RECORD REVIEWS: ISSUE ONE

A - Foghorn CD single (London)

Fourth(!) single from A's debut album is - shock! - an average punky little number with a singalong chorus. Quelle surprise! The two other tracks on here are a crap slow song and a crap dancey song. The first track is OK, but the other two are horrible.

 

BOUNCING SOULS - s/t CD (Epitaph)

I've quite liked this band for a while now, but with this new album they've become one of my favourites! Bouncy (I guess), tuneful hardcore with an oi/Brit-punk influence and dumbass lyics, Great party/drinking music, and any band with a song titled "The Toilet Song" had to be good, right? Chances are you've at least heard "Here We Go" as it was on pretty much every compilation CD of the past 2 years, so if you liked that you're sure to dig this too.

 

CHINA DRUM - Self Made Maniac CD (Mantra)

This follow up to the pop-a-rama that was "Goosefair" is quite different from its predecessor. Gone are the bouncy melodies and Kate Bush covers, and in their place is a harder, more mature sound. Songs such as the great "60 Seconds" and "Guilty Deafness" are much noisier than anything they've done before, but the best track for me is melodic "All I Wanna Be". While this perhaps isn't as good as their last album, at least they've progressed and haven't put out more of the same. Definitely worth a listen.

 

CRYSTAL METHOD - Vegas CD (Sony)

Chemical Brothers-style computer bleeps. Slow, repetitive techno which might be good in a club, but I don't go to those kinds of club so I wouldn't know. This sucks, but I'm probably not qualified to tell the difference between good and bad techno. I like Aphex Twin sometimes. But I still don't like this. Aaargh! It's hurting my ears! I can "techno" more of this! (Ha ha ha... sound of CD being thrown out of window). Nope, not for me. I appreciate promo stuff and all, but please don't send any more fucking dance bollocks as it makes me cry. Next!

 

DISCOUNT - Half Fiction CD (Kat)

Second album from the darlings of the American underground press, but strangely all but ignored by us Brits. Imagine J Church with the singer from Velocity Girl and you're almost there, cos this is excellent melodic pop-punk with grrreat strong and powerful girl vocals. If you like the aforementioned bands or stuff like Tilt then you'll fall in love with this. They deserve to be HUGE. Available in the UK thru Crackle, and probably lots of other distros too.

 

THE DONNAS - Rock'N'Roll Machine 7" (Lookout)

Teen girl rock'n'roll with lyrics about not caring about anything cos "I'm a rock'n'roll machine", backed with a cover of Kiss' "Speeding Back To My Baby", While this is an enjoyable record and they'll probably rock the most live, I dunno if I could listen to a whole album of 'em. Still, it's better than the Period Pains.

 

DOWN BY LAW - Question Marks And Periods CD single (Epitaph)

The title track is a poppy thing with cool hooks and a neat chorus, but it's nothing special really. It's good, but not great. Neither are the two B-sides, which are the previously unreleased rock'n'roll tinged "The Superheroes" and album track "Self-Destruction". I still don't understand how a band which totally blew me away live totally fail to excite me on record.

 

FLYSCREEN - I Wanna Be In A New York Punk Band CD single (MCA)

Oh joy, free review material! Lessee... the press release says they've toured with Fugazi, punk credibility points there... the've also toured with Bush. Oh. OK. Dark, moody, slow and, well, dull. It's not crap, it's fairly listenable, but it's just sooooo boring.  Bush fans will lap it up.

 

GLUEBOUND - 21/2% Instinct CDEP (EMI)

Oh joy, more free review material! This is Deus-meets-Mansun-meets the Manics type rock stuff which is actually very well done, but not really my thing. Still, they're good at what they do, so if you're into gloomy, slow, depressing indie rock you'll enjoy this, if "enjoy" is the right word.

 

GREEN DAY - Nimrod CD (Reprise)

The world's richest pop-punk band finally return with 18 tracks of their distinctive tuneage, and it is great. Despite being defintiely Green Day, all the songs are substantially different from each other. There's the classic Green Day sound of "Nice Guys Finish Last", the total popness of "Scattered" and "Uptight", noisy shouting on "Platypus" and "Take Back", the horn-infested "King For A Day", the weird instro "Last Ride In" and the acoustic former B-side turned chart hit "Good Riddance". Possibly their most diverse album yet, and certainly better than "Nimrod" (which I also liked). Yep, this did not disappoint one bit. Just lovely. I guess you'll already know whether or not you want this, though.

