Literature - “Tie-Dye b/w Apples” (Square Of Opposition Records 2012)

So this is my second time listening to Literature.  I bought an earlier 7” of theirs last year at some point, it it really bored me to tears, so much so that I didn’t feel like writing about it on here.  But I’m all for not poo-pooing a band based on one record, hence my purchase of this platter.  So after I dropped the needle, I was scared for a second…and they totally redeem themselves! 

Literature play power pop like champs.  Like they invented the genre.  These two tracks are energetic, catchy little numbers that are the perfect wake up anthems for this cold NY afternoon, as I’m getting over an insane boute with the flu (which is why I didn’t post anything all week).  I hear a huge Strokes influence (except these songs are not boring as fuck like the Strokes are).  They are fun numbers with a bright production quality, almost tinny, but it really adds to the garage sound of the tracks, give them balls.  Go buy this.  Like yesterday. 

-Log.  

Charlie Feathers - “We’re Getting Closer To Being Apart b/w If You Were Mine To Lose”

So I had never heard Charlie Feathers until I bought the Kill Bill 1 soundtrack, there is one of his songs on there, and it was all I needed to get hooked.  I’ve had trouble tracking down his material until recently, but I bought this and apparently Norton Records has a assload of reissues of old Charlie Feathers recordings.  This makes me happy.  

I seriously can’t enough of this guy.  Jaunty, loose, bopping, energetic rockabilly is what Charlie Feathers specializes in, and seriously its infectious.  This little 45 contains two old recordings, though the sleeve doesn’t provide a whole lot of info on when it was recorded.  I don’t think I’ve heard a bad song of his yet, and these two tracks are not different.  I suggest you all give him a listen sometime soon.

-Log. 

Saturday Looks Good To Me - “This Time Every Year” (Sonic Syrup 2003)

So apparently this is a Christmas record.  I didn’t realize that until after I had bought it.  So I apologize that this review is 2 months late. 

So Saturday Looks Good To Me is a pop rock group, one that really digs 60’s garage rock.  They have sweet vocal melodies and are really into old electric pianos and organs, because all their records are full of them.  Also old amps and shit. Yeah old amps. 

So these are two xmas tunes, one original and one cover.  I’m not a fan of xmas music, as working in retail for the last 10 or so years has made me a bitter fuck about the holidays.  The songs are cool though.  They definitely sound like Christmas songs, but they are a welcome change from the norm.  The titular track is a pop rock jam with lots of aforementioned vintage gear and a jingle bells.  Cool stuff.  The flipside is a cover of that song “Blue Christmas” by someone that I don’t care enough about to look up the original performer.  The version on here is actually pretty dark with sparse electric guitar and harmonica accompanying female vocals.  The vocals are reverbed to hell and back and create a suffocating hall of mirrors sound.  I fucking love it.    

One quick note about this band, I only discovered them because I saw them open for Daughters like 7 years ago (when Daughters only had their first LP and 7” out). That was a wierd lineup. Xbxrx played too.  

-Log. 

Lanie Lane - “Ain’t Hungry b/w My Man” (Third Man Records 2011)

Ok.  I like Third Man Records.  I like how they are striving to make vinyl more mainstream and thereby keeping the format alive.  I love how they keep all their main releases in print forever.  What I don’t like is their “Vault” where they release exclusive records to Vault members that are pressed one time and that’s it.  I don’t know, if you are gonna make most of your catalogue available forever, make all of it available forever, and have Vault releases be exclusive to members then make the content available as a regular release.  I don’t know, I’m just butthurt because I want to be a Vault member but I can’t afford it on top of all the other records I “have to” buy every month.  

Lanie Lane is a rockabilly singer from Australia and god damn if she isn’t good. The a side of this single is a rocking number with heavy fuzz bass.  That shit pumped me up like crazy!  Nothing gets me quite like fuzz bass.  The b side is a wierder track with acoustic instruments and congas.  It kind of reminds me Rasputina.  Great little record.  I need to track down more of her stuff.  

-Log. 

Cülo - “Military Trend” (Deranged Records 2010)

How could I not buy this record? Look at that cover!

