Duncan Reid and the Big Heads - "Kelly's Gone Insane"

How about some "heavy melody power pop punk" from the co-lead singer of one of the greatest bands of all-time? Count me in! When it comes to the pop side of original era punk rock, I put no band above The Boys except the Ramones. Forty-some years later, Boys singer/bassist Duncan Reid is again making some of the best punky power pop music out there with his current band the Big Heads. With the Big Heads, Reid has now released three LPs with a fourth in the works. The first of those albums, 2012's Little Big Head, is getting the reissue treatment on splatter vinyl with bonus tracks. To go with this reissue, the band is releasing a new 7" single with our friends Crocodile Records. The A-side is "Kelly's Gone Insane" - a track off of Little Big Head. It's backed by "Pretty Little Rachel" and "Baby Baby". The former was previously available only as a digital bonus track. The latter, to the best of my knowledge, is previously unreleased. "Kelly's Gone Insane" is one of the band's most popular numbers and was a natural choice for a single. It really highlights Reid's skills as a songwriter - as he takes very dark subject matter and still manages to turn out a song that's totally catchy and irresistible. "Pretty Little Rachel" is classic power pop in both a musical and spiritual sense, drawing from '60s pop influences and spinning a timeless tale of a man's powerlessness in the face of female beauty. "Baby Baby" might be the true gem of the lot. You can hear strains of The Boys on this track for sure, and that hook is worth its weight in gold.

The mere fact that Duncan Reid is still making music in the 2010s is a wonderful thing. What's even better is that he's making music of exceptional quality. This is one of the legends of power pop leaning punk (or vice versa), and he has not strayed far from his wheelhouse. Perhaps at this point it's a little less punk and a little more power pop. But isn't that where The Boys were already headed by the turn of the '80s? If you are a fan of The Boys or just great melody-driven pop in general, "Kelly's Gone Insane" makes for a fine introduction to Duncan Reid and the Big Heads. It officially releases Monday and will be limited to just 300 copies. This one will move fast, so be sure to hit up Crocodile Records on Facebook for ordering information!

  
-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/CrocodileRecs/ 
https://duncanreidandthebigheads.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/DuncanReidTheBigHeads/ 
https://duncanreidandthebigheads.com/ 

Wild Zeros - "She Knows"

It was just last year that I reviewed the "comeback" record from Bordeaux and La Rochelle France's Wild Zeros. This trio had been unheard from for several years before re-emerging to commemorate its ten-year anniversary. The Motormouth EP on Nerve Centre Records was a much welcomed return for fans of real deal garage punk and wild rock n' roll in general. And now we have more from Wild Zeros on another fine UK label. Out on the always-dependable Crocodile Records, "She Knows" is the hottest track I've heard from this band in years. It's actually a re-do of a song from the band's first EP, but it doesn't take long to understand why they wanted a second crack at this one. This totally blows away the previous version! It's more up-tempo this time, with a rawer, tougher, and way more rockin' sound. While not nearly as blown-out sounding as, say, Teengenerate, it definitely possesses the same spirit. I bet ya this would sound so killer coming out of your turntable (which is pretty much the point of this being a vinyl-only release)! On the flip, the band tempts fate by covering Pack's unfuckwithable classic "Nobody Can Tell Us". It was a ballsy move to take on a song that literally cannot be improved upon. But honestly, Wild Zeros come through with a faithful and very credible version of this song. They honor a band that is clearly an important influence. And if this causes just one person to go back and discover Pack, then mission accomplished. Another smasher from the Crocodile hit factory! 



-L.R.

https://www.discogs.com/Wild-Zeros-She-Knows/release/13048360 
https://www.facebook.com/CrocodileRecs/ 
https://wildzeros.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/wildwildzeros/ 

The Hipshakes - "Shot"

The Hipshakes are on a roll! After going a good number of years without any new singles from these longtime standouts of U.K. garage punk, we were treated to one last year and two more in short order this year. Hot on the heels of that double A-side affair on Crocodile Records ("Listening" b/w "Outside Lines"), "Shot" arrives on Charlie Murphy's Nerve Centre Records. This, to me, is the best yet of this wonderful new lot of Hipshakes singles. Like the rest of the band's more recent releases, it embraces pop, post-punk, and '77 punk influences without losing touch with the group's garage roots. That, to me, has been the recipe for the band's longevity (16 years and counting!). Certainly The Hipshakes have updated their sound over the years, but ultimately they still sound like...The Hipshakes! A-side "Shot" could not be any more up my alley. Think the thrashing minimalism of Pink Flag era Wire, except way poppier. Of course I love it! On the flip, "Samba" enters fist-pumping territory and demands the full capacity of your volume control. This is urgent and anthemic punk rock all the way, with just enough new wave quirks to keep you on your toes. If this one doesn't get you fired up to break out of your monotonous day and go live life, you may be a hopeless case!

With these last few Hipshakes' singles, there has clearly been a great deal of thought put into the song selections. You're never stuck with two songs that sound the same, and it certainly can't be an accident that the B-sides have been just as good as the A-sides. Perhaps outside of the U.K., this band might have fallen off of some people's radar in recent years. But The Hipshakes are clearly still going strong - perhaps stronger than ever! Murphy has already released some really great music by his own bands on the Nerve Centre imprint (if you don't own and love A Little Reaction by Murph & The Gazorpos, I don't know if we can be friends). He couldn't have picked a better band than The Hipshakes for his first "outside" release! This is a top-notch effort from one of the best bands out there. I've got more exciting news related to this label coming very soon, so stay tuned!



-L.R.

https://nervecentrerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-hipshakes-shot-samba-single 
https://thehipshakes.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/thehipshakes/ 
https://www.facebook.com/nervecentrerecords/ 

The Hipshakes - "Listening"

Fresh off of touting Andrew Anderson's new band Freak Genes the other day, I am quite pleased to report that there's also a brilliant new Hipshakes 45 just out on the Manchester label Crocodile Records. After 16 years, 4 LPs, and a whole slew of tremendous singles, The Hipshakes require no introduction to any longtime fan of garage punk. "Listening"/"Outside Lines" is the band's second single on Crocodile - one that the label is pitching as a double A-side affair. I suppose the fact that I've chosen to embed the B-side indicates that I'm not about to argue with the label's assertion. You get two legit hits from The Hipshakes here - and I'm indeed torn as to which one I prefer. "Listening" barrels along at a crackling pace and makes me wanna run dance around the room like a maniac. "Outside Lines" comes on with an extended sludgy intro then really takes off just like you'd expect it would. This track is vintage Hipshakes - flirting with full-fledged pop sensibilities but ultimately sounding like the work of a band that above all else just loves to bash it out. Both songs have insightful things to say lyrically, and all in all this single finds one of our finest garage-punk bands at the very top of its game. With only 300 total copies pressed, you better move fast on this one!



-L.R.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/492238144
https://www.facebook.com/thehipshakes/
https://www.facebook.com/CrocodileRecs/