The Made In Germany label bounces out the supreme follow up to AF's "Malesch" that we squealed about recently, so getting a reissue of their second LP is like an early Christmas.
We've been waiting on this one with bated breath for this one to come swooping through the doors and now the wait is over! We are/were HUGE fans Agitation Free's debut "Malesch" with is Middle Eastern tinged krautrock psychedelia and their follow up, 1973's aptly titled "2nd" moves things to even greater heights if you catch our (drug reference) drift.
"2nd" takes the group mind approach of the live happenings of the Grateful Dead, amps up some seriously talented musicianship and let's fly one of the early 70's hippiest improvisations of kraut rock, free jazz and spiritually minded heavy rock with its sights set on the heart of the sun, the heavens and beyond. Like the 4 leaf clover that emerges from the cracked Earth on the cover, Agitation Free excel at providing the organic groove that sets itself free from categorization and sheds its skin to evolve into pure sound. Extremely Recommended.
Instant Pleasure Records and Psychic Handshake Recordings have teamed up to bring us this 3 track mood ruiner of an EP from one of our favorite noisy Canadian rock n roll outfits.
Sex Church's 2011 long player "Growing Over" on Hozac got many a spin amongst the Permo staffers so we were delighted to tear open this package and find a brand spankin' new EP by this Vancouver act. "Somnambulist" features 3 tracks: Hidden Hand, Slipped and side-long head wrecker Wrong Side and it comes with a muffa ruckin download too so's you can rock it on your Zune. This EP flys by in the blink of an eye but it is further proof of the burgeoning punk scene that is happening in the BC these days. Walls of feedbacked guitar squalor, clattering rhythms and reverb-y barks will definitely be harshing your mellow.
Cut to play at 45 RPMs, spin at 33 1/3 at your own risk. Sleepwalk on over like Cesare and grab soma this like nowza before Dr. Calagari closes the lid! Recommended.
Man, Lamps fuckin' rule! Very few bands these days write songs as good'n'tough as these guys do and they seem to do it better with age as well, and Lamps have, relatively speaking, been around a long time. Their first self-titled album came out in 2005 and their second followed just a couple years later, both on In The Red. We and In The Red waited a long, recessed half-decade for this, their first non-eponymous LP, and we're stoked to report that the wait was well worth it. Lamps totally fucking destroy on "Under The Water Under The Ground" as one might expect.
The rhythm section is stupidly simple and insanely effective, Monty's vocals are buried deep in the mix, and his guitar screeches and squeals over the top when he's not chugging along with Jimmy's fuzz bass and Josh's caveman pounding. Lamps' riffs are subtly hooky and musical, but most importantly tough as rebar.
Fans of all things gnarly, repetitive, and noisy will not be disappointed by the recording job Mr. Mayyor did on this one. Take your time with "Under The Water Under The Ground" and really let it consume you. It's ONE OF THE BEST RECORDS OF 2012 and only Allah knows when the next Lamps LP might come along to kick us in the nuts…but we'd bet our bottom dollar that it'll be Larry Hardy putting it out and it'll be in a league of it's own.
The rest of the world might as well just get out the razor blade or the noose & end it all. Australia has won. The third album from Aussie-aliens UV Race is here & it's a mutha! "Racism" completes the triumvirate of UV Race's discography, pointing the way towards an interesting future for the band.
This album is definitely the third side of UV Race, & a triangle has many meanings; "The male, the female and the creative power", "The sky, the earth and the living creatures", & even "The perfect union when two become one" & all these things are evident in "Racism". The ragged fury of the first album is playfully united together with the more subtle pop sensibilities of the last album "Homo", creating something exhilarating & downright beautiful. Tunes like "Life Park" & "Sophie Says" lay it all out, heart-on-sleeve & do it without seeming cheezey. These guys & gals have found a way to combine twinkling keys, somber horn parts, & minor-key harmonies with caveman chords, troglodyte rhythms & elemental lyrical simplicity. It's kind of astounding. We were hooked from note #1. Thanks In The Red for another stellar fucking release.....!!!! RECOMMENDED.
Australia continues it's onslaught on modern music as we know it with the newest album from Blank Realm! After a couple of long-players for Bedroom Suck & NotNotFun (and a couple of 7-inches for Negative Guest List), the quartet has found it's inevitable home on Siltbreeze.
