Well here you go, kids: the garage-trash budget punk rock 'n' roll ear-melting, face-smashing, world-wrecking degenerate masterpiece you've been awaiting with bated breath can now be yours courtesy of the legendary Alien Snatch Records.
A couple weeks back, I proclaimed Real Rejects the "next big thing" in the garage punk universe. This was not just a personal whim but rather the result of meticulous research and consultation with my spiritual advisors. Or maybe I just knew that if Alien Snatch was in on the action, everyone with impeccable taste in music was going to want a Real Rejects tattoo by year's end. Real Rejects are TJ Cabot (Phone Jerks, Nerve Button) on vocals & guitar, Jesse Leblanc (Feral Trash, Outtacontroller) on guitar, Claude Doiron (Nerve Button, Bad Luck #13) on bass, Sonic Hz on keyboards, and Cam Murphy (Thee Requiems, Ghostown Belle) on drums. It was by complete accident that the band name brings to mind two of the greatest garage punk bands of the post-2000 years, The Real Losers and Teenage Rejects (who both, by the way, had releases on Alien Snatch). Yet the shared musical DNA is undeniable. You may or may not consider Not Allowed a full-length album depending on which side of the 10-inch record debate you fall on. But at nine tracks and an 18-minute running time, it makes the full-length cut in my book. I'm no longer a collector of vinyl recordings, but when I was, I thought 10-inchers were the coolest. They have the versatility to be albums or EPs or singles, which is very cool in my book. And I've never been able to understand why anyone would ever prefer 7 inches if they could have ten. Good on Alien Snatch for believing in this format!
Whether it's an album or a mini-album or a super-sized EP, Not Allowed is an absolute scorcher of a record. After all those years of solo home recording, Tyler has really hit the jackpot with this merry band of Moncton punk greats. These guys rock l.a.m.f. and take the Rejects' sound to the next level. These nine tracks fully realize the potential of all those really awesome TJ Cabot releases of years past. Think Stooges meet DMZ meets Pagans meet ? and the Mysterians meet Angry Samoans meet Rip Off Records — or something like that. I'm not saying that the Summer of Spite digital single wasn't full-blown killer. But the thing about Daniel at Alien Snatch is that he has an ear for greatness, and of course the stuff on Not Allowed is the top shelf Real Rejects. I love the blend of high energy, organ-driven '60s garage rock; filthy, attitude-laden '70s/early '80s punk; and quintessential '90s/2000s budget trash. The tunes are great; the lyrics are hilarious and wonderfully spiteful; and the energy level is off the charts. This is the perfect album length for me: it still leaves you wanting more, but it won't leave you feeling short-changed. Is this really an album? Of course it's an album, and it's one of the year's best!
Jay Castro and I taped a new episode of our Born Too Late podcast last night in which we listed our all-time favorite releases from Alien Snatch Records. As I prepared my list, I was really awed by the sheer volume of amazing records that have come out (and continue to come out) on this label. Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest punk rock record labels to ever exist, and it's incredible that Daniel has kept it going strong for 25 years and counting. So when you head on over to Bandcamp to purchase Not Allowed (come on: you know you're going to!), be sure to take a deeper dive into the Alien Snatch catalog. I know it's terribly irresponsible of me to be compelling you to spend money during inflationary times, but I can't think of a record label or roster of bands that's more worthy of some of your hard-earned dollars. What good is life without music?
