Agriculture Club, "Farmageddon"
Tractors. Punk rock. Beer. Punk rock. Farming. Rock n' roll. Trucking. Heavy country. Going to prison. Punk rock. Such is the modus operandi for Calgary's crazy country punks, the Agriculture Club, who have created a 14 song barnburner - a hilariously great album that ain't a novelty, which is pretty hard to do when you do actually have a schtick, like the Ag Club. The whole vibe sounds something like Stompin' Tom Connors on speed (or steroids), soundin' like he's possessed by AC/DC bastardizing the Ramones or something, and these boys tear it up with the amps cranked, throughout. The sound mix is positively pounding, and you can hear every instrument loud n' clear, and the vocals are front and foremost. To pick a highlight off of this album would be a crime, but a line like "well I can't afford no Heineken, and I ain't never gettin' drunk on wine again" (from "The Ballad of Pilsener Beer") is one of the coolest lyrics that I've ever heard. You know that the world is in trouble when that lamebrain Bob Seger is still representing GMC, when songs like "Trucker's Friend" exist out there.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Oink

{Catch And Release Records)

All Night Radio "Spirit Stereo Frequency" CD
This is some spacy folk pop with influences that are all over the map. I'm not completely feeling it although it has its flashes of brilliance. There are some really fucked-up psychedelic pop songs that definitely impress, and actually improve after a few listenings. They really hit their stride when they fully surrender to their 60s vibe. "You'll Be On Your Own" ought to conjure up a few visions, or at least get a few tracers going. You're either going to love this for being a crazy, psyched-up mess, or your going to think it's hippie bullshit. I'm conflicted but I enjoy it. You've been warned!
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Cosmic Ark

(Sub Pop)

Antioch Arrow "Gems Of Masochism" CD
I don't know much about Antioch Arrow beyond that I've always liked them. Ever since I first picked up "The Lady is A Cat" I've been a devotee of their punishing, freaked-out-hardcore. Their final release, "Gems Of Masochism" was an elusive, out-of-print item that I could never seem to get my hands on. I even tried using Soulseek with only a little luck (one of only two times I've actually tried using a peer-to-peer network, ok?). Lucky for me, Three One G likes Antioch Arrow too, and saw fit to re-release this long lost treasure. The barely-in-control chaos of their earlier work is still there on "Gems of Masochism," but it is still quite different. They go for a lot more atmosphere, piano, organs, and a sort of gothic undercurrent, while singer Aaron Montaigne goes for a more restrained vocal style. Over all, I'm partial to the earlier stuff on Gravity (By the way, Gravity released all of their older stuff on a handy CD a while back), but this recommended if you still want more.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Berzerk

(Three One G)

BBQ "S/T" CD
BBQ is Mr. Mark Sultan from the beloved Spaceshits, and the also-beloved Les Sexareenos. This time he's fronting (and backing) a single-minded, primitive tribute Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee & Buddy Holly worship and backwoods good times. It's a tremendous little disc, and you can't believe this stuff is recorded live, while Sultan is bashing it out on every instrument simultaneously. You can't stop playing this one because it's so perfect for every occasion. Mopping the floor, taking a shit, drinking a beer, staring at the walls, BARBECUING. This is perfect music for all of that. This is one of my favorites of the year so far.

Listen while you play: Megamania

(Alien Snatch)

Bitchin Camaros, S/T CD
Playing a brand of very, very metallic rock n' roll (which at times almost borders on hardcore), Ottawa's Bitchin' Camaros slice a......erm....bitchin' swath of four on the floor, high RPM tuneage. While there is nothing musically innovative here, and this album definitely has the "all the songs sound the same" syndrome, fans of bands like Speedealer and Zeke, hell, even Black Flag should find something to like here. The album sounds clear, powerful and trashy, which is how aggressive rock n' roll should sound.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Driver

(www.bitchincamaros.com)

The Black Keys, "The Moan" EP
For some reason, I wasn't a huge Black Keys fan until now (oh wherefore art thou my brain?). This is primitive blues the way that it was meant to be played - dirty, with a groove that you can move to. This is only a four song EP, but it's definitely worth picking up, 'cause "The Moan" has a great riff to it, there's an alternate take of "Heavy Soul", and covers of "Have Love Will Travel" and the Stooges' "No Fun" are cool. Even though these two guys are white, they've helped to right some wrongs that have been inflicted on the authenticity of the 30's and 40's blues, by other "so called" bluesmen. The delta just can't be that far away.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Breakout