Stylistically, Blank Realm full-lengths are usually a mixed bag, ranging from shoe-gazey pop, to avant-noise electronic hand-palming, to swooning, urgent post-punk, but "Go Easy" finds them reigning things in a bit & it serves them well. The productions a tad smoother (albeit not by much) & the songs flow a bit better into each other & are just plain catchy! The pop-leanings on "Deja-What?" have poked their head fully out of the turtle shell & glisten here like roughly polished gems that shine as bright as headlights zooming past on the Xpressway To Yr Skull.
Third times the charm - strap yourselves in & enjoy the ride. RECOMMENDED!
AHHHHHHHHHH! SCIENTISTS! We love us some Austrailian R'n'R around these parts; Birthday Party, feedtime, Cosmic Psychos, Dead C & of course Kim Salmon & his swampy gang of glaring malcontents! Bang! Records out of Spain has pressed up this infamous cassette-only Scientists bootleg of various rarities, sessions & live recordings (including the infamous "Loft Tapes" - the band's first demo recorded in 1978) onto an amazing double vinyl collection!
At this point, ANY Scientists material on vinyl is cause for celebration, but when said material is this double vinyl collection (originally released as a bootleg cassette) we really start to BUG OUT! As with anything sourced from a cassette tape, there are some sonic limitations, but the audio has been VASTLY improved & remastered by the band themselves, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us! Content-wise, it's a stellar collection that spans the gamut of the band's career from the early, power pop/punk years (including some sweet Flamin' Groovies covers: "Have You Seen My Baby? & "Slow Death" & originals like "Frantic Romantic") to their dirge-y, ugly (read: awesome) years with tunes like "Swampland" & "We Had Love". This is the IDEAL package for this one - gatefold, 180gm vinyl, remastered audio with killer liner notes written by band members Kim Salmon, James Baker, Rod Radjal, Tony Thewlis & Boris Sujdovic! Why are you still reading this???
BUY THIS NOW. TOTALLY ESSENTIAL. R-r-r-r-r-r-ecommended!
Japanese Psych Rock Alert!!!
The New Vague Records label has lovingly pressed up this lysergic journey from Majutsu No Niwa and it's not to be missed, especially if you've dug those Phoenix Records psych reissues.
Shoving off with an ambient drone and vocal accompaniment that seems like a prayer before exploding into High Rise-ian cosmic blast Japanese psych rawk. Things keep burning brightly then start to return towards planet Earth with loose and lovely acoustic frolics a la "She Brings The Rain" style la-di-das just enough to catch their breath before blasting off yet again into frenzied noise drenched space punk and finally letting go altogether on the final side for a 20 minute long drone that travels into the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
Think High Rise, Overhang Party, some Pink-era Boris and a dash of the hippie-ier side of Damo Suzuki-era Can rolled into one gooey hash ball, dropped in the hookah inhaled ancient wisdoms that when exhaled send you hurtling through the 4th dimension. Recommended.
Bring it on! Oneida returns with LP number 12! on the mighty Jagjaguwar label. Get prepared for the madness!!!
This Brooklyn instituiton has been supplying the art damaged kraut infused psychedelic experimental post rock since '97 so its safe to say these guys know their way around an instrument or 12. A List Of Burning Mountains is 2 side long tracks that span the better part of 19 minutes apiece with brain jarring electronic pulses, skittering drunken master drum assaults, rhythmic crunches of noise, circling synthesizer lines always on the ready for a dive bomb head shot and the kind of improv muscle that only comes from years of extended jamming as a unit. Oneida has never been one to shy away from the more "out there" reaches of experimental improvisation and on A List Of Burning Mountains they pull out all the items in their arsenal to create a raging ocean of full moon high tide space noise.
This Oneida is still the Oneida of days past but with a much darker vibe on this outing making A List Of Burning Mountains more threatening and dangerous than earlier albums. This things gonna Hoover your insides into a blackhole darker than the Gowanus Canal. Super Recommended.
Hold on to the hand rails cuz Kemado has opened the gate of Grails Black Tar Prophecies Volume 5 and along with Pharaoh Overlord things are about get bumpy.
Grails have been providing their unique psychedelic heaviness since like 1999 and this return to the Black Tar Prophecies series is a monster among its predecessors. Then they go and attach Pharaoh Overlord to this already superb record, well that's usin' your noodle. We were hooked before we even let the needle drop, Grails cinematic ambience that cycles into heavy nightmare paced psychedelic dirges coupled with Circle side project Pharaoh Overlord's motorik spiral into infinite madness is like a match made in heaven. Grails offer up 4 tracks of Morricone-esque ominous heady soundscape psychedelia and on the flip Pharaoh Overlord bring 2 long tracks of rhythmic propulsion a la Circle, Cave, Oneida et al. but with a particularly sinister take on the genre. Hugely Recommended.
