can you name? I rest my case. Besides, the trio have mastered all of the relevant sub-genres of pop punk, and they’re on display on this, their latest LP. Some of the songs are catchy poppy stuff, sort of like the Bay Area version of pop punk. Some is more Southern California skate pop punk. Some are Fest style sing-along pop punk. But they’re all excellent, well-crafted examples. Lyrics cover topics like being ostracized from your family and loved ones, the intense felling of ennui that comes with a meaningless life, obsessing over failed relationships, constant thoughts of suicide, and all the self-loathing and misery that make pop punk songs so relatable. While there’s nothing groundbreaking about “What A Mess,” Fraser and the two Alexes do a solid job here, with harmonized vocals and catchy songs full of hooks. I can’t name a standout track, because they’re all equally top notch. This is a must for anyone who claims to be a pop punk fan.

GEOFF PALMER – “Giving In” digital single, “This One’s Gonna Be Hot” EP (Stardumb Records/ RumBar Records)

The Connection’s Geoff Palmer has a new LP coming out soon under his own name. And ahead of that, Stardumb Records has released a digital-only single and a vinyl 7” EP. And if you’re a fan of power pop (and you damn well should be!) this is going to be essential listening. “Giving In” is the lead single from Palmer’s forthcoming LP, “Pulling Out All The Stops.” It’s a co-release of Stardumb and Rum Bar Records, and the song is classic power pop, catchy and bouncy, with love song lyrics: “There’s nothing left to do / I’m giving up and giving in to you.” “This One’s Gonna Be Hot” is the A-side of the exclusive-to-Stardumb 7” vinyl, and it’s a harder, edgier version of power pop, reminding me of LA’s The Creamers from back in the 90s. It’s Ramones-core at its, well, core, simple melody, power guitars, and melodic bounce. “Punker Than Me” on the B-side picks things up even more with an up-tempo all-out pop punk song. It makes sense that pop punk would be in Palmer’s musical arsenal, as the New Hampshire native has played with New England’s The Queers, under the name Geoff Useless. It’s classic stuff, sure to get you pogoing. “That’s What You Do” is the other B-side track, and it slows and smooths things out quite a lot. This is more archetypal 70s power pop, with jangly guitars and a hint of British invasion influence. These songs certainly whet my appetite for the LP, coming out later this spring.

PETTY LARCENISTS – Stolen Chords and Lifted Riffs (Rad Girlfriend Records, www.radgirlfriendrecords.com)

Jesse Thorson is one of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s busiest musicians. On one end of his musical spectrum is The Slow Death, and on the other is Pretty Boy Thorson. Now he has a new band to bridge the gap between the two, and Petty Larcenists have their debut LP out. To give you a point of reference, they sound more like their Minneapolis brethren in Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band than they do either of Thorson’s other outfits. It’s less punk and more working class rock and roll. And man, does it rock! These songs come across as “real,” Thorson’s gravelly passionate voice booming through. “Loud And Ugly” sets the tone for the LP, with a mid-tempo rocker, and things really get going with “What Now,” a track about reaching the end of one’s rope. “It’s about all that I can take,” says the refrain. “You said it would be the last time / Yeah, that’s what you said the last time.” We repeat mistakes over and over in our lives, and at some point things reach a breaking point, and you feel it in this song. “Tiny Plastic Bags” is about the closest thing we get to a “power ballad,” while “The Kids Back Home” picks things up again, with another song about a dysfunctional relationship. That theme seems to run through many of the songs on this LP, but this particular one, with prominent keys and some great hooks, may be my favorite of the album. It has a fantastic power pop feel to it. The closer is another favorite. “I Can’t Get High” has a definite bounce to it, and the chorus comes the closes of any track here to sounding like The Slow Death. Recommended.

ROLLO TOMASI – The Fear Is Unsafe (Shakefork Records, www.shakefork.com)

Rollo Tomasi (not to be confused with UK band Rolo Tomassi) are from Chicago, and play an emotionally charged brand of post-hardcore. Some of the tracks are more metallic than others, and some of the tracks have more of a 90s post-melodic emo sound. The latter are my favorite of the album. And yet others are halfway between these styles. Like “Throw Stones,” the second track. It reminds me a lot of late 80s and early 90s Dischord sounds, in terms of chord progressions and vocal style, yet it’s got a much harder, edgier feel. Some of the tracks have a great math-like complexity, like “Pussy Hands,” a waltz time track with dueling guitars, pounding bass, and sections that glide contrasting with the more punctuated sections. “C-Section” is confusing to me, because it has sections of gorgeous, powerful, and melodic riffs, but sections of hard metallic rage. I’m not a big metal fan, so tracks like this and the opener, “Saltpeter,” don’t grab me. A track that’s just as hard driving but less metallic that does grab me is “Woodshed.” The minimalist repeating guitar lines provide a strong sense of forward motion, and this track is another that brings to mind not only DC bands, but also Chicago’s Gauge – which makes a lot of sense, given that guitarist Neil Sandler played bass in that seminal band melodic emo band. “No Secret” is one of the quietest tracks of the album, and I love how the production has guitars bouncing between channels. The chugga chugga guitar vs. simplistic melodic line is pretty awesome. I’m in love with about three quarters of this album, but the rest I could take or leave.

THE SCANERS – II (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

These crazy French garage rock new wavers are back from Area 51 with another album chock full of songs of alien abduction, UFOs, attacks from outer space, and more. As with their debut LP, this sophomore effort sounds as if The Spits and The Ramones intermingled with the Dickies and Devo. The songs are pretty simple, but powerful, bouncy, and a lot of fun. This chaotic crazy music is even pretty danceable, and is an excellent follow-up to the self-titled debut. “Please Abduct Me” kicks things off in high gear, with a “1 2 3 4” shout, rapid-fire guitars, and swirling keyboard. I really like “X-Ray Glasses,” a track that’s somewhat slower than the others, but which has interesting rhythms and guitar fills. “Don’t Run, We’re Your Friends,” is a real standout, too. The frantically paced minute and a half will leave you gasping for breath. You can feel the chase, feel them closing in on you, and the guitar’s chord changes are pretty cool. “Pesticide Kids” reminds me of the amazing Radioactivity,” too, with another intense one, simple lines and pummeling guitars. “Run DD Run” closes out the album, the buzzy synth playing a slow dreamy line, until the drums suddenly fire, and the guitars are off at the fastest pace of any of these songs. The song has a dark garage punk feel, but it’s hard to keep up, the song moves so fast. The Scaners have done it again! Recommended!

THE SH-BOOMS – The Blurred Odyssey (Limited Fanfare Records, thesh-booms.bandcamp.com)

The further into this album I go, the more soulful it gets. This is the Orlando outfit’s debut LP, and it’s a killer. It’s got a raw garage feel to it, which makes for an interesting contrast to the ardent vocals. The opener is aptly titled, “Amidst Chaos.” It’s a primal track, mixing garage rock with a punk edge and even a hint of ska feel, courtesy of the horns and keyboards. The heavily processed vocals are a clarion call, with an urgent tone. As this track fades, “Detox to Retox” takes over seamlessly, transforming into the edgy rock & soul that fills the rest of the LP. The guitars sound like they came from a ‘70s fusion of rock and funk, the horns like punks took over a 60s R&B band, the keyboards are straight out of a psychedelic garage band, and the lead vocals are impassioned. And as good as these hard driving tracks are, I am a sucker for old school R&B, so the slower tracks like “Audible” slay me. Do you remember the movie “The Commitments” about a bunch of Irish misfits who try to form an R&B band? The climactic scene in which the perform “Try A Little Tenderness” is one of the best musical scenes in movie history, I think, and the passion in “Audible” approaches that, but with a sound that’s more raw, dirtier. “Dry Eyes” sounds like a punked up version of a 60s girl-group song, while “Walk It Off” will gut-punch you with its hard-edged funk. The album closes with “The Final Sleep,” a dreamy mysterious instrumental, with hints of Afro-Cuban jazz. This is a diverse, enjoyable release.

