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Dinosaur Jr with OFF! and Henry Rollins – Electric Factory (Philadelphia) – June 24, 2011
Please see my full review here.
The Saints – “(I’m) Stranded”
I don’t think I’d ever seen this video before.
Joe Jackson Trio – Live Music (Razor and Tie)
Please see my full review here.
X – Los Angeles (Slash)
X’s incredible debut album is on the list this week because they’re playing it in its entirety as part of Riot Fest East here in Philadelphia in September. Descendents, Dead Milkmen, Naked Raygun and a host of others are also on the bill. I can’t wait!
Fucked Up – Daytrotter Session EP (Matador)
No, I didn’t get the 7” (which is limited to 100 and came out on Record Store Day), but I did download this session from 2008. There are versions of “David Comes to Life” and “Magic World” on here that are totally incomprehenisble in terms of its vocals and that don’t sound too dissmilar to some of the Butthole Surfers‘ most outre moments. There are also really good and much more straightforward versions of “Crooked Head” and “No Epiphany” here, too, though.
The Smith Westerns – The Smith Westerns (HoZac)
This young Chicago quartet have gotten a lot of attention over the past few years, particularly for their sophomore Lp Dye It Blonde. Their debut, however, is a snarling, lo-fi, garage pop record in the vein of Jay Reatard or even The Exploding Hearts on a major T Rex bender. If you like any of those artists, I definitely recommend checking this out.
Greg Sage – Sacrifice (for Love) (Restless)
Though this bears Sage’s name and is his only other solo album aside from 1984’s Straight Ahead, it just as easily could’ve been a Wipers album in terms of its style. With that said, stylistically it’s much closer to 1993’s Silver Sail or some of the songs on 1986’s Follow Blind” and the aforementioned _Straight Ahead than it is to anything else in his catalog. A few of the numbers could’ve been outtakes from The Herd, though, and there’s even a cover of The Yardbirds‘ “For Your Love” here.
Big Star – Keep An Eye on the Sky (Rhino)
I know this came out in 2009, but I finally got a copy a few weeks ago and boy is it great. For novices, it may be a lot to take in and they should start with any of Big Star’s three ’70s studio albums, but for hardcore fans it’s a smorgasboard of treats including alternate takes, demos and an entire disc consisting of a previously undocumented live set from 1973. There’s also a 90 page booklet featuring lots of great photos and essays and testimonials from John Fry, Peter Buck, Robert Gordon and others.
Total Fucking Destruction – Hater (Bones Brigade/Kaotoxin)
First off, I offer a disclaimer. This band’s leader, Richard Hoak (also Brutal Truth‘s drummer), is a neighbor and acquaintance. With that out of the way, this is basically full-tilt grindcore that any fan of that genre will appreciate. If I had this on a physical format, the records or discs next to it would probably be a bit terrified of it. If pure hate for humanity’s foibles could somehow be distilled in auditory form, it might sound a bit like this.
Channel 3 To Whom It May Concern: The 1981 Demos (TKO)
This is namely what it says, which is the entirety of Channel 3’s two 1981 demos. Many of these songs would wind up on their first few albums and there’s a bonus cover of The Who‘s “My Generation” on here as well. This is vinyl-only, but it also comes with the CD version tucked inside the album ala what Social Distortion, Wilco, Shellac and others have done in the last few years. There are also liner notes on the back from Mike Magrann himself.
