Monitor Shocks - M.Rutt - Soft Device

As a lover of music and literature, I find it very cool when those two arts forms come together.  Monitor Shocks is the name of a project that combines music, comics, and short fiction. It's the creation of Charlie from Red Cords, Freak Genes, etc. I've been a big fan of his music in recent years, and I'm really into the idea of this project. This particular installment of Monitor Shocks centers around a fictional character named M.Rutt - a young man who's addicted to his portable electronic device. That's a very relatable theme in 2018. My personal tendency to check my smart phone a thousand times a day is something I would very much like to change. In the case of M.Rutt, his inability to concentrate drives him to write short punk songs. Those songs are very much in line with what we've heard from Charlie's other bands. And I must say that's a very good thing! These tracks are the perfect combination of Ramones simplicity, Devo-like quirkiness, and garage punk economy. If you're just interested in the music, this EP can stand on its own as a fine example of modern-day synth punk. If you would like to experience all aspects of this project, the literary portion is available at the Monitor Shocks web site. I highly recommend going all-in with this thing, since the songs make even more sense within the context of the larger story. Either way, Monitor Shocks is well worth checking out!



-L.R.

https://monitorshocks.bandcamp.com/releases 
MonitorShocks.com

Nasty Rumors - Straight To Your Heart

It has been a couple years since I last reviewed Nasty Rumors, and the Swiss foursome has been quite busy in the interim! Nasty Rumors have now released five singles, a compilation album, and a proper full-length LP recently released by the ever-reliable Wanda Records. Straight To Your Heart is the name of the new album, and I must say that the band's classic punk sound goes straight to my heart! This is the sound I've always loved and don't hear nearly enough from bands these days: pure '77 style punk/pop a la Ramones, Buzzcocks, and Generation X. This album totally hits the mark with 11 tracks ranging from the pogo-worthy "Riot Girl" to the straight poppy punk of the title track to the almost pure power pop of "Vis A Vis". Everything about this record is on point for me. I love the guitar sound. I love the vocals. And I love that all of these songs were seemingly crafted with the intention of people singing along. Punk music can be a lot of different things, but I'm glad that sometimes it's still fun. Straight To Your Heart is a perfect case in point. It's got hooks for days and a spirit that will take you straight back to 1977. Hats off to Wanda Records for putting music like this into the world!

 
-L.R.

https://wandarecords.bandcamp.com/album/straight-to-your-heart 
https://nastyrumours.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/nastyrumours 
https://www.facebook.com/wandarecords/

Blockhouses - Greatest Hit Songs Of All-Time

Essential album alert! It's hard to believe that four years have passed since I first reviewed Blockhouses - the New York City power pop rock n' roll trio featuring ex Figg Guy Lyons on guitar and vocals. The band's lineup has remained in tact with Chris Peifer (The Kowalskis) on bass and Jim Balga on drums. With three singles in the books, the band returned from a hiatus this year to complete its first full-length album. And so here it is, aptly titled Greatest Hit Songs of All Time. This album is a power pop enthusiast's dream - full of catchy, high energy tunes that just plain rock. Lyons authored several of my favorite Figgs songs on the Banda Macho and Couldn't Get High LPs, and the songs he writes for Blockhouses have a very similar appeal. If Greatest Hit Songs of All Time sounds like it could pass for a long-lost Figgs album, then it should come as no surprise that it was produced by none other than Pete Donnelly!

A couple things are apparent about Guy Lyons: 1) he's a highly underrated songwriter and 2) he sure knows how to surround himself with incredible musicians. Peifer and Balga make up the formidable rhythm section that really drives these songs. Sometimes "power trio" is just a euphemism, but I can't think of a more fitting way to describe Blockhouses. It's clear that these songs were written not just to sound good on record, but also to be fully rocked out on stage. And while the album title is obviously tongue-in-cheek, there's some real truth to it. This thing is packed with tracks that could have been A-sides to singles (a couple of them, in fact, actually were!). Opener "Love To Get You High" is something of a Blockhouses classic by now. If you wanted a textbook demonstration of how to put the power in the pop, this song is it. Punchy guitars? Check. Driving energy? Check. A chorus that will be stuck in your head from the first time you hear it? Check! In a similar vein, songs like "Be Free", "Always Have To Fall", and "Waste Our Time" are what all loud, catchy pop should aspire to be. Could "Last Love" be any more Figgs-like? And even when the band slows the pace a tad, the results are no less satisfying. "What You've Done" hits that later Replacements/solo Westerberg sweet spot, while the pure melody and sentiment of "A Night To Remember" really highlight Lyons's tremendous talent as a songwriter. To close it all out, "Tell Me You Miss Me" is a raunchy Stonesy rocker that ends the album on an even higher level of energy than it started with. I bet people go crazy for that one live!

It took a few years, but Greatest Hit Songs Of All-Time is every bit the knockout debut album I expected from Blockhouses. The songs from the singles sound better than ever, and the new material is every bit as strong. To me, the best power pop is the kind that sticks closest to the blueprint of good old rock n' roll. Blockhouses are the perfect case in point. They know it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel. They're all about writing great tunes with memorable hooks and rocking the heck out of them. I can't imagine any regular reader of this blog not loving this album. Get it on compact disc from CD Baby. Click here for download and streaming options!



