FAKE PROBLEMS: Spurs and Spokes/Bull>Matador: CD
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that this is four new songs, and four old rerecorded ones. I saw this band for the first time over the summer and bought a CD, but was a little bummed upon listening, because I really didn’t think it sounded like them live; this changes that. Fairly Against Me!ish alt-country, with some strong indie rock overtones to it too. It gets a bit arty at times, but all in all this band seems to be improving with every release. –Joe Evans III (Sabot) [Razorcake]
FILTHY 42’S, THE: Positively South Jersey: CD
I notice I tend to get a lot of stuff from New Jersey lately, presumably because everyone assumes I already know about it. This pretty much comes across as just another band trying to hit it big. I mean, the tunes aren’t bad, but anything heartfelt here has been polished away. I mean, it came with a press sheet that included “target markets”. People aren’t assuming I’m into that kind of stuff, right? –Joe Evans III (Boot To Head) [Razorcake]
FLESHIES: Scrape the Walls: CD
Woah. Now I’ve been into Fleshies (no “The”) for a while now, and their brand of what I’ll call warehouse punk (think bands that spend most of their time playing more unusual “venues” like abandoned warehouses, and thus come up with some really cool stuff from the total lack of trying to appeal to a typical club audience). Up until now, it had seemed like their output was getting more frantic, so I was expecting this to be some of their most rocking stuff ever. Then I put this on, and it took me a listen, but I realized that it’s some of their WEIRDEST stuff ever, and it’s great, it’s almost what I was expecting from the new Toys That Kill record (which ended up being some of THEIR most rocking stuff). I’m still trying to figure out if there’s some weird concept stuff going on here or not, but either way, this is easily in my top ten of the year, if not top five. – Joe Evans III (Alternative Tentacles) [Jersey Beat]
FORTY MARSHAS: Self-titled: CD
Appears to be some big rock dude collaboration project, with a bunch of people (ranging from member of Death By Stereo to the Goo Goo Dolls), and a bunch of sounds (ranging from really long drawn out ambient noise, to metal). It’s not bad and has its moments, it’s just kinda weird for me to be able to sit down and enjoy it in one sitting. –Joe Evans III (Beatville) [Razorcake]
FOUR DEADLY QUESTIONS/ANSWER LIES, THE: Split: CD
Four Deadly Questions: already amongst the handful of my favorite New York City punk bands (well, I mean, there ARE a lot of punk bands there). I almost want to say they sound like if Toys That Kill were both angrier and weirder. The Answer Lies: I’d been meaning to check them out as it is, so I was happy when I realized they were the other half of this split. I was also happy to hear the thrashy, straight up punk rock that is their half. I pronounce this split a “W”, for winner. –Joe Evans III (GC) [Razorcake]
FOUR EYES, THE:
FOUR STAR ALARM: Tilted b/w Cities In Dust: 7”
I couldn’t figure out what was familiar about this at first, was it Dag Nasty? Then after listening to it a bunch of times, I looked at the little info sheet, and realized the a-side was a Sugar cover (that song’s going on a Sugar tribute, the other’s just an extra b-side). So that’s what I decided, this band sounds like Sugar and Dag Nasty. With a slight indie rock side to them. Yes. –Joe Evans III (Underground Communiqué) [Razorcake]
FRESHKILLS: Creeps And Lovers: CD
This sounds like something they’d play on WXR-KweusedtoplayROCK. It’s not that it’s really BAD per se, I just found it somewhat boring. – Joe Evans III (Arc Light) [Jersey Beat]
FULL OF FANCY: Sweet Baby Jesus: CD
It’s fitting that the cover art is full of gummy bears; at the core, this is super sugary, ultra fun, catchy pop. But then, there’s a strange, distinctive aftertaste, that leaves you unsure of what it is, just that it’s GOOD. In this case, it stems from a distinct mid-‘90s alternative rock influence, that becomes a little more noticeable with every listen. Think a stripped down version of The Soviettes putting out a record on Sub Pop in their heyday. Think jelly beans dipped in fudge. Think one of the best first full lengths of the year. Think highly recommended. –Joe Evans III (Whoa Oh) [Razorcake]
