LP - Various Artists - Bonehead Crunchers Vol. 4:
Streetlight Fight & 13 Slices of Fuzzed-Up Boot-Stomping Continental
Low-life Heaviness 1969-1975 (Ltd to 300) - $26.99 - BUY
- LISTEN 
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SOLD OUT AT THE SOURCE!!! GRAB IT NOW!!! GET TO DA CHOPPA!!!
The Belter Records onslaught continues with volume 4 of the coveted Bonehead Crunchers series and holy shit we couldn't be more stoked!!!!!!!!!!
The Belter Records folks have mined the finest of heavy, hairy and raw scuzz rock from the wastelands of America and the UK so far and on this installment they are culling the best of the best from mainland Europe. From Netherlandish chug, German bashers, Belgian wafflery to Swiss neutralizers, Bonehead Crunchers Volume 4 has the crunchiest bunch of hesher tunes yet. Us maniacs are always frothing at the mouth over these bad boys and this one might be the baddest of the bunch so far, so don't snooze, get your copy pronto hoss!!!
Do we even have to say it??? RECOMMENDED! DER HUND VON BASKERVILLE!
Record Store Day 2013 has come and gone, but we just got in a stack of one of the most important, visceral and difficult-to-find releases reissued for this year's festivities, the essential 1986 ep "Groovy Hate Fuck" by noise punk provocateurs, Pussy Galore. No band rattled our world, changed what punk could mean and led us astray like Pussy Galore did. And "Groovy Hate Fuck" was their first 12 inch, one of the many that blew our minds, giving it a special place in our record collections.
Pussy Galore was pure, noise damaged, confrontational, rock n roll chaos, combining all the best and worst parts of the Stooges, the Stones and the Cramps. No band was as totally bonkers, in yer face and supposedly as inept as they were and yet they were a band that spawned a slew of imitators, and quite a few killer spin off bands, like Royal Trux, Chrome Cranks and the Blues Explosion, just to name a few. The fucking riot of blues, garage, noise and punk that John Spencer, Neil Michael Haggerty, Bob Bert, Julia Cafritz, John Hammill, and the revolving door of other misfits created (or spewed forth) has not been equaled since. They either were the best rock band ever or the worst, but for sure one of the most infamous, lewd and drunken acts ever to disgrace a stage.
You absolutely need to have some Pussy Galore next to your turntable, and this, our friends, is the LP to start with. TOTALLY FUCKING RECOMMENDED. As with any RSD titles, this one's super limited and too unwieldy to get repressed a second time, so no sleeping.
The wait is finally over. After only ONE single, a live 12-inch EP and BOATLOADS of hype clogging the blogosphere about this UK quartet, we're finally treated to Savages' debut full-length "Silence Yourself" and inquiring minds wanna know - does it measure up? In a word.... YES.
These ladies come charging out of the gate with "Shut Up", a dark, pummeling raven of a tune, and maintains throughtout the album's eleven tunes never loosening their grip on your throat (or your ears). Savages pull from bands like Bauhaus (there's some serious Daniel Ash-esque guitar lines slashing out of Gemma Thompson's axe), Joy Division, and Siousxie and The Banshees but unlike many other current bands dipping their pens in the same inkwell, these ladies have a knack for GETTING IT. The tunes heirin aren't just echoes of songs past, their logical extensions of them into the present that create an urgent and compelling suite of tunes. Act fast, we have the limited clear vinyl version, and guaranteed they won't last long! Grip this one and hang on tight - RECOMMENDED!!!
The mighty Burka For Everybody label has returned with this killer synth-wave album of foggy mystery from Barcelona's -Y- !!!!
"Horizonte De Sucesos" is 7 cuts of dark wave complete with bubbling synthesizers, echoing drum machines and moaned vocals. -Y-'s gothy creations are slow and deliberate incantations that are haunting and compelling. They've carved out their own niche for sure but if you like Borghesia, Umberto or Suicide then give this one a whirl, its minimal cold waves will stalk your icy soul and invade your darkest nightmares. Super Recommended.
