Rock Star Journalist

Lawrence’s the Rackatees and Omaha’s the Shidiots have their upcoming split 7-inch off to the plant for test pressings right now. Let’s hope these two gruffly poppy punk acts will have some new vinyl in time for our favorite warm-weather activity: opening up the windows, putting the speakers right up next to the screens, and annoying the neighbors while we drink beer on the front porch.

As for pressing details, they’re doing 300 copies (each band will have 150 copies) pressed on randomly colored vinyl. It’s looking like the release date will be mid-April 19, but that hasn’t been confirmed just yet — and I think we all know about what happens with vinyl delays, especially considering that falls right before Record Store Day.

We’ve got an exclusive preview track from the Rackatees’ side, entitled “Anthem for the American (Food Service) Worker.” It’s the first song off the upcoming 7-inch. It’s especially great for a Monday morning start to the working week, with lines like “So never trust the manager / The whip that’s in his hand.”

MP3: The Rackatees, “Anthem for the American (Food Service) Worker”

In rare thing, we’re just going to tell you to go listen to this EP from Richmond’s Wake. We got the e-mail announcing the impending vinyl release of the self-titled 7-inch yesterday, and promptly started listening. It’s snotty hardcore, and while Rival Mob might be the big new in terms of hardcore releases this week, take a moment (quite literally, less than ten minutes) to listen to Wake. It’s almost better than a big cup of coffee to wake you up and get you moving. It kicks off with thirty seconds of gang vocals, so get your fist-pumping and finger-pointing skills up to snuff before you click play.

The vinyl is so newly-announced, Glass Nail Records doesn’t even know the colors yet. It’ll be out in July, though, and you can pre-order that sucker through the Glass Nail store. How’s that for being on the bleeding edge of news?

Brooklyn’s Marine Electric have a nifty idea with their recent full-length, Restrained Joy. They recorded the instruments live, and then recorded the vocals later. It certainly lends the instruments a certain urgency and heft that one can only get from a live setting.

That said, though, there’s a flipside: the vocals seem rather flat in comparison. It sounds good, but the vocals just seem to lack the resonance held by the instruments. You lose the slight echo and reverb that a live room gives you when you step into a booth to sing.
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The first long-player from Run, Forever in a year and a half — and the first recordings from the band in over a year — Settling is an album that’s been long-awaited. Now that it’s out on Tiny Engines, what do we have?

Run, Forever’s sound on Settling is the natural successor to the late ’90s / early ’00s acts who filtered alternative rock through a pop filter (i.e., the entire Drive Thru records roster). On this LP, Run, Forever flip the equation, filtering alterna-pop through an indie rock filter.
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They still make screamy, angular indie rock, thank heavens. I’d been afraid that screamo had co-opted this style of delivery almost completely, but Jowls‘ Cursed, out now on Tiny Engines, comfortably delivers screaming and impassioned lyrical delivery from breakdowns and mall hair.

Cursed is jam-packed with metronomic pulses which abruptly shift, lurching and jerking into another cyclical section, which will itself be punctuated by agonized vocals. The first side’s three songs hew so closely to this template that it’s almost as if it’s one long song, each track seperated but nothing but a quiet drum roll.
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The latest EP from Philadelphia’s Ex Friends, Twisted Around, is an enthusiastic bit of punk rock which hearkens back to the ’90s era of Gilman Street. It’s street-punky and anthemic, with a rock ‘n’ roll — not hardcore — influence. Ex Friends have a hint of that Philly punk style one hears in the likes of Kid Dynamite or Paint It Black, but more along the lines of the Loved Ones.

Ex Friends are lyrically simplistic, but the enthusiasm behind them make the entirety of this 7-inch an absolute joy to hear. Additionally, lyrically simplistic just means that after one listen to both sides, you’re good to sing along, at least to the choruses. Although, in the case of “Vexed Question,” you’re good for the entire song.

It’s out now via Germany’s Yo Yo Records, and is limited a pressing of 300 on black vinyl and features handprinted jackets designed by drummer JP Flexner. The lithograph cover is vibrant and striking, much like the music itself.

We’ve demonstrated some love for Berwanger a lot recently, and it’ll only ramp up now that the band’s getting ready to release their full-length, All You Can Eat, later this spring. In advance of all of that, however, will come this split 7-inch with TK Webb on California’s Creme Tangerine Records. Berwanger’s contribution, as you can see, is the track “Neon Corners.” No clue as to when the split will see release, but keep an eye on the band’s Facebook page for more updates.

You can hear a live version of the band’s track below, in a live video shot by Sid from Too Much Rock during their show at the Jackpot in Lawrence on Thursday, February 7, 2013.
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Some of you may have recently become acquainted with the UK’s Death Waltz Records via their profile in Spin. Well, the fine purveyors of horror and sci-fi vinyl announced their releases for Record Store Day 2013. They’re fucking choice. While the soundtracks to Horror Business and the short film Yellow will have a lot of the folks out there most excited, I’m pretty jazzed about the series of three split 7-inches of TV themes.

There’s Star Trek / Lost In Space on black and glitter vinyl, The Twilight Zone / The Outer Limits on clear and black vinyl, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents / The Munsters on white and black vinyl. They’re all in exlusive Death Waltz die cut retro disco bag sleeves (300gsm card with matte varnish and black paper inner sleeve), include a free 7 x 7 artprint, and are limited to a one-time pressing of 1000.

WANT. HARD. Somebody in the UK needs to figure out a way to get me one of each, please. Check the art below.

Swamp Cabbage Records (who put out that pretty amazing Cancer Is A Punk compilation a couple years back) are releasing the next bit of music from Rock Star Journalist faves the New Rochelles. It’s entitled Smile of the Tiger, and it’s a split with the DeeCracks from Austria.

300 are pressed, with 100 on orange, and 200 on black. It comes with a digital download and ships early February. It officially came out yesterday, and you can order it now from the Swamp Cabbage store. Listen to the New Rochelles’ side below, and see if you can explain why so many punk bands release songs with Spanish lyrics. I’d certainly like to know.
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St. Joseph’s Radkey came to the Eighth Street Taproom in Lawrence last night, and a small group of hardy rock fans braved bitterly cold temperatures to catch the trio of young brothers in the bar’s basement. The boys were shooting a music video for “Is He All Right?”, meaning the Taproom’s concert nook was lit better than I’ve ever seen it. In addition to some pro cameras on hand, audience members were encouraged to shoot with camera, phones, or whatever they had. I was really, really hoping to see a Super 8, but no such luck.
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