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Baseball
Furies "Greater Than Ever" LP
Are you sick and tired of everything? Do you need a shot of
good old snotty, snarling, punk rock adrenaline to get you through
the day? The prescription is "Greater Than Ever" by the Baseball
Furies. To say their latest release is superb is the greatest
of understatements. They explode on stage, and they manage to
do the same through your speakers. It's a whirlwind of destructive
tendencies and old school aggression. The songs so kinetic,
you'll swear that the razor-sharp smoke and booze guitar riffs
are actually taking swings at you. This is all the proof you
need that it's still possible to make a great punk record.
Listen
while you play: Blaster
(Big
Neck Records)
Baseball
Furies "Demo"
The Baseball furies demo is not a release you can buy, but I
thought I’d mention it for the simple reason that you’ll be
able to expect something new from them in the near future. I
was able to get this through top-secret methods, and it’s phenomenal.
Of course, it’s more of the damaging, raw CRIME-inspired punk
that can expect from the Baseball Furies, and it relies a bit
more on smashing guitar work than pure aggression, but that
might just be due to the rough mix that exists on the disc.
You can hear that they’ve stepped it up a notch though, and
it makes for a more forceful “fuck you” than “Greater Than Ever”
– if you can believe it. Hopefully they’ll be able to release
this to the masses soon.
Listen
while you play: Blaster
Master
(No Label)
Cheater
Slicks "Yer Last Record" CD
The Cheater Slicks are a chronically, and unfortunately overlooked,
but amazing modern garage rock staple. They play a different,
sinister garage rock that doesn't quite fit in with the image
and flash that accompanies most of their contemporaries. In
many ways they have more in common with old Sonic Youth or Pussy
Galore than anyone out there today. They're more deserving of
the Velvet Underground comparisons that are thrown at the current
crop of new "garage bands" that appear on every other page of
Spin (and they actually manage to create sound that blows the
mind in similar fashion). These guys don't play light, happy
sounding garage rock. "Yer Last Record" is a perfect example.
This stuff sounds like it was recorded in a wet, grimy cellar
by people who've tasted the the lowest that life has to offer.
They revel at the bottom, with swampy, sweaty abandon. Loose,
unattended rock and blues melodies burn, disintegrate and ignite.
As appealing as this is, The Cheater Slicks real genius lies
in the pretty melodies that emerge from the muck. "Yer Last
Record" is loosely hammered and fastened, with cracks that let
a little fresh air and sun filter through. Songs like "Momentary
Muse," "Stop Breathing," "Goodbye" are grand, mournful examples
of rock at its best: you'll notice a ray of warmth in each song
and realize that THIS FEELS GOOD!
Listen
while you play: Darkseed
(In The
Red Records)
The
Hunches "Got Some Hate b/w Lost Time Frequency"
The Hunches. The Hunches. Oooh man, what else can you say but
THE HUNCHES! I can think of one other thing to say: I bet you
have to duck a lot during their live shows! This rumbling, spastic,
snarling blitzpunk will leave your brain buzzing, your stomach
turning and your hot, bloody body curled in the fetal position.
At times it sounds like the Oblivians' ugly cousins. At other
times it sounds like a monstrous chain being pulled through
the innards of a tractor engine while parts fly everywhere.
They sound just crazy -- and young enough -- to do it again
a few more times. I can't wait for the full-length.
Listen
while you play: Robotron
2084
(In The
Red Records)
Interpol
"Turn On The Bright Lights"
I discovered New York City's Interpol while listening to University
of Manitoba's radio station while driving to Winnipeg for the
weekend. I really liked the song they played and decided to
buy "Turn On The Bright Lights" when I got the chance.
During my initial research I kept coming across the terms Joy
Division. Usually, when the typical music press latches onto
a comparison, they've got it totally wrong (re: The Strokes
& Velvet Underground). In this case, the comparison game
rings a little truer. If you like Joy Division, you'll probably
like Interpol -- except the singer sounds a bit more like a
1920s crooner and I felt like there was some deserved comparison
to the other hot New York bands as well. It might not be totally
original, but its depressing and catchy enough to get you through
the winter.
Listen
while you play: Virtua
Cop 2
(Matador)
Jawbreaker
"Etc."
Just about everyone likes Jawbreaker, and this post-mortem
collection of songs will sate the appetite for more -- for a
little while. This album includes tons of rarities and out-of-print
songs -- including classics like "Kiss The Bottle"
and throwaway tracks from "Dear You." It's Jawbreaker
and it's good. The end.
Listen
while you play: Frogger
(Blackball Records)
The
Natural History CD EP
This much-too-short collection of cosmopolitan garage rock
marks the debut from The Natural History. Husky, cigarette-stained
vocals accompany booming, staccato blasts of grimy, minimalist
pop guitar, strong and loose rhythms and an acid wash of monotone
interlude. It’s like waking up with a well-deserved hangover.
It sounds a little groggy and unkempt, but there is a great
fucking time at its foundation. I don’t know why, but music
like The Natural History and fellow Empire rockers The French
Kicks make me think of go-go dancing and female leads from late
60s sit-coms like “My Girl” and “Mary Tyler Moore.” Is it just
me?
Listen
while you play: Breakout
(Startime International)
Oslo
Motherfuckers "Greetings From the Big O"
I'm a huge sucker for anything with the word "Turbonegro"
on it. Bitzcore knows this, since there is a huge sticker displaying
the names "Happy Tom" and "Chris Summers"
on the front cover. Just because they have the rhythm section
of Turbonegro backing them up, doesn't mean that it sounds ANYTHING
like the Norwegian masters. This is very sloppy punk rock and
roll with a CRAZY sounding guy named Bobby Zodiac on vocals.
I'm assuming that Mr. Zodiac calls Oslo his home, but his accent
is not unlike some of the Japanese punk rockers out there. This
continues for about four songs. Then, side B kicks in with some
wierd Karaoke songs -- and an acappela version of the first
track. Simply put, side B sucks, but the A side is just cool
enough to make it worth a look. My impression is that Bobby
Zodiac and his buddies from Turbonegro get together for an occasional
drunken night of rock and roll at some cool local club -- or
just a drunken practice. It's very, very odd but surprisingly
cool. If you give it a few listens it'll grow on you.
Listen
while you play: Armor
Attack
(Bitzcore Records)