Review: Thee Oops - Taste of Zimbabwe

By Bobby Moore

Sardinia, Italy-based band Thee Oops are called “punk” minus any hyphens and can be compared to the classics, but the 18-song blast that is Taste of Zimbabwe reminds me a little of the raw energy of earlier garage punk acts like The Rip-Offs.

Songs that are barely over a minute long (if they even make it past 59 seconds), with lyrics dealing with clear political themes like “Death to Brunetta” are what invite comparisons to early West Coast punk and hardcore. Also, their adoption of the time-tested, tongue-in-cheek tackling of social issues (see “Christian Gay”) is reminiscent of the rawest, best, and funniest Killed By Death bands.

What will hook fans of garage punk in, though, is the rawness of these recordings. They sound a lot like modern garage bands did before they started leaving the driveway, so to speak. This is as much for fans of groups like The No-Talents as it is for classic punk and hardcore fanatics.

Out on Slovenly.

Thee Oops - Ne. Mo. Ma.

Review: Yussuf Jerusalem - Blast From the Past

By Bobby Moore

Yussuf Jerusalem, the brainchild of former Creteens and Jack of Hearts member Benjamin Daures, is back with a second LP of songs that show off a wide palette of influences, while somehow managing to flow together like tracks on a good album should.

Though the song titles might cause you to expect doom, gloom, and heartbreak, the band mixes in all types of emotions and borrows from numerous musical styles. While the metal-influenced “Evil Rise” sounds like it came from somewhere east of Scandinavia and south of Hell, it is followed by an upbeat, though hauntingly beautiful indie-folk song in “Through Winter’s Darkest Day”. From there, punk, garage, and even Celtic sounds are thrown into the mix. The next to last track, “You Broke My Heart in Two”, even sprinkles in a little spaghetti western twang.

Albums that display lot of different musical influences and styles (see the Black Lips’ 200 Million Thousand or, more famously, The Clash’s Sandinista) often seem less coherent than more focused albums by the same acts. Daures, with what began as a home recording project, has now proven on two albums that he has that rare knack for celebrating the highlights from his entire record collection without releasing jumbled messes.

Available now from Florida’s Dying.

Yussuf Jerusalem - You Broke My Heart in Two

Review: Brain Idea - Cosmos Factory

By Bobby Moore

Brain Idea’s new EP may have a name that will make you think of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but its five tracks are more akin to the style of some of the more recent shoegaze and psychedelic-inspired garage bands.

The EP starts with a pair of solid, mainly instrumental jams anchored by shoegaze-style guitar work that becomes hypnotic. The third track, “Suspended in Bliss”, has more of a post-punk vibe and a garage/psych appeal with its reverb-heavy vocals. Though still consisting of a predominately instrumental structure, it has more of an edge than the previous tracks. “Oh I’m Free (Earn Your Card)” has the most upbeat pop sound of anything on the EP. It’s a solid track, but at only 2:06, it seems like it’s so short that you would miss the whole thing if you coughed loudly. Closing out this release is the nine-minute marathon “See YRself”, which begins with a chill ambient feel and then morphs into a bass-driven groove that gradually takes on a spacier atmosphere. It doesn’t seem like it rages on quite that long.

In conclusion, Cosmos Factory is a good release if you want to take a break from three-minute pop songs and pamper yourself by hearing some solid guitar work. It’s available on Mexican Summer.

Brain Idea - Suspended in Bliss

Review: The Coathangers - Larceny and Old Lace

By Bobby Moore

With Larceny and Old Lace (Suicide Squeeze Records), The Coathangers stray somewhat from the funny, party songs and the shouty, punk tunes that were the backbone of their earlier work. Instead, they build on the strong songwriting teased on earlier album cuts like “Bury Me” on this, their first full-length recorded in a proper studio. While the band ventured outside of the box on previous albums (see “Bloody Shirt” from their self-titled debut and Scramble’s “Sonic You”), those songs were less memorable than new attempts at breaking The Coathangers’ mold. “Well, Alright” is a piano-driven tune appropriate for any smoky, darkly lit bar, and album closer “Tobacco Rd.” is a sentimental slice of Americana that comes out of nowhere.

But the band’s instrument-switching, party-starting means reach a different, more polished end. Justified rage and the group’s charming sense of humor are still present in spades, but those elements now sound slick due to the band’s decision to record with Ed Rawls at his well-respected Living Room instead of recording at their practice space. Not all of the credit for their cleaner sound should go to Rawls, though. The band has toured often in recent years, allowing them to build a wider audience and improve from a band that just a few years ago primarily played their hometown of Atlanta. Now, they are a group that has a record deal and is more than capable of knocking out a well-produced album without glossing over the sense of fun that has brought them this far.

The Coathangers - Hurricane