God dammit this fucking record rips so hard!  I love hearing new bands that I’ve never heard of before!  This came out on Deranged, and I don’t think I have a bad record that’s come out on that label, so I don’t know why I would be worried, but fuck this is killer.  It reminds me of a super fast version of Boston hardcore bands like SSD or a faster version of early Fucked Up.  This record kills.

-Log.

The Mummies - “Uncontrollable Urge b/w Girl U Want” (“Sub Pop” BOOTLEG no year)

The Mummies doing DEVO covers??! Sign me up!

Veins - “Veins” (Youth Attack 2010)

I’m not sure what pressing this is, and I really don’t care. It’s on clear vinyl, and I love that shit.  I purchased this directly from Mark Mcoy at Veins’ show during Chaos In Tejas.  Most of the bands Mr. McCoy is involved with are generally overhyped (except for Charles Bronson, Das Oath, and to a point Failures) and instantly forgettable.  Veins however are not.  These guys are fucking furious live, and the record matches that intensity.  

I guess Veins are a “super group” or some shit like that, Though I just recognized the singer of Drunk Driver and Mark McCoy and thats it.  The record is ripping dark hardcore that has been done thousands of times.  But it still gets me pumped.  There is the obvious Negative Approach influence on here.  Worth checking out, but I’m sure its sold out.  Oh well.   

-Log. 

Nervous Assistant - “Bastard Blues” (Blind Prophet Records 2010)

Nervous Assistant is one guy and a guitar.  He hails from some part of NYC, and on this 7” he channels early American folk and blues like he was around with John and Alan Lomax assisting in recording all of those performers in the late 30’s.  He was assisting.  Nervously. There are two cuts on this individually hand numbered platter, and both are gems.  I suggest you check this out and his other work which is equally as enjoyable.  

http://www.myspace.com/nervousassistants

I Object/F.P.O. - split 7” (To Live A Lie, Punks Before Profits, Dead Tank, Thrash Steady Syndicate 2006)

I picked up this record for $2.  For that kind of money you really get your moneys worth.  I Object is a ripping female fronted hardcore band, playing a thrash/skatecore brand of mayhem.  Or something.  You get three tracks.  They really pumped me up while putting away my clean laundry.  I mean i fucking RIPPED through putting away those black band t-shirts.  

FPO have one track on here, of similarly styled except for sex of the vocalist hardcore.  They come from Macedonia.  I don’t even know where that is, but it sounds like an ancient land full of dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs that like to sherd on skateboards and give the finger to authority types.  

Also the color of this record is sweet.   

-Log. 

Hecate - “Seven Veils Of Silence” (Zhark International 2005)

I can’t stand it when records play at 45 RPM at it’s not listed anywhere on the album.  This album especially, because it sounds fine as 33 or 45.  I listened to the 12” at 33 and was like, “eh this is and ok album, nothing special”, then I put the 7” on and heard the vocals were slowed down and realized both are to be played at 45.  After playing the 12” again at 45 this album blew me away.

Hecate is an American born breakcore producer based in Switzerland.  I had only heard of her because of her supposed black metal flirtations on her records.  I loves me some breakcore, and loves me some black metal, so this seemed like a perfect fit.  I found no black metal  on this album.  I did however experience some brutal breakcore ripe with evil samples and experiments with eastern instruments that I could never name but they sound like they are from both India and Japan.  I love this kind of stuff.  One track reminded me of what sounded like a death march but instead of a basic snare it was breakcore crazy snares.  Love.  

I have another 12” to listen to of hers, I hope it’s as enjoyable as this.

-Log. 

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - “Go Down Under” (Fat Wreck Chords)

Say what you want about me, but I love Me First And The Gimme Gimmes.  I do, however, HATE Fat Mike, one of the guitarists of this band.  Something about him just pisses me off, he’s like a greasy troll of a douche that happens to play guitar and write really good songs in NOFX.  I just hate him.  Him and his stupid face and consistently dumb hair styles and colors. I hate the fact that his record label is the one of the reasons for so many shitty bands existing. URGH!

