Ladykillers v. Los Pepes!

No Front Teeth Records has delivered another great record. In other news, the sky is blue and The Pope is Catholic. This particular release is a split 7" featuring two of the many brilliant English punk bands of the moment: Ladykillers and Los Pepes. Given NFT's impeccable track record, you hardly need me to tell you that this split is hot. But I'll say it anyway: this split is hot! Ladykillers play high energy garage rock n' roll that's catchy as hell and sure to get you shaking. "Repeat" is up there with the best stuff currently coming out of Portland, Ottawa, northern Texas, or any other hotbed of garage punk. Los Pepes are billed as "the loudest powerpop band on earth" and cite the likes of the Testors, Nervous Eaters, and Boys as inspirations. All those influences are indeed palpable in their music. Their tracks "Head On" and "Dressed Down" combine pop sensibilities with a huge dose of ROCK that will knock your head off. They are definitely everything you would expect from a band that's "inspired by the forgotten wax of obscure punk 'no hit wonder' singles from the 1970s and touched by the melody of the girl groups of the 1960s". Sounds like the kind of band I ought to love, right? Exactly!

If you haven't already, check out the Ladykillers' album from last year. It's a great blend of old school garage rock and more contemporary garage punk. Meanwhile, Los Pepes have a new 7" coming out on Wanda Records that will not disappoint! I'll have much more to say about that in a few weeks. For now, I recommend hurrying on over to No Front Teeth Records and snagging yourself a copy of this split while you still can! As always seems to be the case with NFT releases, this bad boy is about to be sold out. Get on it!



-L.R.

http://theladykillers.bandcamp.com/album/ladykillers-los-pepes-7-vinyl-split-nft-records-2014
http://lospepes.bandcamp.com/album/los-pepes-ladykillers-split-7
http://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/

Ladies and gentlemen, The Kimberly Steaks!

In more ways than one, the latest LP from The Kimberly Steaks has me feeling like I'm 25 again. The Glasgow trio has turned out somewhat of a concept album in To Live and Die in West Central Scotland - replete with a title track that's actually a mini rock opera. In this case, West Central Scotland is sounding a lot like the East Bay circa the late '80s/early '90. And I mean that as a high compliment. Greig and co. play fast, energetic pop-punk that reminds me quite a bit of Crimpshrine, Fifteen, and early Green Day. But while the music is catchy and upbeat, lyrically these songs are anything but lightweight.

Thematically, this album really cuts to the core of what it's like to be 25 and headed nowhere fast. The narrative here really speaks to me on a personal level. You've got a young man beset by underemployment, ill-fated relationships, and big dreams he can't quite figure out how to realize - immersing himself heavily in television, video games, and alcohol to assuage his alienation and misery. Hearing these lyrics transports me back to my own shitty mid-20s - when, coincidentally, pop-punk music was one of the few things keeping me sane. Greig's lyrics really ring true, and he captures the "quarter life crisis" ennui with such cleverness and humor that you can't help rooting for him (sample lyric: "And I'm so miserable that even Paul Rodgers would agree that I'm bad fucking company"). 

I've always had a special place in my heart for pop-punk, and it's a real joy to hear newer generations of bands play the style with such heart and enthusiasm. To Live and Die in West Central Scotland is a blast to listen to - propelled by buoyant melodies and fantastically hyperactive drumming. Most of the songs come in at well under two minutes, and the band's relentless energy will surely have you jumping around in no time flat. Just as importantly, I think almost anyone who enjoys pop-punk will relate to these songs at a much deeper level. Imagine if Green Day had done American Idiot when they were still young and played super fast. If I could have heard this album when I was 25, I would have totally bust a nut. But even now, in much happier times, I can't get enough of The Kimberly Steaks.



-L.R.

http://thekimberlysteaks.bandcamp.com/album/to-live-and-die-in-west-central-scotland
https://www.facebook.com/thekimberlysteaks

Kill The Hippies return!

