Review: Natural Child - For the Love of the Game

By Zach Braun

The transformation of Natural Child from bratty garage-punks who gleefully ripped off “Suspect Device” by Stiff Little Fingers on “Crack Mountain” to the next great American lunkhead rock ‘n’ roll band is complete. They’re a lot more fun than the Black Keys or Kings Of Leon or the few other bands that supposedly carried the torch for real rock in the past decade, and For the Love of the Game shows Natural Child maturing rapidly upon the classic rock radio moves of their debut 1971, and settling into their own skin a little bit.

The rosy ass cheeks on the cover draws a direct line to the denim crotch of Sticky Fingers, since the record has the same lazy, dingy vibe of those early 70s Rolling Stones records. Easy-going riffs, braying vocals, and ragged ambiance coalesce into songs that bite the best parts of 70s rock, with surprising but familiar detours into country (an Uncle Tupelo-style cover of Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis”) and reggae (the silly “Paradise Heights”) fitting right in next to furious rockers like “DTV”. For the Love of the Game is an apt title, since Natural Child are clearly aiming this joyous rock n’ roll right at the heart and hips.

Grab the album now from Burger Records.

Natural Child - DTV

Review: Cosmonauts - If You Wanna Die Then I Wanna Die

By Lisa Parisi

Tinnitus’ lingering tings are the remnants of one’s aural acquaintance with Orange County’s Cosmonauts. Sheer volume in hubbub; that’s them and their self-coined genre of fuzzy (in sound and fuzzy in that opiate haze sort of way) din: Drug Punk. Who needs pedals when you can blow out your vintage Fenders? Cosmonauts go full throttle—how else do you get to space?

Railing out a very specific tone of psychedelia doused in the gasoline of punk rock, Cosmonauts’ LP If You Wanna Die Then I Wanna Die on Burger Records is the audio version of Cape Canaveral. 3-2-1, blast off!

It’s audible, vociferous, pulverizing, and bursting at the seams with trippy-ish fuzzy layers of cacophonic synchronization and disharmonic reverberation in a specifically 60s beatnik drug-den, is-that-purple-zebra-in-sunglasses-really-there sort of way. Echoic vocals and various modes of reverb that reference everything from the sound of oscillating helicopter blades, to the crackle of a fresh wood fire, to the buzz from some sort of electronic bumble bee, to the sci-fi hum of spaceships landing; coincide with that in-your-face slap that is good down home rock and rolling punk. Cosmonauts know how to use their instruments, and they know where the secret to their Drug Punk sound rests, titling a song “Super Reverb” wasn’t just for shits and giggles (emphasis on the adjective super here).

Let If You Wanna Die… melt on the your turntable. As the great psychedelics proponent once said, “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out”; apply mantra to this album. Then repeat.

Review: The Hussy - Weed Seizure

By Paul Blawat

Welcome to Madison, Wisconsin, notable for nothing and no one.* The perfect germinating grounds for the Hussy.

The Hussy have beveled together a ramshackle of punk genres to great success on their new LP, Weed Seizure. This is one hell of an LP. From note one to note 1528,** the Hussy have coordinated a tour through 90’s Estrusists punks Sugar Shack and the Fireballs of Freedom, rebirthed later Makers melodies, making them cool,*** and the bad vibes of the Gun Club. ”Feeling Dry” makes you feel dirty and good inside, just like when Jeffrey Lee Pierce did it. The reverb-laden riffage makes this song swell; leaving nothing but a bitter Bleach residue in your mouth. “Liar” is a Wall of Grunge****. Loud, abrasive - a beautiful, muddy, sweltering blast. “SFB” is warm, psychedelic punk.

Not sure how the Hussy can flip gears and genres so smoothly; they transition seamlessly from song to song, alternating vocals from duo Bobby and Heather without hesitation. “FUDJe” and “The Moon Rules #1” wouldn’t be out of place on the most bombastic LP the Pixies never recorded. “Bang Bang” is mid-era Replacements sugar. “I Don’t Really Want To” just plain fucking rocks. Pardon my language, but it does.

Weed Seizure, besides being a genius name, is an excellent LP. Get it from Tic Tac Totally. Soon.

