Category: Punk

Punk Reviews

Drunk Couples – Cruisin’

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[rating:9/10]

drunk_couples_cruisinDo you remember the early nineties? Do you remember when glam died and rock and roll made its way back into our collective hearts? Drunk Couples does.

I say that and you’re like, “what?” I’m all, “Dude I used to own Bleach on color vinyl.” Then you go, “huh?” Ok fine. I remember when grunge stomped the guts out of the hair bands reign and some guts came back into rock and roll, and well that brings us to this EP.

Most of the time I’d look up a band, see where they’re from, get a vibe for what they’re about, ya know, kinda see what’s going on. This time I’m going to take a different approach. I’ve got the Cruisin’ EP cranked on my headphones right now. I don’t want to know where this band’s from. I don’t care if they’re on their 25th bass player because their 24th joined the Merchant Marines, I just want to rock the hell out.

If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you are perhaps aware that I’m generally not that impressed with “Rock and Roll.” I’m willing to make an exception for this release. The tracks are tight. The songs have passion while avoiding being saccharine or trite. It doesn’t go into slow jam or ballad mode. “Cruising'” is five tracks of pure win.

Bottom line: Fans on Motorhead, Misfits, Tad, and The Fluid are gonna love this. Fans of Mother Love Bone might. (Unless you really were into Andy Wood’s vocals, then maybe not) Either way these tracks are decent and you should find this band and give ’em a high five or whatever the cool kids do nowadays.

(Side note: I wrote this almost entirely on a cell phone. Take that keyboards! (except for that previous sentence and this one, which I totally used a keyboard for.))

-Jerry Actually

The Barstool Preachers – One Fool Down

The Barstool Preachers – One Fool Down
Pirates Press Records

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[rating: 9/10]

PPR139“Never look down on anyone, unless you’re giving ‘em a hand up.” ~The Barstool Preachers. This lyric sets the tone for the debut EP from UK ska punk band The Barstool Preachers. I’ve been listening to the three track EP for a couple weekends now and the more I listen, the more I get drawn into the upbeat hook heavy sound.

If I may make an attempt to describe the sound, (you know I’m going to) I’d say we’ve got about a 60/40 blend with the high side leaning towards the ska end of the ska-punk spectrum. I hear influences of Madness, Specials, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Goldfinger, and “Stay Tuned” era Let’s Go Bowling. Of course these other bands may or not be influential in the least for this band, but artifacts or their sounds can be gleaned if you listen in.

All of my perceived references aside, despite lyrics that are tinged with a bit of drunken regret, I get a solid sense of positivity out of this band’s sound. They don’t come across as pissed or whiney, but friendly and real. Sure, I like ska punk and this is 100% up my alley, but the songs tell a story and the sound puts me in a happy mood. The only drawback is that you only get four-ish minutes of this gem.

What you get at the end is a one fine EP from what seems to be a promising beginning to an new ska punk band. Three cheers for The Barstool Preachers.

And just in case you don’t want to take my word for it, please enjoy this video:
[youtube -spSa9iyZ-E]

-Jerry Actually

The Bricks – Here We Come

The Bricks – Here We Come
© 2015 Raven Faith Records

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[rating:5/10]

the-bricksSup y’all, here’s something for you to try on. Here We Come is the debut album from punk rock / street punk band, The Bricks. Coming at you straight out of Omaha, NE. The band hasn’t been around for more than half a year and they already have an album out. Freakin’ kudos to that. I know what a pain in the ass it can be to even get everyone to the studio.

Maybe you’re like me and you know about jack shit about the Omaha music scene other than 311 was from there, them and some sort of ironic emo hipster guy. Based on that The Bricks are a bit of fresh air to my perspective on the Omaha Sound. The album was described as punk, street punk, oi. I get that I suppose, but I think I’d probably just throw them under the good ol’ “Punk Rock” label. Probably more semantics than anything.

Here We Come has 10 tracks of gunka-gunka-gunka rock with surly vocals, a guitar hook here and there, and song titles such as Punk’s Not Dead, Yahweh, and Omaha Punks. As much as I like the idea of punk from Omaha, I’m having a hard time deciding if there is more potential here or more of a novelty that I’m momentarily amused by. I sense that it is likely the latter, but I’m willing to give this band the benefit of the doubt.