(Alive records)

The Bolides "Science Under Pressure" CD
One look at the cover and the costumes and you figure these guys missed that whole space rock thing (Man or Astroman?, Servotron, Supernova, etc.) by about 7 or 8 years, but that doesn't mean the music isn't top notch. What you get here is ultra-primitive, caveman garage with gravelly vocals, some surf, 60s frat-rock, and a touch of psych for flavor. They do some weird sci-fi embellishments to keep their scientific theme going, but it (mostly) doesn't get out of control. Despite the primordial description I'm providing, they definitely have an updated take on the 60s garage thing. It's hi-fi but it's still nice and grimy. Sloppy and uncouth. Great stuff.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Metroid II

(Dionysus)

The Cave 4 "Sheena Was Right" CD
It took me a long time to really give this a chance -- mostly because I thought it was just a surf band. I love the old original 60s bands, and the obvious 90s stuff like Phantom Surfers, Shatners, Man Or Astroman or Mummies. Beyond those initial staples I get a bit tired of surf music. When The Cave 4 breaks into a surf tune, it's pretty good, but maybe a bit nondescript. They buzz through standards like "Journey to the Stars" & "The Rebel" pretty well, but the songs that mostly ignore their surf fetish really get my attention. "Too Cool To Talk To You," "Boy Don't Tell Me," "Gotta Get Myself Together," "Nice Girls" and the title song are really great, upbeat, rockers (with vocals) that are a hell of a lot more original, but still sound surf-inspired. I'd like to more of those!
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: 007 Goldeneye

(Swindlebra)

Chickenhead/Los Canadians "Split CD"
If the phrase "Chickenhead won the war today" means anything to you, you probably either own this, or sorely need it in your collection. The band claimed the infamous Chuck Loose (also of Heatseekers) and Iggy Scam (of the tremendous Scam zine) as members, and they played blazing old-school hardcore punk that sang the praises of cheap booze, stolen cars, illicit drugs, and run-of-the-mill destruction and negativity. They're a young and sloppy whirlwind of don't-give-a-fuckedness. They're probably best known for their great song "Young Fidel" that appears on Lookout Records' "Slice of Lemon" compilation. Maybe it's not what they're best known for, but it's the most widely heard of their output I'm sure. Thankfully, that track makes it here since this disc compiles EVERYTHING that Chickenhead ever recorded. I'm glad everybody lived to see this come out. On the second half of the disc is the entire recorded history of Los Canadians -- a band that I wasn't totally familiar with except for a split with Black Fork. I've also read about them in Scam and I heard a song or two on a Scam tape compilation I picked up at a Hello Shitty People show. They're quite a bit different than their brothers in Chickenhead. They're very poppy, melodic band and they sound a little more polished than Chickenhead. I get the feeling that these folks probably liked Husker Du, but they're not really derivative of that. The raspy voice of Los Canadians' singer Ivy sounds kind of like a female Lemmy - which is better than it sounds. Miami Florida had a really interesting-sounding little punk scene, with a bunch of penniless kids making their way with their wits and petty thievery. They set up impromptu illegal shows wherever and whenever they wanted, for themselves and their friends' bands. This is a really great snapshot of two of these bands.

On a side note, Chuck Loose sent this to me accompanied by "Chickenhead the Movie." A DVD of Chickenhead's awesome live shows -- including a very short set where Chuck Loose pours lighter fluid all over himself, grabs a cigarette lighter and goes up in a big fireball. It has to be seen to be believed! Write him and ask him to name his price!
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

(Contact Chuck at http://www.snap-e-chuck.com/)

C'Mon three song demo
From the hands of guitar god Ian Blurton (Bionic, Change of Heart, etc) and the ashes of Blurtonia, comes C'Mon, his new project. This continues in the vein of the 70's rock kick that Ian's been on for a long while. The songs are guaranteed not to disappoint people such as myself, who've become accustomed to the fuzzy guitars, Mountain-ish riffs, and youthful vocal delivery that Ian specializes in. Likely unmastered, this is a great taste of what's up ahead, and rumor has it that Katie Lynn Campbell of Nashville Pussy plays bass on here.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Starsky & Hutch

