Meet Aerosol Burns!

As you may have gathered from my sudden infrequency of posts, I am knee-deep in a new semester at school on top of a day job. But I wanted to pop in with a quick review of a new single that each and every one one of you needs to hear. Seriously: if you don't like Aerosol Burns, there's something wrong with you.

Aerosol Burns are the latest creation from Chris Parker - the guitarist/songwriter for Chain Letters and proprietor of Pogo Time Records. Aerosol Burns are comprised of two members of Chain Letters (Parker and drummer Violet X) along with longtime F & L favorite Matt Mayhem (No Tomorrow Boys, The Furies, Young People With Faces) on bass and lead vocals. Needless to say, Aerosol Burns are very similar to Chain Letters. Think catchy as hell poppy punk rock with some real balls to it. If there's a slight difference, it's that Aerosol Burns swap out some of the early L.A. punk influence in favor of a more straight-ahead late '70s power pop punk sound. On the band's debut single, Parker's guitar tone is recognizable right off the bat. Although these are only the third and fourth songs he's ever released, he has totally mastered the buzz-saw guitar sound and minimalist songwriting that made first generation punk music so timeless. "Afraid of the Phone" also benefits from a knockout lead vocal courtesy of Mr. Mayhem. Fans of Buzzcocks, Pointed Sticks, etc. should be very excited to check out this second release from Pogo Time Records! And be on the lookout for another Chain Letters 45 due out later this year!


-L.R. 

https://soundcloud.com/chain-letters

Introducing Chain Letters!

It's my final review of 2013, and boy do I ever have a good one for you! Chain Letters are based in Toronto and L.A. (hope they have a teleporter!). The band is Sophia Dilley (ex Young People With Faces, one of my all-time faves) on vocals, Chris Parker on guitar, Johnny Bubblegum (ex Tyranna) on bass, and Violet X on drums. Citing the likes of the Go-Gos, Pointed Sticks, and Zeros as primary influences and espousing a love for late '90s lo-fi greats like Loli and the Chones, the High School Rockers, and early Donnas, Chain Letters seem like the kind of band I would totally freak out over. And trust me, there has been much freaking out at Rutledge Manor in recent days! I'm currently recovering from my injuries and apologizing to the neighbors.

You just have to love a band that tells you it wants to sound "like Ellie Greenwich writing for the Avengers in your garage". "Bad Reflection", Chain Letters' debut single on Pogo Time Records, has nearly sold out of an entire pressing of 300 copies. And with good reason - it rocks! The title track is first-rate punky powerpop with ballsy guitars and a tough melodic vocal from the always dependable Ms. Dilley. B-side "Boulevard Girls" eases off the tempo a tad and summons the ghosts of Dangerhouse past. Sometimes with music of this style, it's way more pop than punk. But Chain Letters' hook-driven sound has a garage meets early L.A. punk edge to it, and the recording is the perfect kind of raw. Fans of everyone from Midnite Snaxxx to Neighborhood Brats to Big Eyes will approve. If you desire a vinyl copy of "Bad Reflection", I'd encourage you to act very fast! Or if you're digitally inclined like me, check out Chain Letters on Soundcloud and like 'em on Facebook! I can't wait to hear more!



-L.R.

soundcloud.com/chain-letters
https://www.facebook.com/#!/chainletters