HAND NUMBERED EDITION OF 500
The Sound Of Cobra/Tannen Records/Offset labels have teamed up to release this blistering platter of far out space shredding from In Zaire, entitled White Sun Black Sun !!!!
Italy's In Zaire has released a fantastic album of high energy space rock. "White Sun Black Sun" is a blown out celebration of tension and release free rock played by some seriously talented musicians. Woah, these guys just got chops for days. If you dig the frenzied precision of High Rise and Psychic Paramount or the desert haze hypnotic mescaline swirl of Bardo Pond and the Lumerians then grip this LP of acid soaked winners, you'll be glad you did. Hugely Recommended.
Forged Artifacts dropped this rowdy debut LP from Minnesota natives, Nice Purse, entitled "Slumber Girls" right at our doorstep, and dudes, we're quite glad they did.
Stripped down emphatic garage rock doesn't get played more rambunctious then this. Nice Purse definitely take the baton from the Strange Boys and Harlem, and are for sure gonna finish the race with some the catchiest, speediest, most stripped down garage thumpers you'll hear all year long. "Slumber Girls" spirited yet rickety, power pop indebted sugar high will certainly feed those addicted to the bubblegum melodies of White Wires, Bad Sports, Warm Soda, Lovely Bad Things and the Exploding Hearts. Why we haven't heard of the Twin Cities' Nice Purse before is beyond us, cause "Slumber Girls" is seriously gonna sit next to our turntables for a while. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.
Forged Artifacts just released the debut album from the Twin Cities, Prissy Clerks, entitled "Bruise Or Be Bruised," and man this is one emphatic slab of fuzzy, power-popped indie rock you gotta hear now!!!!
We're not sure what records Prissy Clerks have in their collections, but we're pretty sure we have all the same ones. On "Bruise or Be Bruised," the Prissy Clerks find our soft spot for female fronted, heartfelt, guitar driven, rock anthems that we haven't heard played so well since the early 90s. Combing the best parts of the Breeders, Liz Phair, the Replacements, the Raincoats and of course a little GBV or was it MBV?, "Bruise Or Be Bruised" comes off like the melodic answer to all those bad days; just crank this record up, open a beer and sing a long.
Clara Sayler is a new voice to be reckoned with, and with her dialed in backing band, the Prissy Clerks are sure to be going places. Fans of Superchunk, Sebadoh, the Hollows, Dressy Bessy and Wild Flag take note, don't miss out on yer new favorite band. SUPER RECOMMEDED.
ORIGINALS HAVE GONE FOR OVER $325!!!
DUUUUUUUUUUUDES. The wait is OVER. The Coloured Balls reissue on the unbelievably consistent Sing Sing Records are here and ready to melt your fucking face off! You may have heard some chatter about this one already and let us ASSURE YOU - It is warranted.
TOTALLY essential in our books! These guys were definitely ground-zero in Australia for the proto-punk, heavy rock sound later taken up by folks like AC/DC, exuding a very real "workin' man's" R'n'R. We'd be surprised if guitarist Lobby Loyde had never heard Slade, as cuts like "That's What Mama Sid" and "Won't You Make Up Your Mind" belie an affection for said band's pub-rockin' aesthetic (and purposeful misspellings). THAT BEING SAID - other cuts like the fuckin' RIPPER of a tune "Human Being" have a very guitar-heavy riffage that hearkens towards some real Motor-City Madness a'la Alice Cooper, or even Brit heavies like The Groundhogs or (early) Deep Purple, but also have a real "head"iness that's not afraid to meander - let the jam control itself a bit. You can tell these dudes are a real "band" - i.e. one that plays almost every night, slogging it out in club after club until they're so deep in the pocket, they actually BECOME the pocket. We've been waiting with bated breath for these to arrive and MAN they're a sight to behold! GORGEOUS gatefold reproduction of the original sleeve, with an insert detailing the band's history (cool "SingSing" style inner labels that are an homage to the OG EMI labels). Word on the street is that Sing Sing's already prepping the next record by these guys for reissue, so WATCH THE FUCK OUT for that one! RECOMMENDED!