Lakewood, Ohio's Kill The Hippies have been a force in the underground punk world since the early/mid '90s. It's absolutely criminal that this band, for whatever reason, has never really gotten much recognition or acclaim outside of the state of Ohio. Matt Greenfield from Rust Belt Hammer recently wrote that Kill The Hippies "were never really one of the bands that was picked up by trendy labels or written about in the 'cool' kid magazines/blogs". He speaks the truth! And it's a perplexing truth given how much incredible music this band has produced over the years. After witnessing KTH live, Shawn Abnoxious called them "the best punk band to ever breathe air". And not once since has he retracted that statement! While KTH have had numerous releases on tape, 7", and CD since forming in 1993, their brand new LP You Will Live With Us Forever is their very first album on vinyl. So here they are, over two decades into their existence, with perhaps their best release to date. And you can listen to it on a turntable!

You Will Live With Us Forever is the sort of thing you just don't hear enough these days - a non-denominational kick-in-the-ass punk rock record. While it's not quite accurate to say that Kill The Hippies have "outgrown" their spazzy Killed By Death stylings of yore, their sound shows more diversity than ever on this new long player. They tackle everything from ripping early '80s style hardcore punk to classic Cleveland/Akron new wave to pure snotty punk to bizarre, completely uncategorizable type stuff. And all of it works. You could probably play this album for your friends and make them believe it was released on SST Records in 1984! The way Morte and P.P. play off of each other on guitar and bass makes this record so much fun to listen to, and all that genre-jumping is pulled off with tremendous enthusiasm and creativity. I love the way this band has evolved and honed its chops over the years without losing its, uh, "punkness" (yeah, I know that's not really a word!). You Will Live With Us Forever does not attempt to supplant 2001's brilliant Spasms In The New Age. Instead, it's more of a logical next step - continuing the lyrical sarcasm and fierce intelligence that Kill The Hippies are known for while also expanding the breadth of the band's musical repertoire. As is often the case when bands wait many years between albums, the quality of the material is extraordinary. Every time I think I've heard the "best" song, the very next track makes me question my decision. Some of the more straight-ahead punk tracks like "Die In The Past" and "Volcano" are instant hits, but as always KTH seem to especially thrive when they think outside the box. "Fernando" suggests a female-fronted Devo, while "Entrails" is spastic and bizarre in only the best ways. If Gang of Four had been from Ohio and/or completely lost theirs minds, they might have produced a song like "Dance Control".

With vinyl "product" now available, perhaps now is finally the time for the punk world at large to get hip to Kill The Hippies. You Will Live With Us Forever is a truly great LP and an early contender for album of the year. At a time when so many bands categorize themselves as post-punk or garage or hardcore or whatever, Kill The Hippies are all of those things and none of them at once. You can listen to this album and imagine that they could have toured with the Big Boys and Minutemen 30 years ago. Yet Kill The Hippies sound uniquely modern, uniquely Ohio, and uniquely themselves. Thank goodness that that old mentality of "Let's break up before we actually learn how to play!" no longer prevails in punk music. Kill The Hippies, like a lot of bands, are aging like fine wine. And the world is better for it.



-L.R.

http://killthehippies.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kill-The-Hippies/115380938518587

Punks, Skins & Psychos

One of my fondest memories of first getting into punk music was buying lots of compilations. There was something especially cool, back in the day, about getting to hear a whole lot of great bands on one release for a highly affordable price. I could, in fact, name a number of bands that I went on to love after first discovering them on comps. Punks, Skins & Psychos, out on Zodiac Killer/Skinhead Retirement Plan Records, is a new comp in that old school spirit. It's got 29 tracks, clocks in at nearly 70s minutes, and comes specially priced at $8. Talk about a sweet deal! How often do you hear a 29-track comp where literally every band is good? This is one of those cases! Musically, this comp delivers a great mix of punk, Oi!, hardcore, pyschobilly, rockabilly, and good, old filthy rock n' roll. And I love the way all these songs flow together - proving that loud, aggressive music is fucking awesome regardless of how people choose to categorize it.