ERAAS' self titled debut is a dark and compelling maze of atmospheric electronic post punk with new and varied additions and subtractions around each new turn. Androgynous blurred vocals over top bleak bumping basslines and tribal beats that march into the shadows are fleshed out with swirling echoes and wisps of sound from unknown sources creating an eerie vibe. Yet the songs are extremely catchy making this journey into the darkness that much more necessary to uncover the mystery that lies just beneath the surface.
Like the haunted terrain of early Royal Baths, Siouxsie Sioux & the Banshees and the Sian Alice Group and the dubbed out blown apart aesthetic of the Not Not Fun roster emerging as ghosts at a Brooklyn loft party. Recommended.
Well, well, well... Terrible Records is boasting a new Horrid Red record and it's another fine dining experience from the Teenage Panzerkorps side project. We loved 2011's "Celestial Joy" on Holidays Records and now "Nightly Wreaths" is upping the decadence with more morose and glimmering synthesizers, exotic ambiance, head-jarring production work and Bunker Wolf's benevolent croak. Horrid Red's post punk/new wave synth pop provides the warmer side of cold wave as it enshrouds you in silk and feathers and coats your insides with gold and diamonds so let loose and give way to your bacchanalian urges. Recommended.
YES! Chris Connelly's Artificial Madness was arguably one of the most overlooked records of 2011. Originaly released on CD by purveyours of heaviness Relapse Records, Artificial Madness gets some serious hometown love in 2012 by Chicago based BloodLust! Records. BloodLust! has been steadily releasing outstanding records by the likes of Anatomy Of Habit, Sun Splitter, Arriver and Rabid Rabbit. We've dropped drooling praise on their previous releases and now to finally get our grubby hands on Chris Connelly wax has us over the moon to say the least. Artificial Madness is first and foremost a rock record, which it being released on Relapse might lead one to believe this is a metal release but Connelly eschews his time spent in such legendary industrial bands as Revolting Cocks and Ministry and instead plows straight forward into thick muscular post apocalyptic rock with his warming croon over top of some punising rhythms and walls of guitar majesty; we're hearing echoes of Killing Joke, Wire and even some Public Image Limited tinges here and there, but like they put all those influences in a blender then blasted it out of a cannon. Higih octane, high energy dark jams from start to finish is what you'll get on Artificial Madness; after it's all said and done see what remnants of your mind are left. Connelly enlisted some of Chicago's finest to fill out his band of outsiders featuring members of Nachtmystium, Indian, The Swan King, and Electric Hawk giving Artificial Madness a walloping heft that is yet to be matched. Fans of Total Control, Pop 1280 and the paranoia-stricken sci-fi roster of Sacred Bones Records should definitely take note on this one. Mega Recommended.
The Sun Sneeze Records imprint has issued up an lp covered in thick amounts of paint and filled with 7 songs of campfire troubadour tales of serenity and hallucinogenic musings of the unknown. David Novick, known as 6-string strummer in San Francisco Water Cooler heads out on his own on this self titled album; a home recorded affair that reminds us of some 70's private press psych folk filtered through a modern-age mind. Hints of Love, the mellower acoustic drug dirges of Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Laurel Canyon flower tickle make appearances throughout this kaleidoscopic free love sun-downer. Novick proves his astuteness with skilled finger picking and subtle songcraft giving a West Coast answer to Kurt Vile's East Coast lazy-day songhead reefer tunes. Mega limited to 100 copies, grab these natural highs immediately as they unlikely to stick around. Super Recommended.
This is ex-Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers' third solo record reissued with love from the fine folks at Vinilisssimo (who recently reissued Ayers' first record 'Joy of A Toy' as well)
We're HUUUUUGE Soft Machine fans over here, so we were pretty stoked to see this one, as it doesn't really pop up that often in the used bin - "Whatevershebringswesing" is arguably Ayers' masterwork, one that aligns his avant-pop weirdness with a strangely accessible sense of profoundly British songcraft (don't get us wrong, it's pretty "off") whose spirit reminds us of the fearless genre-cobbling of Roy Wood (a pretty "off" & idiosyncratic artiste himself). Released in 1972 & hot on the heels of his second album "Shooting At The Moon", "Whatevershebringswesing" is a more lighthearted affair that despite it's sometimes confounding stylistic shifts is somehow a more focused & consistent listen, perhaps due to Ayers' palpable belief in the material. Reissued here on 180gm vinyl & housed in a sweet gatefold, this baby hasn't looked or sounded this great in YEARS. Also features Soft Machine cohort Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield & Gong's Didier Malherbe & doesn't sound the least bit proggy! Woo hoo! RECOMMENDED!
