ABOVE THEM/THE AMISTAD:
Both bands: They give me the impression that they’re from
AGGRAVATION, THE: Runaway: 7” EP
This French band plays garage-y, angular punk rock that’s high in the energy levels. It was a decent while ago at this point, but I think this is what I was expecting to hear the first time I listened to Wire back in high school. – Joe Evans III (Jojo) [Razorcake]
The Alpert Square: When the drums kicked in at first, it reminded me of a band of high school kids trying to sound like Fugazi (which I’m not knocking – I mean it in the sense that it had that youthful energy to it, just without the “How are they even playing that?” thoughts I usually have when listening to Fugazi). Then the vocals came in, and I realized, “Oh, this is CLEARLY Dan Andriano from Alkaline Trio singing”. I mean, “SUPPOSEDLY it’s not”, but I’m convinced they’re lying. I mean, I thought the dude was going to start singing about his sore back. So basically,
ALTERNATIVE ACTION/MARCHING ORDERS: Split: 7”
Alternative Action: Pretty straight forward street punk. However, it gets a little poppy by the second song, and that’s all fine and good with me. Marching Orders: First impression, the vocals are very reminiscent of the Subhumans U.K., and musically it’s not far behind. Second impression is that even disregarding that, these guys sound way British. Overall: I wish I’d gotten the picture disc version of this, but oh well. I imagine I’d enjoy seeing either band live; barring it doesn’t get me a kick to the side of the head. –Joe Evans III (Iron Pier) [Razorcake]
ARRIVALS, THE: Marvels of Industry: CD
I’ll be honest; I’d hear friends of mine talk about how much they love The Arrivals, but then I’d watch them at The Fest, and I just couldn’t get into it. Down the line, I even heard a few more random songs, thought they were pretty good. So I decide to really sit down with this record, and I get it now. These are melancholy anthems, not poppy songs about milkshakes – a record to help you take solace after overcoming daily struggles (making me realize why seeing them for the first time at a show like The Fest may leave you a little bummed). Plus, it kind of made me feel like a pirate.–Joe Evans III (Recess) [Razorcake]
ASSHOLE PARADE: Embers:CD
These angry Florida hardcore pioneers are back, and I'm stoked. Aside from the intro first track that I didn't really think was necessary, this is probably some of their greatest stuff ever. In fact, while I always thought of them as just a quick/powerviolence-y blasts kind of band, there's some tracks on here that I almost want to say take some black metal tones (like the uber growls), but make them TOTALLY ROCKING, which makes this such a great new record; it’s not just a weak rehash of their old discography, but a great blend of having moved forward, with just enough familiarity to remind fans why they like them in the first place. Awesome. – Joe Evans III (No Idea!) [Jersey Beat]
BAD BACKS, THE: Tombstone Town: 7” EP
This seems to take from a lot of different influences; it’s not quite hardcore, and there are some pop punk/Jawbreaker aspects to it that are slight, but definitely there (especially in the song “Should Have Spoken Up”). The title track is also about being against pollution and cutting down trees, which scores points in my book. – Joe Evans III (Dirty River) [Razorcake]
BANNER PILOT: Pass The Poison: CD
So this band sounds a lot like Rivethead, which is natural considering this band contains ex-members of Rivethead. But Rivethead was great, so this is a good thing. Pretty much straight forward, speedy melodic punk, a bunch of originals plus a Buzzcocks cover. If you want an extra “sounds like” comparison that ISN’T directly related, they also remind me of Gunmoll, which is awesome. I think you know what I’m getting at with this. – Joe Evans III (Arsenic) [Jersey Beat]
BANNER PILOT: Resignation Day: CD
I bought a “super limited record release version” CDR, which I thought ruled. Until it didn’t work. Damn! But I got a “real” copy, which I feel is less cool. Anyway, this is a pretty great follow up to Pass The Poison. It’s pretty similar, and kind of reminds me of a more aggressive version of the later era Lookout! records pop punk. At first I was surprised by how trebly the whole thing sounded compared to the EP, but it went away quickly when I realized just how great some of these new songs are. –Joe Evans III (Go Kart) [Razorcake]