(e-mail elfbong@hotmail.com)

Circus Devils “Pinball Mars” CD
Circus Devils is probably the most un-Guided By Voices of Robert Pollard's non-Guided By Voices projects. Pollard's signature voice is still there, but Circus Devils veers away from the pop current that runs through the most well-loved Guided By Voices releases. This one might not appeal to you if you're devoted to the more accessible part of Pollard's canon, but If you're already indoctrinated into the cult of Bob, you'll find a lot to like here. At times it seems to draw some influence from the late/mid 80s underground sounds found on the old SST and Touch & Go records. The title song borrows some Funhouse-style riffs, but staggers and lurches like some old Killdozer song. Essentially, Circus Devils is a psychedelic rock band. There are a ton of weird vocal effects, loud guitars, sprawling, restless melodies and weird left turns. There is even some flute. It's the type of record that you might need to listen to more than once before it actually starts to appeal to you. I didn't actually start to like what I was hearing until about the third listen. Occasionally, the band offers up with that cavernous pop, or the beer-addled arena-rock that shows up in the best of the GBV catalog (like "Dragging the Medicine" "No Hell for Humor" or "Sick Color"). Still, Pinball Mars is a lot more menacing than anything else you're likely to hear from Bob Pollard.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Rez

(Fading Captain Series)

Clone Defects, "Shapes Of Venus" CD
The Dead Boys latest record, "Shapes Of Venus".....OOPS! I mean, THE CLONE DEFECTS latest record is a really messy punk rock n' roll album that will have you reaching for the air guitar in no time flat. There's something very Mark Arm-ish and Stiv Bators-ish that is cool about Timmy Vulgar's vocals. Make no mistake, this is not music made by skilled professionals, but that's the power of this, as there's mistakes a plenty, and this record is recorded insanely loud by Jim Diamond (just put on the next record, and it will undoubtedly be quieter). The record is not without faults, though, and it's mainly in the length of the album. At around 45 minutes for 14 songs on a punk/ garage album, that's a bit long for my liking, especially seeing as that "Procrastination Baby's (Out of Stagnation Now)" and "Rabid Animal Detector" are both longer songs, and sound a bit lackadaisical for my liking. Anyway, there's no doubt that most of this album kicks ass, like in songs such as "Stray Boy", "Still Poor", "Fill My Fridge", and "I Rock I Ran".
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker

(In The Red Records)

Coffin Daggers, S/T Spooktacular! CD
All instrumental, the Coffin Daggers play aggressive surf they way it should be played- with the reverb cranked. Recorded live directly to two tracks, such a recording ethic reveals that the 'Daggers are extremely disciplined and skillful players in order to pull off the badass death defying tunes that are on this album. It doesn't hurt that the production has clarity, oomph and power, making the band sound like they would if they were actually playing right there in front of you. The organ/ keys are a nice touch, especially on the thoroughly creepy "Hornet's Nest". It's hard to pick highlights on an album as good as this, but I'd go with "Psychonaut", "Dr. Guillotine", "Hornet's Nest", "Stella Vista '69", and the fuckin' excellent cover of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive".
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Luigi's Mansion

(Urko Records)

Deadly Snakes, "Ode To Joy" CD
This gritty, garage soul music is great, yeah, and there's always some cool instrumentation, like horns, piano, raging organs, or even sitar. While Greg "Oblivian" Cartwright isn't in the band for this effort, these 6 members make the most of it. There are garagey songs like "I Can't Sleep At Night" and "I Want To Die", there's minor key soul songs like "I'm Leaving You" and "Sink Like Stones", and there's piano driven R&B like "Playboys" and "There Goes Your Corpse Again". As a bonus, there's a hoedown stomp killer in "Oh My Bride" which'll have you singing along, and a crazy organ driven shouting tune in "Mutiny and Lonesome Blues". The only downside to this brilliant album, to me, is that sometimes the mix is a bit muddy, and I find that it should be cleaner and sharper. A minor quibble with an otherwise excellent album, though.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Zero Wing

(In The Red Records)

