Night Birds, “Fresh Kills Vol. 1” CD – save the date cards

cover-fresh-killsNight Birds
Fresh Kills Vol. 1
(Grave Mistake)

Normally, we try and steer clear of CDs here in the basement, because … well, first of all, we don’t have a CD player down here. Running CDs through the PC speakers is fine a and dandy, but for full effect, we really like to rattle things off the desk and shelves with a run-through on the ol’ Frankenstereo.

Still, most of the material on this here Night Birds disc comes from previously released vinyl (specifically, the Art of the Underground single series #48, the Midnight Movies EP, and their self-titled 7-inch), as well as the band’s demo cassette. So, we felt honor-bound to let you know you can get everything the band has thus far released in one easy location, and get addicted before they release their first full-length, The Other Side of Darkness, later this summer. So get your save the date cards ready and make sure to remember this release.

For those not hip to what’s going on, Night Birds rock out, ’80s style, blending the best of California hardcore with the speed and melodic lines of ’60s surf. There’s a strong Agent Orange influence here, as well as a tremendous swathe of late-night horror movies. Surf punk sounds a stupid descriptor with which to label Night Birds, but I’m really at a loss as to what else to call ’em. The band is fast, fun, and clever. Since this showed up in the mail a week or so ago, it hasn’t left the stereo in the car. It’s so breezy and speedy, it begs to have the windows down, while you ignore the speedometer and go for broke.

If you want a copy of this for your very own (and you do), 1st Five has a contest to win the Night Birds’ discography. Draw the band nude, and submit your artistry by Monday, May 23, for a chance to win the CD, as well as copies of Midnight Movies and the self-titled 7-inches.

To clarify – that means the drawing, painting, whatever you do of the band has to be of them, sans clothes. If you want to be naked while you do it, go ahead, although it’s not required.