The Stems

Reviews

The Stems Mushroom Soup: The Citadel Years LP

While these guys delivered a deliberately ’60s-sounding psychedelic/garage experience, they were actually an Australian band from the ’80s. They were a big deal back then. If you’re a fan of fuzz and organ and your sensibilities are firmly rooted in the garage, you’ll latch onto this one. That’s a sound that can be sort of hit or miss with me, mostly because I find it’s easy to do a poor job of it. Not so here. This is good shit. Eighteen cuts is definitely pushing my attention span, but it doesn’t come at the expense of quality. Excellent record.

The Stems No Heart / Lon Chaney Junior’s Daughter 7″

This Aussie garage psych effort comes with the new German zine Splendid, which exposes new and old bands alike. The two tracks by the STEMS aren’t exactly incredible but should satisfy followers of tough Aussie psych.

The Stems Tears Me in Two / Can’t Resist 7″

This, their second 7″, is pretty rockin’ ’60s fuzz punk, but doesn’t stand out too much from the crowd. Nonetheless, there’s great guitar, tight beat, and non-wimpy production.

The Stems She’s a Monster / Make You Mine 7″

While both tracks here are fine examples of fuzzed-out ’60s punk, “Make You Mine” is the real stand-out. With strong influences by raw R&B rockers like THEM, this one totally wails. Excellent.