 

GRISWALDS/KENMORES - Legallise The Stupid/Potty Training split 7" (Household Name)

One one side we have Kent's finest The Griswalds, pumping out five fast early Queersy tracks which I was pretty indifferent towards at first but after a few spins I fell in love with 'em, especially "Can't Wait Till Summer" and "Get Me Outta This Place". Top snotty punk rock action. Flip it over for The Kenmores, an American pop-punk bands playing generic American pop-punk. They're pretty good, but nowt special. Still, ten tracks of quality punk rock for $2.50 is a bargian in anyone's book, so buy this now! Punk as fuck sleeve art, too.

 

GROOVIE GHOULIES - Re-Animation Festival CD (Lookout)

Ramonesy pop-punk with 60's style horror cartoon influences. Inside the excellent sleeve art there are songs about love and the supernatural - a pretty weird combination, huh? My favourite track off here is probably "Graceland", an excellent rock'n'roll number about re-animating Elvis! The other tracks are also good, and while this isn't one of my favourite records of all time, it's a fun release and worth a look. If you get the chance to see 'em live then take it, because they are an amazing live band.

 

H20 - Thicker Than Water CD (Epitaph)

Y'know, I just can't get into this NYHC business. Guess I'm just too much of a wuss to appreciate the more macho sounding stuff. Having said that, this record didn't scare me as much as most hardcore records do. I particularly like "Friend", which is a cover of a band I'm way too unhip to have heard of. This is OK, but I soon get bored of it. I guess if you're into this sort of thing this is a worthwhile purchase.

 

I AGAINST I - Headcleaner CD (Epitaph)

Another Bad Religion soundalike from the continent. Is there some sort of machine churning out these bands in mainland Europe? Another Stevenson-Egerton production, and it has its moments, notably the ace "Maybe Tomorrow" and former single "Top Of The World". However, you probably already own dozens of records like this, and it just doesn't have that special something bands like this need to make them stand out from the crowd. There's nothing bad about it, it's just all been done before. Worth a look though, especially if you already own everything by Bad Religion. And Pennywise. And No Fun At All. And the Satanic Surfers. And... (ad infinitum)

 

LAGWAGON - Double Plaidinum CD (Fat Wreck)

After my first few listens I thought "Hmm, it's Lagwagon," and wasn't overly impressed, but after a while the awesome songwriting and brain-clinging melodies drag you in and refuse to let you out until you're forced to admit that this is a pretty damn good album. Lagwagon are another of those bands whose songs all have their own distinct features, yet you can always tell who it is. Fans of poppy melodic hardcore type stuff need this record.

 

LILYS - A Nanny In Manhattan CD single (Che)

You must have heard this, it's that 60's-style song off of that jeans ad where those student types cause surreal chaos in a multi-coloured hearse. If you took The Byrds, The Kinks, The Beatles circa Sgt. Pepper  and The Beach Boys and stuck 'em in a blender with a sprinkling of acid this is what would pour out. The second track's probably the best of the bunch cos it has this really catchy "na-na-na-na" bit, and I'm a sucker for those. I'm surprised I like this, cos it's a really uncool thing to like, but it's not bad. As retro bands go these are no Hi-Fives, but they're worth a million Ocean Colour Scenes.

 

MIDGET - Optimism CD single (Radar)

The title track is a summery indie-pop number, and is definitely my least favourite Midget song so far. It's not bad, just not really my thing anymore (though a few years ago I'd have loved it). The B-sides see Midget back on form though, especially "You're Back Again", "Meeting The Parents" and "Beached Queenie". So yeh, this is OK, but not what I was expecting.

 

MIDGET - Alco-Pop! mini album (Radar)

Very appropriately titled collection of Midget's early singles (excluding "Optimism!" Yay!), a couple of B-sides (including "Wendyhouse"! Yaaay!) and three all new tracks which comprise the brilliant "Why Have Cotton?", the infectious "Pop Song" and live favourite "Silly Little Rich Cow". If you missed the early singles (including the impossible-to-find "Kylie And Jason" and the Screecher Comforts track "Parting Shot") or just can't get enough bursts of punky pop music then this is an ideal purchase.