The Deaths "S/T" Demo CD
Fargo's own Deaths are soon to be Minneapolis' own Deaths, I've heard. It seems that they've got a pretty devoted audience over there, so it should be a good thing. I'm not sure if they're making their self-titled debut/demo(?) available to the public or not at this point, but Mark Schumacher hooked me up with a copy of this thing, and it's a stunner. They sound like the house band for an old ghost ship. In fact, if these guys ever had the money to do a big-budget video, they should be playing in a big ballroom for a bunch of ghosts waltzing, dressed in 19th-century finery. Maybe they could do it low-budget if they took an approach like "Carnival Of Souls." Anyway, back to the music. It's really intricate, moody guitar/keyboard rock and pop that alternates between somewhere between a slow, spooky funeral march and bright, sunny 60s folk/pop. Sometimes both of those qualities appear in a single song. Vocals trade off between the almost Ozzy Osbourne style vocals of guitarist Karl Qualey (also of Fargo punk-metal legends Orange Seventeen), and the lower-pitched smoky tenor of keyboardist Jeff Esterby. The Deaths are a band that's really hard not to like. Justin at Dart has even talked about wanting to release something by these guys -- and The Deaths don't sound anything like Midnight Evils or The Resinators. The Deaths have traveled great distance and crashed a van to play a show for the staff of a very well-known record label and they've been on the verge of releasing a record for so long. Somebody has to stand up and put this shit out already.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Skies of Arcadia

(www.thedeaths.net)

The Dirtbombs, "Dangerous Magical Noise"
In The Red rarely misses the mark on the records it releases, and this album continues that streak of quality. The Dirtbombs' latest is filled with soulful garage, fuzz guitars, more fuzz guitars, and of course, Mick Collins' rich voice. They start the party with (wait for it.....) "Start the Party", and have a strong dynamic and pacing to the album, as displayed by the feelin' songs, such as "Sun Is Shining", "Earthquake Heart", and "Stupid". Then when they take it down, they get it back up again and nail you with the fuzzed out energy of songs like "Stuck In Thee Garage" and "21st Century Fox", and when they're really on fire, there's the grooviest, too-edgy-for-Motown-sounds of songs like "F.I.D.O" climbing outta 'yer speakers. Jim Diamond, the producer who is also the Dirtbombs' engineer, bass player and sometimes singer, is an underrated genius.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Hudson Adventure Island

(In The Red Records)

The Dt's "Hard Fixed" CD
The Dt's are back with their sweaty snakeskin soul attack, and they've trumped the quality of last year's demo by about a million times. The songs are tighter, the sound is better, and everything sounds way more urgent and intense -- and that demo was a great little release. Filled with steamy hip-shaking beats and soaring, fiery melodies - Diana Young-Blanchard's vocals are right up front and center and the organ gets pushed up a bit this time, and those guitar riffs hit you like a hammer. "Eyes to the Sun" just kills me every time I hear it. Pick up on this quick-like folks.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Galaga

(Estrus)

Dead Kennedys “Live at the Deaf Club” CD
The Deaf Club recording is the live show where some of the tracks from "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death" came from - notably, "Straight A's" and "Short Songs." It also features Ted on Drums and was the last performance with guitarist 6025. Now East Bay Ray, D.H. Peligro and Klaus Flouride have made the entire performance available on CD. It kicks off with a discofied version of "Kill The Poor." It's a good joke, of course, but it's a bit sluggish. It's more of a cool curiosity for fans than a really excellent live version. After Kill The Poor you get a string of top-notch DKs songs. Old classics like "Man with the Dogs," "Forward to Death," "California Über Alles," "Holiday In Cambodia" and "Police Truck" make appearances while the unreleased "Gas Light" also rears its ugly head. They also cover the Honeycombs' "Have I the Right" and Beatles' "Back In the USSR." Jello has some great on-stage yammering too. I'd have to say I like this disc more than the "Mutiny On The Bay" disc. The included collage booklet lacks the finesse of the old Winston Smith & Jello Biafra collaborations, but it gets the point across. It still freaks me out how these songs have not grown quaint at all. It sounds as if Jello is ripping the current state of affairs as much as that of the 80s.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Sinistar

(Manifesto)

The Defectors "Turn Me On" CD
The Defectors have some good, fuzzed-out, 60s-style, go-go garage with crazed hiccupping & hollering vocals, big, brash fuzz guitar and some reliable action on the farfisa. Occasionally, they get a little on the heavy side, but they still center themselves on the 60s teenage screamers. Some of these songs get a little long though. Many songs are over 3 minutes and a couple move past 4. Most of those songs have enough to keep you interested all the way through, but it seems just a little self-indulgent for this dirtball garage stuff. Still, it's a lot of fun.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Paperboy

