Published in Reglar Wiglar #17, 2002
ALL GIRL SUMMER FUN BAND
All Girl Summer Fun Band (K)
And sweet it is; thirteen portions of pop from these Portland pop princesses. Saccharine indeed and very cute-perhaps a little too cute and sweet for my tastes. The songs never get even a little out of control, never get close to actually rocking. Catchy harmonies and clever little ditties aside, no one track really stands out and neither of the two vocalists have a strong voice to pull off a good sugar rush but they are all girls and they are fun so they deliver on that promise—Earl Spankins
ANGELIC UPSTARTS
Live from the Justice League (TKO)
The second installment of TKO’s Ringside Live CD series, this time featuring Class of ’77 punk rockers, Angelic Upstarts. Recorded live at The Justice League in San Francisco in January 2001. Antifascist/anti-racist, Mensi and the blokes still deliver the goods two decades later with a set of their oldies but goodies and a cover or two (most notably The Clash’s “White Riot”)—Muggsy McMurphy
ARAB ON RADAR
Yahweh or the Highway (Skin Graft)
“This is some of that crazy music I heerd tell about.” That would be a country bumpkin’s reaction to hearing Arab on Radar. Myself, being a sophisticated cosmo-politan type, have a better appreciation for such cacophony although I am rather unfamiliar with the vast majority of the Skin Graft catalog. This reminds me of the Scissor Girls in the challenges that they foist upon the listener and the late great Brainiac for their spasticity. Interesting and not as unlistenable as some might suggest but definitely not comfort music. It will more than likely put you in a dark place and try to keep you there—N. Ron Hubbard
THE BELLTONES
Cheap Trinkets (TKO)
Unfortunately, or fortunately (we will never know), this CD was crammed into the ol’ Wiglar P.O. box with about a half dozen copies of Reglar Wiglar #16 that we’re returned as “undeliverable.” As a result the unjewel-cased disc was bent as fuck and can not be played on my state-of-the-art portable CD player. Why even bring it up if I can’t review it? Because I get paid $15,000 per record review that’s why. Whose the sucker now, huh?—Joey Germ
BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Outlaw Anthems (Victory)
Jesus H. Christ on a tricycle! Blood for Blood scare the crap outa’ me. Get these guys back behind bars and keep my ass outa’ the pit. Do ya hear me?!—Dick Cheney
THE BLOW UP
True Noise (eMpTy)
In typical garage rock fashion, The Blow Up cram twelve songs into twenty-six minutes of high energy mayhem. From the J. Lizardesque drudge that kicks off “Robots Yes. Androids No” (which was an unwritten rule in my house growing up) to the ass-kickery of “Black Lip-stick,” this Seattle rock trio gets into it and gets it done on a dime. All the ingredients for a full-on, glue-sniffin’ rock party are present here and the clincher is that it ends right before the vomiting would normally start—Johnny Suck
BOBBY CONN
The Golden Age (Thrill Jockey)
Bobby Conn fascinates me much the way a good ol’ fashioned, white trash, talk-show brawl does. I can’t turn the channel until it’s over. From the Prince-inspired “Winners” to the synth of “No Revolution,” Conn hits a lot of bases on The Golden Age; 80’s metal, 70’s glam & disco (and more!). I fear it’s all part of some bigger scheme to put one over on all of us, and I’m falling for it-willingly! It’s not really tongue-in-cheek either. That would imply some acknowledgment that the perpetrator is letting you in on the joke but Conn never breaks character. Or I could be totally wrong on this one. It’s happened once before y’know. At any rate, I will leave you with this line from “Whores:” “I’m so proud of being a whore/ Lay me down and turn me out/ And give me some more.” Amen—Joey Germ
THE BODIES
Firepower is Our Business (TKO)
Fast, catchy punk rock is their business on this seven song EP (available for the first time on compact disc. This was originally released in ’98 but it sounds just as vital today as it did four years ago!—Joey Germ
BOXCAR SATAN
Crooked Mile March (DogFingers)