Punks, Skins & Psychos starts off with the Stiletto Boys' instant powerpop classic "Cannon Fodder", and goes right into a street punk kick in the teeth from the Iron City Hooligans followed by some raging psychobilly from Los Gatos Locos. That totally sets the tone for the rest of the comp. There's plenty of variety - but somehow everything fits together perfectly. Favorite tracks of mine run quite the gamut from the thundering sing-along Oi! of The Shame to the urgent hardcore punk of Hated Noise to the glam/trash greatness of Fishnet Stalkers to the punishing velocity of Speedozer to the anthemic hardcore of local legends Rightstart. F & L favorites such as The Pegs and Hitchhikers contribute ably to this monster collection, as do the almighty Dwarves. And like any good comp, Punks, Skins & Psychos has turned me on to some really good bands that I wasn't previously aware of. I will definitely be looking to hear more from Al and the Black Cats and The Hillbilly Huxters!

Ron spent four years looking for the right bands to contribute to Punks, Skins & Psychos, and he really chose wisely. This lineup is stacked! There are bands here not just from all over the country, but from all over the world as well. And I like that a lot of these tracks were culled from bands' demos and LPs. Sometimes where comps go wrong is in insisting on previously unreleased material. That's when you often wind up with lesser tracks. Well, there's nothing lesser about these tracks! This is nothing but the good shit from a ton of great bands. If hearing this collection doesn't get you fired up about the current state of punk music, you may be beyond saving. Did I mention it's only $8? Get it from Zodiac Killer Records!

 

-L.R.

http://www.zodiackillerrecords.com/ 

ColumbusBlood

Out this coming Saturday to commemorate Record Store Day, ColumbusBlood is a compilation LP that documents what's happening right now in Columbus, Ohio's underground rock n' roll scene. Live music and the community of bands that play it are the lifeblood of any town's music scene. I'm guessing that's what the title of this album is conveying. Or I could be wrong - maybe all these bands have a penchant for bleeding on stage or a shared interest in phlebotomy. I heard that's a thing these days. Any way you shake it, this is a solid and varied collection of bands - almost all of whom I'd never heard before! It was compiled by my man Pat Dull, and I believe it's the first new release on his Break-Up! imprint in 13 years. The takeaway is that if you live in or near Columbus, you often have access to some fine live rock n' roll. And if you're a regular show-goer in Columbus these days, surely this compilation is already on your want-to-own list.

But even if you live far from Columbus or never leave your house, ColumbusBlood is still a worthy purchase. In my many years spent chronicling the garage/punk/etc. underground, the Columbus scene has always maintained a reputation for excellence. ColumbusBlood demonstrates that Columbus is still rocking hard and turning out quality bands at an impressive rate. Betty Machete and the Angry Cougars have been favorites of mine since the release of their first single, and their contribution "Rock Bottom" is every bit as good as their 7" tracks. It totally rips! I've never been able to figure out why Sick Thrills aren't totally huge. Their track "Primal Urges" is highly reminiscent of vintage New Bomb Turks. The "hit" of the comp is Cotton Jackson's hillbilly rock n' roll anthem "Drink and Fuck" - which is probably an ode to Columbus but could really be about life in any American town. Other standout cuts include a soulful '60s garage smoker from The Hexers, a heartfelt ballad from power pop up-and-comers The Girls!, a bluesy heavy rocker from Dirty Biscuits, and an eerie murder ballad from Righteous Buck & The Skull Scorchers. There are 12 bands featured in all - and none of them suck!