This is two 7” platters worth of pop punk-style covers of popular songs, this time around songs whose country of origin is Australia.  You know what this sounds like, it’s been done hundreds of times by these guys, they haven’t changed the formula one iota, but it’s still fun as hell and every bit as enjoyable as the first time I heard them back in 11th grade with my buddy Chuck and his (and mine) friend Pat’s car in the Poughkeepsie Galleria parking lot. 

On this EP I only know 1 song, the Air Supply cover. They open it with the opening riff from “Rise Above” which is good for a few yucks.  All the other tracks, I know of the artists (INXS, Olivia Newtown-John, Rick Springfield, The Easybeats) but the the songs are new to me.  

Yes I realize this review is following up to noise tapes. Fuck off, as I said in my first post, “I think I’ll use this blog to listen to and review some of those records.  I’ll be grabbing random stuff out of my collection, be it old or new, incredibly obscure or super popular, something I’ve been obsessing over for days or something I haven’t listened to in years. All genres will be explored, as I enjoy all the meats of the worlds musical stew.”

-Log.

Unholy Crucifix - “Vile Odors In The Nave” (Desecration Of God Productions 2011)

Unholy Crucifix play sick and vile black metal in a style that is obviously influenced almost entirely by Von. Definitely not a bad thing, this little 45 satisfies, not unlike Snickers, the popular chocolate bar chock full of peanuts, caramel, and nougat. 

I could talk about how the vocals sound like someone is screaming blasphemies against the church as they vomit on a baby Jesus, and other such black metal cliches, but the most interesting part of this record is the sound.  The guitars are thick and heavy and the drums are clear.  But in certain spots it sounds almost like there is no mid range and the whole recording is presenting from what sounds like room mics.  It’s very strange and cool.  

And that’s all I have to say about that.

I think I’ll grab a Snickers.

-Log

PS I couldn’t for anything get a clear shot of the cover.  It’s super glossy. Suck it, how about that.

OOIOO - “OOEYEOO - Eye Remix” (2007 Thrill Jockey)

This is a strange little platter.  OOIOO is a side project of a member of the Boredoms (don’t make me go look up which one…I don’t fucking care right now, I’m writing this while I wait for 2 Mama Celeste 4 cheese pizzas to cook), so it makes sense that they would recruit fellow Boredoms member and all around musical genius/psycho Yamatsuka Eye to remix some of their tracks. Well one of their tracks.  Well the vocals of one of their tracks.  

You read that correctly, this record sounds like Eye took the vocals off of one track from OOIOO’s album Taiga (not gonna look it up as well…see above) and made two dance songs to the same BPM of the vocals.  Pretty interesting concept.  Though danceable music isn’t really something I’d expect from Eye, making this 12” a wierd experience.  The first track is a very 4-on-the-floor number, complete with heavy bass and a steady synth melody, all the while the vocals are chanting in OOIOO’s native moonspeak.  The other side have the same vocals, but Eye goes for a more EBM approach with darker synth sounds, and a more evil overall tone.  

I can’t reiterate this enough…not a normal project if you are familiar with OOIOO, Eye, or the Boredoms…because it’s so out of character I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much.

-Log

No Age - “Teen Creeps” (Sub Pop 2008)

Wow, three posts in one night!  No Age is a band who’s name I had seen tossed around by hipster scum here and there, so I decided to give them a listen.  I’ll be honest I only got this because of the hype surrounding them and of course the AWESOME color of the record.  I’m totally a sucker for multiple colors in one record, I’ll admit it. 

 It’s honestly nothing to exciting, two sides of well written, but kind of weak, alt-rock/indie punk stuff.  Lots of fuzz on the guitars, some beeps and boops here and there, strong hard drums, vocals that remind me of the girl muppet from Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, but nothing that makes me want to blow my load all over my turntable thereby permanently adhering the record down so it’s the only thing I ever listen to ever again or at least until I buy a new slipmat.  

I won’t write them off entirely because I know they have a pretty big catalogue, but this platter gets a “I’ll probably never listen to this again, but never get rid of it” rating. 

-Log