I think what might be the holdback for me is the intensity of delivery. Sadly this is a problem that I’ve identified often in faith-based music. It’s as though the bands are holding back. I’m not suggesting a band can’t celebrate their faith, but if that’s the case, use it as a stepping stone and not an anchor. That aside, I’d like to hear the band push the envelope away from the almost “slow chant” nature of the vocal lines on every song. There’s some bits early on that drift into Social Distortion territory. That maybe isn’t a bad area for this band to explore.

Bottom line is that while I’m not left speechless, I think this band has some potential with what their doing. Take this idea, fellas and run wild with it.

–Jerry Actually

Blame Mary

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[rating: 7.5/10]

blame-maryBlame Mary are an energetic garage punk rock trio out of Montreal Quebec. formed on March 10th, 2013 by members Josiah Toufexis, Marie Tilbe and Jon Cleveland. The band’s mission, from their one-sheet is, “about creating simple music that is raw and soulful, while keeping to a very basic set-up.” The statement seems to be accurate.

The band’s self-titled debut EP came out at the end of January 2015. It consists of four tracks captured live at Dirty Church recording studio in Montreal. As the “garage punk” moniker would indicate the songs have a sense of raw urgency. There is clear intensity and an intentional lack of polish.

Overall I like the effort, but on the next round I’d like to hear discrete tracking as opposed to the live capture. Not that I don’t dig raw and edgy, so much as I think there is some potential for a little bit of polish on the bands songs and sound. Not too much, but enough.

Have a listen for yourself and see.

–Jerry Actually

Swingin’ Utters – Fistful of Hollow

© 2014 Fat Wreck Chords

[rating:8/10]

fistful-of-hollow-croppedIt’s been a long time since I could drag my ass in front of a computer and be bothered to write anything at all. I’d like to blame it on a lot of things, but in truth, it’s my own fault. Thankfully there is a new album from $wingin’ Utter$ to kick me in the pants. Officially released today, the new album has been streamable through several outlets for a couple weeks now. If you haven’t already heard it, get on this!

15 tracks of both class sounding Utters and a new eclectic sound that brings new dimension to the bands punk rock pedigree. The tracks are arranged in a tilt-a-whirl of back and forth styles. From the angular opener, Alice and into the the title track, Fistfull of Hollow sees the band back to form and then bolting off of standard form into Tell Them Told You So. The album progresses in this manner throughout.

I can understand if it might be a bit off putting at first. There’s a lot of experimenting with styles that might leave some questioning the direction of the band. It’s my opinion that as a band matures, they’re going to either give over to experimentation or grow stale. To that end, it makes me think of how things changed on Let’s Go Bowling’s Stay Tuned release, or later era Clash. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t you thought it was supposed to be, but it was damn good.

Overall it’s a rewarding listen for old and new fans alike. At the end of the day, there’s nothing so far out of form that the familiar tracks won’t drag you back in to give the next tune a try.

–Jerry Actually

Awesome and The Asskickers

© 2014

[rating:9/10]

aak_cropsAll hope was lost. Children and goats cried out in the dark of night. Productivity was high, yet morale was low. Suddenly things were different. Somehow all hope was not lost. A new album appeared and it was Awesome … … … … … and the Asskickers!

Following up on their bold and dashing EP from 2008 comes a new full length release from Orlando’s most rocking luchadores, AAK, heretofore known as Awesome and the Asskickers.

Quit Fucking With Our Crops brings 11 songs, many of which are new, seemingly better, renditions of “classic” AAK tunes. Naturally when your band is this powerful, you don’t just live on the legacy of your past material, even if you easily could. New sweet track faves include: “Tombstone”, an homage to delicious frozen bake-in-your-own-oven pizzas, (One wonders if the AAK crew ever got to enjoy sweet sweet Tombstone Pizza before their terrible corporate takeover in the 80s?) “I like Making Friends”, a wonderful song of friendship and nachos, and Still Alive, a bit more, how shall I say, musically mature, instrumental.

But enough about that. Now it’s time for this. If you are unaware of the sound that AAK’s putting down, it’s a wacky blend of Ramonesesque punk riffs, a dab of surf guitar, the Grease soundtrack, Meatmen style gruffness, a Broadway musical, and the Latino flair of Manic Hispanic. So dig on that if you can.

At any rate, there’s a new AAK release. It is your new immediate favorite. If you need to contact the band to play your sister’s quinceanera or something, you can google ‘em up on the interwebs at www.awesomeandtheasskickers.com

If that all ain’t enough to get your guts in a bunch, I got two more questions to ask you. Are you ready? Are you ready for meatball spaghetti?