The Shivas' are ready to unleash their debut LP, "Whiteout!", via K Records, and these upstart garage/surf obsessed Portlanders are certainly ready to make a splash, so watch out!!!!
The Shivas effortlessly combine the reverbed psych of The Oh Sees, beach party vibe of the Guantanamo Baywatch, the hazy garage melodies of Mikal Cronin and/or the Fresh and Onlys and a whole lotta of the boisterous energy emanating from the Burger Records camp (who are incidentally releasing Whiteout! on tape). Sure to put a smile on the face of those collecting records from the new wave of garage/psych bands these days as well as anyone who's always loved the no-bullshit / no-pretention vibe of Pacific Northwest DIY rock n roll. The Shivas, though just outta high school, already have an impressive 11 song resume in "Whiteout!" that's sure to get them the job rocking out crowds in whatever town they dare travel to.
Fans of the Cosmonauts, Shannon And The Clams, Audacity, Twin Peaks, Sonny and The Sunsets and any of the aforementioned bands, certainly need to grab "Whiteout!" now. After all, summer is right around the corner, and this is the soundtrack for all the fun late nights ahead. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED!
YES!!!! One of ou ABSOLUTE favorite pop/psych records is FINALLY back in print, courtesy of one of our absolute favorite reissue label, Guerssen!
Trippy hippie Merrell Fankhauser pops his head up throughout the underground history of psych rock, writing and recording under various acts like Fapardokly, Mu and theis one right here - The H.M.S. Bounty! "Things" bubbles and scrapes in a flower-scented, bubblegum chewing, acid-eating, pop-psych realm of flying ships, sideways driving cars and a cast of lysergic cartoon characters. Fankhauser has a serious knack for a hook and these tunes are as amazingly composed as they are catchy - earworms galore! Plus the cover is a gigantic nipple (we can nether confirm nor deny if it is indeed Fankhauser's nipple)! Reissued by the fine folks at Guerssen, who know a thing or two about a great, undiscovered gem! RECOMMENDED!
LP - Antimation - Mono-Types - $22.99 - BUY
Rerun Records continues it's mission to (re)document the St. Louis music scene with this release of Antimation's lone EP "Mono-Types"!
This is ORIGINAL deadstock copies obtained from the band that Rerun manufactured facsimiles of the covers for and have made available again. Antimation's sound pokes around in the slinky pop sounds of fellow midwest pop acts like Shoes, Off Broadway, or Pezband - who melded a modern "new wave" sensibility to crystalline, Beatle-esque power pop. Antimation keep it a touch raw though, erring more on the punkier side of things (perhaps due to the band member's pedigrees from bands like Max Load, but drummer Mike Doskicil would end up playing in PRex fave DRUNKS WITH GUNS!) KILLER find and one that no self-respecting power pop fan should find themselves without! RECOMMENDED!
Stirring private-press pop music from Chicago reissued courtesy of the fine folks at Guerssen!
These guys only recorded three singles back in the day (all included here), but were CONSTANTLY recording in principal songwriter Greg Herriges home studio, and the other tracks represented are the remaining recordings from that audio legacy. Athanor's sound is a confounding beast - part precious and shimmering power pop a'la The Beatles, Big Star, or Shoes, but with an otherworldly, mystical feel, not unlike Marc Bolan's work with Tyrannosaurus Rex (but with more pop and less BOOGIE). An AMAZING find for the folks at Guerssen - kudos! File this one next to your recently re-discovered classics like Rockin' Horse, The Clap, or Anonymous! RECOMMENDED x 10000!
After unveiling the stunning Antorcha and Las Antorchas reissues on us the VAM label is back again with some more psychedelic madness from south of the border!!!!!