*I’m kidding, of course. From Wikipedia: “Madison is host to Rhythm and Booms, a massive fireworks celebration (coordinated to music) that begins with a fly-over by several F-16s from the local Wisconsin Air National Guard. This celebration is the largest fireworks display in the Midwest in length, number of shells fired and the size of its annual budget.” So, there’s that. 
**I counted. Trust me. 
***Anything past Hunger is questionable, at best. Really. I bought Psychopathia Sexualis the day it came out. Mike Maker didn’t look good (or sound good) as Prince. 
****Trust me. I hate this word as much as you do. ‘nuff said.

The Hussy - FUDje

Review: The Men - Open Your Heart

By Marcus Wilen

Brooklyn quartet the Men have released their third full-length album, titled Open Your Heart, the follow-up to last year’s post-punk sludge garage noise epos, Leave Home. It’s a real inspirational kaleidoscopic cake kind of record where they cover a lot of ground, a sort of cleaned-up diamond.

To put it in the words of the press release: “On Open Your Heart, the band’s 3rd full length, the NY quartet explore twangy country music, guitar solos, surf-ish riffs, psych, and just about everything in between.” Sound familiar? Well, after reading that, it felt like I woke up in a stranger’s apartment feeling utterly confused. This may not have been the record you’d expect from the Men, but after a few listens I can confirm that it’s closely related to Leave Home. They are far from twins, but are still the same flesh and blood.

The record opens fast and furious with frantic rock riffs, but soon slows down and mellows out in a psychedelic seven minute jammer (“Oscillation”). A delightful start to a record that really takes it twists and turns around their rock n’ roll universe. It seems like this record is the total opposite of Leave Home, with more focus on the songwriting. Like they’ve taken a step back, disected their ideas to pieces, polished them, and put them together again. The songs are more “songs” than before, and sometimes breathe a hint of the nineties, as in the title track or the suprisingly countryish “Candy”. Strangely, it sort of ends where it begins after turning itself inside out.

So, if their last album made you wanna drive as fast as you could for as long as possible, Open Your Heart makes you wanna take the car out and drive around aimlessly and rediscover your old neighborhood. It’s a record that suprised me and made me “rediscover” the band. Although I love their past post-punk sludge hardcore noise recordings, this is a new direction. I’ve opened my heart and I can’t wait to hear what’s next for the Men.   

Open Your Heart is out now on Sacred Bones Records. Check out some footage I shot of them playing in Stockholm and a few photos from the same night.

Review: Terry Malts - Killing Time

By Kristen Berry

Every now and then, album art just couldn’t be more perfect. Such is the case with California trio Terry Malts’ debut LP, Killing Time. On it, teenage life is captured—a kid (who might as well be this elusive Terry Malts character) gazing at his bedroom ceiling, while the narrative of Killing Time unfolds. The record is melody-driven punk rock in a nutshell; there’s love, angst, noise, and a burning passion buried beneath that eye-rolling apathy. Terry makes it clear that he lives for the weekend (“Where Is the Weekend”) and, as any good punk-addled outcast, he isn’t without his fair share of snarky commentary on a consumer-driven society, as lyrics like “A zombie’s still a zombie in J. Crew…” in “Mall Dreams” exemplify.

A few of the songs were released (albeit in different versions) this past year. This time around, “I’m Neurotic” is a bit bolder, more urgent, and ends with a warped clip of the Beach Boys’ “California Girls”. JAMC-style malfunctioning guitar screeches adorn “No Sir, I’m Not a Christian”, wherein which our hero Terry extends two middle fingers to churchgoing activities because they’re “too boring for me.” Cue memories of snoring during those too-early Sunday morning church sermons your parents made you attend. “No Good for You” is a song that Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy might have forgotten to commit to tape, which is to say it’s a total earworm. Start to finish is a quick blast of Ramones-y bubblegum that bleeds a little distortion-wise. Hit repeat for an all-day pogo fest.

Killing Time is available on Slumberland Records, who are obviously good at all things noise and pop. See if it doesn’t put a grin on your face and stir up a little nostalgia. Hey, Terry’s a pretty cool kid after all. Listen to the album opener below and watch the video for “I Do” here.