They’re back! Still singin’ them devil songs. Tom Waits goes to Hell to jam with a twisted devil rock punk band, that’s what this train ridin’ crŸe from San Antonio, Texas sound like. Don’t mess with Texas, please!—Irresistible Frank
BRANDO
Single Crown Postcard (Recordhead/Mr. Whiggs)
This record is being promoted to “select publications.” Ladies and gentlemen, The Reglar Wiglar is proud to announce our upgrade to “select publications” status. It only took nine years! Anyway, Brando, from what I gather, is an amorphous sort of four-track, basement studio band with a revolving cast of Bloomington, IN musicians that rotates primarily, if not entirely, around Derek Richey. Brando does have a live incar-nation which features among others, Kenny Childers from The Mysteries of Life. Brando plays something akin to shoe-gazing music, but while you’re staring at your shoes you’re thinkin’ of stuff, you know? If you prefer that your pop music be on the quirky, off-beat side (and a good many do) then you will find Single Crown Postcard to be quite an enjoyable and pleasant experience. It all just goes to prove that there’s more than corn in Indiana—Earl Spankins
CHALK
Black Box Broken (Deary Me)
Equal parts art rock guitar aggression and tempered techno, Chalk mix it all up into an interesting black box stew. Samples, keyboards, drum machines, there’s a little bit of a lot of things going on here. There’s peaks and valleys among the fourteen tracks on this CD but the peaks are definitely worthy of exploration, so get yer boots on!—P.C. Jones
THE CHARGERS STREET GANG
Holy Bop Apocalypse (Get Hip)
These guys may not cover a lot of ground stylistically, just good old fashioned, nonstop rock and roll from beginning to end, front to back, left to right, but what the Gang may lack in originality they make up for in sheer energy and bombast. The Chargers are a dish best served live (with alcohol) ’cause when these guys get charged up it’s ridiculous. It really is—Joey Germ
CONFLICT
Now You’ve Put Your Foot in It (Go-Kart)
Legendary UK punk rock band, Conflict, come out of semi-retirement to make their stance and musical statement known concerning the slaughtering of thou-sands of animals infected, or thought to be infected, or in danger of being infected, with foot and mouth disease in Britain. Two new songs and two bonus live tracks from a CBGB show recorded in 01. Extreme, political, Conflict, ladies & gentlemen, let the class war begin—Tony Blair
KEN CORMIER
Radio-Bueno (Elis Eil)
Eight songs of radio friendly pop music from Ken Cormier. Who is Ken Cormier you ask? I have no idea, but he has a CD out and it ain’t half bad-Putski THE C*NTS Oh No, It’s the C*nts (Disturbing) Punk rock from the Sout’ side of Chicago. The veteran C*nts are back with another full-length CD to appease the masses. Fun, often times funny, short (except for “Overwhelming Darkness” and “Jam” [my natural instinct is to be wary of a song called “Overwhelming Darkness” or a song called “Jam,” for that matter, but I digress {which should be evident from the triple bracket stage I have just now entered}]). “I Was Born in A Crack House,” rings true for me like a blast off the pipe and “I Want to Feed You,” is how I feel about starving people all over the world—John Ashcroft
DEEP REDUCTION
Two (Get Hip)
Rob Younger and Deniz Tek, former members of the legendary Aussie band Radio Birdman unite in Deep Reduction and generate a reverby, swampy, sixties garage sound that will intoxicate the unwary listener. This is as stripped down and back to basics as it gets, a welcome sound these days or any days for that matter—Jayne Wayne
ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN
The Buzz of 1,000 Volts! (Victory)
This sounds a little sharper, a little cleaner than some of their previous stuff and the songs? Is Electric Frankenstein gettin’ better at what they do or loosing their sorta sloppy, yet endearing edge? I honestly haven’t heard most of their massive discography so I’ll stay out of it, but the debate will no doubt rage on with out me. Maybe they need to throw a wrench back into it, maybe this is the wrench. At any rate, I like it. (I should have made that clearer earlier on)—Jim Willy Jr.