We scored this reissue of uber rare collectable album "Hits Internacionales" by Bodo Molitor. Not too dissimilar from the Las Antorchas reissue out earlier in 2013, Bodo Molitor is a raw and rugged collection of organ grown, fuzz guitar psychedelia that would fit in nicely with the classic Nuggets records. Pop this puppy on and revel in the good vibes. Recommended.
DUDES. Righteous, hard-rockin' pychedelia reissued by Guerssen from this Colorado quintet from 1968 - Dragonfly! (Allegedly the band's actual name was The Legend and the album's title was 'Dragonfly', but there's no evidence of that anywhere on the sleeve). Who cares about the title - let's talk about the music!
Roaring, fuzzed out rockers in the vein of SRC, Mad River, Fraction and Savage Resurrection, with just a hint of blues and the exact right amount of pop hooks and psyched-out, studio trickery to elevate this over your atypical never-ran Sixties psych-rockers. A great sounding record, with enough grit on the guitars and vocals to add some edge to the tunes - Guerssen cannot be stopped this year! RECOMMENDED!
After unveiling the stunning Antorcha and Las Antorchas reissues on us the VAM label is back again with some more psychedelic madness from south of the border!!!!!!!
Frenzied, fuzzed out and far fucking out heavy psych rock from Mexico is what one will find when they drop the needle on this incredible collection. All three bands are bringing top notch tunes. Los Papos have a bit of a Doors vibe goin' on, while Polvo crank up the fuzz to earsplitting levels and Los Free Minds swagger out the sleazy r'n'r lasciviousness that we all know and love. Beyond Recommended.
Bradford Cox and Deerhunter ARE BACK! YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
The fading red glow of the neon title blast on the cover portrays the perfect metaphor for the sounds that creep inside this package. Deerhunter's latest takes their signature ethereal noise pop stylings into garagier blown out in-the-red and Ohioian-like weird-pop realms. "Monomania" initiates with a blistering coctail of comtemporary genre re-imaginers like Ty Segall, or Times New Viking, and ultimately transitions into the modern garage-pop sensibilities of early-era Strokes all filtered through Cox's Deerhunter / Atlas Sound blurry lens. Recommended.
Ty Segall never seems to have a shortage of material - this time we're treated to a brand new, unreleased tune from the man himself, paired with a new song from emerging San Fran group Chad and the Meatbodies, released in Famous Class Records' LAMC series!!!!!!!!!
Ty throws us a curve-ball with "Music For A Film 1", an instrumental jam that grooves high on a krautrock-y, bongo-laced groove and sounds different than anything he's done prior - a real hip, Sixties noir sounding cut. SUPER great - we almost expected to hear Damo Suzuki's lysergic wail over the top!
Chad and the Meatbodies deliver "Mountain", a driving pop tune slathered in grit, with a killer sugar-coated, twin-guitar attack that's coming from somewhere between the apocalyptic scree of "Slaughterhouse" and the pop hum of Pangea's "Living Dummy". A killer split that pairs a couple of interesting West Coast musical foils. RECOMMENDED - but act fast, this one's not liable to stick around for long!
Volcom Records' latest split single features two Los Angeles bands who cut their jibs on the same diet of sludgy, grungy rock and roll - The Zig Zags and The Shrine! The Shrine kick off the A-side side with a spoken word sample, before launching into a beer-swilling brawler that had us checking the labels to see if they didn't accidentally press up a Mudhoney single instead! Whoah! The Zig Zags are on the flip and hey frickin lay out a barn-burner of a shred fest with "Runaway", that is a pill-popping rocker not unlike Motorhead! Daaaaamn - we love these guys! Great pairing and one we'll be spinning again and again! Don't sleep on this one - we ACTUALLY got some of the subscription only colored wax, which WILL NOT stick around, so ACT NOW or forever hold yer P's and Q's! Includes download too for those of you of the digital persuasion!!! - RECOMMENDED!