BATTLETORN: Terminal Dawns: CD
Two piece metal that’s still brutal in light of being a little stripped down. Reminds me of the kind of stuff you usually hear at ABC No Rio these days, way “crunchy” and growly vocals. Another plus is that there’s twenty two songs in about seventeen minutes, so it’s hard to get tired of it. –Joe Evans III (Mad At The World) [Razorcake]
BESTIES, THE: Home Free: CD
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been in this situation; you hear about a band, happen to see them randomly at a show, hear a song or two, and think “Man, this is great,” only never following up for whatever reasons. Such is the case here. They play indie pop with duel keyboards and lady vocals, with a decent-ish pop punk edge to it (“What Would Tim Armstrong Do?” reminds me of one of my favorite Green Day songs). Recommended if you like poppier stuff.–Joe Evans III (Hugpatch) [Razorcake]
BILLY REESE PETERS: Almost Heaven: CD
This is basically a testament to how great things must be in Florida, if your SIDE BANDS are this great, let alone your main bands. This is folks from Grabass Charlestons and Army of Ponch amongst many others, who have managed to pretty much nail the balance between punk, and ROCK - it’s like equal parts Spoke and Skynyrd. I’d say “this goes from fast, fist in the air ballads to smooth, sweet songs about sitting back and enjoying some beers (amongst other things)”, but it pretty much does both, at the same time, all the way through. This record may have taken seven years and twenty something different potential titles, but it’s well worth the wait. – Joe Evans III (No Idea!) [Jersey Beat]
BLACK MOON: Self Titled: CD
I couldn’t really tell if this was trying to be punk, metal, rock, stoner metal, or what, and I’m not sure if they can tell either. It’s not terrible, it just doesn’t really grab me. – Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Jersey Beat]
I’m pretty sure this can be counted as metal-core. I mean, it’s kind of newer-hardcore, with a lot of metal overtones to it. I have an ex who’d probably be all over this if she still listened to stuff like this, and not become a total emo fan (though that probably doesn’t mean much to you). It’s not bad, and as long as they don’t try to pull the whole “YO, DON’T MESS WITH THIS, WE’RE TOUGH” card, it’s cool by me. – Joe Evans III (Face Down) [Jersey Beat]
BLOODY WALL OF GORE: Greetings! From Plant BWOG: CD
Ok, I think I’ve been outsmarted; this goes from jazz with really juvenile lyrics (like about having sex with squids), to growly death metal (with lyrics that sound like they’re making fun of growly death metal). It’s a valiant effort, just a little to “wacky” for me. –Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Razorcake]
BOB ÜCKER: Self-Titled: CDR
It’s with this that I’m starting to realize how much of a “Milwaukee sound” there is, and that it’s great. This is a fine sample of basement punk (you know, awesome bands that are broke because all they do is spend time writing songs for their bands, and then doing nothing but playing them in the basements of punk houses across the country). I’ll also point out that this contains ex members of the Modern Machines, which isn’t the only reason you should check this out, but it’ll give you somewhat of a better idea what to expect. – Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Jersey Beat]
BRACKET: Requiem: CD
After six years, bumpkin punks Bracket have returned with a new record on a new label. Starting out with an intro that can only be described as “Caddy Shack-esque”, Requiem is a comeback record that, while isn’t perfect, is still pretty great. The songs (ALL of which entitled “Warrens Song Part x”) still have that trademark “Fat sound” to them, with a few little country touches every now and then. A few songs feel a bit rushed, but nothing that will leave you disappointed. Apparently they recorded this in their new home studio, which was built inside a trailer, which is equally impressive. If there’s any justice, they’ll get a cameo on “My Name Is Earl” soon. (Takeover) [Jersey Beat]
BRUTAL KNIGHTS: Feast of Shame: CD
Whoa, so this band totally rocks out? Straight forward, doesn’t hold back rock: Check. Part sleazy part hilarious songs like “Teach Me Sex” and “We Have A Website”: CHECK. Yes, I think this band totally rocks out and can’t recommend this enough, whether you like heavier stuff or not. – Joe Evans III (Deranged) [Razorcake]