THE EYELINERS
Sealed with a Kiss (Panic Button)
Three sisters. Pop punk. A duet with Ben Weasel. A drummer that sings lead. Is it possible? Well, to borrow a line from a song on Sealed with a Kiss, is it “too good to be true”? No, it’s all true, but it’s pretty average pop punk in the end. Nothing to get overly excited about—M. McMurphy
FAIRMOUNT GIRLS
Tender Trap (Deary Me)
The Fairmount Girls made one of the best records I’ve heard in some time. It’s original, it’s got great songwriting, great harmonies. A solid, nearly flawless, get-in-your head rock record that hopefully won’t, but very likely may, get lost in the sea of crap that is the music world, corporate, indie rock or otherwise—P.C. Jones
FEDERATION X
American Folk Horror (Estrus)
Junked out jalopies, shotguns and the everloving flag of the good ol’ U.S.A., litter the landscape of this heavy gauged guitar and drum trio. A little history: Fed X formed in 1612 (Web site). In addition to this amazing accomplishment of staying together 380 plus years is they also have the remarkable distinction of being the first persons to legalize marijuana (1932 in East St. Louis). They also made a pretty good freakin’ album with American Folk Horror and from the sound of it, it was probably recorded around the 18th century (that’s just a guess)—P.C. Jones
FILTHY THIEVING BASTARDS
A Melody of Retreads and Broken Quills (BYO)
Whether they’re filthy, thieving, or bastards is not for me to question. Been compared to the Pogues, yes. It must be that Irish brogue and the folky jig-inspiring nature of the music. FTB are comprised of members of Me First and The Gimmie Gimmies, Swinging Utters and Camper Van Beethoven. That’s quite a mix and the result is fifteen songs of Irish folk with all sorts of instrumenta-tion utilizing everything from pedal steels to mandolins and accordions. No, it ain’t punk rock but it is good whiskey drinking music just the same and who don’t like that?—Joey Germ
FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM
Welcome to the Octagon (Estrus)
F.o.F. play a crazed, frenetic mess of rock noise that starts off fast, doesn’t slow down for long, and manages to get spread pretty thin fairly fast. I kept hoping that the next song on the record would be a power ballad or anything that I could get my brain wrapped around but such was not the case. There’s nothing wrong with power ballads by the way-Bradley Pitt FLAW Through the Eyes (Republic/Universal) I’m just gonna pull some key words from the Flaw press release to give you a feel for the sound of these Louisville newcomers: “heavy,” “melodic,” “moody intensity,” “emotional power and honesty” (don’t you just hate dishonest music), “atmospheric journey,” “driving, heavy alternative music.” Are you sold yet or do you still need a review? Let me know, I’m here all week—Jayne Wayne
FLESHIES
Kill the Dreamers Dream (Alternative Tentacles)
Thrashy, trashy, punk rockers from Oakland serve up seventeen songs of drugs, cops, booze, meatballs, big green teeth, and arming the homeless (a song that probably got these guys hand-picked by Jello for Alternative Tentacles). The Fleshies sound as dangerous as a punk band oughta’ and as desperate as a punk band should be—Joey Germ
GAS HUFFER
The Rest of Us (Estrus)
Still huffin’ after all these years. This is the sixth full-length for these Seattle’s rock and rollers. After more than a decade of rock, the years don’t seem to have slowed these guys down any. Fourteen songs of the good stuff—Jayne Wayne
GARRISON
Be A Criminal (Revelation)