YES GABRIEL
(www.yesgabriel.bandcamp.com)

Yes Gabriel is the alter ego of film and theater composer Gaby Alter. This EP is his debut outside that realm, crafting songs for songs’ sake. The five songs on offer here are quiet, acoustic tracks, beautiful singer-songwriter fare. It’s not quite folk music, but not quite pop or rock music either; it’s somewhere in between. “Dear To Me” opens with just acoustic guitar and vocals, before brushed snare drum and electric guitar and bass come in. It’s a pretty song about love, loss, and regret. It’s touching, and very different from typical pop punk songs about failed relationships that come across my desk. “Rains of April” uses piano as the main instrument, and when the full band comes in, it’s got a lush, dreamy sound, and is a love letter to New York City. “You Got Through” brings back the acoustic guitar, and adds some pretty strings to tell a delicate tale of someone who had steeled himself against all the hurt the world can bring, but how someone was able to break through that and make him feel again. “Fall Asleep” joins acoustic guitar, piano, and strings for another song of deep love that almost feels bouncy. “Deep In February” closes the EP, and was the lead single. It’s the most theatrical of the songs here, opening quietly with piano and vocals, and slowly growing in richness, telling another tale of lost love. If you’re into singer-songwriter material, this is recommended. It’s very pretty.

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STEVE ADAMYK BAND – Paradise (Dirtnap Records, www.dirtnaprecs.com)

Hell yes! It’s been a long three years since “Graceland,” Steve Adamyk Band’s last album came out. For those tuning in late, Steve Adamyk Band is a band out of Canada, specifically from Ottawa, the nation’s capitol. They’re masters of garage punk and power pop. They’re right on the cusp between these styles, managing to extract all of the best parts of both to create music that’s bouncy, melodic, rockin’ yet has a toughness to it. “The Letter” begins the album, and for an LP named “Paradise,” it’s quite appropriate that there’s a healthy dose of surf sounds, as well. “In Death” is one of the most “punk” tracks of the album, with a simple melody, simple rhythms, and powerful guitars. The title track is a very driven song, moving deliberately ever forward, in the way of a Marked Men track. “Waiting to Die” is a song in two parts. The first is almost ballad-like, but can anything Steve Adamyk does really be a ballad? Part two gets raucous again, with a Ramones-core feel, but with a pall of darkness over the whole song. I love the retro power pop feel of “When I was Gone.” It’s got the feel of one of the edgier radio hits of guitar-fueled pop rock from the late 70s. And so it goes with the rest of the dozen songs – every one is a gem. Recommended.

THE COOL GREENHOUSE – Landlords b/w 4Chan (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

This new single from the UK band features two super-retro tracks very reminiscent of the massive creativity of bands in the post-punk era of the early 80s. The bands feature synth bleeps and blips and minimalist guitar, along with blasé spoken word vocals telling stories loaded with sardonic wit. The A-side tells the tale of paying too much to live in a crap apartment to fuel the luxuries of the landlord, and trying to complain to the council and having to deal with the sorts of monkeys they hire to help the people, in this case, literal monkeys. The B-side is told from the perspective of the sort of Internet troll you find on the title on-line service. This was my first exposure to this band, and now I plan to hunt down their previous releases – it’s that good. And even better, proceeds from the sales of this single will be donated to the London Renters Union, a grassroots organization that’s focused on changing how housing works in the city.

DRUG APTS – Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances (Mt.St.Mtn., www.mtstmtn.com)

Formerly known as Drug Apartments, this Sacramento band has shortened their name and extended the length of their releases with this, their first full-length LP. Drug Apts offer up a dozen songs of dark arty post punk. Though, taken as a whole, the songs tend to blend into one another a bit, there are some standouts to discuss. The opener, “stereo,” features a throbbing bass and ominous sounding guitar stabs. Whittney K’s vocals are often violent and chaotic throughout the record; her dynamic range is awesome and a highlight of the record. “Straight Shooter” has more of a 90s grunge feel than most of the record, and so stands out from the rest of the tracks. The track has grunge’s hard guitar sound, a classic rock and roll edge, and powerful vocals. I like how “thursday at two” opens with just the distorted, loud bass line and mysterious vocals, and when the guitar comes in with its own winding line. Everything slowly builds, getting louder, pitches rising, until the full band explodes in a cacophonous rage. “saints” is a great track that starts out with a hard edge, and slowly transforms into a bouncy one. And the short instrumental, “sparks break,” is a bright breath of fresh air. This is a record that I’m likely to revisit in the future, but maybe a track or two at a time.

FREAK GENES – III (Drunken Sailor, www.drunkensailorrecords.co. uk)

Another band has come out with a third LP and titled it “III.” While the album title may not be creative or original, the music on it certainly is. Freak Genes are an English band that blend early punk, new wave, power pop, and psychedelic music into minimalist arrangements that are packed with energy and mania. Many of the tracks feature synthesizer and drum machine. Some of the tracks are angular and abrupt, while others are melodic and easy. The album grabbed me right from the start, with “Waxing Moon,” a track that’s very disjointed, with buzzy sections that jut and other sections that are smooth and relaxed. “Canned Laughter” is a favorite, and is one of the oddest tracks of the album, with dark and twinkly synths dueling with each other, guitar and bass used as percussion instruments, and vocals that are more loudly spoken than sung or shouted. The final quarter of the track changes mood completely, as the synths and guitar play a vaguely medieval melody. “Breach” focuses on the guitar (but keeps the drum machine) and is more of a traditional power pop or early punk sounding track, and is another favorite. I like the bright melodic lines and use of keyboard in “Strange Light.” The bridge and run-out on “Get Ready to Go” are stupendous swirly synth spectacles to behold. I enjoy the bluesy “Stitches,” a track with a retro 50s rock’n’roll feel that’s been heavily altered via synth and droll vocals. “Close Up Fear” closes the LP with a hopping track that reminds me a bit of The Legendary Pink Dots’ “Catch a Match,” for it’s monotone rapid-fire vocals. III may not have as good a name as their previous album, “Qwak Qwak,” but it has even better music.

PROBLEM DAUGHTER – Grow Up Trash (Wiretap Records, wiretaprecords. limitedrun. com)

I don’t predict, I guarantee that this record is going to show up on multiple year-end “best of” lists. The songs are universally great and the songwriting is creative, way above and beyond the typical pop punk band, with unexpected shifts in tempo, in melody, and in feel. “Mercury in Retrograde” is a perfect example of this – this one song goes through so many changes in its short two and a half minutes, yet it’s all a cohesive whole. It starts off with a big, epic sound, then goes through a short period where it’s a little more standard pop punk, the tempo slows, a short hesitation, and the song starts anew with an almost RVIVR-like feel, with madly jangling guitars. The song then has a cool start-stop feel, rapidly shifting tempos and rhythms. It then picks up again as a slower song with bigger emotional content, bringing us to a big close. “Take a Walk on the Mild Side,” a spoof on the title of a famous Lou Reed song, has similar shifts, as if there are three or four songs within one. “Self Amusing Smile” is a favorite, running the gamut from dark, quiet ballad, to a mid-tempo Rocket From The Crypt inspired lope, to Americana-tinged pop punk, time signatures constantly moving. Pretty much the only song that doesn’t shift around like this is the penultimate “Tired About It.” It’s more of a standard emotional pop punk sound familiar to West Coast fans, yet still a powerful track. Front man Regan Ashton’s vocals are among the most unique and recognizable in the punk world, and only add to the excellent qualities of these songs. This record is highly recommended.