-L.R.

https://blockhouses.hearnow.com/ 
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/blockhouses2 
https://www.blockhouses.net/ 
https://www.facebook.com/blockhousesNYC/ 
https://blockhouses.bandcamp.com/ 

Terry & Louie - ...A Thousand Guitars

I shared my preliminary top five albums of the year list on social media the other night, and a major caveat was that it was all subject to change with the imminent arrival of Terry & Louie's debut long player. And sure enough, ...A Thousand Guitars has me reshuffling my list! I've had high hopes for this release since one particular member of this celebrated duo contacted me 20 months ago to warn me that "this album is gonna have your ears melted down the sides of your face". Let me tell you: he wasn't wrong! Terry & Louie spent a number of years writing this material and getting the recordings just the way they wanted them. I must say that was time well invested.

A lot of people will assume that a joint project involving Terry Six and Louie Bankston (of the late and beloved Exploding Hearts) would have to be the ultimate power pop experience. But while there are some great power pop songs on ...A Thousand Guitars, I think trying to cram this album into one particular genre pigeonhole does it a great disservice. This is a record that touches on nearly every significant style of rock n' roll from the last 60 years. It incorporates everything from punk to power pop to glam rock to '60s pop to pub rock to new wave to '70s arena rock. Many of these songs are reminiscent of both artists' previous bands, but ultimately what defines Terry & Louie is the way their individual talents come together to form a unique songwriting partnership. These are two tremendously talented dudes, and the musical chemistry they possess as a duo is undeniable. As the one-sheet for this album eloquently puts it, their story stems from loss and heartbreak. Fortunately for all of us, that story continues on.

You may recognize that the album title ...A Thousand Guitars is a Nick Lowe reference. It's also a perfect descriptor for this release - which delivers riffs, licks, and solos to the highest degree. Supported by drummer Aaron Hill (Missing Monuments), bassist Chad Savage (Battleme, The Savage Family Band), and mix-master to the stars Pat Kearns, Terry & Louie have turned out ten stellar tracks representing the finest in hook-laden rock n' roll. The duo comes out shooting fire on opener "Rebel Ways" - a glammy rocker worthy of anthem status. And while tracks such as "Broken Forever" and the immensely danceble "It's All Mine" tow the expected power pop line, I love that this record is full of surprises (which I suppose I'm about to ruin!). "Pink Razor Blade" brings together melodramatic vocals, doo-wop harmonies, bubblegum handclaps, a thunderous rock chorus, and a guitar break worthy of Thin Lizzy. "Cheated By Love", which successfully alternates between reggae and radio pop, sounds like something Joe Jackson might have written 40 years ago. Within seconds of my first listen to "(I've Got The) Highway To Take", I thought Malcolm Young had come back from the dead. The title track's marriage of riff rock boogie and ringing melodies brings to mind the immortal Big Star. I've gone through all ten tracks numerous times, and I can't find a clunker in the bunch. Start to finish, this is an album that shows you what great songwriting is all about.

Available now from Bachelor Records in Europe, ...A Thousand Guitars will have its American release next month on Terry's label Tuff Break. Somehow the band was able to sneak this album onto some of the streaming platforms a while back without anybody actually noticing. But with vinyl set to ship from Bachelor HQ, I hope people will save spots on their year-end top ten lists for this long-anticipated release. Years ago, long before Terry & Louie formed as a duo, I secretly hoped that they would make music together again someday. Those first two singles did not disappoint. But they were merely a prelude to ...A Thousand Guitars. The fellas knocked it out of the park with this one!



-L.R.

https://shop.bachelorrecords.com/terry-and-louie 
https://tuffbreak.bandcamp.com/album/a-thousand-guitars 
https://www.facebook.com/Tuff-Break-631422973643943/ 
https://www.facebook.com/bachelorrecords/ 
https://open.spotify.com/album/4Yp1vDVcTlSDulpcFDaoPU 

Vista Blue - The Carols That We Sing

By now some of you must be getting pretty sick of me writing about Vista Blue! But quite a few of you are surely going the other way and wishing I would write about Vista Blue even more. This post is for those of you on the latter side - the ones who would be perfectly content if I wrote about Vista Blue every week and perhaps even made a televised event out of it ("Joining us tonight are Brian Wilson and Homer Bailey!"). And come on, is it really Christmas anymore without a Vista Blue Christmas record? This year's offering is called The Carols That We Sing, and it's not your typical selection of holiday standards. The two originals are both homages to notable Christmas movies. "I Made My Family Disappear" is a virtual plot summary of Home Alone, while "Silent Night, Deadly Night" is inspired by the film of the same name. What could be better than Christmas songs and Christmas movies? Songs about Christmas movies! I'm not sure how a song about Silent Night, Deadly Night manages to sound so warm and upbeat, but that's exactly what Vista Blue has pulled off here! Of the two covers, you are more likely to be familiar with "Merry Christmas, Baby" - a song off of the Beach Boys' 1964 Christmas album. "Santa", on the other hand, is a rather obscure doo-wop oldie by The Roomates. If you don't already know The Roomates' version, it's very much worth checking out. You might wonder why it's not an accepted classic of the Christmas song genre. I sure do! I absolutely love Vista Blue's arrangement of the song - which finds the band hitting its pop-punk/oldiescore sweet spot. Those harmonies are on point!

