Johnathan Pushkar - Straighten Up

Johnathan Pushkar's debut full-length is like the Wonders album that never was. Produced by Wyatt Funderburk and released by the legendary JEM Records, Straighten Up is ten songs of perfect British Invasion inspired power pop crafted by one of music's brightest young stars. While still only in his early 20s, the Pennsylvania born and bred, now Nashville-based Pushkar has already been playing in bands for a decade. I'm pretty close to theorizing that he wasn't actually born in the '90s but rather sprung out of a time machine that he boarded in 1964. Here he is in 2019, completely unaware that rock and rollers aren't supposed to be wholesome and perpetually smiling. He writes songs as if the past five decades never happened - connecting with that part of all us that's forever 16 and dreaming of true love. It had to be fate that this young man would wind up making a record with the guy who wrote "What If"!

From the opening strains of "The Girl Next Door", Johnathan Pushkar can easily be identified as a '60s pop classicist. And it's not just that unmistakable Rickenbacker tone. His scholarship of power pop music and its roots goes all the way back to Buddy Holly (at least). His affection for the timeless craft of the three-minute pop song comes through in every note he plays and sings. If you love jangly guitars, sweet-sounding melodies, and beautifully-executed harmonies, you'll be hooked by track one. And there's no fall-off from there. "The Girl Next Door" was the album's lead single and has been blowing up the indie charts all summer. But the next two tracks "We Could Be Together" and "Isabella" are smash hits in their own right! Elsewhere, Pushkar proves himself to be an endearing and relatable storyteller on the keyboard-tinged "Boyfriend". "Smile", with its gorgeous melody and pure-hearted sentiment, is an absolute gem of a pop song. "Hackensack" is, of course, a cover of the Fountains of Wayne classic. It would be impossible to improve upon the original, but Pushkar comes darn close to matching it. To pull off this song, you need a voice full of vulnerability and a heart you freely wear on your sleeve. Those qualities shine through again on the album's outstanding closing number "I Can't Help The Way I Feel".

Straighten Up is an album for diehard believers in true love and simple pop tunes (Aren't they one and the same?). Johnathan Pushkar specializes in songs that are hopeful and sweet and life-affirming. Everything he stands for is the perfect antidote to the misery and cynicism that plague our modern world. If you're looking to make a great power pop record, the first thing you ought to do is get Wyatt Funderburk to produce it. Pushkar did just that, and he also enlisted respected musician friends like Sandy Gennaro (Joan Jett, The Monkees), Bill Cinque (Neil Diamond), and Jeff Alan Ross (Badfinger) to play on the record. Call this album "retro" if you want. I prefer to think of it as timeless. Johnathan Pushkar isn't old enough to be nostalgic for the British Invasion, but he's wise enough to know that these sounds ought to be forever revived for new generations. The future of power pop sounds an awful lot like its past, and I could not be happier!



-L.R.

https://www.johnathanpushkar.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/37gbuyfxXpALkHQay3QJds
https://www.facebook.com/JohnathanPushkarMusic/
http://www.jemrecordings.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/Jem-Records-607560186079388/

Indonesian Junk - Spiderbites

Wait, was I actually right about something for once?! 37 days ago, I predicted that Indonesian Junk's third album would be its best record yet. That was really just an educated guess based off of one song plus the material from last year's Darkness Calling EP. But man oh man, I sure wasn't wrong! Spiderbites, out today on Rum Bar Records, far surpasses all previous IndoJunk efforts. But in a way, that was to be expected given the incremental strides that this Milwaukee trio has taken with each new release. Spiderbites sounds like the record that Daniel James and the gang have been working towards all of these years: a tour de force of Midwest-tough rock and roll formed from equal parts power pop, hard rock, and old school glam punk. If you can't find something here to like, you're looking at the wrong blog!