Garrison is a tightly wound group the purveying anxious, fast-tempo, guitar-dense indie rock. The boys’ falsetto voices,threatening to crack at any moment, adds youthful charm to their concept collection of songs about crimes and how to commit them. Exuberant and explosive, Garrison matches enthusiasm with angst—Tom ‘Tearaway’ Schulte
GRADE
Headfirst Straight to Hell (Victory)
Not as genre bending as the accompanying press materials would lead an unwitting rock journalist to believe. Although, I guess it does bend metal/hardcore and emo into something that actually sounds like many a band I’ve heard on the Victory label, despite interjections of melody here and there. I think basically the problem may be that, although Grade’s music may have evolved from full-on hardcore (and I’m guessing here ’cause I don’t know) the vast majority of the vocals just sound like shreiking freaking screaming and that just doesn’t wash with The Germ—The Germ
TAMI HART
What Passed Between Us (Mr. Lady)
Tami Hart wears her influences on here sleeve and they seem to run the gamut of 90s alternative rock. Hart jumps back and forth from emo to grunge to punk and back like someone who grew up with the likes of Nir-vana and Fugazi. There are some good songs on this record that cry for heavier treatment. Louder, please—P.C. JonesI LOVE RICH
The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band of All Time!! (no label)
I Love Rich are funny. Not funny ha ha but funny…you know. Actually, they’re really not very funny—Jayne WayneTHE IMPOSSIBLE SHAPES
Laughter Fills Our Hollow Dome (Luna)
Another diamond in the rough pop band from (Bloom-ington) Indiana. From the Tobin Sprout school of little ditties. Could use some spice though. There’s fourteen songs on this CD but it seems like a hundred—Jayne Wayne
THE INFINITE XS
The Infinite Xs (Chainsaw)
Lotta good songs on this debut record featuring “queer punk luminaries” (there’s a Team Dresch connection). Lumninescent or not, this record’s got good harmonies and melodies. “Joanna” (not to be confused with Kool & The Gang’s tune of the same name) has a bouncy ’80s flava to it and would seem to be the real winner here but watch out for sleeper hits like “Chosen One” and the rockin’ pop of “Shoot Em In the Foot.”—Irrisistible Frank
THE JAZZ JUNE
The Boom, The Motion, and the Music (Initial)
Much too earnest, honest, and heartfelt. Much too weighty, sober and serious. Much too emo-emo- emotional for my tastes, but I’m kind of an a-hole so it figures—Muggsy McMurphy
KASPAR HAUSER
The Tin Can Gong (Spacesuit)
Kaspar Hauser manage to hit the broad side of the barn and bang a tin can gong in the process with this nine song CD of acoustic, roots rockin’ urban country metal rap. Just kidding about that metal rap part. Fronted by sideburned singer/songwriter, Tom Comerford, and backed by a group of local Chicago musicians, Kapsar Hauser, (who I think was a person famous for some-thing somewhere at sometime) try to keep the rural landscape on the horizon of this big ol’ cow town—Billy Neil
THE KENT THREE
Spells (eMpTy)
Kent Three cast twelve spells of rock’n’roll mischief on their fourth album, Spells. Footstompin’, funny and just plain fun. You will be seduced by The K3 and their unique brand of garage-cowboy-punk—Muggsy McMurphy
KOSHER
Self Control (BYO)
Better than average punk rock, which is in no great shortage these days by the way. Singer’s got a good punk rock voice which saves Kosher from slipping into the less than average punk rock pool, which is in no great shortage these days by the way. Likewise, this was a less than average review which is in no great shortage these days by the way—Joey Germ