BULLYS, THE: BQE Overdrive: CD
Ehhh; a combination of street punk/hardcore riffs, mixed with “we’re badass, we totally don’t care what you think” attitudes. I pretty much made up my mind by “Pop Is For Fags”. Yeah, you don’t care what people think, I get it. I guess that makes two of us. –Joe Evans III (The Bullys) [Razorcake]
BUZZCOCKS, THE: Flat-Pack Philosophy: CD
The problem with this record is a case of Simpsons syndrome: If you wrote a record like this it’s likely to say you’d be happy with it. However, at this point, the general consensus will be “It doesn’t hold a candle to the old stuff”, no matter what they put out. I’d still take this over some of these alleged “Groundbreaking” bands from today, that are still sucking it up. – Joe Evans III (Cooking Vinyl) [Jersey Beat]
BYKES AND BRIDGES: Speak Treason: TAPE
Even though I wasn’t an original/super long time fan, I can tell you this sounds like the very first incarnation of Against Me!, but with gruffer voices, and without any pot and pan percussion. Basically, your standard Plan-It-X/train hopper solo acoustic stuff. Also, in trying to find the contact info, I found out that this normally comes with a zine, and my review copy did not. NOT COOL, BYKES AND BRIDGES, NOT COOL. –Joe Evans III (http://www.myspace.com/bykesandbridges) [Razorcake]
CAPITAL: Signal Corps: CD
I’ll be honest, when I saw “New York hardcore” on here, I got a little nervous, seeing as my favorite New York hardcore bands are the kind that throw White Castle all over the place, and are few and far between. Upon listening though, this sounds like a band that I’d see at firehouse shows in the suburbs in the late 90’s. This would be a great record if the songs weren’t so long to the point where they start to drag on, but at the worst, it’s still not bad. –Joe Evans III (Iron Pier) [Razorcake]
I’m somewhat of a nerd when it comes to video games – I’ll admit it, I’m ok with it. So while there’s already a number of bands that exclusively cover video game music, this seems to be a record of electronic music (which I admittedly don’t know much about) that’s created from samples and loops FROM old video games, particularly from the original Game Boy (yeah, that’s right). The whole thing was a little too long for me to listen to in one sitting more than once, but it’s still cool to check out if you’re way into video games.– Joe Evans III (Go Midnight) [Razorcake]
CAPTAIN CHAOS: This Is Cake: CD
I’m pretty sure this is the dude(s) that run Plan-It-X, and that this is a concept album, the concept being that it was written/recorded as a birthday present to a friend of theirs. Like a lot of the PIX stuff, this is all fairly lo-fi, acoustic stuff, some of which gets pretty silly at times, and some of which takes more than one listen to get used to. Now, this may not be flawless, but for what it is (a simple folk punk record, done entirely in about three days, while the dude was apparently sick), it’s still really good. I’ll add that if someone called me up and told me “Hey, Captain Chaos is playing at the Laundromat in our cruddy town tonight,” I’d eagerly head over. –Joe Evans III (Crafty) [Razorcake]
CARDINAL SIN, THE: Hurry Up and Wait: CD
It makes no difference how many “punk” bands end up their own prime time specials, and make quintuple platinum records, I’ll still get weird looks from people for wearing a Toys That Kill t-shirt, or have people tell me “The Ergs? No one knows who they are.” That’s sort of what I like about The Cardinal Sin; this is poppy enough that your average random person won’t just write this off. However, there’s also some indie/post punk overtones, and compared to most of those garbage bands that worry on “making it”, this band actually focuses on coming up with good songs. Here I could probably play this in front of both my Mom (and she wouldn’t HATE it) and my friends (who would probably enjoy it. I like this. –Joe Evans III (Grey Flight) [Razorcake]
CATALOGS, THE: Scrunchy b/w Zombie Girl: 7”
Apparently this was in the works as far back as a decade ago, and didn’t come out until now. I wasn’t way into the Mutant Pop/that pop punk scene back then, so it’s all new to me. This seems like pretty straight forward stuff though, mid-tempo Ramones-core with some Buddy Holly leads thrown in. I’m fascinated that this band is from