FULL OF FANCY/SCREAMING FEMALES: Split: 7”
Full Of Fancy: One of my current favorites. Often poppy, sometimes a tad angry, always rockin’. Here’s two more songs, a short, but smart, and funny little number about sports, and a (slightly) longer, grittier, more personal one as well. Everything I love about this band wrapped up in a nice little package. Screaming Females: One of the latest/most hyped bands in New Brunswick, who admittedly I haven’t listened to as much (I have my own favorites, and I’m a picky curmudgeon). I’ve heard the compliment “the new Hendrix” tossed around, because they’re great musicians, but that often leaves me thinking “Ok, you can play. So now what?” but these songs are probably the most straight forward (read “focused”) stuff of theirs I’ve ever heard, thus making it my favorite so far. –Joe Evans III (Let’s Pretend) [Razorcake]
FUNERAL CRASHERS, THE: La Fin Absolue Du Monde: CDI’m going to be the first to admit, I’m not a goth music expert. Not that I don’t like my share of dark and depressing stuff, but usually my first choice is going to be something more along the lines of The Sass Dragons. However, I still like this. It’s dark, eerie, but it’s different from song to song, not just the same old shit over and over again, kinda like Suicide at one minute, and Interpol the next. I thought this was pretty cool. –Joe Evans III (Self-released) [Razorcake]
GET RAD: Bastards United: 7” EP
Remind me – is this the band that’s STONERS doing STRAIGHT EDGE hardcore, or vice versa? Or a little of both? Either way, this sounds like if Minor Threat was on something, what I’m not entirely sure, but whatever it is it’s the right stuff, because this is some pretty great thrash that’s fun to listen to.–Joe Evans III (Level Plane) [Razorcake]
GOD DAMN DOO WOP BAND, THE: Broken Hearts: CD
So here’s the deal: this is a bunch of punks, who decided to start a doo wop band. Not some cutesy little “punk” doo wop band, like a real, legit, doo wop band. And it’s freaking awesome. Heck knows I have enough trouble describing punk rock, so this is even tougher on me, but I do know the dudes can play, and the ladies can sing. I mean, EVERYONE starts punk bands now, but who starts doo wop bands? I love this. – Joe Evans III (Afternoon) [Razorcake]
GUITAR BOMB: Back Alley Jesus: CD
I’m not much of a one man band aficionado by any means, but that’s what this is, and I liked it. Going with that, I’m not sure how else to really describe it other than a bunch of rad country/bluesy jams, so I’ll add that it this is on Crafty, who get an A+ in the “being stand up dudes” department, for putting out some cool local records, as well as setting up shows, which makes this worth checking out on that merit alone. It’s like the fact that it’s a good record anyway is an added bonus.–Joe Evans III (Crafty) [Razorcake]
HAPPY ACCIDENT: Vanity Press: CD
This is a cutesy little indie-pop record. This strikes me as a nice band to see at Maxwell’s on a nice summer evening. Yup. – Joe Evans III (10 Gev) [Jersey Beat]
HERESY: 1985-‘87: CD
Early UK thrash/hardcore, you could possibly call some of it proto-power violence at time. This is geared more to fans of Havoc style punk, but with some unreleased demos and liner notes containing a fairly comprehensive history of the band, if you’re the type of person that’s into stuff like this, you’ll enjoy this. – Joe Evans III (Boss Tuneage) [Jersey Beat]
Yeah yeah, give the record titled “Our City Doesn’t Stink All The Time” to the guy from New Jersey, don’t think I don’t see the joke here. Anyway, loud, fuzzed out psyche/garage rock, I want to say reminds me a little of The Carbonas (or at least makes them come to mind for some reason), but not nearly as straight forward, and a lot noisier most of the time . I like this, good stuff.–Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Razorcake]
HIGH COURT, THE: Puppet: CD
It’s amazing what you can do in recording studios these days: apparently now there are knobs you can turn to make you sound like My Chemical Romance and Fallout Boy (turned up to about seven, and ten respectively here).–Joe Evans III (I Surrender) [Razorcake]