THE LAWRENCE ARMS
Apathy and Exhaustion (Fat Wreck Chords)
The Lawrence Arms sound not unlike a great many punk bands I’ve heard since I took over this post as the cynical, been-there-done-that-and-heard-everything record reviewer. And not unkike a few of these pop punk bands they’ve got a good poppy punk sound that features not one, but two frontmen! Sometimes that can be a little much as it too much but the contrast of the gravely voice with the more clean sounding crooner play well off each other. Apparently The Arms live in Chicago but, like probably most people in this town, I was ignorant of that fact. It’s almost a point of pride for us Chicagoans to not really know what’s going on right under our noses (unless it really stinks). We usually need outsiders to point this stuff out for us—Irresistible Frank
LEFTOVER CRACK
Mediocre Generica (Hellcat)
You don’t see a whole lotta leftover crack around my house if you get my drift. This is a posthumous (I think) CD of outtakes and initially rejected songs by Leftover Crack and Choking Victim that dabble mostly in hardcore with a splash of metal and a dash of ska and just a hint of church music and…I don’t know, a fugue or two. Seriously, there’s a fugue on this CD—J. Germ
LITTLE WINGS
Wonderue (K)
My first reaction to this Little Wings CD was, “Oh my god, what is this? Take it off! Take it off, it’s killing me! Oh Christ!” But then I got ahold of myself and relaxed. This is a common symptom of punk rock withdrawl. After you’ve listened to a dozen or so punk rock CDs, then you throw on one that has something that sounds like a recorder on it, well, you can lose your shit pretty quick. However this was quite a pleasant surprise being very mellow, nonaggressive, yet still oddly and interestingly and hauntingly worthy, like if the Assponys got weirder they’d grow Little Wings—Jayne Wayne
THE LOCUST
Flight of the Wounded Locust (GSL)
Superfuckingfastfuckeduptechohardcore—Joeythegerm
LOST SOUNDS
Black Wave (eMpTy)
Jump goth. Some kind of new wave carnival band from the flipside. Out there. In your face. All over the place. These sounds were lost and yet here they are, found on the Black Wave. Go figure. I did—Irresistible Frank
MAN OR ASTROMAN?
Beyond the Black Hole (Estrus)
I’ve never heard a Man or Astroman? record before but Beyond the Black Hole is exactly what I expected one to sound like: intergalatic surfin’ cowboy music. It may sound familiar because I myself have made the trip through the space-time continum and hung out on the event horizon where this is mood music. This might sound familiar to MOA fans because it contains tracks from the out-of-print What Remains Inside a Black Hole as well as some singles and compilation tracks. Either way it’s all pretty insignificant when compared to something more cosmic, like the death of the sun for example—Larry Hawking (read my pamphlet, “A Brief History of Wasting Time”)
THE MEANS
Vil Viol (DPG)
Wild, fast & furious: the ends do justify the means which are a means to an end. The means to the end but don’t take my word for it-no wait a minute-take my word for it—Joey Germ
MIRA
Cold Cold Water (K)
Like many red blooded creatures I have been smitten by the enchanting voice of the siren, Mira. This CD which features two versions of the title track and two other proper songs, is just a little teaser to a forth-coming future full-length release and therefore not completely satisfying in and of itself. However if there is a full-length is indeed forthcoming, then help is on the way—P.C. Jones
THE MR. T EXPERIENCE
…and the Women Who Love Them (Lookout!)