CAUSTIC CASANOVA: Imminent Eminence: CD
Track one is titled “Are We Doing This?”, that’s a weird, phased out guitar experiment. From there is goes back and forth from stuff like that, and some other stuff that kind of sounds like a more mid-tempo Bracket, with Fred Schnieder’s third nephew singing. I guess they are doing this. –Joe Evans III (Self Released) [Razorcake]
CHEEKY: Choke On A Cheeseburger: CDR
I don’t know if it was intended as such, but when I listen to Cheeky I hear a total throwback to the Recess catalog. There’s the fast, snotty-ness like mid-era FYP, with Bent Outta Shape-similar leads sprinkled throughout. Meanwhile, there’s young lady vocals screaming about jerks at shows, being mad because of jerks, and jerks in general. As a fan of a lot of these things from Recess I’m reminded of, I think this is a flawless EP, and officially think this band completely rules. –Joe Evans III (
I think if the Marked Men had a touch more of a garage/power pop influence to them, they’d be the Chinese Telephones. Having finally released a proper full length (and after asking about it in a previous review, I can quite safely assume 110% of the credit), it some more of the familiar fast and catchy hits we already love, as well as some slower ones (which the asshole in me still likes, just not as MUCH as the faster/catchier ones, though that’s gradually changing with every listen). Listening to this gives me the impression that these guys are the type of band that could play at a party in any little jerk-water burg, and instantly win over everyone in attendance, from the (literal) kids to the older, “been around” dudes. –Joe Evans III (It’s Alive) [Razorcake]
CHORDS ARE DEAD: The Siren: EP
So this came with a press sheet telling me how this band nerds out over all sounds of weird underground/indie rock, like Hüsker Dü, and The Wipers. I proceeded to put this on, expecting all sorts of crazy weird insane noise, I got weird, borderline psychedelic, but all in all mellow jams. It’s ok, and while I put it back on the shelf for now, knowing me I’ll come across it about a month from now and be all “OH MY GOD I HAVEN’T LISTENED TO THIS IN FOREVER!” –Joe Evans III (self released) [Razorcake]
CLAVIN, CHRIS: The Roads Don’t Lead Home. The Roads Lead Everywhere: LP
New long player from the guy who brought/brings you Plan It X, Ghost Mice, and, obviously, Operation: Chris Clavin. I think if you’ve heard the name more than once or twice by now, you know what to expect (fairly lo fi folk punk), and if you’ll like it or not. Like a lot of his projects I’ve listened to, there’s a concept, this time being that all the songs are about what happened in different cities on a recent tour, which by the first song, made me think that’s like something J Church would do. I can’t honestly say I’m worried about wearing this out anytime soon, but I still enjoyed it, and think it’s a novel idea, nicely executed. Shit, anytime I get home all I do is blab about new girls I have crushes on.–Joe Evans III (Crafty) [Razorcake]
COBRA SKULLS: Draw Muhammad: CDEP
I’d never actually heard this band, despite hearing the name over and over again. “Like Against Me! but with more ska punk” was also what I’d heard, and I have to say, that’s pretty dead on. Come to think about it, they kind of remind me of Against All Authority without the horns. It didn’t immediately grab me at the first listen, but I do have a feeling I’ll want to go back to it later. Also, apparently Craigums from Love Songs/Conquest For Death recorded this, which scores bonus points in my book. –Joe Evans III (Red Scare) [Razorcake]
CONQUEST FOR DEATH: Front Row Tickets To Armageddon: CDGreat hardcore that comes out to about part blazing fast power-violence (minus the cookie monster vocals), with heavy metal, with thirteen songs in about fourteen minutes. I’d say the biggest downside is that you couldn’t enjoy all the guitar theatrics (Review within review: HOTT LIXX HULIHAN: Debut : 7” EP: It’s an AIR GUITAR 7”! How great is that?), but the CD has some live footage if you put it on a computer. Totally awesome.–Joe Evans III (Wajlemac) [Razorcake]
