Ketchup Pt. 3

Once again, I’ve got a buildup of disks that require attention but keep getting lost in the shuffle. So here are some quick takes on albums worthy of being more than just units in a discard pile.

DONOVAN’S BRAIN – Fires Which Burnt Brightly (Career)

RONALD SANCHEZ and COLTER LANGAN‘s long-running psychedelic collective hasn’t failed to deliver the goods yet, and the Montana group’s 6th record has its invoice in hand. Joined here by the WINDBREAKERS‘ BOBBY SUTLIFF and the legendary DENIZ TEK, DB is both more rocking and more tuneful, while retaining that acid glow. Strong stuff, as usual.

EASTER MONKEYS – Splendor of Sorrow (Smog Veil)

Formed by late guitarist JIM JONES in 1981 after his tenures in MIRRORS and the STYRENES (he later joined PERE UBU), the EASTER MONKEYS cut a swath across the Midwest with an aggressive but tuneful sound that suggested an American STRANGLERS. This CD/DVD pack compiles everything they recorded, in various fidelities, and while it ain’t life-changing, it’s definitely worth a listen or three, especially for postpunk aficionados.

FACE VALUE – Rode Hard, Put Away Wet: Clevo HC ’89-93 (Smog Veil)

Cleveland’s premiere hardcore band (at least to hear them tell it), FACE VALUE carved out a riff-rocking, accessible niche in the nation’s HC scene. As apt to go for the slow burn as the raging fire, the quartet blazed across America in the early 90s, losing jobs, money and dignity along the way. The DVD captures some of the chaos, while the CD contains strong LP, EP and live cuts that will appeal to more than just hardcore kids.

KNIGHT AREA – Realm of Shadows (The Laser’s Edge)

Ideally, progressive rock bands should, y’know, progress. But some bands are content to simply pay tribute to the traditional prog sound as pioneered by YES, GENESIS and CAMEL in the 70s and enshrined by the neo-proggers in the 80s. Holland’s KNIGHT AREA is one of those groups. Nobody would ever call Realm of Shadows innovative, but calling it unsatisfying would be a mistake as well.

THE MARY ONETTES – Islands (Labrador)

This Swedish band may exist in the ‘aughts, but its heart is clearly in the 80s, especially in regards to the anthemic strain of British pop so prevalent back then. Listening to this mélange of THE CURE, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and MODERN ENGLISH is like watching a particularly good episode of VH1 Classic’s 120 Minutes, all melody and nostalgia.

PISTOL WHIP – Terminal (Smog Veil)

PISTOL WHIP was a new wave band that trod the boards in Erie, Pennsylvania in the late 70s (plus a pair of reunions in 1988 and 2009). The quintet freely mixed punk, garage rock, power pop and more angular sounds with solid songwriting for an abrasive but melodic noise not too many other folks made back in 1978. As with Smog Veil’s other recent comps, this one puts the group’s complete oeuvre (a single, some demos, reunion footage) onto a CD and a DVD. Worth hearing if only to know that the rock underground flourished even in the most unlikely places.