HINDI GUNS, THE: Patriot Act: CDEP
This was kind of weird and experimental, but nothing super crazy. It starts out somewhat pseudo jazzy, with the vocals consisting entirely of samples of Henry Rollins and Lemmy, talking about the state of society and modern music. The rest is similar, but with female vocals. There’s a lot of writing on the back of this, like “promotional fan club” this, and “found lyrics/recorded live” that, so I was a little confused as to just what this record is or what it’s for, but I still liked it. Overall this is the kind of strange but interesting stuff that I’d expect Hunchback to cover. – Joe (French Fan Club) [Razorcake]
HINDI GUNS, THE:Self-titled: CDEP
I was going to make a joke like “Maryam b/w Count To Ten: CD” in the title, but didn’t, and then I opened this up and saw that it’s one of those CD that looks like vinyl deals, so I regret that decision (I’m not going to lie and say I thought of it before seeing it, I have integrity like that, or something). It’s fitting, since the songs on here are somewhat jazzy, mildly psychedelic, and fairly light in comparison to what I think the subject matter is (I could be wrong though). It’s good stuff, but I wish there was more than two songs. –Joe Evans III (French Fan Club) [Razorcake]
HOLLYWOOD BLONDES, THE: Fifteen Minutes Of Lame: CDEP
Pretty straight forward Ramones-core pop punk. I can’t say this is the most original stuff I’ve heard, but it’s not bad, and they win points for the song “Tina Is A Headcase”. The only other point I’d mention is that for stuff like this, I’d rather hear more than six songs over the course of fifteen minutes.–Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Razorcake]
HUMAN ADULT BAND, THE: Wantnaut/Wastenaut: CDR
Super DIY noisy/post punk from New Brunswick, we’re talking homemade sleeve, and spray paint over traditional CD labels. A combination of session and live tracks, it’s better when it’s noisier and avant-garde, as opposed to when there’s a minimalist approach. They strike me as a band you’d see play in some abandoned warehouse or art space.-Joe Evans III (dihd) [Jersey Beat]
HUMAN TELEVISION: Look At Who You’re Talking To: CD
I’d heard this band live on the Cherry Blossom Clinic a while ago, so I was happy to check this out. Fairly mellow, relaxed indie-rock, not what I’d normally expect from Gainesville, but it’s not like it’s on No Idea! or anything. Some of the vocals struck me as Pixies-ish at times. This is nice, and it seems fitting that I’ll probably put it on more come Spring/Summer time. – Joe Evans III (Gigantic Music) [Jersey Beat]
HUNCHBACK: Inside/Out b/w Song For Dave Berg: 7”
Some lighter output from a (normally) much noisier band. Two songs, one of which is from their upcoming LP, the other is exclusive. Topics covered include Courtney Love, and buds, and there’s a very jangly, mid/late ‘90s alternative rock vibe to it (as opposed to most of their ‘80s underground/Killed By Death output). This record costs a dollar. Pick it up. – Joe Evans III (Don Giovanni) [Razorcake]
HUNCHBACK: All the 7”s + Comp Stuff: CDR
Dear Hunchback: You are one of my favorite bands. I love that you play music about weird horror movies and finding the inner beauty of things, while sounding like a band that was too punk for any Killed By Death compilation to handle. I bought this one night in
HUNCHBACK: Pray For Scars: LP
A friend of mine once said “I don’t like Hunchback – it’s just noise”. Sure enough, that’s exactly why I like Hunchback (in theory). There’s days where I want to listen to something really poppy, or jazz, and sometimes I’m just in the mood for weird, crazy noise. Then again, I can understand Hunchback isn’t for everyone. I like that. It’s easy to give them a listen and assume that they’re just another weird noise band, but I feel like as chaotic as this record can be at times, everything was planned out to a T (I mean, shit, they tracked down Michael Gerald to sing on this, so they’ve obviously got a clear vision on just what they want to do). I’m sure this one will make even the biggest weirdo/art punks scratch their head, from the lengthy/black metal-ish (in an atmospheric way, in my opinion) opener, to when the record actually LIGHTENS UP a bit – KIND OF. Mark my words, Hunchback is a band with a plan, and this record is keeping them on the right track. –Joe Evans III (Don Giovanni) [Razorcake]