I can’t help but wonder if I got this because I’m into pop punk, or because I do all my reviews while playing Super Smash Brothers. Anyway, this is a really good, Ramones style pop punk record, with tons of sing along choruses. You could easily take any song from this, and seamlessly put it on a Lookout! Records comp, from when they still had bands like Squirtgun, The Lillingtons, and Moral Crux. If you like pop punk at all, you’ll like this.–Joe Evans III (It’s Alive) [Razorcake]
COPYRIGHTS, THE: Learn The Hard Way: CD
I’ll admit, this is one of those bands I got into much later than everyone else for whatever reason, but I’ve become well aware of this by now, and made sure to pick this up as soon as they came around. Before they’ve had the whole “distinct pop punk without being generic”, with the last record building on that, this one feels a bit darker, with just a touch of F.Y.P. style thrash to it (just slightly though, as they’re still tight as ever). I like this quite a bit. –Joe Evans III (Red Scare) [Razorcake]
DANIEL JAMES GANG, THE: In This City: CDR
As much as I love the Chinese Telephones songs themselves, there’s something to be said about seeing them live, and watching Daniel James go wild with his guitar. He can say he’s “not that good” all he wants, but he’s got his own thing going on, and he pulls it off, and well. This solo band of his is definitely more in that vein, I WANT to say “like Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, and such”, but ultimately I have to come clean and say “the stuff I wrote off up until a while ago(/still do to an extent) because it’s not punk”. But yeah, it’s very classic/garage/power pop influenced stuff that’s pretty cool, and I think “No Reason To Stay” is my favorite song on it. –Joe Evans III (Self Released) [Razorcake]
DAN PADILLA: Self-titled: CD
There’s a part of me that wants to say that this is what the Replacements would sound like as a basement/party punk band, but another says that’s just taking an easy way out. There’s going to be inevitable Tiltwheel references made, but I think that’s fitting considering it’s some of the same dudes. There’s notable differences though, as Dan Padilla’s got a bit more soul to it (I know it’s been said before by other people, but it’s true), with an occasional TOUCH of country twang, but it’s still rockin’ through and through. My only complaint is that this is a great summer night record, and here I got it in the middle of winter. –Joe Evans III (ADD) [Razorcake]
DARLINGTON: Sex: CD
Here’s the deal: Darlington is apparently a “solo-artist”, who just uses different backing bands every album/tour. Here’s the rest of the deal: There is nothing redeeming about this, at all. Period. Musically it’s just tenth wave “Hey, I wrote a song with three power chords, sign me to ’94-era Lookout!” pop-punk. But that’s not the worst part. This guy tries to pull off the whole “No one understands my poor, misunderstood heart, I shall never find a lady to ever love someone like ME”, as well as “We bang all night and it’s awesome” cards simultaneously. I think this may actually be WORSE than any MTV/Top 40 wanna-be punk-pop band, because with this someone may actually think “Oh hey so real punks can act like frat boys too? AWESOME!” I’m glad to hear that apparently all girls that are into pop-punk are here solely to service this “dude!” (Or alternately, “Brah!”) sexually any way he sees fit. This is so terrible I wouldn’t even blow this up in my microwave.-Joe Evans III (Fast Music) [Jersey Beat]
DC SNIPERS: Missle Sunset: CD
The last time I saw the DC Snipers, they were going crazy in a bar in the Lower East Side, eventually screaming chants of “ALL HUMANS ARE GARBAGE!” Needless to say, I was a bit surprised that this record wasn’t crazy off the bat (the first song starts with a quiet intro, so it takes a good five seconds or so). But, it picks up fast, and won me over even more than I was expecting it to. Touché Snipers, touché. Fans of old, weird, obscure, Killed By Death style punk, this is for you. – Joe Evans III (Dead Beat) [Jersey Beat]
DEAR LANDLORD/CHINESE TELEPHONES: Split: 7”
Dear Landlord: The new guys. Equal parts Rivethead and The Copyrights (literally), this band is a fucking powerhouse. I’m calling it pop punk, but with more raw power than 1-4-5. They’ve also figured out a nice loop hole to the eternal “do we want to double our vocals when we record?” by having up to three dudes (again, who can belt ‘em out) all singing at once at times. We’ve got a strong contestant for best band of the year. Chinese Telephones: The established guys. You’ve probably heard the name before, particularly if you’ve read this magazine before. Still fun, catchy, upbeat, etc punk rock, that kind of reminds me of the one God Hates Computers song I heard. Now get that proper full length out. Overall: A pretty great look into what’s going on in “somewhere in between pop and straight up punk rock”.–Joe Evans III (Co-Release: It’s Alive/Recess) [Razorcake]