Twenty-five songs of released and previously unreleased Mr. T pop punk ditties: singles, demo versions and compilation tracks. Like previously released Mr. T records I’ve listened to, this drove me batshit crazy by about the tenth song. Dr. Frank can really churn out the songs man, but whether that’s a good thing or not is a whole ‘nother dilemma. There’s a cover of the old School House Rock classic, “Unpack Your Adjectives” which is redeeming for the shortest period of time imaginable—Joseph “The Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat’ Germ Joey Germ’s
MODEST MOUSE
sadsappysucker (K)
I liked the last Modest Mouse record, The Moon and Antarctica. however, after listening to it quite a bit last year and then listening to it again just recently, it didn’t really hold up for me. Sadsappysucker wears thin a little faster. Most of the record was initially going to be the first Modest Mouse record but was shelved in favor of other material. Probably a wise move. The rest is bonus tracks of home recorded songs that I’m sure were never meant to be released, yet here they are, released. Sadsappysucker is for the fans, or those who are sad, or sappy or (I won’t say suckers)—P.C. Jones
MUSHROOMHEAD
XX (Universal)
Fusing elements of metal, rap, and goth, this eight man costumed band from Cleveland, while actually preceding bands like Slip Knot, play to a similar audience of malcontented teens in the let’s-make-music-your-parents-will-hate genre. Unfortunately XX is too all over the place-there’s just too many short hops from one style too the next. And then there’s the image and lyrical content and the whole “Charles Manson was right,” horror show vibe crossed with the neo-fascist Mushroomhead uniforms… It’s not for this kid though, I’m still gonna throw on my trusty copy of Shout at the Devil when my old man starts ridin’ my ass to mow the lawn—Muggsy McMurphy
MYSTECHS III
Unholyland (Omega Point)
Hell, this ain’t no punk rock record. Nope, definitely not the reglar stuff we get here. Singer/songwriter Elil Hyde, sounds like The The’s Matt Johnson. Unholyland is dance music, heavily synthesized. Kinda freaks me out a little bit in a way that’s hard to explain. Hold on a second, I’m going to take it off…there that’s better, whew!—Joey Germ
NEW TOWN ANIMALS
Is Your Radio Active? (Mint)
Reactivate your radios kids and get ready for a parade of hits ’cause the New Town Animals are marching through your airwaves. With a legit (former) Brit on vocals, the Animals bop through 70s-style punk rock tunes that are bouncy, catchy and Canadian and I say Canadian because the New Town Animals are from Canada—Junior Lemons
JIM O’ROURKE
Insignificance (Drag City)
I don’t listen too this record much. It made me think too hard about whether it’s good or not. Jim O’Rourke’s history lends itself to over analysis. It’s hard to just listen to Insignificance for what it is, a pop record. As a genre-bounding provocateur, O’Rourke’s successes are noteworthy and thus some will gripe that critics will cream over this album just ‘cuz of who he is. That’s an occupational hazard, I suppose. As it is, this is a relatively straight-forward pop record with eccentric flourishes and instrumentation that’s just short of exotic. There’s lots of acoustic and rock guitars, layered vocals, organs, vibes, harmonica, sax, cornet, and pedal steel all played by notable Chicago musicians. O’Rourke’s soft-spoken (but not really spoken) vox are slightly melancholy and unshowy- like one of those fast walking races where they pump their arms and take long strides but don’t really run. True pop songwriters who write billions of simple songs (the ones that emerge from the slop of mediocrity) really mean it and believe it, but if the listener is not convinced of O’s sincerity on this CD he’ll bound off on some other tangent. So, maybe this record lacks sincerity. I think that’s why, despite it being a very catchy and clever pop record, it doesn’t get played much at my joint. That and the whole stab at our beloved city of Chicago in Wire magazine… Oh well, no skin off my Polish with everything. Good thing he didn’t talk shit about Ditka though. There’da been trouble—Randy McQueen
OZMA
Rock and Roll Part Three (Kung Fu)
I like Weezer. Granted, I don’t own any Weezer albums but I like ’em and it’s not even a guilty pleasure. By the same token, I like Ozma, and the similarities between the two are undeniable. They both play hard rocking pop music with loud power chords. That has obvious appeal. The fact that Ozma does sound so much like Weezer and the songwriting and the vocals sound like Weezer might be somewhat of a detraction for some, but that sincere form of flattery has even made Rivers Cuomo a fan, and if he don’t care, I don’t care—Irresistible Frank
THE PATTERN
Immediately (Lookout!)
