ROYAL HEADACHE, another in an endless stream of fantastic new Australian groups, delivers an essentially flawless pop record in long form on their first shot. While their debut single totally impressed, they truly shine here, making the kind of record that folks from a wide array of genres will likely embrace. The performances are top notch across the board, complete with actual singing that’s so proficient and downright awesome that it sounds totally fucking jarring. The production is perfect, fuzzy in all the right places, propelled by a stabbing guitar sound that recalls the most powerful moments of classic UK DIY punk rock. The soulfulness and excellent songwriting exhibited throughout brings to mind a speedy, punk SQUEEZE, which I hate myself for saying, but fuck it, it’s there. Much like stateside heroes HOME BLITZ, ROYAL HEADACHE is capable of conjuring up a monster hook out of chaos and making a whole lot of other current pop bands sound terrible in the process. (RIP Society Records)

STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS – From the Dumpster to the Grave LP

Let the punk police come and take me away, let them strap me into a straightjacket and gag me on the way out the door, but I will still say that this record is fukkn great. I know it’s been long out of vogue to like ska punk, and NOFX has been passé for even longer, but my facial hair has been out of vogue for longer than most taste makers have had a turntable, so fuck ‘em. I mention NOFX not just because Fat Wreck is responsible for this release, but because STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS have taken the ska/punk hybrid that frontman Sturgeon perfected with his previous bands CHOKING VICTIM and LEFTOVER CRACK and injected into it the high energy ultra catchy hardcore punk that Fat Mike has been slinging for a couple of decades. It works. Rarely do the hours poured into a record make them so evident as they do on this release, but when From the Dumpster veers off on over instrumentalized tangents it never seems trite—it just seems right. This record is nothing if not sincere, and every musical excursion is obviously a path taken by true fans that have become masters at their craft. Brilliant vocal trade-offs dominate many songs, with Nico’s vocals taking a confident lead, and the occasional (but dominant) ska parts are accented by subtly sparse and brilliant keys and horns. If you want cred, then check out this (partial) list of band members and contributors: DEGENERICS, ERGS, NEUROSIS, the COUP, GR’UPS, CONQUEST FOR DEATH, DYSTOPIA, DEADFALL, SOVIETTES…you still need more? Well, then no list would win you over anyway. This is excellent… you might not like it, that decision is purely yours. But awesomeness is a fact. (Fat Wreck Chords)