DEEP SLEEP: Three Things At Once: CD
I’d heard this name from a bunch of my other friends, but never really checked them out for whatever reason. Modern dudes taking a strong influence from ‘80s hardcore (Circle Jerks, Adolescents, etc) that extended from the Descendents to more of the Cruz records roster (See: Title of this). I also like the convenience of having a bunch of other records in one nice little package. Neat. –Joe Evans III (Grave Mistake/Wallride) [Razorcake]
DEFECT DEFECT: Demo: Tape, and Yeah, I’m A Terrorist b/w Little Ways: 7”Holy SHIT; new favorite band. Quick synopsis, think if Black Flag kicked out Henry, and brought in Milo. Even still, I think that’s kind of not doing them justice. Kinda weird, with a perfect balance of being really pissed off, alongside hopeful optimism. I’m also going to point out that on the 7”, there’s four different covers, one for each member. I’m way psyched that there’s still good, serious punk bands, that still love fun. This is awsesome. – Joe Evans III (self released/Clarence Thomas) [Razorcake]
DEFECT DEFECT: Words: 7”
It’s official; I still think Defect Defect are one of the best bands going in American punk today (actually, just make that punk). The A side is new versions of songs from the demo tape, and one of the best examples of making you feel like you’re seeing a band live ever. The B side is one new song that’s a little weirder, but makes me really anxious to see what kind of directions they’re going in. Though at this rate, I don’t want a full length, because if they tour the US for every 7” they put out, my guess is that they’ll somehow strap water skis to their van and literally drive it around the Earth to support an LP. Seriously, get into this band right now. –Joe Evans III (CTR) [Razorcake]
DIE HOFFNUNG: Love Songs: CD
I think I’m just going to say it. Compared to it’s essentially older incarnation I Hate Myself: WORSE name, BETTER band. I don’t know how popular those opinions will be, but this is a straight up cool record. Weird, eclectic minimalist post punk that’s that still has some really good stuff going on, from feeling incredibly urgent (you know who this reminded me of at times? The Cost) to some slower, more relaxed jams. There are some shorter songs, and some longer ones, which help keep it from getting too repetitive as well. Listening to this makes me sad I’ve never actually seen them live, as I imagine they’re put on a hell of a show. – Joe Evans III (No Idea!) [Jersey Beat]
DILLINGER FOUR: Civil War: CD
There’s a catch when your first full length is a classic; How do you follow it up? Even if you come back with something just as great, even if the aesthetic is a little different, you’ll still get “Well, it’s no FIRST record…” I bring this up because it’s easily been D4’s greatest obstacle over the years, all of their output getting “But, Midwestern Songs, dude”, which is pretty cheap. For once, I will buy the “This is way more polished” argument, but at this point, I can’t help but find it a reminder that at heart, this is a pop punk band with a full on Mötörhead attack (and nuts the size of grapefruit). And while, yeah, it isn’t Midwestern Songs, you’d have to be a jerk to deny that there isn’t a handful of new classics on this one. –Joe Evans III (Fat Wreck) [Razorcake]
DOG ASSASSIN: Imperial States of America: 7”EP
Sweet zombie jesus, I don’t know where this came from, but I’m glad it got here. Five songs of awesome thrash that could probably be looked at in the same level as anything on Havoc. To sweeten the deal, this came with free stuff, AND the vinyl looks great (half black, half red). But the kicker—the cover has DARTH VADER on it! This is too good to be true. At first I may have to donate this to the Star Wars bathroom in Hotel Astoria, but screw that, I’m not giving this away so easily. –Joe Evans III (Spacement) [Razorcake]
Dogo & Crackerjacks: Bast Demo: Tape
