MARY ANN

 

This sounds like some dead ass '90s "melodic hardcore" aka "skate punk" formed from the solidified drippings of the Fat scene that oozed into every international crevice. It just took a little longer to get to some places, and thus Hit The Road didn't come out until 2004. If you toured in the '90s then you've heard this band, or at least the version of this band that you played with at a VFW in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Or Joplin, Missouri. I think you get my point.

HIT THE ROAD

THE WOODEN NICKEL JASS BAND

 

Sometimes you just need a little something to make you feel (a little) good, you know? Turns out that little something for me yesterday was Sacramento's THE WOODEN NICKEL JASS BAND, a tape I never saw coming until it was making me boogie. You see, sometimes I just start ripping things without listening to them - rip first and listen later - if it's good then it gets an earnest, "stop everything" listen but sometimes (admittedly) it gets a "listen while you edit" listen. But occasionally I get a "hey what's this?" feeling and I stop....and listen. That happened yesterday, and even though this is light years removed from a tape that I think I actually need, it's a tape that I apparently needed in the moment. That's worth far more than the $1 price tag. New Orleans jazz, show tunes, Western Swing....maybe a touch of high school jazz band for good measure? Tough to describe the sounds and justify the effect they had, but music is a motherfukkr man. Had several twinges of "Down Yonder" from Red Headed Stranger and it's almost the King's birthday so maybe that was a factor but......really this one just got plopped in the deck at just the right time. 

SHUFFLE OFF THE BUFFALO

HEKTIKS

I used to make a point of highlighting blown out guitars and bombastic distortion every Monday. Listening to HEKTIKS.....I kinda think I should get back into the habit. Can't really think of a better way to put this shit life into perspective than the complete destruction of your senses. 

OBLITERATION

LÁZ

 

This shit is so good. Makes me feel like the first time blasting GORILLA ANGREB or that time I went to see SOVIETTES by myself in Riverwest and didn't know anyone there except Andy and he was drunk as shit. Truly engaging guitar heavy punk - not "heavy" guitars though - more like the guitars are the thing....until you start listening to the vocals. You'll come back to the guitars though, because they're great. There's some other shit here - '90s emo mixed with PDX >> TX garage melodies like RED DONS and STORM THE TOWER but with '80s Rough Trade and some weird ass US college radio alt. Think about SQUIRREL BAIT, CRASS and fukkn WAX IDOLS...it doesn't make sense but it works. And that's all that matters.

LASSAN ÁTJÁRÓ ZAVAR

These words were stream of consciousness garbage. 

These sounds are brilliant.

PEACEMAKER

 

A few hours ago REALISTIC played our informal cassette release show at a weird and cool spot in Richmond, California. Our tape is short (less than ten minutes) and there was a discussion about whether or not duration should factor in when calculating sale price (because the production expenses for a cassette are essentially the same regardless of length). Craig wisely noted that if a record is good, then it didn't matter how many songs were on it or how long they were....you aren't complaining that the flawless 11 minute mini-LP isn't 17 minutes long....you're flipping that shit over and blasting it again. I agree, and these are my thoughts as I listen to PEACEMAKER's two song, four minute cassette for the one-hundredth time. Two songs....that's all we got, but maybe that's all we needed. 

SEE YOU DEAD // GREED

BARRIO MUSIC

 

This is probably the coolest Barrio Music volume I've delved into so far, which makes me excited to keep plowing my way through the twelve tape series. Anchored by undeniable classics by ELVIS PRESLEY ("Now Or Never"), ? AND THE MYSTERIANS ("96 Tears"). LITTLE RICHARD ("Good Golly Miss Molly") and JERRY LEE LEWIS ("Great Balls Of Fire"), you've also god JAMES BROWN's deadly ballad "Try Me" and "Doing It To Death" by FRED & THE NEW JB'S (a song I always thought was actually by The Godfather Of Soul). And then there't the other stuff....GENE & EUNICE, LARRY WILLIAMS, MANHATTANS, PEACHES & HERB, even PAUL fucking ANKA delivers a killer. A standard from THE PLATTERS and a smooth as fuck track from the suitably named DON & JUAN round out the roster and.....my people this is just a perfectly curated mix of perfectly wonderful music. Like, can you think of a better way to end your week?

BARRIO MUSIC vol.4

TIME ADDICT

 

Free form improvisational misanthropy, presented as experimental free jazz noise shit.
And some days all I ever want is cacophony. 
TIME ADDICT delivers (again). 

U.S. BLUES