Terry Malts - Something About You

Review: Mind Spiders - Meltdown

By Joey Genovese

I’m pretty sure I now know why Mark Ryan decided to call his newest band Mind Spiders. Their music is a furry insect that burrows into your brain and spins a death web. Said insect will reside in the corners of your mind as it feasts on all other inferior bugs and thoughts that land in its web. Meltdown, the newest hotness on Dirtnap Records, does exactly just that, and trust me, its a feeling you can get used to! Things really must be bigger en Tejas, because the hooks are laaarge and in chaarge! This album is pretty blazin’ all the way through, but the one or two times it does slow down, it doesn’t seem forced and is a refreshing welcome. It’s a smooth sail from start to finish packed with killer tones that most synth-punkers would give their right arm for. I can already tell this will be the soundtrack of many a gnarly skate sesh in my near future. So please, do yourself a favor, stop reading this, and give a listen!

Get it here.

Mind Spiders - You Are Dead

Review: Woollen Kits - Woollen Kits

By Jonathan Markley

Woollen Kits are the newest rock ‘n roll sensation from Australia, and the latest signing from one of my new turn-to-record labels, RIP Society. Following on the heels of their catchy Maths 7” from last year, the Woollen Kits’ recently released self-titled album is an LP you’ll want to play over and over again - it’s fun, stripped down, garage-inspired post-punk. If John Peel were still around, he’d definitely want the Woollen Kits on his BBC radio program. It’s just the type of timeless, fiercely independent jangle guitar pop he’d love… and you will too.

The LP starts off with a melodic fuzz pop song, “Sloan”, the dual high/low vocals over chiming guitars recalling the Halo Benders (and maybe a bit of Built to Spill and Beat Happening, too). The album proceeds with an innocent, breezy love song of sorts, “For You”. The kind of song you’d put on a mixtape for a girl you just met, maybe right before or after a Teenage Fanclub or Vaselines song. Next is “Be Your Friend”, about wanting to be friends, or more than friends, with a girl that bounces along with power-popping Nerves guitar parts and the 80s college rock sound of Let’s Active. Then comes “University Narcolepsy”, which is anthemic like the best Soft Boys or Television Personalities songs. “Out of Whack” continues on with the same C86 jangle vibe where the previous songs left off. Melodic basslines, trebly power chords and a minimal, yet driving drum beat. Simple and catchy like the Clean or the Bats. The middle of the LP is where the Woollen Kits get closer to achieving the Flying Nun Records’ sound as if they invented it themselves. The second to last track, “Always”, is my favorite—on the year end best of list for sure. Nearly a minute and half of stuck-in-your-head-all-day guitar pop before the vocals even drop in… perhaps the best wall of fuzz pop love song ever.

The Woollen Kits’ album might just soundtrack your whole upcoming summer: the late nights, relationships, hook-ups, crazy drunken times and all. They just write great pop songs, if your sense of pop music, like mine, is more the Modern Lovers than whatever’s on the radio. The Woollen Kits, along with their fellow Australians Royal Headache and the Straight Arrows, play music just for the sake of playing music, not for all the fame or hype that comes with being in a band. They don’t seem to care if the rest of the world gives a fuck; they just play their hearts out and, in the end, that’s what makes their music even more endearing. I want to play this Woollen Kits LP to everyone I know. It reminds me of what music used to mean to me, when there weren’t two thousand albums to listen to every day and when you happened upon that one awesome album, or tape, that you listened to nonstop ‘til you memorized all the lyrics or, in some cases, ‘til the tape broke.

Listen to “Always” below and get hooked by the Woollen Kits.

Review: Tonetta - 777 Vol. III

By Joey Genovese

Well folks, hide the vaseline and lock up the kids, because Tonetta is back with another vinyl offering for your lonely perverted hearts. Out on Black Tent Press, 777 Vol. III is his most epic release to date with a double LP’s worth of the filthiest sex-pop you will ever feast your ears on. Brandishing an inch thick coat of hot oil and a closet full of smutty outfits, Tonetta is guaranteed to make you blush a little. No fetish goes unsung. No orifice goes unmentioned. He really lets it all hang out (literally). Imagine him as if Gary Wilson, GG Allin and Buffalo Bill had a love child and it wanted to be a Youtube star. He raps. He croons. He shreds. He’s a poet. A heartbreaker. A dirty old man. A sex icon. A GOD. Check it out.