Very dark, trudging noise, which gets a little repetitive at times, but it’s difficult to really analyze it (Because after all, how do you really “compare” noise?). Mildly Sonic Youth inspired, especially with both male and female members, which is always a good thing. I’d play it in my car when I’m actually driving around in the middle of the night, if I weren’t afraid it would make me more paranoid than I already am. Hopefully dihd and its artists will keep working towards putting out more quality, ultra DIY releases. (dihd) [Jersey Beat]
DOPAMINES/TILL PLAINS: Split: 7”
Dopamines: First time hearing them on record, pretty standard rough/Midwest style pop punk, with one straight forward song, and one acoustic-then-way-loud song. It’s ok. Till Plains: First time hearing of them, ever. Kind of like a noodly indie rock band, but with a faster/harder attack.–Joe Evans III (It’s Alive/Soapy Hand) [Razorcake]
Electric Six: Señor Smoke: CD
The Electric Six are in a strange position – They’re getting pretty big for an indie band, but they’re too silly and goofy to be taken seriously by the mainstream. Fortunately, I think this work out for the best for them. If you haven’t heard them yet, it’s silly, disco-rock, that’s often raunchy and/or referential to pop culture, to add to the effect. Granted, that shtick is attempted quite often, but these guys pull it off. I just wish there were one or two fewer songs that “attempt” to seem serious (And that they put more effort in the two intro/skits, for that matter). I don’t see why you wouldn’t enjoy them, lest you hate fun (Though I must admit, I want to seem someone take serious offense and call them terrorists for saying “Mr. President we don’t like you/you don’t know how to ROCK”). (Metropolis) [Jersey Beat]
ENDLESS MIKE AND THE BEAGLE CLUB: The Husky Tenor: CD
Interesting, apparently this band is comprised of ten plus dudes, and yet they aren’t a ska band. In fact, this is a whole bunch of folky/country jams that range from light and sensitive, to pretty rockin’, without just coming off as another Against Me! or Plan-It-X style rip off (as many other bands like this often do). This combined with the interesting packaging (which while I’m not positive, I suspect is the work of the label, who often pulls cool shit like this), I enjoy the bejesus out of this. –Joe Evans III (Crafty) [Razorcake]
ERGS!, THE: Ben Kweller: 12”EP
I’m not going to deny that The Ergs are easily one of, if not my favorite band over the past few years, so getting a copy of this reissue (it was previously only available on CD), I was a different kind of excited, because I knew I love this record, but it’s still KIND of like listening to it for the first time. To me, this is great because it’s got so much of the trademark Erg-isms that made me love them in the first place; the dorky “here’s music we love” references (title track/“When Your Squeeze”), quick thrashy songs (“Million Perfect Days”/ “Nambla Grey Area”), and straight up great pop punk songs like “Ashley Sugarnotch”. Yeah, this rules. –Joe Evans III (
ERGS!, THE: Books About Miles Davis b/w Only Babies Cry: 7”
I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, you already know who The Ergs! are, or will find out soon enough. Anyway, you know the song where Mike gets up from the drum set to sing towards the end of their set now? You know, the one that’s insanely good, even for them? Yeah, this is it (featuring more egg shaker here than on the LP ), backed with a Paul Baribeau cover. I don’t think the pressing(s) were that large, so I’d pick this up ASAP if I were you. – Joe Evans III (Whoa Oh) [Razorcake]
THE ERGS!: Jerseys Best Prancers: CD
First things first: It's CD reissue of a 12" that ended up going completely out of print in about a day. It’s The Ergs!, so you already know what to expect. This is pretty straight forward, by which I mean “these are all great poppy punk songs with touches of the classic 80’s American underground sound”, as opposed to something like “a great pop punk/Motown record”, which they’re probably busy writing as I type this. Now that the obligatory stuff is out of the way, here’s what I love about this record: I’ll listen to this, and think how the perfect way to hear it is while standing outside of some punk house, either being played live, or just really loud on a stereo, on a Summer evening, while I think how out of the rest of the world, I’d rather be right there, that out of all the possible outcomes, I’m happy I ended up like this. – Joe Evans III (Don Giovanni) [Jersey Beat]