–Jerry Actually

Solid Gold Balls – Dream Is Real

© 2014
[rating:8/10]

solid-gold-ballsSo, of course, I’m going to mention that this band is named Solid Gold Balls. Right off the bat it garners attention. After you get past the initial thoughts of “is this going to be schlock?”, “um, ok, humor band?”, or “seriously?” and you start to listen to the tracks, you are rewarded with something perhaps better than expected.

The songs are straight forward rock and roll with musical influences ranging from Sonic Youth, Presidents of the United States of America, and maybe Beck. Lyrically the tracks are fun and generally speaking very kid/family friendly. (at least on the surface). Rhyming pony with Rice-a-Roni, for example gives you an inkling of an idea about how the other songs might go. On an amusing note, Google Play Music has every last of the 14 tracks on Dream Is Real listed as explicit. … I feel this is akin to the PMRC advisory labels of yore.

Heck, I think if this release were cleaned up a little bit, especially in regards to track 11: Favorite Things, it would be a potential candidate for Mike Park’s family/kids label Fun Fun Records.

Content, or interpretation thereof notwithstanding, Dream Is Real brings you 14 solid tracks of catchy fun poppy punk rock delivered with a solid band and song craft behind them. The only major drawback for me is that perhaps the songs are too saccharine. If you listen to hard things can come off as trite. So I suggest sitting back, relaxing a bit, and not taking things so damn seriously.

–Jerry Actually

Bum City Saints – Ride The Storm

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© 2014 Pirates Press Records
[rating:9/10]

bum_city_saints_ride_the_stormArriving more or less hot off the heels of their prior full-length, Spirit of the City, San Francisco’s own hard as fuck punk rockers, Bum City Saints are back with a new EP. (See, I told you new stuff was on the way, didn’t I?)

The “Ride The Storm” EP batters its way through five original tracks and one glorious cover. The songs are almost entirely done at a breakneck pace and clocking in at, for the most part, well under the two minute mark. If the track times alone are an indication, let me reinforce that by saying this EP rocks it out hard core from start to finish.

If you’re not all that familiar with the band, they’ve been rocking the Bay area since around 2007. Their music is a tight blend of punk and hardcore. The band, at least by sound, wears the street punk mantle with the Oi style sing-along whoa whoa whoas and the blue collar ethos. I’ve also noticed a progression towards some trash-esque melody in their later releases.

With multiple releases this year, the band is continuing strong. Three cheers for Bum City Saints! If you’d like to find out more about the band or check out their summer tour dates, hit up their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BumCitySaints

–Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Crush All
2. Bury Me
3. Into The Fire
4. From Ashes Rise
5. Calling Us Away
6. Eye Of The Tiger

Senior Discount – This Is Not The End

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[rating: 8/10]

© 2014

senior_discount_not_the_end1,000 years ago today I reviewed a CD by a band out of Providence Rhode Island. You might remember that band. I think they were called Senior Discount? Well, a similarly long time ago, I received a package in the mail. Lo and behold, a new release from the said same band. Also they totally bribed me with a sweet band t-shirt. (I’ve totally already been crazy hammered whilst wearing said t-shirt) Swag aside I present to you “This Is Not The End” a brand new (in relative terms) release from Senior Discount

The new disc spins up 10 regularly scheduled tracks and 2 bonus acoustic versions. The material is as solid this time around as it ever was. Over the years the band has developed an obvious maturity, in a similar fashion to the transition from 7 Seconds to Kevin Seconds solo material. It’s been a lot of years since I last heard this band, so I don’t have full recollection of the prior material, but I recall it being serious and sincere as well as being damn good punk (with some nice ska influence). This Is Not The End doesn’t break from that impression. If anything, things are more serious and sincere.

As I’ve said I don’t have much recollection of the material from my last review, but I get the haunting impression that some of the new tracks are actually new versions of old songs. Maybe the bands is just consistent. Oh, and speaking of Kevin Seconds, my favorite tracks on the disc are 5. Your Broken Stereo and 6. Cindy. Give them a listen and tell me what they remind you of. I think my only point of contention with the disc is the band’s cover of Three Little Birds. It’s not a bad cover mind you, there’s just something in this rendition that feels off. I don’t know maybe it’ll grow on me.

At the end of the day, I’m happy that Senior Discount are still putting out tunes. They’re a great band and you owe yourself to track them down and listen to them. To that end the internet is a major help. Here’s their Facebook page: facebook.com/SeniorDiscount and their website seniordiscountmusic.com

I should add that this release also came with a bonus DVD copy of the Chuck and Brad podcast which I have yet to listen too. I should probably do that.

–Jerry Actually