(Bad Afro)

Destroyer "Your Blues" CD
While anyone who is used to hearing Destroyer is used to following Dan Bejar's twists and turns, you can't help but be surprised by the majestic, orchestra pop that fills his latest release. The guitar, while audible most of the time, plays a supporting role here. Electronic orchestra sounds create a pristine, icy Victorian-by-way-of-1983 symphony, while Bejar's wordplay draws you in even further. This would seem overly-pretentious, or simply bad in the hands of lesser musicians, but Destroyer makes this a really beautiful, grandiose pop record. It's really worth checking out if you're in search of something very different.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Dragon Warrior

(Merge)

Ditchpig, S/T
The guys in Ditchpig have been around Winnipeg forever, or so it seems. After ten years as a band, they've finally put out their first CD, which sees long time drummer Ted (a one time member of DOA) switching to guitar. While they've played around for a long time as a three piece, their new four-piece and two-guitar attack has them sounding like equal parts 80's speed metal and the current Scando rock n' roll scene. Nothing strays outside of the 'Pig's subject matter of "drinking, killing, fighting", and you gotta love a song titled "Everybody Just Wants To Kill Somebody". The hidden track starts off as a pseudo death metal song, but with Ditchpig, 'ya never know whether it's tongue in cheek, or just cheeky -- as evidenced by the rather painful sounds of someone taking a shit at the end of the track. 12 songs, 21 and a half minutes, and heavier, faster n' louder than that GTO that you've been working on in your backyard.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Rampage

(Baby Batter Records)

Dragons, "Sin Salvation"
I wanted to love this record a lot more than I actually do. It's good, don't get me wrong, but I really don't think that they've progressed that much in the sound or songwriting from their earlier days. While the Dragons have been doing this longer than most of the newer bands of the rock genre, they are undoubtedly a great live band, but I can't help but think that they are still castrating themselves on recordings. It has that nice, clean, "proper" compressed radio ready sound that a million other bands have, and this is my complaint about the other records that I've heard by them (save for the "Live At the Casbah" record, which smoked).
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Conan (Apple II)

(Gearhead Records)

The Elected "Me First"
Here is another Sub Pop release with a bit of the world-weary folk sound, that changes ever so slightly whenever you think you've got it pegged. It sort of reminds me a bit of the pop folk stuff that Elliot Smith did with a lot more of a country feel to it. There is plenty of lap steel, some banjo I think, and a little spacy whooshing noise here and there. The loud, goofy saxophone stuff on "Don't Get Your Hopes Up" is NOT cool! I keep thinking I'm listening to the soundtrack from Arthur or something. I don't even know if Arthur had saxophones, but it had Christopher Cross, and that's just as bad. As much as this music sort of bums me out, something sort of steers me back into it from time to time.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Monster Party

(Sub Pop)

The Electric "Degenerotic Doses" CD
This disc eschews any pretty gimmicks in favor of dirt-under-the-fingernails, sloppy R&B punk. There is a lot of shouting, a ton of chugging, almost metallic, guitar riffs, and a clear love of the New York Dolls. The vocals kind of remind me of Rick Sims trying to channel the demented style of Lux Interior. At times they bring to mind what the Valentine Killers & Midnight Thunder Express used to do. It's not completely there yet, but excellent tunes like "All the Other Girls" hint at great things to come. I'll bet they can put on a hell of a live show.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Batman (NES)

(Pro-Vel Records)

Fabulous Kildonans, "God Is A Woman And She's Pro Choice"
This is the newer band of Mark Stretchmark (of the Stretchmarks), and there's some catchy punk rock here. From the opening title track, to songs like "Red Dress" and "Sheba The She-Male", the 'Donans keep up the speed and catchiness, and never forget about that good old key ingredient to fun music -- humor (see "I Wanna Do The Waitress At Nick's Bar"). While the mastering job is not very good on this (I can hear the compressor "breathing") and some of this album could be less pop-punk-y at times, harder edged metallic tunes like "Radar 24" and "Big Boobs" make me laugh and want to turn the stereo up.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Mappyland

(Contact: fabulouskildonans@hotmail.com)