The accompanying bio suggests that The Pattern may very well be the next big thing, i.e the new breed, the next Strokes or White Stripes, et al. Basically what they’re saying is, not liking this band now is like not is at the risk of not being able to say you like them before they were huge: the time to like this band is now! Nerves actually do this much better. Don’t get me wrong, The Pattern ain’t bad, but they’re definitely not the New Breed in my humble, no doubt fucked opinion—Joey Germ
THE PLUS ONES/ TRAVOLTAS
Split EP (Asian Man/Cold Front)
Split CD of bouncy poppy, punky, and bubblegummy sugary rockity rock ‘n’ roll featuring two originals and one cover apiece by East Bay’s The Plus Ones and Netherlands export, Travoltas. Nothing life changing but good pop music nonetheless—P.C. Jones
RANCID/NOFX
BYO Split Series Vol. III (BYO)
Rancid and NOFX split a CD by covering each others songs. If you’re a fan of Rancid and a fan of NOFX then you’ll like ALL of this CD. If you like Rancid and you don’t like NOFX then you’ll like only HALF of this CD. Likewise, if you like NOFX but don’t much care for Rancid then you will only be pleased with HALF. But which half will you like? Will you more enjoy the half that has Rancid covering NOFX songs (which you might think suck) or will you like what NOFX has done with the Rancid songs you used to hate? It’s a pickle all right—Joey Germ
RATOS DE PORAO
Guerra Civil Canibal (Alternative Tentacles)
Ok, the cover of this CD is just fucking wrong. This Brazilian hardcore band make their buddies Sepultura sound like friggin’ Queensryche (not really, I just thought that would be a funny thing to say). If you like your hardcore hard, tinged with metal, political, and sung in Portuguese then this is your band. Seriously, they’ll be at your house at eight thirty—Joey Germ
THE RAZZLES
Throttle (Get Hip)
The Razzles put the dazzle back into rock and they do it full throttle (a pun!) using a “classic power pop recipe” adding no special ingredients to make it their own. Just your basic loaf of bread—Scat-in-the-Hat
RINGWORM
Birth is Pain (Victory)
Step into the ring with these worms for a few rounds, why doncha’. Birth is pain, life is pain, death, in many cases, is painful. This CD could be painful if you’re not up to a full-on metal assault. Are you ready for a full-on metal assault? Are ya, punk?—Muggsy McMurphy
RPG
You Gotta Know (no label)
Now that rocket propelled grenades are in vogue again (I’ve been using mine for years) RPG are ready to make the scene using their big-ass Marshall Stacks like friggin’ bazookas to fire off AC/DC-sized volleys of rock shrapnel at your tender little ass—Joey “Rocket Propelled” Germ
RUNNING LIKE THIEVES
Same Time Next Year (Livewire)
Old school punk rock sounds like it was recorded in a hurry on the cheap just likes they did it back in the day. Singer sounds like Lemmy a bit, like he donates most of his lung power to smoking somethin’ or other—Joey Germ
THE QUEERS
Today (Lookout!)
Today the Queers released yet another record. This one has five songs on it—Joseph Germanicus
THE QUEERS
Live in West Hollywood (Hopeless)
Another release from the Queers! This one is a live show, so now you can have more versions of The Queer’s hookless, unoriginal, uninfectious, Ramones worship-ping, punk rock! Album comes complete with liner notes condemning punk rock corporate suck-ups and a discography, in case you lost track (or just didn’t care)! Thirty-one songs! Worthless at any price!—Joey Germ
SCHATZI
Death of the Alphabet EP (Mammoth)
The Alphabet will never die! Schatzi, in addition to killing the alphabet, are on a mission to bring pop rock back to America by wrestling radio away from bands like Puddle of Shitt, et al. This EP is a pretty solid step in realizing that goal. Big, loud hooks ala Weezer and good production (who doesn’t have that these days) don’t hurt. I think this EP is supposed to the lay the groundwork for a bigger assault in the future. Bring it—P.C. Jones
THE SOLEDAD BROTHERS
Steal Your Soul & Dare Your Spirit to Move (Estrus)
When will white boys stop playin’ the blues? Probably when they get somethin’ to be blue about, but until then the Soledad Brothers are here with their own brand and a mighty fine one, sounding at times like early Stones with their rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ blues—Irresistible Frank
STRIFE
Angermeans (Victory)
Where I come from there’s a little form of music we like to call metal. Say it with me, metal. And where I come from we’re not afraid to admit we like it and we know it when we hear it. Strife is metal and I’ll admit it and I’m not afraid to admit that it’s good metal. It ain’t hardcore, it’s metal—Muggsy McMurphy
THRESHNER
Electromantic (CFS)