While the 1970s New York punk comparisons that have followed this band since its inception are in no way off-base, they only touch the surface of what Indonesian Junk is all about. You can pick out influences pretty easily if you want. But at this point Indonesian Junk really just sounds like Indonesian Junk. On this release, the band attains its hardest, hugest sound yet - with the hooks to match! This is not a band that's afraid of trying something different every now and then. The anthemic mid-tempo pop of "City Lights" and pitch-black balladry of "I Could Die" are pretty much without precedent in the IndoJunk catalog. "See The Light" finds the band fully mastering that epic Stooge-y vibe it's been flirting with for years. But what I like best about Spiderbites is that it lets loose the rock in a way that the band's prior albums never quite did. I love hearing Daniel and company lay the pedal to the metal and just kick some ass! "Mean Christine" has everything you need from an opening track: huge riffs, a stick-in-your-head chorus, and some absolutely sick lead guitar! "Wild, Wild Party" and "Headbanger" are like KISS rock anthems if they'd been way more into Johnny Thunders. "Through the Night" is an absolutely blistering rocker that ought to have you pumping your fist and shouting along regardless of what you're doing (be careful in libraries and funeral parlors). "When I Find You" is straight-up one of the best songs released by anybody in 2019. Who doesn't love revenge served up as a cheerful pop song?!

Spiderbites is an absolute blast of an album. Throw it on wherever you may be, and you've got yourself a party! Indonesian Junk give me a little bit of just about everything I desire in music: radio-worthy hooks, powerful guitars and drums, clever and often very dark humor, the spiritual presence of dearly departed punk greats, an energy that excites, ripping solos, and a lead singer with genuine personality. I've been fond of this band from day one, but it's Spiderbites that really blows it over the top for me. This is the best of '70s stadium rock, first wave punk, and American power pop combined into one damn tasty Milwaukee brew. If you haven't been informed yet, take note now: Indonesian Junk is a rock machine! Don't be the last on your block to join the fan club.



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/spiderbites 
http://indonesianjunk.blogspot.com/ 
https://indonesianjunk.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/indonesianjunk/ 
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords 

Nervous Jerk - 1994

I've had a 25-year "career" in reviewing records, but it honestly feels like it was only yesterday when I started. That's especially the case when I hear a band like Nervous Jerk, who remind me so much of the bands that made me want to start writing about punk music in the first place. This New Zealand trio plays a straight-forward style of punk rock that's both catchy and totally ballsy. New EP 1994 features three up-tempo numbers that absolutely rip but still lend themselves to singing along. I recommend checking out the video for the title track, as the inclusion of the lyrics really helps you get to the deeper meaning of the song. All in all, this is a super fun record. I might describe it as pop-punk that can be enjoyed even by people who don't like pop-punk. This is easily one of my favorite newer punk groups of the moment. Whatever is in that Aussie air appears to be spreading east!



-L.R.

https://nervousjerk.bandcamp.com/album/1994-ep 
https://www.facebook.com/jerknervous/

The Middle Ages - self titled

I'm always excited to hear anything that Dan Wood lends his name to, and that immediately makes the debut album from The Middle Ages essential listening in my book. Wood (The Pets, Razz, Tropical Sleep) recently returned to his native Seattle after many years as a fixture of Bay Area garage and punk. Back in the Pacific Northwest, Wood has assembled a new band that's every bit as formidable as his previous outfits. Also on board are Cris Wood on bass/vocals and Donny Hilstad (The Statics, The Dutchess and the Duke) on drums.

Dan and Cris are true collaborators with this band: co-writing the songs and singing them together. Those interwoven vocals and old school punk style will make X comparisons inevitable. And while I'd say those comparisons would not be off base, there's a lot more to The Middle Ages than that. This band has an approach of taking elements from a number of musical styles/eras and forming a sound that's all its own. The Middle Ages draw equally from punk, garage, pop, and rock and roll - crafting punchy tunes with first-rate hooks and a likeability factor that's off the charts. The songs cover all the bases from revved-up rock and roll ("Whoa Yeah") to big crunching power pop ("Runaway") to infectious sing-along punk rock ("Bad Man"). Fans of Dan's recognizable guitar style will not be disappointed. The riffs on this thing are absolutely filthy! Yet the creative partnership between Cris and Dan gives The Middle Ages a very different feel from, say, The Pets. I can't think of another band out there that sounds quite like this. Lean and mean at just nine tracks, this a filler-free and simply terrific debut from a band I expect we'll be hearing about a lot in the upcoming years. The band released the record on its own label Ripe Records, and you can order it here. There were only 300 copies pressed, so get on it!



