Rock Star Journalist

Over at Fuck the Mummies, there’s a great compilation assembled by the guy who runs the site. He compiled a list of the ultimate garage punk songs, put ‘em together as a comp, and it’s available for download via RS. The link’s in this post.

The list and comp are part of RateYourMusic’s Ultimate Box Set, which is “a 500 cd fanmade true history of music, covering every genre from every era, with contributions of each disk by users with the necessary expertise and understanding for each respective genres. 500 discs is just a target for the amount of discs on the “completed” project and may total more or less.” It’s pretty swank, and if you’re in the need for a compilation starting point, the lists provided are exhaustive. Most (if not all) are pretty subjective, but thorough.

The fact that he included songs from both the Spread Eagles and Fag Cop (bands local to here in Lawrence) speaks pretty highly of the bands included. The reliance on Goner-related bands and leans a little towards the past five or six years is a little frustrating (no Gas Huffer?), but it’s still a strong comp, and far better than the usual indulgent tripe you find online.

Fag Cop - “I’m Fucking Dead” (from I’m Fucking Dead)
Gas Huffer - “You Are Not Your Job” (from The Inhuman Ordeal Of Special Agent Gas Huffer)

Bomb the Music Industry! - “Scrambles”
(Quote Unquote Records)

As many times as I’ve written of Bomb the Music Industry! in the past, you’d think I’d've run out of things to say by this point. Nope! They just released their newest album, Scrambles, and it’s pretty goddamn great. It’s way more varied than their past few records, and those were pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.

Scrambles has a couple slower, acoustic numbers, which I certainly think will lend themselves pretty well to Mr. Rosenstock’s travels around the world with a guitar and iPod. The fast, crazy songs - of which there are the usual amount - are a little more focused, and have less dramatic tonal shifts than, say, To Leave Or Die On Long Island. The lyricism is less general, and more incitefully focused on topics like scene elitism (by both bands and fans) in songs like “Gang of Four Meets the Stooges (but Boring)” and “(Shut) Up The Punx!!!”

Even songs like “Can I Pay My Rent in Fun?” and “Saddr Weirdr” put forth the notion that music, while liberating, can be absolutely stifling to one’s life in general. The idea of spending your life seeing the country and playing music sounds like it’d be the greatest adventure ever, until you think about it and realise that you’re seeing the country through the windows of a van and a haze of cigarette smoke from onstage.

“Fresh Attitude, Young Body” and “25!” turn all of Scrambles into a sort of meditation as to what it’s like to get older, play music, and be poor. “Cold Chillin’ Cold Chillin’” and “Sort of Like Being Pumped” provide the bookends to the album, that along with the aforementioned songs about aging, give the album a certain sense of hope, that there are “messages that say that life’s better than this.”

The story of the whole recording story over at the discography page is amazing, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the copy from Asian Man that is, in Mike Park’s words, “an insane visual project as the CD, and comes with a 32 page zine with random brilliance and other ramblings from Jeff and friends, a sticker decoder for the cover, digipak and yup… to date, the most expensive CD we’ve put out.” Wow. In the meantime, download it for free (or a donation of your choice) below.

Download Scrambles here or, if you just want a taste, “Gang of Four Meets the Stooges (but Boring).”

Howlies – “Trippin’ With Howlies”
(OverUnder Records)

This album has a cover that had me thinking that Howlies were yet another Sonics worshipping act devoted to vintage gear and lo-fi recording techniques. The whole “make the new record look old” idea has been done over and over, ad nauseum, but it’s pretty reliable indicator as to what a record will sound like. In this case – yes and no.

Yes, there are certainly moments where Howlies are aping the Sonics or any number of Nuggets garage acts. But, surprisingly (and pleasantly so), the band has a serious indie-pop sensibility that results in this band sounding like nothing quite so much as the Shins doing Chuck Berry songs. “Angeline” is one of those songs that drops references left and right (not unlike Okkervil River’s “Plus Ones”), comparing a new girlfriend to the Police’s “Roxanne” and Berry’s “Maybelline,” amongst others. Trippin’ With Howlies is one of those records that could pop up in our rotation between the Fuzztones and the Decemberists without any sign of awkwardness, and that’s a pretty auspicious distinction.

“Chimera“

Anymore, it’s getting harder and harder to work up the energy to go out. I enjoy hitting the shops and shooting the shit when I go look at comics and books and records, but when it comes to shows, I just have a hard time working up the energy. My friend Rodney put it pretty well in his last post when he said it sucks being an adult. I do hate being an adult, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve had a pretty good life thus far, and much as I hate to admit it, I’m fucking jaded.

It’s really goddamn hard for anything to affect me worth a damn. I’ve seen some great shows, and what made a lot of those shows great was that it was all new. I’ve seen a lot of shows. not as many as some folks I know, but more than most. Giving up my couch and pajamas to trek to another town means that I’m really hoping for a great show. Something mindblowing. And, really - the chances of me seeing something fresh and exciting get less and less as time goes by.

