The Drolls - The Puget Sound

The honor of my first 2022 album review goes to The Drolls, a Seattle-based trio with quite the pedigree. This band is comprised of Denny and Josh from the late, great Sicko and Julie from Chinchilla and Drip Tank. Holy '90s, Batman! You would expect a band featuring two-thirds of Sicko to be awesome, and The Drolls do not disappoint! The Puget Sound, the band's debut album, is a delightful long player that walks a fine line between pop-punk and later '80s/early '90s college radio. It's certainly an oversimplification to say this album sounds like a Sicko record with only Denny's songs. But if you loved Denny's Sicko songs, you are guaranteed to love The Puget Sound. The album features 12 tracks of catchy, clever, and charmingly geeky pop songs that will put a smile on your face. Tunes like "Getting Old", "Nobody Move", and "Worse Things" summon the same magic that made Sicko one of the greatest pop-punk bands of the '90s. Even the more "indie rock-ish" tracks ("Sad Little King", "Alternate Timeline") are super fun and chock full of hooks. If "Mythology" suggests that the members of this band have worn out multiple copies of The Lemonheads' It's a Shame About Ray, about 99% of us will fully relate! And you have to love the humor of The Drolls re-doing Sicko's  "Rehashed" and calling it "Rehashed Rehashed"! 

The Puget Sound is available now from Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings -- who are graciously selling the digital version (with a bonus cover of Big Country's "In a Big Country"!) for the bargain price of free. Or if you prefer, you can purchase the Puget Sound blue galaxy vinyl while supplies last. The Puget Sound is a truly brilliant album title, and thankfully the music is just as good!

-L.R.

https://thedrolls.bandcamp.com/album/that-puget-sound
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/that-puget-sound
https://www.facebook.com/TheDrolls/
http://snappylittlenumbers.limitedrun.com/products/716179-the-drolls-that-puget-sound-lp-digital
https://www.facebook.com/snappylittlenumbers

Brad Marino - "Girl, I Want You"

Boy, the new tunes for 2022 are coming in hot! Out now is a brand-new single from one of my favorites, Mr. Brad Marino. "Girl, I Want You" was co-written with Marino's frequent collaborator Michael Chaney. The idea was to write an homage to the early Kinks. And if that's what they were going for, they sure nailed it! Marino wrote the music, Chaney wrote the lyrics, and here we are with the first great song of the new year. This sounds like the single The Kinks might have released immediately after "All Day and All of the Night" in early 1965. It's got an infectious chorus, a super-catchy riff, cool lyrics, and a totally smokin' guitar solo. Joining Marino on this recording are Bobby Davis on bass and Craig Sala on drums. Together, these guys kick up some righteous garage rock racket that ought to have you tapping your toes, singing along, and rocking out on air guitar. Look for this song to appear on a split 7" with Tommy Ray later this year on Bickerton Records. For now, "Girl, I Want You" is available from Spotify and all the other major streaming platforms. Good lord, what a banger!

-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/bradmarinomusic
https://bradmarino.bandcamp.com/

Pete Donnelly - Anthem of the Time

Any year that begins with new music from Pete Donnelly promises to be very good! The longtime Figgs co-frontman has just released Anthem of the Time, a five-song EP done almost entirely "one man band" style. The only exception is the title track, which features Matt Beck on guitar and Tony Reyes on bass. The song is Donnelly's stab at some "power pop goodness". And while Donnelly's work over the decades transcends categorization, there are few living individuals in his class when it comes to crafting perfect three-minute pop songs. The hook line "We all need love/We all want some" has never been truer. "Anthem of the Time" is an anthem for all times. Donnelly keeps the DIY tracks lively by integrating such instruments as Wurlitzer, drum machine, synthesizer, and double bass. "Play Music" and "Keynote Sparks" are nods to the home-recorded pop of yore. The latter rides the timely lyric "Go get yourself deleted", while the former rests on some life philosophy we can all stand behind: When you don't know what do, play music! "The Opposite Side" is an outtake from Donnelly's most recent album The Perpetual Twist, and "Half the Time It Takes" is a whimsical little acoustic guitar instrumental. New tunes from Pete Donnelly are always a cause for celebration, and Anthem of the Time exudes a joyful looseness that stands in contrast to some of his more "serious" work. Even legends sometimes enjoy releasing music for the sheer fun of it!

-L.R.   

https://petedonnellymusic.bandcamp.com/album/anthem-of-the-time-ep
https://www.facebook.com/PeteDonnellySounds
http://www.petedonnellymusic.com/

J Prozac - "Building Blocks"

Look who has joined the Rum Bar Records family! J Prozac, leader of one of the 21st Century's best and most prolific pop-punk bands and one of the most solid dudes in the underground music community, has a new solo album in the works that seems poised to follow the same autobiographical path as 2014's superb Here Is My Heart. Jay and Malibu Lou have known each other for well over 20 years, and now they are working together to bring you the finest in pop-punk! Lou assures me that the new album will be "pop-punk serenity", and I don't doubt that after hearing the advance single "Building Blocks". It's a monster hit! A free download from Rum Bar's Bandcamp, "Building Blocks" is heartfelt, profound, and massively catchy. This, my friends, is grown-up pop-punk done to perfection. Did I mention that it's free? Add another selection to the "albums I can't wait to hear in 2022"! 

