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The Fresh and Onlys – Long Slow Dance (Mexican Summer)
I have been playing this Lp incessantly for the past few weeks. As such, it will wind up in my Top 10 of the year for sure. Though I liked their previous releases, I have never loved this band until now. This is a definite departure from their earlier psych-garage sound to a perfect mix of late ’80s Go-Betweens, mid to late ’80s Church and early ’80s Psychedelic Furs. I love this record.
Swearin’ – Swearin’ (Salinas)
I finally got a physical copy of this record today (vinyl is a good price, but alas it has no download code). When I initially reviewed it, I heard a combination of The Muffs and Superchunk, somewhere where indie met punk in the ’90s and back again now. I still hear those influences, but the more I listen, the more I hear more modern takes on this stuff like Seattle’s great, much-missed Visqueen in addition to early ’90s Lookout! stuff. A few songs even remind me of a more lo-fi Lookout! era Green Day. I’m hooked.
Kam Kama – “Passer-By/Joseph Stride” EP (Sister Cylinder)
Though I really enjoyed this Bloomington, IN post-punk band’s last EP, The Tiled House, this one marks a huge improvement in both songwriting and execution. Perhaps the change is due in some part to the addition of new drummer Clarke Joyner). In “Joseph Stride”, singer/bassist Scott Ferguson has written a song that could be mistaken for a Chameleons outtake (specifically it reminds me of “Nostalgia”; it’s fitting that Nigel Palmer, who worked with The Chameleons on remastering their 1st 2 albums, mixed this EP) and it will have fans of this style swooning with its breathtaking majesty and how the chords drop out at a specific moment. The other song on here is great, too. Check it out here.
The Fresh and Onlys – “Yes or No” EP (Mexican Summer)
Limited to just 500 copies, this 7” comprises an A-side (a highlight of their great new Long Slow Dance) and the B-side of “Take Back the Night”, a great song that feels like an outtake from their 2011 EP “Secret Walls”.
The Fresh and Onlys – “Presence of Mind” EP (Mexican Summer)
This is a promo-only single that they were nonetheless selling at their show here last Saturday, so I picked up a copy as it has an exclusive B-side. “Heel Toe” is not their strongest track, but it is growing on me. The A-side is another of Long Slow Dance‘s many highlights.
The Raveonettes – Observator (Vice)
Here’s another great one that I return to often that will definitely end up in my Top 10 of the year. Their catalog has no real duds in other than Pretty in Black, but I think this is their best album since Chain Gang of Love.
The Fresh and Onlys with Quilt – Johnny Brenda’s (Philadelphia) – November 10, 2012
Please look for a review soon!
Grass Widow with Pet Milk and Swearin’ – Barbary (Philadelphia) – November 12, 2012
Please look for a review soon!
The Rezillos – Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia) – November 12, 2012
Please look for a review soon!
Channel 3 Land of the Free EP (Hostage)
This is a brand new two song EP and the download code comes with 7 additional bonus tracks from the same June 2012 recording sessions! I think I enjoy their cover of “Scratches and Needles” more than the original. The production is a bit more modern than on the material compiled on The Skinhead Years (what most of this is similar to) and a song or two reminds me more of “Indian Summer” (my favorite song other than maybe “What About Me” or “I’ll Take My Chances”), but it all works.