SLEEP IN. – The Stars On Your Ceiling (Know Hope Records, www.knowhoperecords.com)

New Jersey’s Sleep In. waited a full five years after their debut LP, “Setting,” to release their sophomore effort. Both LPs are chock full of melodic post emo songs, but where the debut was slightly mathish and busy, the songs on “The Stars On Your Ceiling” are smoother and more relaxed. And that may be the downfall, at least for me. The smooth post emo sound, to my ears at least, just doesn’t pack enough interest or energy. To me it comes across as the adult contemporary version of punk. That said, there are some moments of the album I did enjoy quite a bit. “6th and Catherine,” the second track of the LP, in particular, has a creative arrangement, with rollicking guitar licks and a bouncy melody. The singer-songwriter feel of “A Million Messages” reminds me of LA’s Divided Heaven, and is another favorite. It’s got a slightly Americana feel and a more genuine emotional feel than many of the other tracks. “This Old House” is a pretty waltz-time song, with a tender sound. I would suggest it might sound even better with a cleaner jangly guitar sound. It would add a delicateness to the song that I think would greatly improve it. The shift to straight time on the chorus gives the song a different feel, a change in texture that increases the interest. And the closer, “Let Me Let You Let Me,” is a gorgeous, sad song that opens with just bare vocals and acoustic guitar. Piano and harmonized vocals join in, and we hear where the album title comes from, as the lyrics tell us a tale that seems to be about concern for an ex or an ex-roommate, at least, that swallows their emotions along with booze to keep secrets and feelings hidden. “Said you’re taking a day to sort through your feelings / Now you’re half a bottle down, counting stars on your ceiling / I think you lost it, I think you lost it again.” It’s a beautiful way to end the album, with a very moving song that slowly builds, as do the emotions. Yeah, there are some really nice moments on this album. But I need more than mere moments.

TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET – Stay Rad! (Fat Wreck Chords, www.fatwreck.com)

You know Teenage Bottlerocket, right? So you know what to expect: Ramones-core inspired pop punk, with catchy melodies, harmonized vocals, and tons of bouncy goodness. As is typical with Teenage Bottlerocket records, there’s little in the way of political content here, lyrics sticking to themes of relationships and various juvenile topics. Just the song titles can give you an idea of what I mean, like “Wild Hair (Across My Ass)” or “Night of the Knuckleheads.” That’s not to say all of the songs are inane (though the inanity is part of the fun of TBR). “I Wanna Be a Dog” is more about wanting to live a carefree life than actually wanting to be a dog, despite lyrics such as “You can teach me how to think while I lick my balls and when you get home I can hump your leg.” Yeah, even in the meaningful songs, TBR tries to convince us they’re just a bunch of delinquents. “The First Time That I Did Acid Was The Last Time I Did Acid” may or may not be a song about the dangers of drug abuse, but it’s certainly a hard-hitting track, with more of a hardcore sound than the usual TBR pop punk song. I don’t know who Clint Carlin is, but TBR want to kill him, as told in a song called “I Want to Kill Clint Carlin,” one that sounds in places a lot like a classic Naked Raygun track, making it one of my favorites of the album. “Stupid Song” isn’t stupid at all, about the need for distractions to take our minds off the drudgery and crap in our lives. The bridge is extra poppy sounding, reminding me of Masked Intruder somewhat. “Little Kid” is the most poignant track of the LP, I’m guessing written by Ray Carlisle about missing his brother Brandon, who died just over three years ago (this is the first full album of original TBR songs since Brandon’s death). The song is about having difficulty accepting the passage of time since then, remembering how they were together as kids, and how he’s having trouble living in the moment again, like kids do. I love the use of a single guitar note percussion effect played against the chord changes in the other guitar. Yes, we know what to expect in Teenage Bottlerocket album. Great fun pop punk music.

WEIRD OMEN – Surrealistic Feast (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords. co.uk)

French garage psych trio Weird Omen have released the LP teased with a new single a few months ago, and it fulfills the promise! Weird Omen are an unorthodox group, featuring a rhythm section of drums and guitar, with the lead instrument being a baritone saxophone. It’s an odd instrumentation to use, but it’s used to great effect to create music that blends garage punk, power pop, and fuzzed out psych. The album opens with a rerecorded version of “A Place I Want to Know” from January’s single. It manages to sound darker and more mysterious on this version. The production of the LP generally is darker and less dry than the single. “Earworm” is the perfect name for the fourth track, because it owes a debt to pop punk; it’s a melodic, bouncy number, even as it has a dark, thundering sound, courtesy of the bari sax and the production. “Surrealistic Feast” is a favorite track. It’s a heavily psychedelic track, with droning guitar and sax plus swirling melodic line in the modal vocal choir. “Collection of Regrets” has a dusty sound to it, like it could be the soundtrack to some movie set in the Old West, but covered by a psych punk band. “Trouble In My Head” alternates between a Sonic Youth feel on the verses and a jangly 60s pop feel on the chorus. The closer is a gorgeous 50s rock and roll ballad, “I Will Write You Poetry.” After a calm, quiet, clear start, though, the song gradually gets noisier and more chaotic, ending in a glorious of ringing vocals, fading into epic guitar feedback. A fitting close to an amazing LP.

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BAZOOKA – Zero Hits (Inner Ear Records, www.inner-ear.gr)

Bazooka hail from Athens. That’s Athens, Greece, not Athens, Georgia. And, as the songs are all sung in Greek, I can’t tell you what they’re about. But the music is a mixture of garage, punk, and funk. Funk? Yes, funk! The first two tracks, “Ela” and “Filaki,” are pretty straightforward mid-tempo garage punk, full of energy and tension. I especially like the jangly guitar sound juxtaposed with the garage feel of “Filaki.” The third track, “Keno,” though, adds a group of trumpets and 70s soul-funk guitar effects to mix in with the garage punk, creating something pretty unique. “Menos” and “Oi Vlakes Kanoune Parelasi” are a pair of cool tracks, with buzzy synth and ominous feel, the latter being a little bouncier than the former. A lot of the tracks have a bit of retro feel to them, harkening back to an era in the 80s when bands weren’t afraid to experiment with new sounds and be different from everyone else. “Mesa Stin Poli” and “Vradini Vardia” are good examples of this, with clean minimalist guitars repeating a couple of melodic lines, while the bass and drums pound out the solid beat incessantly. They’re a couple of my favorites of the album. And “Adiafores Maties” reaches even further back to 60s garage sounds for inspiration, complete with keyboards and just the right guitar tone. “Min Kitas Piso” changes things up a lot with an acoustic folk inspired track, with gang vocals keeping things in a punk-like realm, loads of reverb giving it a slightly other-worldly feel. The closer, “Ta Spao Ola,” is another unique one, blending garage punk with an Afro-Cuban sort of feel. If you’re looking for something different, something original, yet retro, give this a spin.