Austin, TX has birthed many a far-out act in its storied history as tied to the American underground weirdo music scene and Marriage is yet another fine group to come spiraling out of the Texas heat. An ex Black Eyes duder left D.C. and relocated to Texas, hooked up with members of Permanent faves When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Shit And Shine and some other various buddies and began to pummel away creating compelling experimental slabs of percussion driven sonics. With multiple drummers, two bass players, salivating synthesizers and some guttural yelps Marriage channel the spirit of the Boredoms, slather it in BBQ sauce and bring the tribal free for all big time. A side banger, Gelatin Roots is a high energy blast of amped up percussion and feral gang vox, while the B side, All Seeing Eyephone (Eyepad Version) sounds like some strange deconstructed sound collage that finds a grooving bass riff the only constant as multiple sounds flit in and out. These Texans merge the experimental leanings of Faust with the unhinged energy of The Boredoms to create their own universe. Pressed up here on the Eternal Bliss Records label and coming at ya with our highest Recommendation.
Deathwish unleashes a purty 2 song single on blue wax by electro industrialist Cold Cave.
Cold Cave has steadily homed in on a cleaner sound since its earlier more noise tinged outings. And the attention to detail has totally paid off as these 2 cuts more than prove. Both are upbeat and sleek while simultaneously still being dark, gothy and filled with existential dread. A drum machine sets the pulse as ultra catchy synth lines supply the hazy hooks as Wesley Eisold's breathy croon ties the sound together making these dancey industrial tracks a must own.
Comes with a huge full color poster and a download. Supremely Recommended.
Debut 7-inch EP from this Aussie outfit! We love us some Australian rock and roll around these parts - we're convinced the water down under is laced with some sort of enzyme that affords musicians down there heaps and heaps of talent! Happy Times' sound mucks around in the same beer-soaked, dirty-faced, rock and roll as fellow Aussies Bits Of Shit, Housewives and Loose Grip, but with a touch of the swamp rock a'la Scientists! Sweet packaging with a cartoon sleeve and released in a sure-to-be out of print soon edirion on the new Swashbuckling Hobo Records! GET THIS.
Brooklyn by way of Texas psych rockers, the Numerators, are debuting their first single on Suicide Squeeze Records, who jumped at the chance to release this 7 inch.
"Dead" is comprised of two anthemic psych damaged, gnarly garage rock tunes that hang with the best of them, which says quite a bit for a band one 7 inch into their discography. Indebted to the giants of Texas psych (13th Floor Elevators / Moving Sidewalks) as well as the bad vibed 60s Sunset Strip garage bands (Chocolate Watch Band / Seeds) and taking aim at San Fran's dominance of the current garage/punk/psych scene (ie, Oh Sees / Ty Segall / Mantles), the Numerators load their hallucinogenic rock n roll full of catchy riffs, grooving bass lines, plenty o' reverb and a shimmy and shaking beat that'll suck you right in.
Those into the Night Beats, Black Angels and the Cosmonauts (or those just back from Austin Psych Fest) will more than dig "Dead," you'll wear the grooves out. We hope this is just a taste of what's to come, cuz we're already thirsty for more. HUGELY RECOMMENDED.
7in - Navastrau - American Fitness - Original Dead Stock - $19.99 - BUY
ORIGINAL 1980's PRESSING DIRECT FROM THE BAND!!!!
In anticipation for the forthcoming Navastrau anthology release (which will feature unreleased material) on Alona's Dream Recordings, the ADR folks have dug up some bonafide original wax copies from little known Chicago New Wave act Navastrau. These things are in perfect "like new" shape and the tunes within are ear pleasing pieces of early 80's Chicago art rock at its finest.
On early Chicago punk label Disturbing Records, arguably thee earliest punk label in the city, Navastrau features members of south side Chicago legends The Cunts ( nee' The C*nts) and even a pre Ministry Al Jourgensen on guitar on a couple tracks. We're hearing some "Here Come The Warm Jets" era Brian Eno, a little of fellow Chicagoans DA, some Pere Ubu, Flying Lizards and even a touch of The Stranglers. Navastrau would have fit in nicely with the Ralph Records camp for sure. We have the last copies that we know of so act fast and add this amazing single to your already bitchin' record collection. Mega Recommended.