This UK duo is gettin' it done and on their own terms to boot. The Big Naturals boys started their own label, Greasy Trucker Records, just to unleash their sonic madness for us alls and we think their new record slays!
Louderthing louder than louderthing else is the game at play here with discernible bass and drums being battled by ungodly swaths of white noise and delayed feedback. They've thanked all individual members of both The Heads and The Melvins, and come to think of it that's a pretty good mix of what Big Naturals is bringin'; psychedelic hash jams played at 11 with lots of bottom heavy chutzpah. Like some early Boris, Ruins and especially Godhead Silo but blown to the sonic limit with playing that is manic and frenzied. We're sure this ish is downright frightening in the live context, cuz the caustic grooves that are coming off this record are creating a murky blackhole hell right here in the shop. This Greasy Trucker sounds like he ingested some tainted speed and got lost among the lanes in the far reaches of the galaxy. Seriously Recommended.
SWEET CHRISTMAS! Stellar reissue of Ethiopiques superstar Mahmoud Ahmed's debut long player by the ever-reliable & amazing Mississippi Records!
Ahmed was a huge star in Ethiopia & was discovered while working as a handyman at The Arizona Club - a private after-hours club for the then-Emperor Haile Sellassie's Imperial Body Guard Band. When the band's singer failed to show up one night in '62, Ahmed was asked to fill in & the rest is history! The showcase here is obviously Ahmed's voice; rich & expressive & ably backed by the Ibex Band, who helped him forge his unique & (at the time) unheard fusion of Western songcraft, with rolling bass & prominent brass created withing the framework of Ethiopian pentatonic modes, as a signature sound. It's serpentine & funky & makes us do a strange dance that we'd prefer to not go into too much detail about.
Originally released on vinyl in 1973, this is essentially the material collected on Ethiopiques Volume 6: Buda Musique, but formatted in a facsimile of it's original jacket ('tip-on' sleeve, no less) & affordably priced for maximum enjoyment!
Absolutely essential in our opinion - RECOMMENDED!
Mississippi, in collaboration with Change Records continues in it's tireless quest to press all of the music from the legendary Ethiopiques CDs onto vinyl with this sweet compilation called "Hasabe"!
"Party record" is definitely a great way to describe this compilation - joyous, celebratory jams recorded in a way that blurs the lines between listener & artist - you practically feel as though you are in the audience watching, & if you're toes aren't tapping by the time the opening track "Astawesaléhu" by Lémma Démissew is finished, then we've lost all hope!
If you know this stuff, then we shouldn't have to convince you of it's bewitching greatness, but for the uninitiated think the looooong stretched out mid-Seventies grooves of heavies like James Brown or Féla stitched together with the yearning strains of traditional Ethiopian song craft. These tunes are all from the "golden era" of modern Ethiopian music from 1969-74 & features more well known artists like Mahmoud Ahmed alongside others of the era like Téshomé Meteku, Bahta Gébré-Heywét, & more!
KILLER compilation & not for missing! RECOMMENDED - but bring your dancin' shoes!
Sonic Youth's vinyl imprint Goofin' Records culls one smashing good time from way back in the day and lovingly gives it the vinyl treatment.
Goofin'... hee hee hee... we get it, it's not Geffen... hardy har har har!!!
Well it's hard to imagine Chicago's Smart Bar hosting the kind of feedback worship witnessed here seeing as nowadays its primarily a hot spot for DJs and Electronic music. But back in the 80s Wrigleyville was a whole different beast. All that aside this is apparently the earliest live multitrack recording from Sonic Youth and it finds the group in all its raw glory, battering out Bad Moon Rising tracks with the ferocity of an unchained junk yard dog. Cool thing about this double platter is that it is not just for SY completists; this is thoroughly engaging album by one of the defining acts of the early 80s in the US underground, a band that set the template for so many to come. And as much as we love us some classic Sonic Youth getting this blistering live document is a nice little diversion for when you want to hear the early jams but in a different context.