The Farrell Bros, "Rumble At the Opry"
Cranking out the rockabilly like it's 1956, the Farrell's are one of those special bands where they eschew the 50's aspect so much (their houses are lined with nostalgia), that you experience a true throwback to the days when Elvis, Jerry Lee and Sun Records were the almighty in music. These 14 tracks are honestly gonna-be-classics, from the ass-shaking speed and twang of the title track, to "I Walk A Fiery Line", right through to the closing tune, "The Wild Kind". "Set This Lone Wolf Free" is a song that deserves to be covered by future generations of pomade styled ceiling duster n' Gretsch worshippers. They might owe a little more these days to the nastier roots/ sped up country of Bloodshot records than to the more traditional Sun records sound of their earlier days, but you gotta believe that Gene Vincent is out there somewhere in spirit, smiling away.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: City Connection

(Teenage Rampage)

The Feelers S/T 7"
The Feelers are a five-pronged, ultra-caustic scuzz rock attack from Columbus, OH. Here is some trivia for you brainiacs out there. The Feelers can boast ex-Fargoan Jon Grey (Felix the Brat, Filled With Disgust) on guitar and Sean Sensation (a.k.a. Steve Albundy Reatard) on bass among their ranks. I'm sure the other members are swell fellows too, but I don't have any dirt on 'em. "Fuhrers New Miniskirt," "Special" and "Next Boy," are three great songs. Shredded vocal cords, bashing guitar chords, smashing drums and bass guitar that sounds like a fucking beehive with puke-in-the-gutter-rhythm-and-blooze and bottle-breaking guitar solos. It's a thing of beauty. Expect more good stuff outta these boys in the future.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Millipede

(Death By Noise/ www.apt103.net/feelers/)

The Foxx S/T CD
I don't want to slam this too bad, because I think the Foxx sound like they could turn out to be a pretty good band after a while. They just need to loosen up a bit. They've got a sort of 70s glam rock thing going on, and many of the songs have a good hook or two. But even the best songs sound a little bit too stiff. It's as if they've only played together for a few months. I'm not sure if that's the case or not, but they sound like they are paying way too much attention to each other, trying not to fuck up too much. It sort of keeps the songs from reaching full velocity. These folks could use a lot of help in the recording too. Everything sounds a little thin (especially the drums). I think if the Foxx get more comfortable and loose, they'll really start to pull things off. They're coming to Ralph's this summer so I'm looking forward to checking them out to see how it turns out live.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Super Bust A Move

(http://www.the-foxx.com)

Godmother, "Live 2003"
Comprised of members of various Winnipeg punk bands (Nostrils, Ruggedy Annes), this is a punk super group in their glory, the live setting. This captures the manic, full throttle intensity of Godmother's hard edged metallic punk, and while the sound is a bit muddy and not fully clear (ie: bass and guitars are sometimes lost in the mix), it's also indicative of the imperfections of live music, itself (who goes to a show and complains about missed bass guitar notes?). Godmother played fucking awesome on the two nights that these were recorded on, and lead singer/ guitarist Bruce Hallett sounds like he's gonna come for your first born.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Dynamite Cop

(Black Rose Digital Records)

Holly Golightly, "Truly She Is None Other"
"I'm to blame" Holly Golightly sings on "It's All Me", and she's right. But that's not a bad thing- it's a very good thing, as she's crafted an album's worth of soon to be garage classics. Recorded at Toe Rag studios, "Walk A Mile" kicks off the album, and it strolls through to "One Neck", which has slightly ethereal backing vocals, then coasts to excellent songs like "She Said" and the acoustic strumming of "Sent". Granted, the covers that she does are arguably slightly better than her own originals, but Ray Davies' "Time Will Tell" and "Tell Me Now So I Know" are pretty tough to top, anyway. Sultry, sexy, smoky, slightly jazzy at times... Holly's got it all.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: The Mafat Conspiracy

(Damaged Goods Records)

Gossip, Undead In NYC
Obviously recorded live in NYC (although the liner notes say nothing about it), this album showcases the Gossip's feral live show. It's lo-fi. It has tons of tape hiss. Geez man, there's even improper edits! But as Gossip's front belter Beth Ditto says in between songs, "for the record, we are punk rock." Beth's hair raising vocal delivery reveals her as one of the best vocalists right now, and whereas Gossip have a simple clarity on the albums, they run with it live and put out gutsy music that gives soul and rock n' roll music a much needed dose of authenticity in the year 2003. A searing, violent sounding version of the Stooges "I Wanna Be Yr. Dog" only seals the deal. Amazing.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Moon Cresta