 

MIDGET - All Fall Down CD single (Radar)

This is pretty much the perfect pop song. Fast guitars, a jazz interlude, doo-doo-doos, la-la-las, handclaps, a piano... what more could you possibly want?! This is the song that "Optimism" should have been. Out of the zillions of B-sides (well, 5), the best is "Tigger Had A Good Idea" on CD2, though CD1 includes their cover of "Daydream Believer" which totally rocks live but seems to be lacking something on CD. Is this Midget's best single yet? Maybe...

 

THE MR T EXPERIENCE - Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood CD (Lookout)

Big fat compilation CD featuring the 7-track EP from whence the title came, plus 24 non-album tracks from 1989-1993. Lots of excellent stuff here, including a track Jon Von did with a different band cos the rest of MTX refused to play it, three variations of "God Bless America", the wonderful "At Gilman Street" and "Hello Kitty Menendez" amongst others, plus a buch of covers, the best of which being Sesame St. tune "Up and Down", "(Se)X Offender" and the themes to "Spiderman" and "Speed Racer". This CD shows how the band developed throughout their early years until becoming the ultimate pop band of today and, together with Dr. Frank's extensive liner notes, this release provides an important history lesson of one of the greatest dumb little bands ever. Not every track's a classic, but an essential purchase for fans.

 

THE MR T EXPERIENCE - And I Will Be With You 7" (Lookout)

The title track is an excellent number from the "Revenge Is Sweet..." album, and is backed up with Dr. Frank and Kim Shattuck duetting on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (complete with a trademark Kimmy scream at the end! Yesss!) and an original Dr. Frank composition, the excellent "You Alone" which has the usual word-play filled lyrics that we all adore so much. Buy this or forever be a stupid head.

 

THE MR T EXPERIENCE - Revenge Is Sweet And So Are You CD (Lookout)

Yyyyyyyyyyyessssss! Dr. Frank returns, still with Jym and Joel, to bring 16 more songs about girls. Carrying on where "Love Is Dead" left off, the MTX starship deliver more pop-punk par excellence, this time a little less straigtforward than the last record. For example, there are child choruses on "Love Is Dead" (also featuring the delectable Kim Shattuck), flirtations with country music on "Hell Of Dumb" and even yodelling(!) on their version of "Some Foggy Mountain Top". Every track is wonderful, the lyrics are wittier and cleverer than ever (especially on "With My Looks And Your Brains", "The Wather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful" and, well, pretty much every other song on the record too!) and it's just a brilliant record. In 100 years time Dr. Frank's genius will be recognised by all, and kids will study his lyrics in English Lit instead of Shakespeare. But I've gone on about this record enough - just buy it if you haven't already. Best album of '97, for sure.

 

MU330 - Crab Rangoon CD (Asian Man)

If Weezer recruited a horn section and jumped on the ska bandwagon, this is the record they'd make. Er, that's a good review, by the way. Catchy pop meets punk and both get beat up by Mr. Ska, producing a record that's better than most of the mass of ska-punk that's currently swamping the shelves - including MU330's own last album. "Pick it up" today! (Ha ha ha...)

 

NAOMI - Personal Touch advance tape (Gut)

Oooh, an "alternative" female solo artist! Whatever will they think of next? Naomi is only 19 and has a really powerful voice, kinda like PJ Harvey meets Alanis. The first track on this is quite interesting as the music is a little different and experimental, but the second track is an acapella number which sounds like Eternal or some other equally dire shite. Sorry Naomi, but the commercial music world is already filled to saturation point with this tripe. Still, great voice...

 

NOFX - So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes CD (Epitaph)

Aw, you all know what NOFX sound like, don't you? Well, if not, they sound like this record does. After the slightly disappointing "Heavy Petting Zoo" (which did have a few top tunes on it in my opinion) comes this belter which has everything we all love about NOFX - Fat Mike's unique vocals, fast guitars, occasional ska bits, occasional reggae bits, trumpets, humour... you know the drill by now. Includes two tracks re-recorded from "Fuck The Kids", a most excellent instro, and a dig at Howard Stern at the end. Other notable tracks are the short-as-hell "Monosyllabic Girl" and the ska-tastic "All Outta Angst". Like it or not, NOFX are one of the most influential bands in contemporary punk, and this album shows why. Nothing new here, but that's not a bad thing.

