This absolutely blistering 6-song demo was, as far as I know, the only recordings of this incredibly obscure but great Australian synth-punk band from the early ’80s. If the idea of Mark E. Smith singing for an even more insane (yet catchier) version of The Screamers appeals to you as much as it does to me, then this is a must.

While not as raw and perhaps not as immediate as last year’s self-titled debut, this shows Swearin’ improve their songwriting, with not only guitarists Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride splitting vocals but bassist Keith Spencer writing and singing two songs as well. Sure, there are obvious nods to The Breeders, Pixies, Superchunk, Weezer and Pavement (as well as various late ’90s post-hardcore groups) to be found within and it’s easy to play spot that influence, but with songs and a sound this good, who cares?

The one thing I noticed was how incredibly raucous and energetic this recently recorded live album (with a completely new lineup backing main man Martin Phillipps) sounds compared to their much more tame (but still great) sounding records. Not just for hardcore fans, this is a must for anyone who likes The Chills and would serve as a nice alternate (their live as opposed to studio side) introduction to them as well in addition to the wonderful Heavenly Pop Hits compilation. My only qualm is that “Double Summer,” one of their very best songs, is missing, but otherwise seek it out for sure!

A new two-song EP follows hot on the heels of their Extended Plays EP from earlier this year and as a prelude to their debut, which will be out early next year. Anyway, like Extended Plays, it’s an absolute corker in that Swervedriver-esque way.

The A-side is a stand-alone single that could have been on their debut Lp Out of View (released earlier this year) with perhaps just a touch of Pixes influence to balance out the pretty overt Lush worship of some of Out of View. The B-side is a rather pointless remix of the same song, but it’s worth it for side A.

I finally heard the studio recording of this Australian only 7” and honestly I am not disappointed even given that it is their first recording since the late ’90s (1998’s 99th Dream to be specific). In fact, I prefer it to anything on that record. The only big difference from the old stuff is that Adam Franklin‘s voice is a lot more relaxed, but it still works really well.

A recently formed Philadelphia-based band featuring WPRB DJ Maria T (most recently of Bedroom Problems), Laura C and Carly M (also of The Pretty Greens), their debut recording is a more post-punk influenced affair than last year’s Bedroom Problems EP. In any case, all 3 songs are excellent and you can get the EP by signing up on their mailing list here.

Well, here it is, the first album by The Last since 1996’s Gin and Innuendoes. It’s a decidedly more punk and less power-pop record than most of what they’ve done in the past, but that makes sense as the rhythm section is Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson of Descendents. There are some old-style Last songs on here to match the more up-tempo punk-ish numbers, though, especially “I’m Not Crazy” and those are my favorites, but I really enjoy the rest of this album nonetheless and am just happy to get a stellar new album (this one has sat unreleased for years) from them!

So what does Ali Koehler do since Vivian Girls are seemingly inactive now and she no longer drums for Best Coast? Form a band and be a frontwoman, of course! And you know what? It’s fantastic despite the fact that this may come totally from left-field as it’s pop-punk in the style of The Ergs! and other similar bands, so it’s pretty far removed from her super lo-fi demo recordings that wound up being released as Dateland on cassette. And did I mention that Patty Schemel from Hole is on drums here? What a wonderful record!

This shoegaze duo would make a great double bill with The History of Apple Pie as parts of this are very evocative of My Bloody Valentine, but a bit less, well, dreamy. The exception is the last track, “Second Spine,” which also happens to be the best (and dreamiest-sounding) track here. I can imagine that they were inspired by My Bloody Valentine’s “Soon” when they wrote it as it is totally and completely evocative of it. Other than that, it’s not a radical departure at all from their second full-length Wait for Pleasure (released earlier this year), but I really like it and am curious to hear where they go next after this.