THE BURNT TAPES – Never Better (Wiretap Records, wiretaprecords. limitedrun.com)

You don’t normally expect a band from London in the UK to sound like they’re from the West Coast of the United States, but here we are. I guess the Internet really is making the world smaller and smaller. The Burnt Tapes play melodic, emotionally driven pop punk with gruff vocals. It’s a sub-genre that’s been growing quite a lot in recent years, and one that typically packs people into small clubs, everyone pressing toward the stage and singing all of the lyrics at the top of their lungs. It’s the sort of music that usually finds show-goers returning home soaked with spilled beer, their souls filled to the brim. It’s a sound familiar to fans of bands like Western Settings, Hot Water Music, Bastards of Young, Spanish Love Songs, and many others. The title track opens the LP strongly. After some initial moments of ambience, the song explodes with a melodic line that’s crunchy and soars, yet has bounce to it. Gruff gang vocals shout out in conflict, “I want to be alone / But it gets lonely.” The song dissolves back into ambience in its waning moments. There are some other standout tracks, too. “Yuzi” reminds me a lot of Spanish Love Songs, with its great gliding melody, dark feel, and self-deprecating lyrics. “Forty, Forty-Five” is a great ballad with instrumentals that alternate between epic and quiet, huge gruff vocals, and guitars that sometimes jangle like mad. It has a feel that reminds me of The Penske File. I do like all of the tracks on the LP, actually, though I wish there was a little more variety.

THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND – This Is My Voice (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

The Chocolate Watchband began life some 54 years ago, in California. The psychedelic garage rock band was short-lived in its original incarnation, suffering multiple line-up changes and breaking up in 1970 after just three LPs. In 1999 the band reunited, including a few of the early and original members, and have been performing ever since, even releasing a couple of albums of new songs, including this latest LP, on garage rock specialist label Dirty Water Records. The record finds the band in familiar territory, offering up psychedelic rock songs with politically charged lyrics. For example, the bluesy “Judgment Day,” written at the height of the Great Recession, is about the desperation of those who lost their jobs and everything else during those dark times, and the urge to fight back. The title track, a hypnotic psych track, discusses the lack of fact-based decision making going on in the world, and how it’s been replaced with hatefulness and division. “Trouble Everyday” is a Bob Dylan-esque song with spoken lyrics over a funky jam. And the closer, “Till The Daylight Comes,” opens with a snippet of Donald Trump saying, “Remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” The song is, ultimately, one of hope. The daylight will come; we will get out of this darkness, somehow. Musically, the song has a distinct feeling of a spiritual, uplifting to the soul. Speaking of the music, it’s quite varied. The opener, “Secret Rendezvous,” is the most raucous, most garage-rock track of the album, the closest to the proto-punk of yore. Other songs are more blues-rock, some are folksy, some are roots rock’n’roll, and some are more garage-like than others. The sitar, a mainstay of psych music back in the day, makes appearances on a couple of the tracks here, too, most prominently in the instrumental, “Bombay Pipeline.” The variety is great. The sentiments are great. But I can’t help but feel that the music is a little too smooth, a little too calm, other than that opening track.

FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS – ZAM (Greenway Records, www.greenway records.storenvy.com)

LA’s Frankie and the Witch Fingers’ fifth full-length album in six years is a mélange of psych, garage, metal jams, and power pop. Sometimes this works really well, sometimes not. Some tracks rock like mad, others are a little too wanky. Some have a modern melodic component; others are retro rock and roll jam snooze fests. One of the tracks that I like a lot for its tension is the instrumental title track. Yes, it’s an extended jam, not a “song, but the power and energy in it are intoxicating, and the repeating swirling guitar line and dissonant guitar clatter bring my ears to the brink of exploding. I really like “Cobwebs,” a track that’s primarily a slow burner, but has a bridge that dramatically increases the tempo and injects some great power pop melodic content, guitars jangling away. “Purple Velvet” is another one rooted in the power pop tradition, focusing more on the song and the melody than on the jam, with the keyboards injecting some bright flair. “Work” has a strong garage punk streak running through it, and halfway through it turns into a powerful psych-grunge track. On the other hand, tracks like “Pleasure” sort of turn me off. It’s a total throwback to stoner rock from the 70s, full of wah-wah pedal and jammage. “I Am” is another like this, but it’s just a short track that ends very abruptly, leading into “Underneath You,” an excellent oddball track with angular lines and super processed vocals. Yes, it’s also an extended spacey jam, but the eccentricities injected into this make it worthwhile. Toward the end of the track, it begins to smooth out and soften. The opening and closing tracks, “Dracula Drug” and “Head Collector,” are outliers that feel so very different from anything else on the album. The former starts out with ambience and odd sounds underneath a steady beat. Slowly, musical instruments join in and it does become more like the rest of the album, though more subdued. The closer, on the other hand, is entirely calm and sedate, with strings joining in on the trippy psych ballad. While the album is a mixed bag, there’s more goodness here than not.

THE NATIONAL LIGHTS – Whom the Sea Will Keep (Bloodshake Records, thenationallights.bandcamp.com)

It’s been a long twelve years since The National Lights released their debut LP, “The Dead Will Walk, Dear.” And this new EP, original conceived as a follow-up LP, was written over a decade ago. But as these things go, the band broke up and the members went their separate ways. Until now. Reunited, the upstate New York folk outfit have now released a five song EP inspired by maritime lore. And, while the songs are deeply rooted in traditional folk, the arrangements are rich and lush. The first track, “Swift Ships,” is an ode to regret, telling a tale of a man who left his love to sail the seas. And while he had a full life, shaking “hands with kings and thieves” and lining his shirt with silver, he never saw his love again, and realizes that he had been a fool and didn’t really have a full life after all. I really love the vaguely Irish sound of “A Dead Whale or a Stove Boat,” arranged for piano, acoustic guitar, and concertina. I can imagine a Celtic harp would sound gorgeous in this song, too. Similarly, “Joshua Slocum Sets Sail” has a Celtic feel, and I can imagine the delicate guitar and ambience of the piano being replaced with a Celtic harp, and the bridge being played on a pennywhistle. It’s this sort of thing that gives these original songs the feel of updated, modern arrangements of traditional sea shanties. Quietly gorgeous.

PANDEMIX – In Condemnation (Dirt Cult Records, www.dirtcultrecords.com)

This is a difficult album to listen to. Not because it’s bad (it’s not!), but because the anxiety is palpable in the ten tracks, and that anxiety seeps into you. Musically, the songs teeter on the edge of old school punk and early post-punk, with angry guitars, angular melodies, and accusatory vocals. The lyrics of these songs are unsettling, full of animosity and despair. For example, in “A Pox,” Pandemix calls for “a pox on humankind,” decrying the privileges of some, the indifference of others, and the thought too many people hold that the fate of humanity doesn’t depend on us all. The band doesn’t exempt themselves from this damnation, either, as vocalist Shannon Thompson cries out, “I am sickness, my own malignancy / The worst possible version of me.” Nor are those who are traditionally considered part of the “left” spared as targets. In “Can’t Assimilate,” Thompson, who is a trans woman, defiantly states that she won’t assimilate into society’s expectations, and says she will “Wear their hate like a badge.” In the same song she slams the LGBTQ “establishment,” asking, “Pride on whose terms? Pride in what?” I’m more confused and troubled by the opening track, “No Monuments,” though. I’m not sure whether the lyrics are those of resignation or defiance. “No monuments to honor / No history to remember / We are a generation / Without heroes or splendor.” Are Pandemix saying that our generation is one that has become powerless to create change? Or one that willfully denies that past lessons of history? Either way, the songs convey these mixed emotions incredibly well.

