Adolf and the Piss Artists
Heroes? 7”
GMM
Obnoxious punk rock along the lines of the Old Masters. Those being, X, the Germs, Pain… “Terminator” is as ballsy as they come. Damned impressive punk rock. Now I have to search out the Valves’ catalog… GMM Records, P.O. Box 15234, Atlanta, GA 30333
Alien Crime Syndicate
Supernatural/Really Got A “C” 7”
American Pop Project
Joe Meice’s new project with, it’s rumored, former members of N.Y. Loose. Whatever, it’s lonely, electric dreamy pop music. Good quality and strange. American Pop Project, P.O. Box 2271, San Rafael, CA 94912
Alien Crime Syndicate
Supernatural
AmPop
Supernatural side is a minimal indie spaced-out jaunt. Sort of Reservoir sounding but swampier. The flip side rocks a bit more, pulling out almost new wave-ish guitar riffs and rhythms, but much more Nineties oriented… and cool, too! American Pop Project, P.O. Box 2271, San Rafael, CA 94912
As Darkness Falls
Hook Horror 7”
Bush League
Great violent Deathcore. Awesome guitars and growls. “M” is particularly evil. A good mix of Slayer-esque metal and good hardcore. Bush League Records, P.O. Box 10165, New Brunswick, NJ 08906.
The Automaton Adventure Series
Sharkskin b/w Your Menu
Galleon Key
Low-fi angry indie jazz modest mousish improv whacked out emo core with a horn section and bursts of clarity. Wow. Galleon Key, Box 815, Olympia, WA 98507
Mark Brodie and the Saboteurs
Tiger Rock 7”
American Pop
Great haunting, trippy spy-oriented surf instrumentals. Of note is their cover of the Challengers’ “Our Man Flint,” the theme to a fine secret agent movie with James Coburn. I remember it well, as I saw it on Channel 20 in 1972. American Pop Project, P.O. Box 2271, San Rafael, CA 94912
Common Law
No Compromise 7”
Classic screaming hardcore punk. Just like anything great that came out of D.C. or NYC circa 1980. Flex Your Head style. Common Law, 3007 S.W. 21st terrace, Delray Beach, FL 33445
The Delusions
Quiet Time b/w That Flower Song
Shaky
Rolling tom spin out heavy and fun. Does anyone remember the Donner Party? The vocals are similar, but the music has a deeper mood, broken by sparse Sixties guitar twangs. Some sludgy grunge slips, and angry alcoholic tones. This is cool, but now I need a drink. Shaky, P.O. Box 221007, Seattle WA 98122
Frequency Db
Join the Circus
Running
Slow fuzz guitar with an almost Swervedriver slant. Clean vocals cut through with a caught melody… and then throw the drone away and get some jump up and down tribalistic drums going for some ominous rhythms. Flip the single, and get into an indie rock groove. Minimal guitar and spaced out keyboard. Harmony on the vocals twisting through this sparsely psychedelic une. Maybe kind of reminds me of something that might happen if Jim Morrison listened to Stereolab?
Gritkisser
Jesus Christ Alien Abduction/Baptism 7”
Soapy Fist
Raw, hellbilly and haunted trash from outer space. Plenty of ghostly funkabilly and other stuff you’d hear from a haunted dumpster. Soapy Fist Records, 2018 N.W. 31 St Ave., Gainesville, FL 32605
Hefner
Love Will Destroy Us In The End
Too Pure
This single puts a certain picture in my mind, and I’m not sure if I understand it. Sort of Buzzcocks/Velvet Underground waves over a couple of English working class kids trying to be in a band influenced by Pavement, but all their friends listen to Joy Division. Does this make sense? Maybe… maybe not. Regardless, I think it’s pretty damn hip. Too Pure, P.O. Box 1944, London, England NW10 5PJ
Hot Water Music
You Can Take The Boy Out Of Bradenton
Schematics
In-your-face pop punk that’s closer to the punk side of things. Heavy and angst ridden, but driving enough to keep it interesting. A touch of metal filters through, and images of big hair head shaking slips past my brain. Uh-Oh, flip it, quick! Sigh, more of the same, but maybe better. They should listen to more Braid and lay off the Florida metal thing. Schematics, P.O. Box 14636, Gainseville, Fl., 32604
The Leslies
Leslies 7”
American Pop
Very happy, and very hippie. But a little too hippie for me. Crazy Swedish hippie pop music. Try with lutefisk. American Pop Project, P.O. Box 2271, San Rafael, CA 94912
Looper
Impossible Things b/w Spaceboy Dream #3
Sub Pop
Starting off with a typewriter and an Arab Strap style poeticness, Looper move into some lounge-touched scratch record break back beat rhythm thing. Better known for being part of Belle & Sebastian, Stuart David pulls of a pretty fun single here. Sort of semi techno trip hop for the indie rock spoken word set. Wear black, snap your fingers, and dig it. Sub Pop, P.O. Box 20645, Seattle, WA 98102
The Magnetic Fields
