Eastlink, “Eastlink” (In The Red, 2014) Lots of interesting stuff coming out of Australia lately, and these guys are particularly out there. One pole here is rumbling, scrambled, uproarious fuzz-punk; the other is arcing, oceanic psych-guitar-drone that’s oddly moving. And there’s lots in between. Try 1, 3 7/15/14
Deborah Harry, “In Love With Love” 12” (Geffen, 1987) Awesome remix of a tune from her ’87 solo album, tricked out here with a dub-spectral arcade of sound and percolating Latin-disco percussion. Captures like nothing else the NYC-at-night passage from a crowded club dancefloor to the empty streets outside, that crackling sense of menace and […]
California X, “California X” (Don Giovanni, 2013) Heavy/melodic, hard-driving indie-guitar-rock from Massachusetts. They’ve been compared to that state’s legends, Dinosaur Jr., and make a similar sunshine-‘n’-storms folk/psych/metal blare, but are simultaneously blurrier and more straight-ahead. Really good stuff, with fine songwriting. Try A/1, B/1 4/17/16
John Cale, “Guts” (Island, 1975; originally recorded 1973-75) Probably the ex-Velvets bassist’s best solo stuff, and certainly the most extreme; vaguely glam/Roxy, Music-style rock and roll overdriving into bludgeoning paranoia, with truly disturbing lyrics/vocals from Cale. Try 1 /4, 2/1, 2/1.
Baby Shakes, “Shake Shake” (Douchemaster 2005) Second excellent single I’ve heard from these garage-punk gals ‘n’ guy. They’ve got a knack for finding a good groove and riding it around and around for rockin’, poppin’ fun. Try A/1 1/23/14
Babies, “Our House on the Hill” (Woodsist, 2012) Side project thing from Cassie of Vivian Girls and some dude (who actually does most of the singing). This is Velvets-inflected garage-punk, much in the vein of Cassie’s “real” band, but sweeter and more down-home. Lacks the Vivian Girls’ visionary chaos, but still really good. Try 2, […]
Action Swingers, “Quit While You’re Ahead” (In The Red, 2015; original recordings 1988-1990) Earliest (hence best, because their goal was zero, only adding-on was a surrender; cf. the title) stuff by New York noise-rock’s answer to Drunk With Guns. “Punk” reduced methodically to something so staggeringly rudimentary, so grainy and casually relentless that it almost […]
Adolescents, “Adolescents” (Frontier, 1982)These guys rank with T-SOL at the ape of first-wave Orange County hardcore, and only the Germs, X and Black Flag surpass them in L.A. punk as a whole. Taut, pummeling beats that roll as much as they rock fuel interlocking guitar harmonics that sparkle like SoCal suburban sprawl at night, an […]
The Adult Net, “Incense And Peppermints” (Beggars Banquet, 1985) Fall guitarist covers the Strawberry Alarm Clock’s title classic. Not much like the Fall, but a fun piece of cool Kitsch, artifice layered on artifice as if history was a baloney sandwich of pop-culture archaeological strata. Try 1/1, 2/1 10/2/18
Adverts, “Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts” (Link, 1990; originally released Bright, 1978) The explosion of creativity and freedom that was ’77 UK punk had many sides. The Adverts were the ultimate expression of its utopian/idealist strain. The sound was melodic anthems delivered in a flurry of charged, ringing guitar and anxious rhythms trying […]