Reviews

Graham Booth

Redness Killer B’s 12″

Haha, I heard this was in my box, and was wondering what was up. I’ve got the rare-o 7″ from this mysterious, late ’70s Cleveland UBU-adjacent outfit. Artpunk with the emphasis on the art. I was hoping for some extra material, but it seems it’s a straight reissue of the six-song 7″ as a 45 RPM 12″. Presumably, the “label” (who put this out?!) couldn’t find a pressing plant willing to put, what, ten minutes on a side? A pretty incredible artifact, and there’s even a couple pure aggro punkers, albeit with electronics (and trombone!!), and plenty of disgruntled ’70s Ohio basement electronic shenanigans. Maybe I can finally get big bucks for my spare EP. This one’s a killer, definitely one of the more fucked, abrasive US DIY records.

The Cowboys The Bottom of a Rotten Flower LP

Holy pop, Batman! A new one from Bloomington Indiana’s COWBOYS, and it’s all pop. Somehow, they seem to channel more of an Anglo-centric UK sound, recalling some end of the ’70s first- wave poppers with a mix of straight riff o’ rama Á  la PROTEX/ UNDERTONES, and more angular sounds like XTC or THE JAM. The best part is they stay true to form, and these songs all top out around three minutes, so if you’re not feeling one song, it’s only about a minute to the next. Comes with a cool fold-out poster and the hype sticker is penned by Eddie Flowers of the GIZMOS.

Black Camaro Protocol of Dreams LP

Wow, what an unexpected record. The first track starts out with a Two-Tone/DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS-style ska / soul punk vibe. Things progress into more early aughts OH SEES psych-pop, with weird sunshine pop vibes like ARIEL PINK. From there, it’s like hard- wave OINGO BOINGO—they really are going there. Not sure what the typical MRR fan would think of all this, but it’s cool to hear people testing the waters with always poppy but somewhat unconventional results. On red wax with insert.

Laurice Bad Boy LP

Yes, everybody’s favorite bad boy is back in the saddle again, finally taking the giant leap from ’70s glam into ’80s new romantic. It’s hard to tell whether he had a BILLY IDOL fetish, or someone (ahem) steered him in this direction, but whatever the case, these tunes are sure to light up pretty much any futuristic TV studio dancefloor you can find. How can you deny hot licks and a drum machine? Very good stuff.

Giglinger Money, Power, and Corruption / Pay No More 10″

This is a release of two three-song EPs from this long-standing Finnish smart punk outfit. They got the licks, but they got the lyrics too. Just dirty grungy anthemic punk rock with an anarcho-political bent, sounds like the ’80s all over again.

Brower Buzzsaws LP

Holy Glam, Batman! I never heard of this guy BROWER from Virginia, but he’s definitely heard of T. REX and SWEET. Can’t think of much shit that fits this sound outside the ’70s…bedroom studio glam proto pub rock, maybe MICKEY JUPP’s LEGEND, but just the boogie rockers. Certainly not the first to mine this sound as of late, but the tunes speak for themselves, and this is an unexpected killer start to finish, like TANK for the 21st century.

Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters It All Comes Down LP

This is heavy. The intro track made me think of SONIC’S RENDEZVOUS BAND. Not surprisingly, they are from Australia. This is pure rock’n’roll. Apparently, they get glommed into the swamp rock / SCIENTISTS scene, but there are enough nods to BIRDMAN and the SAINTS (hello horn section) here, that seems like selling ’em short. Great record, hope they come to the USA! Guess I need to track down their first album now…

Aneurysm Awareness LP

Wow, someone’s hangry. I read on the internet that ANEURYSM is a post-hardcore noise rock band from Boston. Indeed, that is what this sounds like. Very anthemic and upset, party rock for the post-hardcore set. This would probably sound better if I was on PCP.

Hyrevognene Kone EP

Punk Rock from Denmark!! It sounds very rough and angry, like the real abrasive shite you hope for when exploring the world-wide music. Maybe they did listen to the KBD even. They also have very dumb videos on the YouTube. Limited to 190 copies—sorry, you’re too late.

Celebrity Handshake Political Future EP

These guys have a crazy rambling-shouting singer named Hot Dog Haines. He probably needs hospitalization, unless this is part of his therapy. He is from the great white Maine, so maybe this is just normal sounding for there. Their frittered noise rock sounds fitting. CRAMPS or such. Numbered out of 200 copies.

Bucket Flush / Mud Sex split EP

I think you would call MUD SEX garage punk thrash. They like rock’n’roll, but they play it too fast, like a blurry headache. From West Philly, and with an epic YouTube documentary for those who care. BUCKET FLUSH play very fast hardcore punk: they sound like a band off the MASTER TAPE comp or some such, and apparently like ROLLINS-era FLAG, and sing about giving drugs to kids in the park. Six songs on an EP seems somewhat admirable compared to what I usually have to review.