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/building-blocks-free-digital-single
https://www.facebook.com/jprozac
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords
https://jprozac.bandcamp.com/album/cheers-to-the-end

Matt Speedway - Only Trouble Is, Gee Whiz

I must preface this post by saying this is for Speedways fans only. But I would imagine that there are more than a few Speedways fans who regularly visit this blog. In advance of an anticipated "Speedways songwriting blitz", Matt Julian has placed a new demos collection on Bandcamp for our listening pleasure. Only Trouble Is, Gee Whiz is sub-titled "The Travelodge Tapes" as these songs were actually written in various Travelodges this past fall. He recorded these tracks on a Tascam 4-Track with a Casio keyboard and two guitars. And when he calls them demos, he's really means it. These are essentially "rough drafts". But they all flash great potential, and I would hope that at least some of them will be properly arranged and recorded in the future. If not, anyone who enjoys Matt's songwriting will enjoy these recordings. I like that these songs show some different sides of Matt as a songwriter. "She's Got a Melted Heart & A Frozen Mind" is perhaps the most "Speedways-ish" of these five demos. A title like that was was far too good to be lost to history! "In the Liverpool Rain" strikes me as the true gem of the lot. It's like a short story in song form. And while the Casio may have simply been a necessary tool to bring these songs to life, it seems willed by the musical gods on this achingly beautiful track. Matt channels his inner Johnny Marr on "Ronnie Spector & The St. Pancras Redemption", while "I Used To" conjures the spirit of Buddy Holly. Closing out the EP is a splendid version of KISS's "Beth". As the recent EP Borrowed & Blue attests, cover songs have always been a strong suit for The Speedways. Here Matt strips this iconic rock ballad down to its core, and his simple arrangement gives the song a sadness and sincerity I've never felt from the original.  

The songs comprising Only Trouble Is, Gee Whiz are essentially works-in-progress and should be treated as such. That said, they're really amazing songs. For us fans who have been eagerly awaiting new Speedways songs, these tracks will help tide us over. If these demos prove anything, it's that Matt Julian's talent is undeniable even when he's turning out homemade recordings. If you're a Speedways fan, this is must-hear stuff. And you can't deny that the price is right!

-L.R.

https://mattspeedway.bandcamp.com/album/only-trouble-is-gee-whiz
https://thespeedways.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JustAnotherRegularSummer/

The Lorrainas - Party 'Til It's Dark

Who remembers The Lorrainas? This band out of Hamilton, Ontario played fun poppy punk rock and roll which met at the intersection of the Ramones and Runaways. They self-released a debut album in 2005 that never came out on vinyl...until now! A collaboration between Mom's Basement Records, Surfin' Ki Records, and Mr. Jimmy Vapid, Party 'Til It's Dark is an enhanced vinyl reissue of The Lorrainas' debut CD Fast Kitties. It features four additional tracks and skillful remastering by the illustrious Geoff Palmer. Most importantly, it's really freaking good! In a style reminiscent of The Bobbyteens, Eyeliners, and early Donnas, The Lorrainas had one foot in poppy punk rock and the other in bad-ass rock and roll. The style is so timeless that you could easily compare this band to several staples of Surfin' Ki's current roster (not to mention several staples of this blog!). And the songs, which were recorded nearly 18 years ago, really hold up! Based on the early sales numbers, it seems I'm not the only one who believes that songs like "Peroxide Suicide", "Kiss My Ass", and "Johnny" are forgotten classics that the world needs to re-discover. The four unreleased songs, highlighted by the super-energetic "Superman Garbageman", fit in perfectly with the original 10 tracks. Party 'Til It's Dark is the hottest new old album out there! Those of you in Europe can pre-order a vinyl copy from Surfin' Ki's webstore. In the U.S.A., vinyl is available from Mom's Basement Records. Don't sleep on this one, folks!

-L.R.

https://thelorrainas.bandcamp.com/album/party-till-its-dark

https://www.facebook.com/thelorrainas/

https://momsbasementrecords.bigcartel.com/product/the-lorrainas-party-til-it-s-dark

http://surfinkirecords.bigcartel.com/product/thelorrainas-partytilitsdark

https://www.facebook.com/MomsBasementRecords/

https://www.facebook.com/surfinkirecords

Black Russians - Feel The Christmas

Well I promised you no more Christmas posts in 2021, but I didn't say anything about 2022! The mighty and mysterious Black Russians have released a Christmas-themed EP just in time for Russian Christmas next week. The idea behind this digital release on Monster Zero was to give fans a taste of new album Communist Dudes, which will almost certainly be delayed due to the current vinyl-pressing logjam. "Winter" is the first single from the new album, and it's an absolute ripper! It's interesting to me that a lot of the great "Christmas" songs are really just songs glorifying winter, yet everyone stops playing them after Christmas...when winter is just getting started! Well Black Russians have stepped up to the fill the void, and "Winter" could very well be your personal anthem to survive the next two months. Elsewhere, the band celebrates the time-honored holiday themes of murder, terror, and the brutality of the KGB. If you had certain expectations for what a Black Russians Christmas record would be, you will most definitely not be disappointed! I can't decide if "It's Always Christmas At My House" (featuring guest lead vocals by Jason V) is the ultimate anti Christmas song or actually the ultimate Christmas song!

When it comes to pop-punk these days, I seem to have reached the point where I either love it or hate it depending upon the band. Black Russians are one of the bands I love. They manage to create a sound that's somehow both harder and catchier than what's typical for pop-punk. And then the wonderfully dark humor of their lyrics takes things to a whole other level. I've never cared much for party anthems, but Communist Party anthems are another thing entirely. Feel the Christmas is the party record you and your friends need while you're carousing under the stars in sub-freezing weather!

-L.R.

https://monsterzerorecords.bandcamp.com/album/feel-the-christmas
https://blackrussians.bandcamp.com/album/feel-the-christmas
https://www.facebook.com/blackrussiansussr/
https://www.facebook.com/MonsterZeroPunkrock