Slow paced pop music that I would be really like to fall asleep to but I drank a whole pot of coffee in order to stay awake long enough to get through it. Ironic ain’t it?—Joey Germ
TIJUANA CRIME SCENE
Change of Venue (Arise)
Not what I expected by the name. You can’t judge a band by it’s name, so the saying goes. This is much more mellow, reminds me of Trunk Federation in it’s attempts to do something a little different. Not just sensitive emocore, a little more inventive and musi-cally…musical—Jayne Wayne
TILT
Been Where? Did What? (Fat Wreck Chords)
Demos and miscellaneous unreleased tracks from Tilt fronted by Cinder Blocks. Angry, melodic punk rock with a female front. Twenty-two songs covering about seven years from 92-99. Twenty-two more songs than I ever knew they released which tilts the scales in their favor–P.C. Jones WEEDBRAIN Hey Weedbrain (RoosterCow) Better than Testykle. Yeah, that’s right better than Testykle—Malcolm Tent
THE WHITE OCTAVE
Menergy (Initial)
Apparently menergy is what feeds this band. That’s great. The cover is pretty funny, but there’s nothing particularly funny about the music. It’s pretty serious hardrocking emo. Very similar to At the Drive-In in that respect. Very similar. Pretty good. Heavy bass. Menergy, huh?—J. Ashcroft
VICTIMS FAMILY/FLESHIES
“Calling Dr. Schlessinger” b/w “Gonna Have to Pass” (Alternative Tentacles)
Old school Alternative Tentacles (Victims Family) meets new school Alternative Tentacles (Fleshies) on this split 7″. The punk panegyric to Dr. Laura starts out creepy and ends up hard. The youngbloods in The Fleshies don’t have time for such arranging and put their explosive episode at the front of their side leaving a few seconds for the vapor trails to fade out from their speed-punk outburst. Alternative Tentacles has been doing hard punk on vinyl for years and it shows, production on both sides is excellent. Also, both tracks do not appear on other releases from the groups—Tom ‘Tearaway’ Schulte
VARIOUS
Double Dynomite Sampler (Estrus)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Estrus Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing Federation X and the spectacular -Soledad Brothers. Fans of garage rock and loud-ass guitar flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Estrus Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Initial Records Punk Rock Sampler (Initial)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Initial Records Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing The Get Up Kids and the spectacular Hot Water Music. Fans of emo rock and moody guitar flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Initial Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Lookout! Freakout Episode Two (Lookout!)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Lookout! Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing Ann Beretta and the spectacular The Pattern. Fans of punk rock and pop flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Lookout! Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
New York’s Hardest Vol. 3 (Go-Kart)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Go-Kart Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing S.O.D and the spectacular Agnostic Front. Fans of hardcore and metal guitar flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Go-Kart Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Plea For Peace (Sub City)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Sub City Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing Lawrence Arms and the spectacular Atom & His Package. Fans of punk rock and good causes flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Sub City-affiliated Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Punch Drunk III (TKO)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the TKO Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing The Generators and the spectacular Angelic Upstarts. Fans of punk rock and violence flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of TKO-affiliated Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer (Dead Droid)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Weezer Tribute featuring standout tracks by the amazing Christopher John aka Elliot and the spectacular ???. Fans of Weezer and their songs flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Weezer Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
VARIOUS
Team Mint Volume 2! (Mint)
A fantastic sampling of the smorgasbord of great talent on the Mint Label featuring standout tracks by the amazing New Pornographers and the spectacular The Smugglers. Fans of good rock and loud-ass guitar flava’ will especially dig this compilation, but of course if you’re a fan of Canadian! Bands then you already know this. Buy everything on this label! You can’t lose—Joey Germ
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