The only reasons I’m even going to see Ultimate Fakebook at the Uptowntonight are A) I’m on the list for press, and get to shoot photos (which I never did back when they were around originally, mainly because it’s hard to double-fist Pabst when you’re also holding a camera) and B) they’re promising a fucking rock show, the kind they always wanted to do, but never had the stage for. There’s a part of me that remembers them playing the Klammies years back and what they were able to do then as just a three piece and time enough for three songs, and just fucking knows that this might be the show to get me jazzed about live music again.

SXSW came close to doing it last year, but it was fucking overload. The sheer number of fantastically great shows going on simultaneously ruins anyone for just going out. If a band sucked, or you were bored, there were another dozen shows that were better going on right then. Coming back to Lawrence and having one option that may or may not have been worth the five dollar cover at the Jackpot sorta lacked any appeal.

The irony here is that I’m hoping to make myself excited about music by seeing a band I’ve probably seen three or four dozen times. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but in this case, it’s more the promise of something old done in a way that I’ve never seen it before. Sort of like cover songs, y’know? I’ve heard classic rock tunes a billion times, and Foreigner really doesn’t do anything for me anymore (if they ever did), but hearing Lou Barlow do “Cold As Ice” made me love that song. Maybe seeing a big-ass flashing rock sign and a shitload of lights and smoke pot while singing along to songs I know by heart will bring something back.

Ultimate Fakebook - “She Don’t Even Know My Name” (from This Will Be Laughing Week)

VARIOUS - SHRED YR FACE 2 - FUCKED UP, BRONX, ROLO TOMASSI

Release Date: Expected on 02/23/2009

limited to 1000 copies on transparent red vinyl. february 2009 sees the start of the second shred yr face uk tour. this time coming to a town or city near you are the bronx, fucked up and rolo tomassi - one hell of a billing. to coincide with the tour, the three bands have each recorded an exclusive track for a limited edition seven inch from rough trade. this follows the tremendous success of last year’s shred yr face tour and 7″ which featured los campesinos, no age, times new viking and for which the 7″ sold out in less than a week. the bronx give you their take on a classic by another hard-living la-based group, the gun club. anyone that has heard the bronx’s versions of neil young’s ‘needle and the damage done’ or warren zevon’s ‘carmelita’ knows that a cover from these dudes is always a hot prospect, and they do not disappoint with ’she’s like heroin to me’. fucked up present a raw blast through a little known us punk-rock classic from 1977, ’son of sam’ by chain gang. and rolo tomassi deliver a typically intense blast of melt banana-esque noise in the form ‘apocalypso ‘09′.

the Gun Club - “She’s Like Heroin to Me” (from Fire of Love)

*NOTE*
Man, we’re posting all sorts of cover song / vinyl news today, huh? Oh, and Rough Trade needs to get somebody to spell-check their press releases. I fixed this one, for the most part, mainly because it made my eyes hurt. Anyhow, if you buy this, with shipping and current conversion rates, it’ll run you about US$10.50. Not bad for a limited edition import single, but still a little pricey in this economy. The bands and songs are pretty choice, though.

There’s an article over at Bullz-Eye I just got done reading, entitled “Your Favorite Band Sucks.” It’s a pretty vicious series of band overviews, wherein comparisons are made between Perry Farrell’s voice and nails on a chalkboard, Oasis and ordinariness, etc. It’s sort of a grand, band-indicting version of the book Kill Your Idols that Jim DeRogatis edited a couple of years back.

That book was similar, in that it took some potshots at sacred cows. More specifically, however, it singled out albums that are “classic” and explained as to why they were extremely overrated. Derogatis rips on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and there’s a piece in there about killing Fleetwood Mac that may be the funniest piece of music writing I’ve ever read in my life.

Everything is probably taken best with a grain of salt. When I talked with DeRogatis at SXSW last year, even he admitted that some of the records covered were favorites of his. Some of the bands mentioned in the article above might raise your dander up a bit, but it’s humor, folks. Don’t get your undies in a bunch and send “OMG WTF is wrong wit u guyz?!?!1 Teh DOORS are the gratest band EVAR! U suk!!!” I’m sure they’re ripping on some of your least favorite acts, too. Personally, I enjoy the ripping on Radiohead.

The only Radiohead song I care for…
Radiohead - “Just” (Live at Outside Lands Festival 8/22/08)

So, the Oscars fucked up in ways other than not nominating the Dark Knight for best picture or best director when they snubbed Springsteen for a nomination. Two tracks from Slumdog Millionaire, but the Boss gets ignored? Surprising, especially considering he won the Golden Globe.