So harken back to a simpler time, crank this sucker up and revel in the bedlam. Very Recommended.
Before the current wave of fun loving spastic Nashville punk bands, there was Skyblazer. Comprised of kids that all went on to form other unhinged rock n roll bands (Jeff The Brotherhood, Hell Beach, Be Your Own Pet, Fielded Cake Bake Betty, Whirlwind Heat) in that awesome southern rock n roll scene, they were the band that may have started it all. Infinity Cat knew it was about time for the infamous house show destroying band to finally get their songs pressed into vinyl, so here it is after all these years, Album by Skyblazer.
The band split time between Nashville and Chicago during their short existence and took their fiery blend of spaced out fuzz drench space punk to levels not seen since. Fans of Natural Child, Turbo Fruits, D Watusi, Paperhead and any of the other new wave of psych/garage/punk outfits will totally dig this lp.
You will either remember Skyblazer fondly or wish you were there at some of their sweaty basement shows back in the day. Usually albums that sit on the shelf for so long should just stay there, but Skyblazer's Album was unjustly stored away for too too long. These songs sound as fresh today as they did when they were recorded back in 2006. GET READY FOR YOUR MIND TO MELT AND GRAB THIS SLAB OF HEAVY HITTING PSYCH PUNK NOW.
HIGHLY, and we mean highly, RECOMMENDED.
Nashville's preeminent stoner rock garage punks have been on a tear since their debut long player, 1971, came out last year. In 2012, they've released two new lps (For The Love Of The Game and Hard In Heaven) and an armful of singles, but it's their first burst of songs that we here at P-Rex just can't get enough of. And for some reason, it's a difficult album to track down. Our guess is that's because it's such a fucking rollicking good time, it sells out before you can say 1971. But thanks to Infinity Cat, who sent us some copies direct, we got the hook up.
On this album Natural Child was already reaching beyond the normal cliches of the garage rock scene (ie. trying to pretend you're on the Nuggets Box Set), by incorporating Blue Cheer / Black Sabbath 70s ominous rock vibes into a mix with acid drenched psych, blues and a bit of country twang, and definitely a heavy dose of the Rolling Stones. Hey they didn't name the lp 1971 for nothing. Their love for classic rock brings a unique hard rocking edge to their rambunctious brand of southern fried garage punk. There hasn't been a band from Tennessee this wild since the Compulsive Gamblers, and Natural Child's debut is sure to be a new classic. So don't miss out.
Fans of the Black Lips, Ty Segall, Goodnight Loving, Reigning Sound and Last Year's Men will all find something to like in the stoned out drunken riot of Natural Child's 1971.
TOTALLY RECOMMENDED. You're gonna want crank this one up all the way and get into some trouble tonight.
Sweet mother - The Philles Records reissues keep coming with remasters & reissues of the two hard-to-find Crystals full-lengths on the preferred vinyl format! Sundazed Records deserves a Music Medal Of Honor for this!
Just as essential & classic an album as the more well known "He's A Rebel", & made all the more remarkable by how fully-formed Spector was with his sound - it was a shot heard 'round the recording community, as Spector embraced the full-length format with open arms, assembling the album in a way most hadn't ever considered before by cobbling a suite of tunes rather than a few singles & some filler/covers (well, OK aside from the oft-covered staple "On Broadway", which they nail!). We shouldn't have to say too much about this one - an underheard classic that sounds like we've been listening to it for forever.
Da-Doo-Run-Run to the the Checkout cart with this one (badump-cha!) - Wholeheartedly RECOMMENDED.
Sweet mother - The Philles Records reissues keep coming with remasters & reissues of the two hard-to-find Crystals full-lengths on the preferred vinyl format! Sundazed Records deserves a Music Medal Of Honor for this!
Yep - aside from the Ronettes album, not much stands taller in the Philles discography than "He's A Rebel". It's strange hearing it in album format, as it almost seems to be a perfect distillation of "oldies radio", which is a testament to how quickly the establishment in the music world took to the sound (or "Wall Of Sound" as it were) Phil Spector perfected.
A stone cold CLASSIC if there ever was one, & just as timeless as the day it was released.
Recommended? You bet your sweet bippy.