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EVEN IN BLACKOUTS – Romantico! (Stardumb Records, www.stardumb records.com)

Ever since I heard last year’s greatest hits compilation, The Princess Foretold by Her Henchmen, Even, Even In Blackouts have become one of my favorite bands. I had thought I had discovered them too late, though, as they had ceased activity nearly a decade earlier, their last LP having been 2009’s Thresholds From The Basement. But, thankfully, the release of last year’s compilation turned out to be a teaser for the band’s emergence from hibernation. Now comes their first album of new music in ten years, and I couldn’t be happier! Sixteen tracks fill up thirty-two minutes on the album, so most of them are fairly short. A couple of them are “joke” tracks, in which John “Jughead” Pierson and Scott “Gub” Conway use the track titles in silly product pitches. And, though not all of the songs here can be played even in blackouts (many make generous use of electrified instruments), the care and attention to detail that went into each of them is clearly evident. [The name Even In Blackouts referred to the band's original acoustic incarnation, which meant they could play a show even in a blackout. - Editor]

Themes of separation and loss run through the record, reflecting the amount of time the band spent apart, not only due to the hiatus, but also due to Jughead’s move to Japan and other losses. This is clear in the two-part song “Doubt.” Envisioned as a single song, Jughead says he ran out of music halfway through, so he sent the rest of the lyrics to Gub, who turned it into “Doubt Part II.” As you would expect, the theme continues through both songs, but the sound is very different. “I’m lonely when you leave me but alive when you are near,” both songs aver. The song(s) are/were written in the wake of the initial reunion of EIB, Jughead musing on how much he missed not only Gub, but everyone else in the band, and how they complete each other. Part I has a very martial feel, propelling ever forward with a solid steady beat, while Part II has more of a grungy Americana sound. The bouncy mostly acoustic “Blood” belies the aching lyrics about a break-up so bad that it has left the protagonist with a numb heart.

Jughead explains that he rarely writes pop punk songs, because he feels it’s not his talent. But this album has two good ones. “The Denouncement” is a short simple one with a poppy darkness, and “Reason” is a glorious sounding hymn in praise of living life in the moment. “Who needs a reason / To watch it all pass by?” the song asks. I especially love the closing vocal choir, voices raised toward heaven.

“Intergalactic Space Travel” is a favorite track. The music is truly glorious, epic sounding, even, yet bouncy as all hell. The lyrics seem to refer again to the physical separation of the band, with Jughead halfway around the world; it might as well be an intergalactic distance. “It was only movies and words that moved me to our significance,” the song states, as if the band didn’t recognize what they had and meant to each other until they had stopped. But I think my number one favorite has to be “Intention In Tension,” both for the story behind it and for the song itself. Jughead explains that the song “Sunshine,” from Screeching Weasel’s second album, “Boogadaboogadaboogada,” was one of his favorites (mine too!), and that Ben wrote it mostly about a woman they had met on a tour. Jughead had gone to visit her after the tour, and when he told Ben about it, Ben wrote “Sunshine.” This song is Jughead’s response, years later. Where the first song was blunt and accusatory, “Intention In Tension” is delicate and tender, the confusion and mixed feelings of a young immature kid laid bare. The music is light and airy, perfectly matching the feel of the lyrics.

“Killer Bear” is both cute and dark at the same time. Opening with a group of kids singing a simple song, “You’re with me / You’re with me / You’re with me / You’re my killer bear,” the track is no kiddy song, though it has the feel of one. Instead, the lyrics are about the worst, basest aspects of ourselves that we all try to keep caged inside. When they come out, the results are disastrous. The melody is simple, the arrangement raucous, and the old-timey sounding ending is one of those details of production that make this record stand out from the plethora of releases that come out every week.

The closer, “The Kindness,” is the song of ultimate loss: that of a loved one, in this case Jughead’s mother. The track has the sound of a lament. “Oh mother night / With the darkest wit / You will be missed / The memory, the kindness, the sound / And soon all of this will be gone.” But as sad as the lyrics are, the music has a triumphant quality. It reminds me of the Renaissance tradition of the “merry dompe,” a musical elegy to mourn the passing of a great person, but played in a way to lift up the spirit.

Now that EIB is back, I’m fully on board. I hope that, even with Jughead based so far away, some US touring is in the plan. [As this review goes to press, the band is touring Japan.] I’ve found one of my top albums of 2019 already.

FEELS – Post Earth (Wichita Recordings, www.wichita-recordings.com)

Feels, operating out of Los Angeles, is described as an “American psych punk grunge post-rock band.” And that may be accurate for a band that brings enormous diversity of genres to its recordings. Lyrically, the record is a condemnation of the current state of the nation and the planet. “Car,” the grungy opening track references current president DJT and our “one nation under fraud.” “Just trust what I say,” he tells the people. The title track is a blend of grunge and indie pop, slowed down and telling the tale of a future in which billionaires buy themselves tickets on spaceships leaving a dying planet. The fuzzed out bass is prominent, and the vocals slide, oozing the detestation that both sides must feel toward the other. “Awful Need” reminds me so much of Stereolab, with its minimalist repeating lines and steady, smooth vocals. “Deconstructed” has the instrumentals of an old-school punk tune, but the vocals seem a little bit sarcastic. I like the stripped down “Tollbooth;” most of the track full of empty space, with minimal drums, bass, and guitar, plus dry, present vocals very up front. The middle of the track, though, explodes in a ferocious burst of punk energy before settling back down into the slow groove to end the track. “Flowers” closes the record out with a quiet ballad that shifts from indie pop to noisy grunge. Taken individually, many of these songs are timely and enjoyable. Taken as a whole, the shifts in genre are sometimes jarring.

TINY MAGNETIC PETS – The Politburo Disko EP (Vitamin C Records, tinymagneticpets.bandcamp.com)

This is totally retro synth pop, straight out of the 70s and 80s. Some of it is disco-like, some is more ambient. It’s like mixing Vangelis with a softer, smoother version of, say, Human League, and then adding a pinch of Julee Cruise singing Angelo Badalamenti. There are five tracks on this EP, and the sound alternates somewhat. “Enigma Code Variations I & II” is a buzzy instrumental that hums with a mournful vibrato. “Bitzed” is a chill dance track, with throbbing bass-synth line straight out of the 80s. “Non-Aligned” is darker, more mysterious, and slicker. Synthesized strings ebb and flow, as the buzzy bass synth bleats out a computerized line with perfect synchronicity and drums pound with a tribal ferocity. “A Strange Kind of Loneliness” quiets things down, with the flowing synths reminding me of Vangelis’ epic recordings of the 70s, while the underlying ambience and breathy vocals remind me of the Cruise/Badalamenti team up for the Twin Peaks soundtrack. The title track closes things out with another chill instrumental with a relaxed dance beat. If you miss 80s synth pop, this is for you. For my tastes, it might be s bit too smooth and chill.

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THE OLD FIRM CASUALS – Holger Danske (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Anyone familiar with this band from the San Francisco Bay Area? You should be, because it includes none other than Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen. The band has been kicking around for the better part of a decade, releasing a plethora of singles and EPs, yet this is only their second full-length LP. The band is described as being a combination of street punk, Oi, and melodic hardcore. OK, sure, though I always thought of “street punk” being more of the sound of DIY punks than long-standing accomplished punk “stars.” The Old Firm Casuals certainly sounds way slicker and more professional than your average street punk band. But what I like about The Old Firm Casuals is that they aren’t afraid to mix things up. Some of the songs are definite throwbacks to old school hardcore punk, while others are more straight-up rock and roll in the vein of bands like Motorhead. After an ancient sounding blast of a battle horn, “Get Out Of Our Way” blasts out with speed and fury. Shouted vocals and gang backup vocals are key features of this classic hardcore track. After this we get “Motherland” and “Pendulum,” a couple of hard rock and roll tracks, a short metallic instrumental, “De Ensomme Ulve,” and a couple more rockers in the title track and “Casual Rock n Roll.” Then we get to the raging hardcore punk track, “Traitor,” one that’s sure to get the circle pit going on a massive scale. My favorite track, though, I think is “The Golden Fall Pt 1.” It’s another short instrumental track, but it’s the most interesting, most different thing on the record. It’s in waltz time, and I love the epic melodic punk feel it has. I wish they turned this into a full-on song. It might not really be “street punk,” but The Old Firm Casuals fills a niche in the punk scene, and maybe fills a few.