Shit, I’m not the biggest Springsteen fan, or really much of anything past casual enjoyment. But “The Wrestler” is one of those songs where the lyrics fit the film so well, I actually enjoyed listening to what was playing over the end credits.

The Academy usually fucks up somewhere, but it appears this year is rather impressive in its omissions. Good goin’, old fogeys. You’ve once again shown a total lack of vision when it comes to quality. The Wrestler was one of those movies that hit every note perfectly. The casting was amazing, with Mickey Rourke completely inhabiting the role of Randy the Ram. Marisa Tomei is both tragic and beautiful, and the plot… well, wrestling’s pretty close to my heart in terms in of things I love, and this is the fictional equivalent of Beyond the Mat. It was the first film I saw this year, and it’s going to be difficult to top.

Dammit - Patton Oswalt better not have had anything to do with this. I know he’s gone a little Oscar nutty, but he’s one of the few people in the Academy I feel I can trust.

Bruce Springsteen - “the Wrestler“

In which I review CDs that have been sitting next to my stereo since shortly after Thanksgiving. Just because they’re not timely doesn’t mean they’re not content…

Star Fucking Hipsters – “Until We’re Dead”
(Fat Wreck Chords)
Does every single band Scott Sturgeon (aka the Stza) is involved in have to sound alike because of a contract he signed somewhere, or is he just a one-note guy? Seriously – from Choking Victim to Leftover Crack to the Crack Rock Steady 7 and now Star Fucking Hipsters – the bands all have crust punk mixed with ska and Stza screaming political rhetoric over the top of them. Add in the various other acts that have shot off – No Cash, Stockyard Stoics, INDK, Morning Glory – and there’s a veritable sub-genre of bands that all sound EXACTLY THE FUCKING SAME. It’s a good sound, but it doesn’t exactly take advantage of the possibilities the punk / crust / ska crossbreed would suggest. Star Fucking Hipsters do slow things down and add in some electronic effects, as well as the stellar keyboard work of World/Inferno Friendship Society and Hold Steady member Franz Nicolay, though. It’s also got some female vocals, which would be a pleasant counterbalance to Sturgeon’s screeching, except for the fact that Nico de Gaillo is equally as razor-throated, if not more so.
Download “Until We’re Dead” and “Two Cups of Tea“.

Joey Cape – “Bridge”
(Suburban Home)
Joey Cape is the frontman of Lagwagon, as well as Bad Astronaut. A lot of these songs have already seen the light of day in electric forms from those bands. “Errands,” “B Side,” “Memoirs and Landmines,” “No Little Pill,” and “Mission Unaccomplished” all appeared on I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon, which came out on Fat Wreck about two months before this record. In essence, rather than a “true” solo record, this is pretty much just reworkings of songs that have already been released, making it feel like a b-sides comp. It’s pretty good, and “The Ramones Are Dead” is worth picking it up alone, but since Cape’s split with Joey Sly was pretty much the same thing – acoustic versions of Lagwagon tunes – I’d really hoped this would have been a little different. It’s not bad if you want to hear some slowed down versions of songs you already know, but not so great if you want new material.
Download “Errands“

The (International) Noise Conspiracy – “The Cross of My Calling”
(Vagrant)
Wow. When the “RIYL” tag on the front of the CD names two of the frontman’s previous bands, you know they’re not being honest. This does not sound anything like the Lost Patrol Band, nor does it sound even remotely like Refused. It barely even sounds like the first two T(I)NC records. Those were hip-shaking, modish garage efforts that managed to rock the joint. This is… fuck, I have no idea what happened. Dennis Lyxzen once had some sort of vocal strength and the desire to change the world, and now it just sounds like he wants to chill on the couch and watch Scooby-Doo. This is boring-ass hippy bullshit of the worst kind. Somewhere in the second half, it seems like the band might know how to rock again, but it’s pretty fleeting.
Download “I Am the Dynamite“.

Hank III – “Damn Right, Rebel Proud”
(Sidewalk Records)
If ever someone could be accused of cashing in on a name, Hank III would be that person. Coasting on the fame and talent of both his father and grandfather, Hank III’s only claim to being musically worthwhile is pretty much shock value. The first track, “The Grand Ole Opry (Ain’t So Grand)” is a combination of both name-dropping and shock, with Hank swearing like a sailor and talking shit on the Opry for never reinstating his granddad. Lacking any sort of talent, and trying to offend anyone and everyone, this is pretty much just shit-kicker country for metalheads. If you listen to both David Allen Coe and Pantera in your pickup, then Hank III’s your man. If you like either the original Hank or Bocephus, this’ll probably turn your stomach.