Now that Vista Blue has released four Christmas EPs, the time was certainly ripe for a compilation of all of the band's Christmas songs. Available soon from Radiant Radish Records, The Christmas Collection CD compiles 20 songs including one track recorded for a film and two unreleased acoustic demos. You can pre-order here or purchase the digital version from the Radiant Radish Bandcamp. Once again, Vista Blue does not disappoint with its annual holiday release. I will be cranking these songs daily for the next two-and-a-half weeks. Now all I really want for Christmas is for Bryce Harper to sign with the Phillies...



-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/the-carols-that-we-sing  
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue/ 
https://radiantradish.bandcamp.com/album/vista-blue-the-christmas-collection-vol-1 

Justine and the Unclean - Heartaches and Hot Problems

Alright, there's just no questioning it now. I don't have a top ten list of current favorite bands. But if I did have one, Justine and the Unclean would be on it! It was exactly one year ago that I reviewed the Boston foursome's fantastic debut album Get Unclean. Now the group is already back with its second release, Heartaches and Hot Problems. It's out on the eternally dependable Rum Bar Records. If there's any justice in the world, Malibu Lou will be so besieged with demand for this release that he'll have to contract with Santa Claus for help with distribution. One great release could have been a fluke. Two great releases cements Justine Covault's place in the upper echelon of present-day songwriters.

Recapping from previous reviews: Justine Covault (Malachite, Grand Theft Auto, Quest For Tuna) is on guitar and vocals. Her Malachite partner-in-crime Janet Egan King (also of Heidi, Swank, and Tulips) is on bass. Charles Hansen (Rock Bottom, Tom Baker & the Snakes, Gymnasium, The Handymen) is on lead guitar. The legendary Jim Janota (Upper Crust, The Bags, Rock Bottom) is on drums. With a star-studded lineup like that, it's no wonder that Heartaches and Hot Problems crackles with arena-ready rock power. While Get Unclean positioned JatC as up and coming powerpop/punk standouts, this mini-album broadens the band's appeal in a big way. If you still crave more of what worked so well last time, "Heartache Knows Your Name" and "Be Your Own Reason" will satisfy you completely. You just won't hear punky power pop done better. But also on the menu, you'll find big, hooky rock ("This System Is Set To Self-Destruct"); mature, sophisticated power pop ("Monosyllabic Man"); a Joan Jett inspired mid-tempo rocker ("Margaritas and Secondhand Smoke"); and even a legitimately good ballad ("Love Doesn't Know A Thing"). At a lean six tracks, this release adheres fully to the "all killer, no filler" approach. "Heartache Knows Your Name" and "Be Your Own Reason" may be the obvious hits upon first listen, but it's growers like "Monosyllabic Man" and "Margaritas and Secondhand Smoke" that really make this album for me. As I've played Heartaches and Hot Problems over and over, those are the two songs that have really stuck with me. Some of that is the cleverness/humor of Covault's lyrics, and some of it is simply great hooks. Overall, Covault really shines as a lyricist. The subject of love and relationships is one of the defining themes of the human experience, and she writes about these things from a unique and relatable perspective. In the hands of a lesser artist, a song called "Monosyllabic Man" would probably be mean-spirited. Coming from Justine Covault, it's anything but.

With Dave Minehan again at the producing helm, Justine and the Unclean have delivered a sophomore release stacked with songs that ought to be all over rock radio - if such a thing still existed. Anyone into rock, pop/punk, power pop, or just great songwriting in general ought to be delighted to find a copy of Heartaches and Hot Problems under the Christmas tree. At just six tracks, it will leave you wanting more. But isn't that the whole point?!



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/heartaches-and-hot-problems 
https://www.facebook.com/justineandtheunclean/ 
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords 

Pale Lips - "You're A Doll"

Wow! It's no secret that Pale Lips are one of my favorite bands, and I must say that the Montreal foursome's first new music in over a year was well worth the wait! I could not be happier! "You're A Doll" is the first single off the band's forthcoming album After Dark - due out early next year on Alien Snatch, Spaghetty Town, God's Candy, and Waterslide Records. And if this teaser track is any indication, this album is gonna be HOT! (Not that we didn't already know it would be!) "You're A Doll" is everything that's great about rock n' roll condensed into three minutes of infectious fun. You'll be up and dancing within the first 30 seconds, and then that melody will be stuck in your head into next week. It's gonna be a smash hit! The track is available via Pale Lips' Bandcamp and is surely the best dollar you'll spend all year!

 
-L.R.

https://palelips.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/palelips