ERGS!, THE: Upstairs/Downstairs: CD
There’s a band from New Jersey called The Nerds; they’re a typical cover band, they play things like weddings and corporate events and your typical shore bars, and the shtick is that they dress up in horn rimmed glasses and wear pocket protectors, while playing mostly various top 40 hits from throughout the past few decades, like “WHOA, LOOK AT US WE’RE TOTALLY DORKY THAT’S NUTS RIGHT??”. I point this out, because I can’t help but find it somewhat ironic that (and I mean this in the nicest way possible) The Ergs! have completely beaten “The Nerds” at their own game, so to speak. They’re smart dudes, and they know and obsess over all things music. We know they’ve already nailed writing the quick, catchy, poppy punk love songs, but there’s more proof here of just how talented they are (for example “Stinking Of Whiskey Blues”, as well as the brilliant title track [which may actually be my favorite Ergs! song ever]). And if that’s not enough, they traveled all the way to the other side of the country just to record with Conrad Uno (and most likely demand to hear every little story he has), and with one of their favorite bands to boot (you’ve heard of bringing your favorite band with you on tour? Yeah, they’ve upped the ante there too). I have no doubt in my mind that they could figure out a way to play music full time, be it by playing multiple sets at country and jazz bars every day, or becoming some lame ass cover band, but instead they keep putting out records like this, and playing great shows, and for that I am thankful. – Joe Evans III (Dirtnap) [Razorcake]
ERGS!, THE: Hindsight Is 20/20 My Friend: CD
By the time this goes to print, The Ergs! will have played their “last show”. Bummer, on account that I found them to be one of the most inspiring bands in the American underground today. This singles collection is a reminder why. Musically speaking, they weren’t afraid to just do whatever the hell they wanted. “Thrash about the monotony of touring? We’ll record it on our day off. Alt country? Bring it on, we’ll do a 7.” Call me an asshole, but that’s a lot more exciting than a lot of other formulaic bands I’ve seen get big these days. Then again, these guys still wrote some of straight up poppy punk rock songs about girls and being backstage at NOFX concerts in a long time. I hope more bands down the line take a lesson from these guys, because at this point I feel like if you don’t like The Ergs!, you’re an asshole. –Joe Evans III (Dirtnap) [Razorcake]
EVAPORATORS, THE: Gassy Jack and Other Tales: CD
I’ll admit it, as much as I love Narduar’s interviews, and as intrigued as I was in his musical output, I’d never heard The Evaporators before. But GODDAMN, this is awesome. I was expecting mid-tempo, jangly power-pop, and it starts off like a more eccentric version of Regulations. THEN it quickly turns into some wacky, funny, way danceable jams. To back it up, I received this at one of the most depressed points I’ve been in a while, and upon first listen I was jumping around, making the decision I shall travel to Vancouver to see them during the winter Olympics. Added bonuses are the videos on the CD version, plus an encounter with Courtney Love. This rules! –Joe Evans III (Mint) [Razorcake]
EVER WE FALL: We Are But Human: CD
So I’d heard that Hopeless had totally changed what kind of records they were putting out, but WOW. It’s hard to believe that the label that released “Midwestern Songs” has changed formats to stuff like this. It’s not terrible, just not something I’d listen to on a regular basis. Plus the album doesn’t really ‘flow’, as much as sounds like a bunch of songs that’ll hopefully end up on the radio. I couldn’t help but think that my friends that used to listen to metal but turned into screamo fans would love this.-Joe Evans III (Hopeless) [Jersey Beat]
EVERYOTHERS, THE: Pink Sticky Lies: CD
This sounds like NYC hipster indie-rock, but at least this band does it ok, especially compared to the hundreds of other bands that try to be like this. Not really the kind of stuff I’d expect from Kill Rock Stars, but then again they’ve put out both Sleater Kinney and Born Against records, so what do I know? For only five songs, this is pretty good. – Joe Evans III (Kill Rock Stars) [Jersey Beat]
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