(Dim Mak Records)

Ghetto Ways "S/T" CD
Right from the opening chords of "Camaro Creep" you know that this is some good stuff. It's a loud, crude, beautiful whirlwind of trebley R&B-based punk rock with some thunderous vocals from guitarist Jenna & some extra male vocals from one of the other dudes. Seriously, this girl's got a healthy set of pipes. The guy vocals are really great too, with a sort of a Rip-Off Records style hollering. Everything's turned up 100% on this record, with loud, white-hot guitars playing fast & loose while the constant hiss of those drums shake loose whatever sociopath tendencies you've got buried in your skull. It's got a bit of a Teengenerate Vs. Dirtbombs thing going on -- at least that's what I'm thinking. Keep 'em coming please!
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Trouble Shooter

(Alien Snatch)

Grandpaboy, "Dead Man Shake"
"Whatever happened to Paul?....I don't know", Winthrope Marion Purcival V sings on "O.D Blues". Hmmm. Sounds like Paul Westerb....I mean Grandpaboy is having an identity or midlife crisis, if the numerous alter egos weren't already an indication. If he is having a crisis, his alter ego is steering him in the right direction, though. Rambling n' shambling his way through 14 tracks of dirty sounding roots/ rockabilly/ delta blues, Paul's delivered the most relaxed "I could give a shit what you think" album, since his earlier days of the Replacements. While last year's "Stereo/Mono" records were good n' loose, there seems to be a revitalized energy in this record, where Westerberg seems to have written and performed these songs quite quickly from their conception, giving the listener the impression that he recorded the songs five minutes after writing them. That philosophy might not work for everyone, but for Paul....erm....Winthrope, sounding like a drunken Keith Richards/ Johnny Thunders is a great thing (and the Hank Williams and Elvis covers are neato).
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Renegade

(Fat Possum Records)

Grenjar/ Kargvint "Split 7""
Is it black metal? Umm… Yep. This is the only black metal record I own unless you're willing to count Venom. But I don't think that the grim, punishing sound of Grenjar and Kargvint would really make a good match with the band that played "Too Loud (For The Crowd)." I've read "Lords Of Chaos," which is a really entertaining and interesting book, but I'm pretty sure that fans of the black metal genre would tell you that it is a bunch of crap. I dunno. So, I've basically established that I know very little about black metal. I still couldn't pass up a review on this record, because it was released by a Norwegian label that is currently based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I've run into Andreas Jensen, the guy who released this, a couple of times and he's a really nice fellow. Grenjar's contribution is "Av Eldre Kunst," a grinding, mid-tempo (yes, mid-tempo, this is not "death" metal), song with inhuman, howling. Kargvint's "Stimmen aus der Tiefe" is similar (to these ears) but just a little bit faster, and the sound is more cavernous. I wouldn't say that I'm a huge black metal fan now, but I was surprised at how much I did like this single. The songs are very long and trance-like, and they definitely sound evil.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Splatterhouse II

(Lyderhorn Records)

Heatseekers, "In Praise Of"
This is fast rock and roll in the vein of New Bomb Turks, that sorta sped up stuff that has the occasional trashy lead solo every now and then. 10 songs, 22 minutes, no filler. The whole thing has a very live feel to it (I can hear the snare drum rattling in some intros), the guitar tones are wicked, and the excellent drumming by Chuck Loose puts it all over the edge. This is definitely one of the best releases of this year. "In Praise Of"? Fuck yeah!
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Strider

(Ohev Records)

High Dials, "A New Devotion"
Man. Where do I start when something is this good? Formed from the ashes of Montreal mod rockers the Datsons (not to be confused with the Datsuns, who are the reason for the name change), this is definitely one of the best releases of 2003, mainly because it delivers on both the quantity and quality fronts. Sounding like a 60's influenced jangly Byrds sorta mod-pop band, the three part harmonies are excellent, the 12 string guitars chime, and the songs themselves are all classics. "Can You Hear The Bells" has a haunting minor key sound, "Leaving Alphaville" has a spanish flavour to it, and "Assassins" continues on the Spanish motif. The Who probably wish that they wrote both "Fields In Glass" and "Morning's White Vibration", and the sitar playing is great in "Things Are Getting Better" (with a ballsy horn and guitar riff in the chorus). At 18 songs, not one of these is a throwaway, although they maybe could have cut the album down a bit and put a few songs like "The Birds" on an EP, or something. But If I was to sit and list everything that was great about this album, this would turn into a book, and just trust me on this--buy this, now.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Rolling Thunder II

