The Briefs – The Greatest Story Ever Told (c) 2007 BYO RecordsBehold as the history of The Briefs unfolds before you very eyes. Formed in the wee young year of 2000 in a post grunge Seattle, The Briefs kick out ’77 style fun loving punk rock. If you’re into this sort thing, the DVD comes jam packed w/ over two hours of Briefs footage including live, practice and studio footage and of course, the complete history of The Briefs. Along w/ the video you also get a bonus eight track live CD. Incidentally, The Lawrence Arms may have already tried to tell you the greatest story ever, but did they give you a DVD to go with it? No! I didn’t think so! So kick back and watch and listen to the greatest story ever told.–Jerry Actually
Month: October 2007
The Hot Toddies [Smell the Mitten]
The Hot Toddies – Smell the Mitten (c) 2007 Asian Man Records Welcome to the sultry and saccharin sweet sounds of The Hot Toddies. Like a gang of prom queens that sipped a little too much of the spiked punch, these gals rock with a quirky seduction and loads of mischievous naughtiness. The vocal harmonies are drop dead gorgeous (especially if you miss the vocal sound of the Dance Hall Crashers) and the music kinda of an alterna-fifties indie pop. Smell the Mitten is a great full length debut from this band of Bay area beauties. They've got the chops and the hooks and the satiric wit that has me waiting for more. –Jerry Actually
The New Rivals
The New Rivals – S/T (c) 2007 SoBe Entertainment Do I have an immediate suspicion of a "punk rock" band on a beverage based label that gives top billing to label mate Brook Hogan? You bet your ass I do. The New Rivals have all the trappings of a band either sourced or designed to fit a market formula. The songs are just edgy enough, but not offensive. The tracks are almost all within the radio friendly three minute zone. The music is performed ably enough, but it seems like all of this ground has been well paved in the past. That being said, if you were to score this CD with a SoBe cap or something, that would be better than some beverage cap prizes. Incidentally, SoBe Entertainment claims to be an Indy Label: "SoBe Entertainment is an independent record label based in Miami Beach, FL." – this is right off their web site. They aren't making any claims to a connection with SoBe the beverage, but I'll draw my own I think. On top of that, this disc came to me from Universal … not exactly independent.–Jerry Actually
American Steel [Destroy Their Future]
American Steel – Destroy Their Future (c) 2007 Fat Wreck Chords American Steel are back with a new record, their first for Fat, and I say it is a good one. These veterans of the East Bay punk scene return with 12 tracks of gritty and sonically dark rock and roll. Stand out tracks include the snarkily spiteful "Mean Steak" and the rockin' yet sad "Old Croy Road". I may be off the mark here, but I hear a very wide range of influences, including: Leather Face, The Clash, The Lawrence Arms and Dropkick Murphys just to name a few. I'll admit that I hadn't heard of American Steel before this disc, but I'm totally on the look out for their back catalog. Speaking of The Lawrence Arms, American Steel are currently out on tour with their label mates, so if they happen to wander to your town, go see 'em and tell 'em I sent ya.–Jerry Actually
Andrew Jackson Jihad – People Who Can Eat People …
Andrew Jackson Jihad – People Who Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World (c) 2007 Asian Man Records
I don’t quite know how to spell out how I feel about Andrew Jackson Jihad. I like them in a weird sort of way. Kinda in the same way that everyone has a really bizarre friend (unless you are the bizarre friend) and you like the friend, but sometimes you just aren’t sure why.
AJJ is a bit of an amalgamated Dead Milkmen Wally Pleasant and Old 97’s. The songs are certainly very eclectic with off the beaten path lyrics and an overall Bluegrass quality. I am compelled to recommend them highly, but I’m just not quite sure why.
–Jerry Actually