Gate, “Live 1994” (Poon Village, 1994)Monolithic drone/improv guitar duel with Dead C.’s Michael Morley and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. 1 is a long one, Morley’s trademark foghorn-emissions of midrange grime enlivened by Ranaldo’s signature chimes and echoes. 2 though 7 add electric harpist Zeena Parkins for extra chaos/ecstasy.Try any.8/23/12
Rebecca Gates and the Consortium, “The (IZXU, 2012).Ex-Spinanes front woman returns with a solo project that’s like a mellowed-with-age take on her old band’s sparse, pointy-edged yet hauntingly melodic Indic rock. Good stuff. Try 2/2.11/12/12
The Gateway District, “Some Days You Get The Thunder” (It’s Alive, 2011)I never got that into the Soviettes, but these former members of that group here deliver a set of songs that live up to the ragged greatness of their Minneapolis punk-and-roll predecessors (think Replacements/Hüskers, etc. when they were young and on fire) while sounding […]
Gazebos, “Die Alone” (Hardly Art, 2016)Current group that has an intriguing resemblance to the U.S. postpunk/new-wave sounds of the early ‘80s that never quite achieved canonical status. Quirky, staccato minimalism filtered through a warm offhanded bar-band/power-pop chug. Nice stuff.Try 2, 3, 611/10/16
Generation X, “Generation X” (Chrysalis UK CD, 1987; original release 1977)Billy Idol’s first band was a class-of-’77 punk outfit that steered clear of the weightier socio-political confrontations of some of their peers, but were every bit as snotty and disaffected in their own way, and rocked like a hurricane, too, with uber-catchy songs and storms […]
Geri Halliwell, “Schizophonic” (Capitol, 1999)I love the Spice Girls. Now that that’s out of the way “Ginger”’s debut is just a flat-out great dance-pop record, period, with the stylistic and autobiographical range of a first0rate singer-songwriter effort as well. Befitting the angel/devil motif of the cover, the softer stuff is beatifically fluffy, the club-bangers strut […]
Germs, “Germicide” (ROIR, 1981 [?]; original recording 1977)“OH WOW, BIG PUSSY!!” That and other witticisms are to be found on the between-song banter on this, the first recording of the Germs, live and completely incompetent. This is the most primal punk rock ever, sludge-chunks of sound skanking across the floor with an every-instrument-doing-something-unrelated-to-the-others panache rivaled […]
Germs, “Live At The Starwood, December 3, 1980” (Rhino Handmade, 2010)The Germs are among the occupants of the very pinnacle of American punk rock, and this recording – their last show, released in full at last after years of bits and pieces appearing on bootlegs and comps – is perhaps the greatest live recording of […]
Get Rad, “I Can Always Live” (Hyperrealist, 2010)Current HC from Wisconsin, clean, fast and hard. Something sets these guys above and apart from the crowd, maybe a sort of snottiness that keeps things swinging and snappy. Great cover art as well.Try 2, 8, 104/4/11
Giant Sand, “Heartbreak Pass” (New West, 2015)From his base in Tucson, for 30 years Howe Gelb has been making fine records that have steadily developed his signature style – dusty, off-kilter, cubist roots-rock, a sparse desert soundscape dotted with tangles of noise and vistas of acoustic beauty – while retaining a core of consistency and […]