A drunken ramble through my Record Store Day purchases

rsd-2012
Obviously, I have too much free time, because after I got done going for a walk on Saturday afternoon, I came home and worked my way through a bunch of beer while I listened to all of my Record Store Day acquisitions. This marks the first year I didn’t have the day off, so I stayed in Lawrence and grabbed what I could after I got off work. Here are my increasingly honest and incomprehensible live rankings of what I purchased.
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Smarts Cops, “Per Proteggere E Servire” LP

cover-smart-copsSmart Cops
Per Proteggere E Servire
(Sorry State)

Since this showed up in the mail last week, I’ve listened to it five or six times. Smart Cops play enjoyably speedy Italian garage rock, with a snotty edge to it.

Unfortunately, all I keep thinking is, “It’s the Hives singing in Italian,” and I can’t get past that. The elements of surf and more deeply thrumming guitars take away from the comparison to their Scandanavian counterparts a little bit. Unfortunately, the mile-a-minute instrumentation and vocal style that’s more declamatory statement than actual singing is so up front that it’s impossible to shake the similarities. Well – perhaps “unfortunately” is a tad strong. I love the Hives, and as long as their style is being aped well, it’s enjoyable.
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