(Rainbow Quartz)

High Llamas, "Beet Maize and Corn"
Syd Barrett could be forgiven if he ever was to think that this is some long lost album that he would have made in his solo career--if he ever would have gotten around to making a lush album full of gently sweeping small string sections, glockenspiels, vibes, and horn arrangements. Band leader Sean O' Hagan oversees this whole thing, and the results are simply top notch music. It's similar to the ambition of Mercury Rev's more recent albums, slightly quirky and whimsical, but not really as wacky as something that Mercury Rev would put out (nor does it have the slightly "acquired taste" vocals of 'Rev singer Jonathan Donahue). Bonus points go out to the unique chords that they use on guitar, which help to separate this album from others of its genre. If the aforementioned Barrett was ever to hook up with Jason "Spaceman" Pierce of Spiritualized, it would probably sound a lot like this. It's also dedicated to Stereolab's Mary Hansen, who had recently died, and she also sang on this record in her living days. A flawless album.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Quartet

(Drag City Incorporated)

Hushdrops "Volume One" CD
What is it with all this grown up music? You know what I'm talking about. Earnest, heartfelt, dopey crap with lots of piano, strings, and harmonized vocals? For all the talking I do about punk rock and rock and roll and all that bullshit, I get some discs that make me wonder if people think I'm writing Burt Bacharach reviews. Is it because I like the Strokes? In fairness to the band, they sound a bit inventive at times, but I'm mostly in it for the good time, and this is way too saccharine and professional-sounding for me. I'm sure this is something that's destined for critical acclaim but there is only one rock song on this thing, and I'm really stretching it by calling it a rock song.
-- Phil Hunt

Listen while you play: Silent Scope

(Subspace Platform Recordings)

Hot Live Guys, "Serve Pipin' Hot"
Winnipeg's Hot Live Guys are probably the best, trashiest garage band in Central Canada (which is saying alot, 'cause the Squareheads aren't far behind). Sounding a lot like "The Enemy Is Real" era Tricky Woo, they tear out 8 Friday night styled anthems, starting off with the progressive intro to "H2K" (which morphs into a blazing' rock song), and they don't stop the party until… the song, "Party". My favorites here are "Workin'", "Sock It To Me", "The Light of Love", and "Oh Yeah". This might be too "rock" for traditional garage fans, and too punk or garagey for traditional rockers (as the solos are good n' sloshed), but that's why I love this. The drumming is awesome, and reinforces that old adage that a band is only as good as their drummer. If it was served any hotter, you'd need a fire extinguisher for your stereo.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Blades of Steel

(No label, no website)

Iggy Pop, "Skull Ring"
In Iggy's defense, I think that a lot of critics just automatically dismiss a new Ig record, and in some ways, you can't blame them. For every "Zombie Birdhouse" or "Soldier" than he's released, he's put out a "Blah, Blah, Blah". But I'm sure that everyone and their dog has heard that the Stooges have reunited for four songs here. So how are they? I think that they're really good. "Little Electric Chair" has a sort of "TV Eye"-ish riff to it, and "Skull Ring", "Loser", and "Dead Rock Star" are cool too, sort of sounding like Cramps songs. With that outta the way, I've gotta admit that the Trolls songs are good ("Perverts In The Sun" is as good as any Iggy track since "I Got A Right"), the Green Day stuff is solid, the Peaches duet on "Rock Star" is good for a laugh, and although I wanted to hate it, the Sum 41 song, "Little Know It All" is actually really good, too. While some of Ig's lyrics have descended into embarrassing lines such as "I'm a dead rock star... in my dead rock car," he still writes biting lyrics like "I heard the radio say that some piece of shit was the sound of today". Iggy will outlive us all, and even though he's still "The Human Vein," he'll be the one laughing last.
-- Ryan Settee

Listen while you play: Super Ghouls & Ghosts

(Virgin Records)