GOLDEN DAZE – Simpatico (Autumn Tone Records, www.autumntone.com)

Golden Daze is the perfect name for this LA outfit. The music is a hazy blend of folk and dream pop, drizzled with psychedelia. Acoustic and electric guitars intertwine with moody synths and otherworldly vocals, while the percussion subtly floats underneath. Playing this record is like walking into a shimmering other reality. It’s the beauty of a rainy day, the sun shining through a break in the clouds, the laziness and haziness. Nowhere is that shimmer more evident than on the opening track, “Blue Bell.” Acoustic guitars twinkle and twirl as the delicate vocals, sung in a half whisper into your ear, turn the grey day into one of enchantment. “Wayward Tide” is another favorite, again making use of glistening acoustic guitars. Many of the songs also utilize synths to create an ambience underneath the melodies, evoking that otherworldly feel. I really like the repeating melodic line of “Drift,” and its unexpected chord change at the end of each iteration. The title track closes the LP, with a simple song, ambient synths underneath simply strummed acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, and those haunting vocals. This is one of those albums that are perfect to play when you’re housebound, sitting in front of a fireplace reading a book or something like that. Gorgeous.

GOOD SHADE – Way Out (Dirtnap Records, www.dirtnaprecs.com)

Garage punk meets power pop meets 70's pop rock? Yes, yes, and yes, on this fourth full-lengther from the Ohio outfit. The diversity and energy make this album a great listen, nearly from beginning to end. “Maybe,” one of the pre-release singles opens the album with an epic sound, rapid tempo, driving beat, and soaring vocals. The other lead single, “Must Have Been,” is already a candidate for favorite song of the year. It’s got that Marked Men rapid pace garage punk sound, but the rapidly changing unorthodox chord changes really make the song a treat. A lot of the tracks are kind of like Marked Men meets the Buzzcocks. “We’re Open” is an interesting one, because it has the garage punk driving guitar sound, but it’s also got the 70's pop rock thing going on in the chorus’s melodic line. “Something’s Wrong” is a nice slower one, with a garage pop feel – but a third of the way in, it gets quiet and indie sounding for a bit, then erupts in a psych explosion. “Just Leave” leaves me a bit cold, though. It’s a tad too heavy on the 70's pop rock feel for my taste. But, yeah, overall this is a great listen.

KOMPLIKATIONS – No Good News (Rockstar Records, www.rockstarrecords. de)

There are no complications here on this, the fifth EP from the Belgian synth punk trio. Keyboards, drums, and vocals are what you get on these five stripped down tracks. It’s all very spare, very simple, very uncomplicated. Angry shouted vocals work closely with the buzzy synths to fill the space that would normally be taken up by guitars and bass. Imagine 70s punk crossed with early new wave, then strip away everything that isn’t absolutely necessary, and you get a sense of the sound you get from Komplikations. And with song titles like “Mouthy Leaders” and “Haters,” you know the songs are politically relevant. The pared back sound can be a bit jarring, but these are good songs.

LENNY LASHLEY’S GANG OF ONE – All Are Welcome (Pirates Press Records, www.piratespressrecords.com)

Lenny Lashley just may be Boston’s Boss. Like Bruce Springsteen, Lashley plays energetic working class rock and roll with elements of folk and punk in the songs. Like Springsteen, Lashley uses organ and sax in his arrangements. Lashley’s songs are maybe a bit more raw and honest sounding. Though Lashley’s been kicking around for the better part of two decades, this is only his second full-length LP as Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One, his debut coming nearly 6 years ago. Lashley also writes songs that champion the underdog and make a statement. Case in point, the title track, which references the poem, “The New Colossus,” part of which is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. “Give us your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free,” he sings. It’s a song aimed directly at the Trump administration, as Lashley asks, “Have we forgotten what we stand for?” “Where do we go from here, now that hope is lost?” he pleads. The song even includes a clip of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. “Live Like Lions” has elements of country, thanks to the slide guitar, and vaguely Irish music, courtesy of the accordion or concertina (not sure which it is) and the vocals that sounds a bit like Dave King of Flogging Molly. “Lonesome” has that same dichotomous character. I love the acoustic guitar and concertina, but not being a big fan of country I could do without the slide guitar. But that doesn’t apply to “Double Miner, a tune that sounds like a traditional song out of the old west. “Betty” is the most raucous of the ten tracks, and the first to feature saxophone. It kind of feels like something the SNL house band might play for the live audience to get them warmed up and rowdy. “Revolution” is another one that’s more rock than anything else, and proof that the back half of the album is more rockin’ than the front.

THE LOST TAPES – Inconvenience (Rockstar Records, www.rockstarrecords. de)

Part dark post punk, part goth this reminds me somewhat of what you might get if you crossed early 80's TSOL, late 80's DC band Strange Boutique, and mixed in a healthy dose of Bauhaus. Though that’s the general feel of this album, the first track, “Cyanide,” is completely different and undoubtedly the best of the bunch. It has a much harder, edgier feel, slightly angular melodic lines, and angry shouted vocals. The rest of the album from this German band doesn’t quite measure up to the promise of that first track. Each song, in turn, seems to lose more edge, become less focused, until we reach the halfway mark with the dirge-like “Double Vision.” On this one, the drums slowly and repetitively pound, the bass line is unchanging, and the whole song just seems to drag. The back half of the album picks things up again, but never recaptures the energy of the opening track. These tracks start to blend into each other, with little differentiation. The penultimate track, “Buildings,” tries to replicate the edgier feel, and to a degree succeeds, with a more rocking sound that most of the LP. But it’s only a couple of songs from this album that interest me.

SNAKERATTLERS – All Heads Will Roll (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywater records.co.uk)

Snakerattlers is married duo of Naomi and Dan Oliver Gott. Hailing from the north of England, the guitar and drums pair produce a huge, gritty, greasy sound. They play a cross between garage and rockabilly, in all its raw powerful glory. This, their sophomore full-length LP, features eleven tracks whose big sound belie the diminutive size of the band. Tons of reverb, as befits the genre, vocals that are sung as much as shouted with gusto, and pounding percussion are the main features. After a short instrumental introductory track that sets the mood, we get “All Heads Will Roll,” a dark dirty dirge sure to blacken your soul. Other highlights include “She’s Strange,” which has a Latin influence and “Rattle Rock Stomp,” with its cool noisy intro, retro rock progression and growled and shouted vocals pushing out lyrics that merely consist of the title sung over and over. Another great track, “I’ll Destroy Your Soul,” sounds like they really mean it. The closer, “Wild,” reminds me a bit of power pop garage rockers LA Drugz, which is a high compliment. Dirty Water continues its winning streak.