HUNCHBACK: Ugly on the Outside: CD
I tend to be late with things as it is, so I’m glad I have a copy of this already. The Hunchback is one of the best bands in New Jersey right now. They’ve pretty much consistently blown me away every time I’ve seen them live, and they only seem to be getting better. Imagine a combination of every weird/super obscure band out there, exploding with an often surf-y, noisy (Though occasionally calm and reserved, at just the right moments) songs about everything sad about the world. I can’t even sing along because I’m busy getting chills. Talk about a band that gets it. This is essential. – Joe Evans III (Freedom School) [Jersey Beat]
IFIHADAHIFI/MODERN MACHINES: Hot Nuggets: CD
One of the great things about punk rock is that I could say “Well, I mostly listen to punk bands”, yet still be into all sorts of different stuff when it comes down to it. This split is a perfect example. I’d never heard IfIHadAHiFi before, but they’re very techno/electronic, striking me as somewhat Big Black-ish, and my main impression was that it’d be fun to see them live. I already knew how great Modern Machines are, who play some great punk inspired rock and roll. Now, most of the songs on here are covers, so it’s more of a way to delve into both bands influences and what they’re into, as opposed to what their next records will sound like. But it’s still great. Also, for collectors, the vinyl is a great looking picture disc. – Joe Evans III (Crustacean) [Jersey Beat]
IMPULSE INTERNATIONAL, THE: The Real Kid b/w The World Hates Me: 7”
A new 45 from this now postal-service-land-band (I’m taking credit for that). The first A side is more upbeat garage rock’n’roll that will likely get you boogieing down to some extent. The other “A” side (which threw me for a quick loop and cracked me up) sounds more like a mid-tempo Buzzcocks song, or, I’m really tempted to say, a less melancholy Arrivals song. Do I even mean that? I just think this is the best thing I’ve heard of theirs so far. –Joe Evans III (Derranged) [Razorcake]
IMPULSE, THE/BOY/GIRL: Split: 7”
The Impulse: A familiar name. Featuring members of Dirt Bike Annie, The Impulse fall in-between pop punk and power pop, very reminiscent of the Hi-Fives; catchy, upbeat rock’n’roll with the highest priority being on having fun. There’s also a companion DVD included too. Boy/Girl: An unfamiliar name. Mid-tempo, fairly arty, slightly noisy indie rock. I want to say that if it were the mid to late ‘90s, and Sub Pop was based in Hoboken or Jersey City, this band would be on that label.–Joe Evans III (Self-Released) [Razorcake]
JOE JITSU: The Perfect Life: CD
Road To Ruin style mid/slow tempo pop punk. Most of the songs have a Dear You sounding guitar tone, and a few are more jangly, but I preferred the former over the later. It’s a little repetitive at times so while I don’t imagine myself listening to it constantly, it’s good for the kind of day that’s mostly cloudy and gloomy, with that little bit of sun shinning through.–Joe Evans III (Top Five) [Razorcake]
JOHNNY BODACIOUS & THE BAD ATTITUDES: From Here To Outer Space: CD
I really had no idea what to expect upon seeing this for the first time, but upon listening it kind of made me think of what it would sound like if Delay were more into metal than Green Day, in that it’s fairly youthful and energetic sounding, with a touch more technical(-ish) parts in the songs (I actually would’ve said “later-era Propaghandi” instead of metal, but the songs don’t strike me as being political, at least not to any “The public transit sytems are a racist bullshit institution” levels [yeah, that’s about as best I can do there]). It plays a little weird since it’s apparently a collection of some old stuff and new stuff, but it’s not bad, and I’d be interested in hearing more down the line.–Joe Evans III (Cassette Deck) [Razorcake]
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