Kevin Morby from Woods and Cassie Ramone from the Vivian Girls needed to kill some free time between their main gigs, so they formed The Babies. This might seem like just another unnoteworthy side project, but if we didn't know better we'd think their other bands were the after thoughts. Our House On The Hill is epic dose of jangly wistful college rock that'll get you humming along to the melodies in a sec. The Babies are perhaps THE INDIE ROCK BAND YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT NOW, and having two razor sharp songwriters at their core just makes them even more necessary. Shrimper Records released their first effort, but the new LP is coming out via Woodsist, and that's a stamp of approval as far as we're concerned.
Much along the lines of the boisterous indie pop of the Boomgates lp from earlier this year, The Babies channel Camper Van Beethoven, the Vaselines, Sebadoh and REM into one hell of a sweet boy meets girl jangle of harmony that'll sweeten up the worst of days. A little folk, a little kiwi pop and a whole lotta of mellow catchy songwriting, The Babies more than adequately capture the sunshiny California spirit of that Lee and Nancy lp and bring it into the next century for the kids to devour. This new lp is destined to tear into the hearts of any one who loves those Mountain Goats, She & Him, Fresh & Onlys, Twerps or Sonny and The Sunsets albums.
VERY RECOMMENDED. So Get Your Pop Fix Now.
LP - Daniel A.I.U. Higgs - Say God - $19.99 - TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK IN CHICAGO, EMAIL IF INTERESTED
Just in time for Thrill Jockey's 20th anniversary reissue campaign, they've pressed up another batch of Daniel Higgs' 2010 masterpiece "Say God"! We grabbed some to get back in the racks and into your earholes. Here's what we said about this amazing double LP back in O-Ten:
We love Daniel Higgs. He’s a modern day shaman of the highest order, or at the very least, a brilliant lunatic and a self-proclaimed “interdimensional song-seamstress”. In reality, there’s not much difference between the two, so it doesn’t really matter whether you believe he’s a true intermediary or not. He was brilliant as the frontman of Lungfish, a member of Pupils, and he’s fantastically intense all by his lonesome. Daniel Higgs, as he would say, “left hoofprints on the ceiling of my mind”. His new album “Say God”, has been described as his “gospel album”, which sounds about right to us, although we wouldn’t call it his first since most of his records have a spiritually hypnotic quality to them and his performances are quite mystical. The sounds contained within the confines of “Say God” aren’t too different from those found on “Ancestral Songs”, although the lyrics are a bit more overtly religious, or possibly anti-religious depending on whether you fall into the shaman or lunatic belief set. Also “Say God” seems to be Daniel Higg’s most intimate album. Hear the opening track on the album for an example of Sir Higgs breaking character and the fourth wall, directly speaking to the audience in his natural voice, clearing his throat, and rambling on his natural voice, quite casually. It’s also his most sparse album, many of the songs on “Say God” contain Daniel’s wonderfully transcendent banjo playing, but others feature nothing more than his voice and what sounds like harmonium drone. The tracks are all on the longer side and the vinyl version is a double LP. It’s a perfect Sunday morning album for spiritual folks (or not) who can’t dig lyrics about loving Jesus. “Say God” is on Thrill Jockey and it’s a limited edition release.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!
The title says it all; Straight Arrows' first two 7-inchers on one handy platter. Side one has their loooooong OOP Juvenile Records debut from 2007 (repressed by RIP Society in 2010), featuring "Can't Count" & a more primitive, early version of their future album hit "Something Happens". You can hear the band trying to find their groove; part Black Lips-ian garage abandon, part pure-pop for now people. Side Two unloads the band's side of their OOP split single with The Creteens "Jeepster" (not the T-Rex tune) & "Close That Door". A great primer for all those who missed out initially & a perfect re-introduction in preparation for the band's next album 2013. We were ga-ga for the debut 7-inch & we happen to think the band's LP is an underrated modern-day garage gem! Just get it while you can, 'cuz limited to 300 means it won't be here for long! RECOMMENDED!
Limited edition of 279 copies!!!
Just in time for their first two 7-inches to be reissued (on one handy platter), here's a BRAND new Straight Arrows double-banger for all you "Arrow-Heads" out there! It's a one-sided 7-inch, & "All The Time" starts us off - it's a measured & moody garage killer with some gnarly fuzz o'er top! Meanwhile, "Hilton Bomber" closes out the side & is a rollicking frat-rager that is long on hooks & short on fidelity! Released on the stalwart & collector-infuriating garage label Goodbye Boozy, in a ridiculously low edition of 279 copies with three different cover options to choose from (sheesh)! We most likely won't be able to restock, so DO NOT snooze on this bad boy! RECOMMENDED!