 

NOFX - All Of Me 7" (Fat Wreck)

Limited edition green 7" featuring "All Of Me" and album track "The Desperation's Gone". "All Of Me" has a real cool bassline and it rocks and everything, BUT! it's probably not worth buying this unless you're a NOFX completist or something, because that track also appears on the new Fat sampler, where it is listed as "Olive Me"... the scamps!

 

PANIC - Gremlin Generation CD (Phoenix)

This kicks off with one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard, and it just gets better from there. Excellent pop-punkage which is occasionally reminiscent of (guess who?) Screeching Weasel, but it's not like they're a carbon copy or anything. Straigntforward snotty punk that you're sure to love.

 

SCREECHING WEASEL - S/T CD (VML)

Now on CD and officially available for the first time in ten years so us kids can finally get hold of it, here's the Weasel's debut along with twelve bonus tracks, making a total of 39 songs! The hardcore band on this CD bear little resemblence to the pop masters of today, but the excellent Ramonesy "Murder In The Brady House" is a sign of the things that lay ahead. This sounds immature both musically and lyrically, but there are some decent songs on here. Some crap ones too. Definitely worth hearing out of curiousity, but perhaps not worth buying. Weird fact: back in 1987, the NME gave this 10/10!

 

SKIMMER - Compitoenail CD (Crackle)

CDs like this make life worth living. This is a compilation (the title's almost an anagram, you see) of Skimmer's Crackle 7"s, two tracks from a Snuffy Smile 7", a couple lifted off a Junk 7" and two all-new, previously-unreleased, never-before-seen, exclusive tracks, adding up to 21 poptastic tracks of Skimmer's awesome Mega City Four meets the Parasites sound. All the tracks are brilliant, the sleeve is cool, the whole thing is just pretty much perfect. Can't wait for the proper album (also out soon! YES!). Skimmer are almost certainly my favourite British band at the moment. If I told you that this is the best damn thing I've heard since the last MTX album I would not be lying. The perfect place for all you morons who aren't hip to Skimmer to check them out, and even if you've already got most of the tracks this is still well worth picking up just for the ones you don't have and the convenience of having 'em all in one place. It's not very often that I endorse paying for songs you already own, but in this case it's worth it. Just fucking buy it, OK?!

 

THE SMUGGLERS - Buddy Holly Convention CDEP (Lookout)

Canada's finest rock'n'roll/pop-punk crossover merchants return with this 6-track follow up to their great "Selling The Sizzle" album, and a worth successor it is, too! Best tracks here are "Buddy Holly Convention" and "I Love Spoons", though opener "Melee in Madrid" is also pretty rockin'. Mad-as-fuck bonus track too!

 

30 AMP FUSE - Saturday Night At The Atomic Speedway CD (Dedicated)

Punky pop with fuzzy guitars and production from the All-powerful (ho!) duo of Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton (do those guys ever sleep?!). Theis record is packed with great songs which should appeal to fans of bands like Everclear and pop-punk kids alike. 30 Amp Fuse are unjustly overlooked by many, so do the right thing and pick up this gem.

 

TURTLEHEAD/LOVE JUNK split 7" (Speedowax)

Second release from this top new British label sees Scottish melodic punksters Turtlehead sharing the pumpkin coloured wax with Ipswich Peel session stars Love Junk. Both bands provide two tracks each, and it's all good stuff, so buy this and discover two of Britain's best bands. There are only 330 copies of this knocking about though, so it may be a little hard to find. Worth the effort, though.

 

WESTON - Matinee CD (Go Kart)

More pop-punk songs about girls from this fine band. Weston are a lot more laid back and a little slower than most bands - at times they even sound a little like the Gin Blossoms. But still good. Dunno if this is as good as their last album, but "Next To You At Night" is just an awesome song. Highly recommended to all you fellow wusses out there. Is it punk? I don't know, nor do I fucking care, because it's a simply fantastic release.