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AM TAXI – Shiver By Me (Mutant League Records, www.mutantleaguerecords.com)

Music always sounds better when the band playing it is having fun. And that’s one thing that’s immediately striking about Chicago-based AM Taxi: they’re quite obviously enjoying what they’re doing. The music has a bright sound to it, even the emotional “down” songs. Unconventional instruments (for punk-based music) such as piano, organ, and trumpet make their way into some of the songs, adding a great feel to the texture of these tracks. The opener is pretty simple, but a blast of fun. “Saint Jane” is bouncy and melodic garage-punk with some great sing-along parts. It sets a fantastic mood for the record. “Harpoon” is one of my favorites of the album, with a more of a lean toward indie rock. Harmonized vocals, a pounding beat, some great hooks, and sparkling guitars make this a winner. “Fighting In Cars” is similar, but with a bunch of jangle, and is another great one. I like how the band mixes things up on this record, and each song sounds distinct. “Movie About Your Life” is acoustic, with handclaps and keyboard punctuating the song, which sounds like something that might come from Teenage Bottlerocket. “Swim Before You Sink” has a punk rock show tune feel to it, in a way that’s really fun. “L’Patron” is smooth and almost lounge-like with its keyboards, but it occasionally gets big and epic. Given the band’s bio and their flirtation with a major label, I wasn’t expecting to like this record much, but I really do like it!

EERIE WANDA – Pet Town
(Joyful Noise Recordings,
www.joyfulnoiserecordings. com)

Marina Tadic has had an interesting life. Born to Croat parents in the former Yugoslavia, her family was forced to flee and become refugees during the Bosnian war that ripped Yugoslavia apart. Settling in the Netherlands, Tadic became an audio and visual artist, creating musical act Eerie Wanda with band mates Jasper Verhulst and Jeroen de Huevel. Eerie Wanda’s sophomore full-length LP is a study in delicate minimalism. Acoustic guitar or ukulele, bass, and miscellaneous percussion glide under Tadic’s smooth, easy vocals, reminding me at times of Julee Cruise, made famous by David Lynch during the TV run of Twin Peaks. But, while Cruise was singing retro rock song written by Angelo Badalamenti, Tadic’s songs are more island influenced, warm and breezy, such as the title track and “Magnetic Woman,” or influenced by retro pop music, like “Big Blue Bird” and “Moon.” Though they don’t break new ground, the songs are very soothing and relaxing to listen to. I enjoy “Rockabiller,” a “love song” to the title character. It has a minimalist repeating line pulsing under the vocals, with a hint of rockabilly feel, but it’s still so quiet and understated. “Hands of the Devil” has a great flamenco guitar sound, complete with clapping, but the chord progression is more of a bluesy one, making for an interesting listen. Beautiful.

GULAG BEACH – Potato Mash Bash (Rock Star Records, www.rockstarrecords.de)

Hailing from Berlin, Gulag Beach aren’t looking to push the boundaries of punk rock, but they’re very comfortably rocking out with some classic punk sounds on this, their fourth full-length LP. There are eight songs, four to each side – well, really seven songs. The closer of each side is “Death Is Not The End,” with part 1 on side A and part 2 on side B. Topics are classic punk themes, too, with “Ode to Capitalism” including lyrics such as “Work – Eat – Die” repeated multiple times. “The Need to Be High” is a song about the need to use substances or activities – anything that releases dopamine, to relieve the stress of daily life. Like I said, this record isn’t earth shattering, but it’s a fun one. I’ll bet the live shows are pretty raucous.

WEIRD OMEN – Girls Are Dancing On The Highway b/w A Place I Want To Know (Dirty Water Records, www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk)

New single from French band Weird Omen, a band that already has four LPs and three other singles floating out there. The band is hard to pin down, genre-wise, but they seem to combine elements of garage punk, power pop, and fuzzed out psych. Plus they’ve got a baritone sax! They’re actually a three-piece, with guitar and drums filling things out! That’s a pretty unique concept, and it serves them well; there’s a lot of cool noodling going on in the bass line, more so than if it had been a traditional electric bass. This adds to the awesome psych feel. The single is a teaser for a forthcoming LP, and it certainly does whet the appetite. The A side is a dark, chaotic track, while the B-side has the stronger power pop sensibility, and is my favorite of the pair. Good stuff!

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BAND ARGUMENT – Patchwork (bandargument.bandcamp.com)

Band Argument is a new San Diego band that features Jordan Krimston and Sil Damone, formerly of Big Bad Buffalo, along with Jake Kelsoe and Alex Simonian, performing music different than anything that’s come from Krimston and Damone’s previous efforts. First, Krimston steps back from guitar duty and gets back behind the drum kit, actually his primary instrument. Damone sings and plays bass again, and Kelsoe and Simonian play guitar and MIDI. The resulting music is a glorious mash-up of math-pop, dream-pop, new wave, and a sort of neo-futuristic electro-music. The five songs on this debut release are, to my ears, more creative and original than much of the music being released today. The lead single, “Buddy,” opens the EP with angular melodic and rhythmic lines most reminiscent of new wave, then adding in some hip-hop rhythms and rapping. The electronics are front and center, giving us a strong taste of what’s to come. “Standing On Shoulders” sounds a bit like Cymbals Eat Guitars tune, but with a cool underwater sounding warble in the electronics. This one is dreamy but edgy. “Long Jump” has a breezy island feel to it, thanks to steel drum sounds from the synth, and a throbbing rhythm. “Sneaker Keeper” has a cool jazz vibe mixed with startling noises punctuating the track. “Dinner” closes the EP with more angular rhythms and guitar/MIDI lines over smooth, relaxed vocals, the opposition of these elements keeping the track in an off-kilter balance. I really liked Big Bad Buffalo, and I like Krimston’s other current bands (Miss New Buddha, Weatherbox), but Band Argument has the originality to make a real splash, should they make the effort.

CALIFORNIA HEARSE (californiahearse. bandcamp.com)

Southern California’s Gentlemen Prefer Blood may have called it quits, but their rhythm section, consisting of Dr. J on bass/vocals and Mike Spaid on drums, have decided to press on as California Hearse. If you’re familiar with the sounds produced by Gentlemen Prefer Blood, you’re going to instantly feel at home here; the half dozen tracks have the same general mix of anthemic pop punk and power pop. “Welcome Home” seems to reflect this, welcoming GPB fans home to this new band, the expansive opening guitar licks sounding just like GPB. Other songs add influences from bands as diverse as The Descendents and Social Distortion. Their first show will be at La Escalera Fest 8 in San Diego this April, and I know I’m looking forward to that, based on this EP.

OFFENDED BY EVERYTHING – Evergreen (Standby Records, www.standbyrecords. com)

Texas’ Offended By Everything call themselves pop punk, but this reminds me more of the poppy emo that was so trendy in the 2000s. This new EP from the still pretty new band (they only formed in 2017) contains five tracks that, if you’re a fan of that genre, are performed in workmanlike fashion and should be enjoyable enough. To my ears, though, these songs and so many like them have little variation and are overwrought. The one exception is the title track, which is an acoustic version of this style of song, and I think this works so much better acoustically than as a full electric band.

RADAR STATE – Strays (Wiretap Records, wiretaprecords.limitedrun.com)

Wiretap’s latest release comes from a “super group” of sorts, with Radar State consisting of Matt Pryor and Jim Suptic of The Get Up Kids, Josh Berwanger from The Anniversary, and Adam Phillips of The Architects and The Gadjits. As a result, the music on this debut LP is bouncy, melodic pop punk with a clean polished sound. In a way, it almost sounds like it could be a new Get Up Kids release, but this record has more of an edge and less jangle than The Get Up Kids songs. Favorite songs include the anthemic “Anywhere,” which contrasts tough guitars with a poppy melodic line and a fantastic descending line in the chorus. I really like the guitar fiddling and flourishes on “Self Hurt Guru,” which also has a great “Fat Wreck Chords” pop punk sound. “Defender” is probably the most aggressive, punk song of the album. It’s got a power to it, as does “Good Catholic,” with the latter having a lot more bounce. And a third track in a row completes the troika, “Leather Dye.” It’s dark, up-tempo, and gets all misty in the middle. The only song that feels out of place is the closer, “Play For The Game.” It’s acoustic for its first two-thirds before the full band comes in, but even then, the whole song feels so different from the rest of the album, It’s more of a low energy ballad. I see this band is coming through town on tour in a few weeks, though, and I’ve put them on my calendar. Should be a good time.

