Heavy Lag

Reviews

Heavy Lag / Sekunderna / Teenage Bigfoot / TV Cop split LP

I love splits. This one is a cool showcase of the current dirt pop scene, with each band contributing two original songs and one cover. If that’s not enough for you, it even comes with a fifteen-page zine. The whole affair gives off heavy MARKED MEN or RADIOACTIVITY vibes, so it should come as no surprise that three of the bands either recorded or mastered their tracks with Jeff Burke. The original songs are a good example of what each band brings to the table, but the covers are the real gems here. TV COP covering MOLLY HATCHET just might be my favorite track on the split; pop punks covering Southern rock and doing it justice??? I’m into it. The TEENAGE BIGFOOT originals remind me of walking into a Hot Topic circa 2003. Not into it. On the other hand, their cover of “Dreams” by the CRANBERRIES was stuck in my head for days, and I really dislike that band! For the uninitiated, I don’t feel like anything on here will make any of these bands your new favorite. But for existing fans, Jeff Burke worshippers, or anyone looking for a few killer dirt pop covers, this LP will feel right at home in your collection.

Heavy Lag Paranoid Acts of Desperation cassette

This Brooklyn crew cranks through five angsty tracks that equally have the focused intensity of DILLINGER FOUR or MARKED MEN and the pop and spark of SQUIRTGUN mixed with the spirit of MEAN JEANS. “That Girl” and “Sleep/Wake” rip with the distorted energy and fuzzed vocals of early F.Y.P that feels unrestrained in its enthusiasm. Tracks like “Hüsker Døn’t” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Around (You)” prove the band can write melodies with bite in a Greg Sage/WIPERS kind of way.

Bad Crime / Heavy Lag split LP

The HEAVY LAG half of this split LP was recorded by Jeff Burke of MARKED MEN and RADIOACTIVITY, which was a perfect choice by the band for their razor-sharp guitars and relentless rhythm section. I can hear some of Burke’s influence on the songs, and that is a total compliment. It’s what you want when you go with a well-traveled, experienced engineer in the studio—you could hear it on the band’s last album (Another Year Closer to Whatever) recorded by the BOUNCING SOULS’ Pete Steinkopf. The BAD CRIME half was recorded in their hometown of Milwaukee. They share the spirit and same endearing, lo-fi “wheels falling off” appeal of fellow Brew City punks MODERN MACHINES.