 

VOODOO GLOW SKULLS - Baile De Los Locos CD (Epitaph)

Aaagh! This is absolutely crazy! Even without the brass section they'd be one of the fastest bands going, but with the trumpets et al it sounds totally demented at times, especially on the title track and "Elephantitus". It's good, but it's better when they slow it down to just fast instead of insanely quick, such as "Bulletproof". Not for those with faint hearts or bad backs, or children smaller than Bugs Bunny when they stand next to him. (Jack)

 

V/A - At War With Society CD (New Red Archives)

32 songs for $5? Yes, please. But who do you get? Loads of bands I'd never heard of, such as Christ On A Crutch and Ultraman. Most of it is quite good, and wide-ranging too. Samiam and UK Subs supply three songs each, which is cool because you get to hear some of Samiam's older stuff, which is rawer than their recent output. Squat and 2 Line Filler also supply top quality songs. In fact, Squat's is TOP! This is a lovely sampler. Two words: get it! (Jack)

 

V/A - Cheap Shots Volume III (Burning Heart)

Wow, this new sampler from Burning Heart is really hot! A-hahaha! My talents are wasted writing this zine, I should be writing scripts for Russ Abbot or something. Actually, this sackful of punk, ska and hardcore is a bit of a mixed bag. Best tracks here are from scuzzy garagey tyoes The Hives and Antipodean melodic hardcore merchants Bodyjar, followed closely by the likes of Millencolin, Satanic Surfers, Samiam and No Fun At All. Decent ska comes from Liberator, Chickenpox, The Skalatones and Ducksoup, and hardcore bands Refused and Puffball also rock. Also on here are British oi band The Business and a load of shouty hardcore from the likes of 59 Times The Pain, but that's just not my thing. There's almost defintely gonna be something on here that get's yo' ass moving. Recommended.

 

V/A - Honest Don's Welcome Wagon CD (Honest Don's)

Sampler for Fat Mike's label of bands which aren't suitable for Fat. There's ska from Mad Caddies and Dance Hall Crashers, ultra-pop from Limp and Chixdiggit, punkier pop from Teen Idols and Diesel Boy, Ben Weasel's Ramones clones the Riverdales, punk rock from The Other and Submissives, J Church show up to say "Hey, we're on yet another label!", and Me First And The Gimme Gimmes end by trashing Elton "anything for publicity" John's "Rocket Man". All good stuff, except maybe Chixdiggit who I never really got into, and one of the Mad Caddies tracks was a bit dull, but apart from that it's goodgoodgood. Get on the wagon today! (Ha, bet you didn't expect that!)

 

V/A - Physical Fatness CD (Fat Wreck)

Third low-price sampler from the label that invented the low-price sampler concept - we owe them big time! Not one bad track amongst the seventeen, which are supplied by NOFX, Good Riddance, Snuff (the only band to have two tracks, one of which being their ace cover of the Likely Lads theme), Strung Out, Goober Patrol, Hi Standard, Screeching Weasel, Lagwagon, Bracket, Swingin' Utters, No Use For A Name, Dickies(!), Screw 32, Propagandhi, the recently reformed Tilt (yay!), 88 Fingers Louie and Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Includes a bunch of previously unreleased goodies too, which is unusual for a sampler. Oh, and it doesn't all sound the same.

 

V/A - Sample This! CD (BYO/Big Daddy)

This is cool, if a little erratic in places. The stars here are SNFU, with the classic "She's Not On The Menu" and 22 Jacks, who contribute the restrained "Swallow". Pinhead Circus and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp weigh in with top songs also, but unfortunately there's some crap here too. Pezz sound far too much like Bad Religion for it to be a coincidence, and the Big Daddy stuff (Ollin, Hepcat, Royal Crown Revue) sounds interesting at best, but not necessarily good. Still, it's a sampler, so what did I expect? (Jack)

 

V/A - 200% Proof Punk CD (Destiny)

This is great, if a little overpriced at $11. For your money you get two NOFX tracks: "I Will Tell Tim" (a retitled "Two On Glue" from "Fuck The Kids") and "The Longest Line". You also get other bands of varying fame such as Lagwagon (twice), Strung Out, Millencolin, Terrorgruppe and Automatic 7. But the show stealers are Twiddily Dum & Twiddly Dummer, whose "Chicken Song" champions the popular pastime of bestiality. Mmm, finger lickin'. I'm still not sure it's worth the money, but if you see it cheap it's a must-buy. (Jack)

 

V/A - (You're Only As Good As) The Last Great Thing You Did CD (Lookout)

Ace 23-track sampler of Lookout's output of last year. Bands of note here include the Hi-Fives, MTX, Smugglers, Squirtgun, Auntie Christ, Groovie Ghoulies, Pinhead Gunpowder, The Crumbs, Bomb Bassets, Parasites and Blatz's anthemic "Fuk Shit Up". Mainly pop-punk stuff, but that's not all that's on here. Lookout are probably my favourite label at the moment, so this comes with the highest recommendation from me.