If you're a local, you can pick up a copy of ColumbusBlood for $10 at either of two release shows this weekend. Friday's show at Kobo Live will feature Righteous Buck & The Skull Scorchers, Sick Thrills, Cotton Jackson, and Nom Tchotchkes. Saturday's show at Ace of Cups will feature The Girls!, Hexers, Bridesmaid, Dirty Biscuits, and Dead Girlfriends. For additional info, check out the ColumbusBlood event page on Facebook!



-L.R.

Meet Role Models!

Wow. How am I just finding out about Role Models? My power pop street cred is going to be taking a major hit! This London foursome has a new EP out that is absolutely stunning - which is hardly shocking with guys like Rich Rags (The Loyalties) and Daniel Husayn (Red Dons) in the band. I believe Justin Maurer was in this group at one time - which tells you just about everything you need to know about Role Models. If, like me, you like your rock with plenty of pop, you just might spend the next hour with "Lost In The City" on constant repeat. Cited influences include The Replacements, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, and Pretenders. So, then, you get the picture. Think power pop meets the good kind of classic rock - with an emphasis on hooks and quality songwriting celebrating the joys of youth and eternal weekends. "Lost In The City" quickly won me over with melodic guitar leads that would bring Bob Derwood Andrews to tears of joy. And then that chorus comes in, and it's absolute perfection! Yes! This is how you do pop! If you just saw a crazy man running down the street singing that chorus, it was probably me. "Suffocate" and "Saturday Night" follow in the vein of power pop by way of punchy barroom rock - with strong echoes of Costello/Graham Parker, mid-period 'Mats, and modern-day greats like The Figgs. These songs are good the whole way through, but I like how they always save a little something special for the chorus! And as a fan of power pop, I'm thrilled to hear some genuine power in the playing. Every power pop band worth its salt has its own Keith Moon on drums, and Pat is definitely up to the task.

If a free download of Lost In The City leaves you wanting more (which it surely will!), I highly recommend visiting the Heavy Hearts Bandcamp page and checking out Role Models' 2013 charity single "This Eventually Leads Nowhere" along with their six-song debut EP from 2011. All proceeds from downloads went to the Haringey (North London) chapter of the National Autistic Society to fund weekend safe play days throughout last summer. Rich wrote "This Eventually Leads Nowhere" with his son Zoli, who has autism. It's a great song, and it went to a great cause.

Now I eagerly await a Role Models full-length. Somebody make it happen!



-L.R.

https://rolemodelslondon.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-the-city 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Role-Models/87389262377 

More from Mystery Date!

You may recall a post of mine from last summer heralding the Minneapolis power pop trio Mystery Date and its outstanding debut single. Mystery Date has quickly become one of my favorite new bands, and now Piñata Records brings us a new 7" from this very awesome group. You And Your Sister features three songs from the band's tape - mastered and issued on vinyl. And needless to say, it's great! If you're a fan of classic power pop and '79 era pop/punk and have yet to check out Mystery Date, you don't know what you're missing! Piñata cherry-picked the (arguably) three best songs from the band's cassette for this release. And the simple recording keeps things sounding live and punchy, but still clean and crisp. These guys mix some obvious powerpop/punk influences with some non-traditional ones (The Only Ones, Excel, The Gizmos) - resulting in a sound that's familiar yet highly distinctive. The label description of "three rocket-propelled ballads of heartache and longing" is absolutely perfect, and I've had the whole EP on constant repeat all morning. With its loud guitars and irresistible central hook, the title track is probably "the hit". But the punkier "Lightspeed Romance" is a total blast of energy, and no less catchy. And "The One That You Really Want" is probably the one song out of the three that's been sticking in my head the most. 

Given that only 300 copies of this 7" were made, I highly recommend moving fast if you want one for yourself. Ordering details can be found at Piñata's Bandcamp page. There seems to be a whole new wave of incredible power pop bands emerging right now, and Mystery Date just might be the best of all of 'em. Just click "play", and you'll see (or hear, actually) what I mean!



-L.R.

http://pinatarecords.bandcamp.com/album/you-and-your-sister 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystery-Date/219099284778269