SLUM SUMMER – Ababo (Jigsaw Records, www.jigsaw-records.com)

Fronted by Englishman Hugh Noble and formed after his move to San Diego, Slum Summer is an indie band that includes another UK ex-pat, Grant Stewart, on bass, as well as Americans DJ Anderson (drums) and Jen Edwards on guitar. The songs are nearly uniformly gentle indie pop, with a slightly folk-psych undercurrent. Guitars jangle clearly, while the bass and drums pump out the beats and Noble’s smooth, even vocals sing out. The problem is that, within those parameters there could be plenty of opportunity for variation, but Slum Summer don’t take it often enough. Well, I guess musically there’s some variation. “Trampoline” has a doo-wop sort of feel, while “Vauxhall” has the feel of a country ballad. “Sing Sing The Rain” has a funky beat to it, and so on. I think it’s really Noble’s vocals that sound identical from song to song. And it’s so dominant in the mix, maybe too much so. Every little flaw is laid bare in those vocals because of that mix. Then there’s how clean the guitar tone is on every song, and the amount of reverb they have – again, too much, I do like some of the songs. “The Rub” is a nice driving indie tune, and the dueling guitars jangle in different ways. And the opener, “Annabel,” is, well, similar. The songwriting has some good potential, I think, but Slum Summer could do with some help producing their records.

TROUBLE CUTS – Parasite b/w Who Is Right? (Lavasocks Records, www.lavasocksrecords.com)

My interest in this record from a band out of Portland that rarely plays outside their local area is clear: the bassist is none other than Kyle Henner, formerly of 90s Bay Area band Nuisance, and the drummer is Jonno Peltz, who played in the short-lived hardcore band Breeders in Urbana, Illinois in the early 80s. This 7” EP comes on clear red vinyl and features a pair of tracks. The A-side is a rocker, for sure, with early rock’n’roll guitar flourishes. It’s a mildly up-tempo track packed with a bluesy power. The B-side is a slow-burner with a dusty desert feel. The vocals complement the style really well, with a dry delivery. Not only is it good to see people from bands I enjoyed years ago still making music, it’s great to hear that it’s really good music.

VAN DAMMES – Risky Business (Rock Star Records, www.rockstarrecords.de)

Pop fucking punk rock from Finland! The Van Dammes, from Helsinki, have issued forth a challenge to the world. The six songs on this EP are nothing short of a huge blast of fun energy. Lo-fi in just the right way, this record is a must for all fans of garage-like pop punk. Formed in 2013 in Brussels, the band has relocated further north. This is the fourth EP from the quartet, which features guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards – and the keyboards add a lot to the fun here! Five of the six tracks are under two minutes, with only the mid-tempo closer passing that mark. The title track opens the record in spectacular fashion, raging like mad. Things don’t let up one bit for “I Don’t Like Music Anymore,” with a bit of a Radioactivity vibe, but with more of a melodic bounce. I really like “100m,” and its use of the keys to echo the melodic line of the vocals. That closing track, “Tax Free World,” is a good one, too, but feels a little out of place with its more loping feel and more of a focus on melody than speed and power. This is a highly recommended record!

VINTAGE CROP – Company Man (Drunken Sailor Records, www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk)

This four song EP features a classic punk sound out of Australia. The mid-tempo tracks feature angular melodic lines and shouted vocals. The band this most reminds me of is Art Brut, the great UK band, as they have a very similar feel. Song topics primarily seem to revolve around economic exploitation, particularly the title track and “Stock Options,” which closes the EP. Favorite track: the off-kilter “Right to Censor.” Good stuff.

 

WEAKENED FRIENDS – Common Blah (Don Giovanni Records, www.dongiovanni records.com)

OK, yeah, this came out in the last quarter of 2018. Our fearless editor tells me it literally fell through the cracks – he found it had fallen behind his CD cabinet. But never fear – good music stays good, and this is indeed good. The trio hails from New England (Boston and Portland, Maine), and I hear a few different things in here that make me happy; I hear influences from grunge, from indie pop, and from pop punk. “Peel” is a solid grunge track, with a tough feel, solid bass line, and fuzzed out guitars. “Waste” also has a big grunge sound, but with a lot of bounce added in. “Early” reminds me so much of Washington D.C.’s Tsunami, a favorite indie pop band from back in the day. Some of the songs remind a lot of local San Diego band. Squarecrow. Not that they’re an influence – how can they be? Squarecrow is a tiny local band – but the way the vocals have a bit of a tremor, almost like a subtle laugh, reminds me a lot of Squarecrow’s Todd Allen and the way he sings. The title track is a good example of this. And the songs have the same light-hearted feel like Squarecrow, though the lyrics may not be as light-hearted as the music implies. “Not Doing Good” is another example of this. The closing track, “Hate Mail,” features a guest appearance from Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis, and the unmistakable guitar tone adds another layer to the song. I wish I had heard this record earlier. Perhaps it might have displaced something from my 2018 best records list…

RATIONS NOISE / UNKNOWN RIVER DRIVER – Split 12” LP (86’d Records, www.86drec.com)

This split LP comes from a pair of bands from Long Island, and it features an amazing diversity of sound! Each band contributes five tracks, with Unknown River Driver up first. Just this one band likes to mix things up, with styles ranging from post-punk to pop punk, but all with a strong grounding in 1990s sounds. “Remains” blends heavy early-era emo vocals and a grunge-doom feel with a beautifully clear guitar tone. “Isaiah” is a great, epic sing-along pop punk track with shouted vocals and a simple melodic line. “Pour” is a dark track, mixing second wave emo with an almost metallic edge. “Song of the Cicada” is a pretty, delicate instrumental that doesn’t even sound like it came from the same band. It’s got a Japanese feel to it, both in the melody and arrangement. The band’s final track, “Misery and Liberty,” is a more standard melodic punk rock tune. And then comes Rations Noise’s side! Now, this is definitely not your typical Jersey Beat fare. This is experimental noise and found sound mixed with musical instruments. And I love it! This is sonic art of a sort that was made during a very creative period in the 1980s, but is not often heard anymore. And these five tracks are a good introduction to people unfamiliar with the genre, as the tracks are short and rhythmic, some even with a discernable melodic line in places. “Screams of the Wounded and Dying” opens with some eerie sounds, and then distorted synthesized voices intoning emotionlessly about pain and mourning. The nightmarish sounds continue, as a pulsating melodic line repeats, sounding like a distorted harmonium, and the eerie sounds resolve into a rhythmic beat. “Litany for Hancock Airbase” opens in a similar manner, but this track remains dark and foreboding, until the very end when a beautifully bass line takes over from the buzzing and droning. “Dronestruck” (speaking of drones) consists of dark ambience swelling and ebbing, punctuated by a rhythmic banging pattern that’s repeated, while a guitar plays rising and falling notes. “Consoles” may be my favorite. It’s dark and buzzy, with a strong repeated rhythm, periodically interrupted by some other randomly evil sounds. “Cont’d Litany” closes the side with a harsh noise blended with guitar lines, distorted voices begging forgiveness at the start and end. There is a consistent theme around unjust warfare throughout these tracks, as well. Highly recommended!

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