Although it came out in 2003, I finally heard this recently and I can’t stop playing it. In fact it’s so good that I have devoted an entire column to a full review. At this point, though, all you should know is that if you like pop-punk, early ‘70s glam or power-pop, this record is an absolute must-have that’s just as good as any of its influences. And yes, I’m four years late to the party, but nevertheless this may be my new favorite record of the millenium.
This odds and sods collection, posthumously released by Dirtnap in November of last year, collects all of this great band’s singles along with demo versions of songs from Guitar Romantic like “Modern Kicks” and some alternate mixes (found on a European vinyl press) of Guitar Romantic tracks like “Black and Blue” and “Throwaway Style”. In fact, about half of their sole Lp is represented here in alternate mixes that are quite difficult to tell apart from the more familiar album versions as well. Naturally, this is the most enjoyable part of this compilation, but further listens reveal the majesty of non-album tracks like ”(Making) Teenage Faces” and “Shattered (You Left Me)”. These tracks have more of a power-pop feel than the garage-punk feel of their album, edging closer to NICK LOWE and THE ONLY ONES as opposed to say, GENERATION X or THE UNDERTONES. All in all, this is the best place to get everything else this great band recorded in their all-too-short lifespan.
American Hardcore (R)
Like the book that this documentary film was based on, this is a flawed, but nonetheless quite informative and entertaining look at American hardcore punk rock from 1980-1986. While influential, important bands like BAD BRAINS, BLACK FLAG, MINOR THREAT and SSD get ample screen time along with lesser-known but still great ones like ARTICLES OF FAITH, others like ADRENALIN O.D., THE MISFITS and BIG BOYS (who make a very brief appearance playing “Brick Wall”) are all ignored completely. Of course, with only an hour and a half, many important bands will inevitably be left out and of course I’m guessing that not everyone asked was willing to tell their story, not to mention legal barriers to use of certain music. Nevertheless, despite the awesomeness of the footage, which ensures that every fan of this style of music should see the film, it still feels incomplete, so perhaps a Volume 2 will be made one day to fix this. Also, check out the brief appearance of our own JACK RABID in this film.
Holy 1982 Batman. From Richmond, VA (the home of other hardcore stalwarts like AVAIL and STRIKE ANYWHERE) comes this band so obviously in love with early ‘80s hardcore. If you like JERRY’S KIDS circa Is This My World?, early NECROS and THE ADOLESCENTS, you should definitely check this band out. This isn’t a mere tribute, though. This record feels very much like a lost collector’s item from the time that was recently unearthed. I haven’t heard their full-length No Moderation yet, but I’m hoping that it builds on the potential of this promising EP and their awesome live show.
Neither completely part of the great Northwest punk revival that spawned bands like The Exploding Hearts, THE BRIEFS and others nor a lo-fi indie-pop group, The Thermals stand somewhere between these 2 not necessarily incompatible and very much related genres. It’s aggressive and punk-ish but very melodic at the same time. The closest comparisons I can think of are maybe ASH circa Free All Angels or IDLEWILD circa 100 Broken Windows, but with a distinctly American, early ‘90s indie-pop feel like if those bands had ingested early SEBADOH and GUIDED BY VOICES records by the truckload instead of say, The Undertones and R.E.M., respectively. TED LEO circa The Tyranny of Distance is another reference point here and possibly more accurate because of the political lyrics. Either way, this is a great record that will inevitably unite both punk rock and indie fans and as a fan of both, I can’t help but to be taken by it. I can’t wait to see them this coming week!
What is going on in Sweden? When you factor in this beautiful record along with other recent ones from JENS LEKMAN, JOSE GONZALEZ, ACID HOUSE KINGS, LEGENDS, SHOUT OUT LOUDS and the not as consistent but occasionally brilliant PETER, BJORN AND JOHN, it seems like Sweden and particularly Gothenburg (where Gonzalez and Lekman also reside) is the indie-pop capital of the world. Anyway, at its heart this record is a great female singer-songwriter record very much along the same lines as A GIRL CALLED EDDY’s debut weeper for Anti from a few years back. As I listen, I also think of NANCY SINATRA’s ‘60s collaborations with LEE HAZELWOOD, but in this case everything is done by SARAH ASSBRING (who goes by the El Perro del Mar moniker) herself.
Furthermore, with this release as well other recent ones by THE PIPETTES, THE GO! TEAM and the new FIELD MUSIC album, Memphis Industries is one of my favorite labels going right now.
A great night of hardcore punk capped off by a powerful set by the mysterious Toronto band with the unprintable name, their set was preceded by a scare in which a fire exinguisher was accidentally knocked out of the place (yes for once it wasn’t some idiot pulling a fire alarm or something), causing all sorts of chemicals to fill the venue. After everyone filed out and a short delay to clear the smoke, the show was back on with the church’s fans running in the middle of winter! How punk rock! Before that, Cold World’s metallic heaviness and hardcore intensity and Government Warning’s early ‘80s thrash attack warmed up the crowd quite nicely. Philly old-school veterans YDI were also a nice addition in spite of technical problems during their set.
One of the best hardcore punk records I’ve heard in a long time, it’s a bit odd that this great Toronto band is all of a sudden attracting attention from indie-rock-centered blogs like the great Brooklyn Vegan. Part of the reason may be because members of the Canadian indie scene like OWEN PALLETT (of THE ARCADE FIRE and FINAL FANTASY) contribute to this album. Nevertheless, this is a brutal mix of mid ‘80s Black Flag, with all of the ugliness and aggression and fewer of the ‘70s hard-rock elements, and over-the-top vocals similar to POISON IDEA’s JERRY A. This is not punk-by-numbers, though. Many of the songs are over 5 minutes long and some venture into the 7 to 8 minute territory, highly unusual in this genre. I’m not sure what the lyrics are about, but many seem to have a political bent with titles like “The Crusades”. Either way, this is about as intense as this genre gets. In an era of watered-down mall “punk”, it’s heart-warming that newer bands like this are out there.
I know that this has been out since the late ‘90s, but I finally got around to ordering a copy recently as I’ve always wanted to get into this much-heralded band. It’s every bit as great as I’ve been led to believe by our own Jack Rabid and others. Is This Real? is more straightforward and punk while their sophomore album Youth of America incorporated post-punk elements like longer song structures (check out the 10-minute plus title track which was covered by MISSION OF BURMA a few years back), keyboards and classic-rock elements like guitar solos at a time when it was absolutely unheard of in the U.S. punk rock underground. Over the Edge is perhaps the most popular album on here due to the college radio hit “Romeo”. Aside from the first 3 albums in their entirety, this box set features tons of bonus tracks on each disc and liner notes by GREG SAGE himself. For $18, this is a steal and you have no excuse not to buy it.
I can’t stop listening to this. Picking this up recently made me realize how much I still love this great band. Disc 1 is particulary great since it houses the stunning Just Can’t Hate Enough Lp, one of NYHC’s finest and one of the best metallic hardcore records ever. Don’t miss disc 2, though, with the almost-as-good Thanks Fer’ Nuthin’ and some rare demo and compilation tracks thrown into the mix.