Tonetta - 81 Inch Prime Ass

Review: Gaye Blades - Gaye Blades

By Kristen Berry

If you put on the Gaye Blades’ new LP, you may instantly recognize Jared Swilley from the Black Lips. While Bobby Ubangi may not be with the Blades anymore (R.I.P.), the Atlanta supergroup (also comprised of members of Gentleman Jesse and His Men and Carbonas) are still cranking out power pop-hooked rock ‘n’ roll the way it’s meant to be.

A few months ago, premier rock ‘n’ roll mothership Norton Records added yet another release to its lengthy catalog with the first release since ‘07 from these guys, comprised of nine originals and one cover. The Blades may come off as old-school garage pop/rock, but the sound they’re working with has been proven to work time and again. This twenty-five minute record has a feel that can be likened to the musings of a southern boy with a “Teenage Kicks” fixation that equals the love for his collection of old country and western 45s. The final sentiment tacked onto the record, “Don’t Get Married”, was initially one side of their first 7” with “Bobby Is a Lover”. A couple listens will have you singing along with everything, walking around town with your heart on your sleeve, and firmly believing that you were born to lose. Well, who wants to win all the time anyway?

Simple, tried-and-true songwriting and catchy tunes make this one a keeper. Get it here.

Gaye Blades - You Were With Him

Review: OBN III’s - The One and Only

By Paul Blawat

The One and Only is the best LP of 2011. Discuss.* Austin’s OBN III’s (vocal slanger Orville Bateman Neeley III is the band’s namesake) are the new sound of today. You’re skeptical, aren’t ya? Well, come and take a trip.

It was a warm fall (as I write this, just over two months ago); feels like just yesterday that I was at Gonerfest 8 in Memphis seeing many wonderful noise makers, both young and old. The OBN III’s set was positively majestic. They looked and warbled a sound chiseled and molded from the greatest points in rock and roll: the Stooges, the Dolls, the Sonics, Crime, the 70’s Stones. Yowza! Amidst the flashing lights, furious anger and sweating (lord, it was humid; everyone was pouring buckets of PBR/Tecate), I saw a band hitting its perfect strut.

The OBN III’s first full length LP The One and Only (released on Tic Tac Totally) is a marvelous, passionate burst of American rock and roll energy. The first track, “If the Shit Fits”, wails a soulsville talkie Iggy saunter into the listeners’ head; the OBNs are literally feeling out where the shit fits. “No Enemies” is some raw power sure to come a-runnin’ to you. I believe that James Williamson does a cameo on “Can’t Wait Til You Shut Up”.** Have you ever wanted to tell someone to shut their yap? Sure. So have the OBNs. “New Innocence” is simply raw. (if you don’t dig this one, stop reading this review immediately. You are not remotely cool. Boo. That’s right I’m booing you. Boo.) The OBNs go full “Cock in My Pocket” on this fiery bluesbreaker. For “Communicated to Death”, imagine Iggy got loaded in the 70’s and drove a limo containing the Stooges and the Flamin’ Groovies into a hot tub filled with Les Pauls, champagne, and Percocets. Yeah. “Wager my Heart” is a quick, snappy stomper à la tuffed-up Stones. This is not a band of rock stars; the OBN III’s are riff connoisseurs. “New Dark Age” - wow. “Gimme Danger” part deux, but in a truly unique way. I thought bands quit making this quality of songs. Pre-Internet age, pre-video age, this song would have been a KROQ smash. I would have loved to hear this tear up the speakers (or speaker) of a ‘77 Plymouth Valiant.*** Ok. The LP finishes with “Kick Me Out”. Not for the faint of heart. Such a callously simple riff, repeated. Pure swagger, cranked to eleven (one better than ten)!

Different people have different tastes. If you consider yourself a fan of rock and roll, the OBN III’s are for you. If you’re different, don’t listen to The One and Only. Maybe some nice Taylor Swift or Maroon 5 is more for you.

*You are more than welcome to do that in the comments section below. I get to say my thing here.
**Not really.
***Alright, you caught me. They stopped making the Valiant in ‘76.

OBN III’s - New Innocence