LIMITED TO 500 HAND NUMBERED COPIES.
Seth Setton might just be the hardest working man in the garage punk scene, even though there's some stiff competition from Ty Segall and The Oh Sees, and not to mention the onslaught of awesome Texas punkers. But you know all this vying for attention is a WIN - WIN FOR US, cause that means the jams never stop coming our way. Seth's band Useless Eaters may have only dropped one LP in 2012, but New Program is the sixth single from his art damaged punk rocking band this year alone. Following riotous KBD inspired slabs of vinyl on Tic Tac Totally, Jeffrey Drag, Volcom, Nashvilles Dead and Jolly Dream, Useless Eaters are back to spread their gospel of angular rowdy punk to our friends down under via the ever reliable Anti Fade Records. Even though this 7 inch is an import, it was just too much fun to pass up.
New Program is backed with Expensive Taste and Smoke Alarm to make THREE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AMPED UP FRANTIC OFF KILTER PUNK JAMS YOU NEED NOW. Useless Eaters are more than RECOMMENDED for any infatuated with Jay Reatard, Clone Defects, Devo, The Bizarros and/or the White Wires, or blown out fast loud rock n roll in general. Grab your copy now before they disappear.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!
Another promising garage 45 from the up-and-coming Adelaide, Australia label Anti-Fade, this one featuring up-and-coming Adelaide band, The Bonniwells! Adelaide (and the nearby metropolis of Melbourne) have a pretty vibrant & burgeoning garage scene goin' on (including bands like Straight Arrows, Cobwebbs, Living Eyes & Bad Aches to name a few) & the Bonniwells have thrown their gauntlet into the ring & come out rockin' with this four song EP! These dudes have their Vans firmly planted in the "flower-punk" camp of bands like The Seeds, Strange Boys or Black Lips (the EP is called "Yesterdaisy", after all), but with a darker edge of The Psychopaths or The Index. Four great head-boppin', gum-chewin' jams that don't take themselves too seriously - "Dum Dum Surf" just might be the perfect song to play on an rainy, overcast beach party! Another killer release from Anti-Fade! RECOMMENDED!
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES
We here at P-Rex love split singles, it means you get two awesome songs by two rockin' bands in one easy to swallow dose. So when Bachelor Records told us about their latest 7 inch by Thee Cormans and The Pacifics, we were more than stoked. Trashy rock n roll doesn't get better than this.
You do wanna grab this one quick; killer split singles like this don't gather dust on our shelves. The A-side is another hit of manic surf / biker rock mayhem from Thee Cormans that you'll in short order get hooked on especially if you love the Mummies and Man Or Astro-Man? (or their slamming Halloween Sounds LP from last fall). The B-side is The Pacifics playing all out neanderthal stomping rock n roll fury like Link Wray fronting the Rip Offs. In other words, two over the top blown out rock bangers from two bands you need to know about now. They might wanna stamp both sides with A, cause you'll flip this one over and over again trying to figure out which song is gonna by your favorite. Dude, what can we say other than this is OVER THE TOP RECOMMENDED!
Late 70's/early 80s Aussie punk reissue? Well don't mind if we do! This latest installment from 540 Records is a dark post punky single by Kicks, a short lived Aussie band that featured members of Just Urbain and Young Identities!?!?! Yep that's right, Kicks takes the KBD intensity, staples some bat wings on it and frog marches that filthy carcass through the full moon lit fog. Two tracks that play out like a mixture of Bauhaus and Warsaw but still retain their Aussie swampiness. The vocals definitely have a Peter Murphy thing going on but less arty and more just dark and straight forward. Add this one to the stack of amazing singles being reissued from the land down under. Our stack is about to tumble over if it gets any higher, sheesh. Supremely Recommended.
Sweet fuzzed out 2-songer from this current Swedish group, with their heads in the clouds & their sound firmly planted in 1967! "Mourning Light" is a moody jangler that reminds us of The 13th Floor Elevators or even The Outsiders with a sweet sitar-laden bridge! The B-side treats us to "Citadel" - a Stones cover from one of our personal fave LPs "Their Satanic Majesties Request" & the Flight Reaction definitely do it justice by not straying TOO far from the OG, but injecting it with a touch more grit & a dash less flower power. From the quality of the original tune here, we're definitely interested to hear more from these paisley pushers! RECOMMENDED!