-L.R.

https://wearethemiddleages.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/themiddleagesnw/
https://themiddleages.bigcartel.com/product/ma-lp

Los Pepes - "Automatic"

This has been a great year for you if you love Los Pepes (as I do)! Less than six months after releasing their fourth album Positive Negative, Los Pepes have followed with a fantastic new EP! "Automatic/Here Comes The Darkness" will be released on vinyl soon on Wanda and Beluga Records. But with an autumn tour of Europe imminent, the boys decided to go ahead and release these songs a little bit in advance. I must say this is my favorite Los Pepes release in quite a while. I'm always a fan of the "all killer, no filler" approach to releasing music. The two titular tracks are big-time hits. "Automatic" roars out of the gates with guitars on fire and a ton of melody. Man, this is how you do power pop with BALLS! And you know that's what Los Pepes are all about. "Here Comes The Darkness" crackles like early Who doing '77 punk. Doesn't that sound great? Of course it does! If you dig loud pop, you just won't hear it done much better than this. This EP's "deep cuts" prove to be formidable in their own right. "Your Justice" is another shot of thundering power pop with a touch of '80s beach punk influence in the guitars and backing vocals. And for the knockout blow, "This Is Rock and Roll" is an absolutely scorching cover of the classic track by The Kids! Not only does this song acknowledge an important influence on Los Pepes, but it also serves as a veritable mission statement for this tremendous band. This sure IS rock and roll, and we should be very thankful! Familiarize yourself with these songs now so you can sing along on the tour dates listed below! 

26/09/2019 D-Bochum, Wageni
27/09/2019 D-Berlin, Urban Spree
28/09/2019 D-Kassel, Goldgrube
29/09/2019 D-Hamburg, Hafenklang
30/09/2019 D-Dresden, Chemifabrik
01/10/2019 D-Karlsruhe, Alte Hackerei
02/10/2019 D-München, Folks
03/10/2019 D-Frankfurt, Klapperfeld
04/10/2019 FR-Tranqueville-Graux, La Bazka
05/10/2019 FR-Paris, ESS’pace
06/10/2019 FR-Blois, L’Auakera



-L.R.

https://lospepes.bandcamp.com/album/automatic-here-comes-the-darkness 
https://wandarecords.bandcamp.com/album/automatic-here-comes-the-darkness 
https://www.facebook.com/lospepesmusic 

Sore Points - "Not Alright"

Whew! Sore Points are back with a new 7", and they have not tempered their sonic fury in the slightest! "Not Alright" is the Vancouver trio's third release overall and first with Slovenly Recordings. The band's sound burns hotter than ever on this four-song EP (longest track: one minute, 43 seconds!). As always, Sore Points seem to exist in an eternal 1980 - when first wave punk and early hardcore smashed straight into each other and spawned some of the most exciting records ever cut. The band isn't fooling with the formula at all. This is fast, furious, and absolutely blistering punk rock fueled by pummeling guitars, a rapid fire rhythm section, and just enough melody to get your toes tapping. I think "On The Wire" is the "hit", but I swear "Not Coming Back" is the most thrillingly scorching track Sore Points have recorded to date. If you dig hardcore punk rock but wish more of it still had a foot in rock and roll, this is the band for you. LP on Deranged is top-notch, but this is the best stuff yet from Sore Points!

 
-L.R.

https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/sore-points-not-alright-ep 
https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/sore-points-not-alright-ep 
https://www.facebook.com/Sorepointsband/ 
https://www.facebook.com/slovenlyrec/

Mystery Girl - "Heartbreaker"

Now here's a band that's had a productive past couple of years! Mystery Girl's new single  "Heartbreaker" is already its fourth release since the early part of last year. This Albany, New York based foursome is so totally up my alley that I'm kind of embarrassed that I've never reviewed the band before! I checked out "Heartbreaker" on a tip from Alex Kish, and I was immediately into it. The title track falls somewhere in between glam-punk and power pop, and it's a total earworm. It's got really catchy lead guitar work, a memorable chorus, and some top-notch backing vocals. What a damn good tune! I've been whistling that melody for a week! B-side "Salted Slug" turns to some straight-up Johnny Thunders inspired punk rock and roll. I of course have a soft spot for this sort of thing, and I must say that Mystery Girl pulls off the style quite well. That hook is legit, and again the lead guitar sounds amazing. This song is so impressive that I actually checked to make sure it wasn't a cover of some obscure Heartbreakers tune!

Alright, this is how you do a 7-inch! You've got a pair of songs that are quite different from each other yet equally good. If you dig glammy punk rock with a pop sensibility, this is a band worth looking into!

    
-L.R.

https://mysterygirl518.bandcamp.com/album/heartbreaker-ep 
https://www.facebook.com/MysteryGirl518/ 
https://brainslash.storenvy.com/products/26321412-mystery-girl-heartbreaker-7-ep