I Don’t Believe You b/w When I’m Not Looking
Merge
Brit pop indie new wave rock for breaking up with your no-longer-loved one on a beautiful day. Upbeat but depressing, intelligent but silly, and subliminally infectious. Merge, P.O. Box 1235, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514
Make-Up
U R My Intended b/w The Choice
K
Get down and shake to that low down sexy groove that’s kickin’ it across the country. Funked out beat crazy and broken down. Swingin’ rhythms and hipster style. The B side is a bit mellower, but man, open yer eyes… this is the Make-Up, baby, dig it! K, Box 7154, Olympia, Wa., 98507
New Wave Hookers
Crystal Bullet b/w Devil Made Me Do It
Estrus
This sort of reminds me of an old grunge band trying to do dirty garage rock, but falling too close to some strange twist of Iggy style punk and New York Doll glam. The B side has a cleaner garage touch, but I can’t shake the grunge. Whatever it is, it’s strange, but it rocks. Estrus, P.O. Box 2125, Bellingham, Wa., 98227
Pedro The Lion
Big Trucks
Made In Mexico
Acoustical unfolksy indie rock pulsing through vocal voice and strummed guitar. Home on the West Coast range feeling, sometimes mellow Simon Joyner feeling, sometimes just good feeling with a melancholy twist. The full length from Pedro the Lion is brilliant, but this 7” makes for a very nice introduction. Made In Mexico, 1011 Boren Ave #906, Seattle, WA, 98104
Pee
Salt Garden b/w Icarus
Double-Play
Late ’90s post grunge pop. The female vocals get a bit lost in the mix, but the guitar overdrive makes up for it. The B side is more mellow, reminding me a little of the Throwing Muses, but with groovier bass lines. Solid, but not letting go of that guitar crunch we all love. Double-Play, 11 Sutter Street, Suite 1337, San Francisco, CA 94104
Peter Parker
The Aesthetic of Dumb
Rimmshot
Catchy boy girl power pop on emerald green vinyl. Seattle seems to be overflowing with happy happy angst snap pop bands these days, but these guys are definitely rising through the ranks. Straightforward and catchy but not too sweet. There’s a bitterness under the melodic punch, and I’m drinking it in.
Pram
The Last Astronaut b/w Cinnabar
Kooky
Late ’90s lounge for the new millenium. I don’t know about the vocals on the A side, but the snake charming cocktail cut on the flip side makes me happy. Perfectly retro in a slightly futuristic way. Kooky, 9 Whitworth Road, Northampton, NN1 4HG, England
Satan’s Pilgrims
Play Ghoulash For You
Estrus
Spooked out garage surf with a Peter Lorre intro. Do the twist on a tombstone, the monster mash with more fog. It may be just ghoulish to you, but damn if I don’t find this sinister stylish slab just way tasty. The B-side hits a more upbeat twang, like Scooby-doo and the gang chasing some zombie surfers through the waves. I can almost picture Daphne in a bikini doing the funky monkey with Fred. Estrus Records, P.O. Box 2125, Bellingham, WA 98225; http://www.estrus.com
Silkworm
I Must Prepare
Moneyshot
It’s more of that groovy West Coast indie rock from Silkworm. Here we got beautiful chunks of pure lo-fi fuzzed out GBV tainted love buzz. Taken as a sort of side order to Silkworm’s Blueblood LP, this single gives you the pleasure of hearing a couple of alternate takes on a couple of songs, and a pleasure it is. Moneyshot, 520 Summit Ave. E., #304, Seattle, Wa. 98102
Slipstream
Madeleine
Ché
Slipstream, tied in some ways to both Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, ends up being more cohesive than either… more solidified in space. “Madeleine” carries a British pop swirl spaced out hip shaking rock `n’ roll melody with floating-in-the-clouds overtones. “Healing Hands” takes a more English drone approach on the B side. You can definitely hear some Spacemen 3 tones sliding across the vinyl, and that’s a fine slide to hear. Che, P.O. Box 653, London, England, E18 2NX
The Weaklings
Four More Reasons To Love
Junk
Fast n' dirty rock n’ roll touched with a Murder City Devils thing. Punk garage New York City dirt. Iggy on 45 and Johnny Thunders on broken glass and speed. Los Angeles punk sex rock. Short and sweet. Listen to it again, louder, and love it. Junk, P.O. Box 1474, Cypress, CA 90630
Wicked Farleys
Ken Theory
Big Top
Full on clearcut rage with just the right mix of sparse melodics and in your heart crunch. The intensity breathes in the dream of the vocals, but the strict drive of the drums and the June of 44 touched guitar slices keep it from speeding nightmare highway smooth. Strong and bright and the full length CD is even better. Big Top Records, 955 Massachusetts Ave., Ste. 115, Cambridge, MA 02139