Useless ID – “The Lost Broken Bones”
(Suburban Home)
Israeli punk rock. Once you get past the fact that Useless ID is from overseas, there’s really nothing to recommend them. Aside from the novelty value of “hey, not bad for a band from Israel,” the band’s pretty fucking bland. They sound just like a dozen other acts, like Rise Against or Bad Religion, and when those bands’ most recent lackluster efforts are better than your album, you might want to rethink your band. I appreciate that Useless ID is repping the scene over there in the Middle East, but that’s no excuse for boring the shit out of me.
Download “Blood Pressure” and “Killing A Ghost“.

The Riot Before – “Fists Buried In Pockets”
(Say 10)
Melodic punk rock, a la the Gaslight Anthem. It kind of breezed right by me. The Riot Before’s got that Lawrence Arms style where you’re not quite sure if the lyrics are serious or not – and titles like “You Can’t Sexy Dance to Punk Rock” don’t really help matters any. Still, if you like your punk a little anarchic and melodic all at once, with a touch of Americana twang… in other words, if you like O Pioneers!!!, Against Me!, or Fake Problems, this is probably your bag.
Download “5 to 9“

The Shortcuts – “The Shortcuts”
(Self-released)
Hey, Mitch Clem drew the cover! It must be punk rock! And it is, done by four relatively talented females who are known collectively as the Shortcuts. They write songs about fighting, staying out too late, and crushing on people. In other words, it appears that the ladies can be just as clichéd as the boys. Still, it’s not too terribly stuck in a rut, and the Shortcuts manage to eke out a couple of tunes that show some promise. They draw a lot on Tilt and Discount, too, and that’s NEVER a bad thing.

The Backsliders – “You’re Welcome”
(Self-released)
No, thank you. I do not like white girl pseudo-soul. There’s exactly ONE band that does the whole soul / rock thing with a female singer well, and that’s the Bellrays. Even they get tiresome after a while. This is beyond tiresome. Whenever any band has “percussion” listed as something a band member does, it tends to venture beyond mediocre and into suck.

Being as how their split with Look Mexico for the Under the Influence series just showed up last week, I am in full-on love mode with Fake Problems. I’d be happier about this news if it wasn’t for the fact that it meant that the vinyl release of It’s Great to be Alive will now cost $25 instead of a probably $12.

A side note to Joe Sibb at SideOne Dummy: I love your fucking label. I love the bands you sign. I love the cheap-ass comps you put out. Your vinyl releases are too fucking expensive, though, dude. Seriously - I can handle something that’s not a double gatefold, 180-gram, colored vinyl. But on to the press release…

FAKE PROBLEMS SIGN TO SIDE ONE DUMMY.
SET TO RELEASE “IT’S GREAT TO BE ALIVE” ON FEB.17, 2009

Fake Problems are a four piece eclectic, operatic, independent band of nomads that originate from Naples, FL. They will periodically return home to write new songs, sleep, fix their van and say hello to their friends. The rest of their time is spent on the road bringing their fiercely unique sound to young and old. Since the inception of the band in 2005 these guys have logged an impressive 200+ shows a year, released an EP and a Full Length album on Sabot Records. They are now set to release their next Full Length album, It’s Great To Be Alive on Feb.17, 2009 (SideOneDummy Records).

Chris Farren (Guitar/Vocals) stands on stage left and delivers a vocal that has a maturity that is unexpected from such a young musician. The guitar playing of Casey Lee is equally as unique and brings a color and mood to the music that is very rare and exciting. Bass player Derek Perry and drummer Sean Stevenson provide a solid, creative rhythm section that seals the signature of the Fake Problems sound. The band also features a wonderful collection of horn parts throughout their records and occasionally tour with horn players.

The lead off track, “1234″ sets the tone for the album and leads perfectly into the stand out track, “The Dream Team.” Other highlights include, “The Heaven & Hell Cotillion” which chants the straight forward chorus of “I’m going to Heaven and you’re going to Hell.” The somber “Too Cold Too Hold” & “Tabernacle Song” keep the album interesting around every turn.

SideOneDummy is proud to be releasing Fake Problems’ It’s Great To Be Alive in stores on Feb.17, 2009.

“Real Problems In SRQ” (from Oh Maria single)
“Life’s A Drink, Get Thirsty (from How Far Our Bodies Go)
“Cannonball” (from Spurs & Spokes / Bull>Matador)

McRackins - “Eggzit”
(Cheapskate Records)

Sort of the Canadian version of Blink-182 (and here you thought it was Sum 41, didn’t you?), the McRackins have been knocking out pop punk tunes for nearly 15 years now. They have this thing about puns revolving around eggs (see album title for example), dress up in costume, and play songs that probably veer a little closer to old-school power pop than they do actual punk rock.

Catchy tunes that run the usual pop punk gamut: relationships (“He Said She Said”, “Divided In Two”), drinking (“Fucked Up”), and the usual one or two tracks that are either silly (“Gumparella”) or borderline offensive (“Junk in the Trunk”). In essence, your usual juvenile ridiculousness based around three chords and sing along choruses.