Autogramm - "Working Man"

Here's something fun for you today! Vancouver new wave trio Autogramm has released a cover of Rush's "Working Man", which the band recorded while all members were in pandemic lockdown. While "Working Man" is no doubt a Canadian rock classic, you might consider it an interesting choice for a synth-pop/power pop band. And that's the whole point! Autogramm transforms this legendary heavy rock tune into a catchy pop song with a Devo meets Gary Numan feel. There's nothing "ironic" about this cover choice. I sense that the band has genuine love for the original and wanted to put its own signature on it. Autogramm is releasing this song as the first single in advance of its sophomore album - due out next year on the Los Angeles label Nevado Music. All proceeds from the sales of this track are going to local non-profit RAVEN Trust (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs), a legal fund that defends Indigenous rights in Canada. You can check out "Working Man" and the rest of Autogramm's catalog over at the trio's Bandcamp!



-L.R.

https://autogramm.bandcamp.com/track/working-man
https://www.autogramm.band/
https://www.facebook.com/autogrammband/

Breaklights - "Second To None"

Wow, time really flies! As I sat down to review Breaklights' new 7", I was surprised to discover that it's been four years since I last wrote about this Austin, Texas based band. "Second To None", out now on Otitis Media Records, is actually the band's first 7" following a couple of EPs. On this release, Breaklights retain their signature sound rooted in '90s/early 2000s melodic punk and pop-punk. I like to call it "pop-punk for grown-ups": powerful, melody-driven music with mature lyrics and a nice mellow vibe. This release was produced by FILMAGE director Deedle LaCour, and it sounds amazing. Breaklights have always sounded to me like a punk band from the '90s that would have been on a major or bigger indie label. They fully embrace big hooks and a polished sound, but that punk edge is still there. "Second To None" pairs Charlie's warm vocals and heartfelt lyrics with punchy guitars and a soaring energy. Although this song does not even reach the three-and-a-half minute mark, it has a grand, anthemic feel to it. The band does something a little unconventional with the arrangement of the song towards the end. I won't spoil the surprise other than to say that I enjoyed this little twist. "Overdue" is the flip side (literally) to the feelgood vibe of "Second To None". With an opening line like "Hanging around someone like you/Is a real bad time for two", you know exactly what you're in for. This is an honest analysis of how things can go wrong between two individuals, and I think a lot of people will relate. Again, this is a perfect example of how pop-punk can sound fully "mature" and still pack a serious punch. This is a great-looking 7" and a top-notch pair of songs from Breaklights. If you missed the band's 12" EP Don't Try So Hard from 2018, that's really great as well and definitely work checking out!



-L.R.

https://breaklights.bandcamp.com/
https://otitismediarecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/breaklights/
https://www.breaklightsatx.com/
https://www.instagram.com/breaklights/

Sweet Reaper - Closer Still

It seems like every time I turn around, Alien Snatch Records has released something new and awesome! Closer Still is the vinyl debut from Ventura, California trio Sweet Reaper. What we have here are 11 tracks of fuzzy garage pop that would be equally at home on the beach or at the cemetery. On the continuum of all things Alien Snatch, this band slides neatly between Radioactivity and the Hex Dispensers. Think catchy, lo-fi tunes that manage to be really upbeat and a little haunting at the same time. Sweet Reaper originated as the album Sweet Reaper by Seth Pettersen in 2015. That solo project soon turned into a proper band, and Closer Still is the second of the group's two full-length releases. It sounds like something that Dirtnap Records might have put out circa 2003, but with a little more of that modern-day Southern California flavor. You can call this a party record, but only if you're comfortable partying at a haunted house on the beach. Actually that sounds kind of awesome. Red vinyl is limited to 100 copies - you know what to do!



-L.R.

https://aliensnatch.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-reaper-closer-still
https://sweetreaper69.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sweetreaper69/
https://www.instagram.com/sweet.reaper/
https://www.facebook.com/ALIEN.SNATCH.RECORDS

Vista Blue - "The Senator's Daughter"

Here it is: my 25th Vista Blue review! I feel like I should be awarding the band something silver to celebrate this occasion. Baseball bats? Scooters? Faster & Louder varsity jackets? I'll have to see what's in the budget. You may have noticed that Vista Blue has been a little less prolific than usual this summer. That's because their alter egos Ralphie's Red Ryders have been hard at work on a full-length album that will be coming out on this Christmas on Outloud Records. In the meantime, the band has released an EP of odds and ends centering around its recent cover of the Fountains of Wayne classic "The Senator's Daughter". Those of you who are Fountains of Wayne fans are probably familiar with this track already from the wonderful free tribute album that Radiant Radish released back in May. If for some bizarre reason you are not a Fountains of Wayne fan, perhaps this song will be new to you. I love how this interpretation honors the original version yet still sounds very much like a Vista Blue song. It's terrific! "Colt Cabana #1" was originally recorded as a perk from the Kickstarter campaign that funded Vista Blue's curling-themed split with The Zambonis. The band pledged to record an entire EP of songs about professional wrestler Colt Cabana, and now you get to hear one of those tracks! "Cactus!" was written for the Phone Losers of America prank call network and was actually played as intro music on an episode of The Snow Plow Show. I never imagined that repeating the word "cactus" for 24 seconds would yield such brilliant results. But man, it totally works! "Four Seasons" is the original demo for the lead track off of The Kids Still Don't Like It, the kid-friendly record the band released back in 2018.

I like that "The Senator's Daughter" is a release for Vista Blue super fans. And if you’ve read this far, a Vista Blue super fan is exactly what you are. As a fan, I love that this band is willing to do fun things like make entire EPs for kids, write songs about pro wrestlers on demand, and submit unsolicited theme music to prank call podcasts. If you've never heard Vista Blue before, start with Hit the Floor! and work your way through the catalog from there. For the rest of us, "The Senator's Daughter" is tremendously satisfying fan service. I can't wait for the next 25 reviews! 



-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/the-senators-daughter
https://www.facebook.com/wearevistablue

TJ Cabot & Sonic Hz - "Overcompensation"

So it had to happen that two of Moncton, New Brunswick's most celebrated musical entities would join forces. All of Atlantic Canada has responded with shock and awe. On the surface, this seems the most unlikely of marriages. You've got the retro synth wave of Sonic Hz crossing paths with the DIY trash-punk of TJ Cabot. It's like Vangelis meets hardcore Devo, or The Screamers giving Jan Hammer shock therapy. Details on how this collaboration came about have been suppressed due to an ongoing contractual dispute between TJ Cabot and his band-mate Millhouse Deville over the rights to several unreleased tracks and a Rollie Melanson rookie card. However, the message board chatter indicates that TJ Cabot and the artist known as Sonic Hz were seen congregating at an abandoned '80s shopping mall and exchanging ideas about a shared musical vision that no one ever dared to anticipate. "Overcompensation" turns out to be the perfect fusion of two disparate musical worlds. It's as if TJ Cabot's '70s robot punks climbed aboard one of Sonic Hz's '80s spaceships and created a soundtrack for a movie that would only be available today on VHS. This song is something very different for TJ Cabot (it would not be the same track without the synths), and it's totally unlike anything you've heard from Sonic Hz. And at three minutes, it's twice the length of the average TJ Cabot track. So you're getting more bang for your buck (actually the track is free, so really it's more bang for no bucks). If this song is not already being piped into retail stores, public parks, and medical facilities all throughout the greater Moncton area, it is up to you citizens to submit your requests.



-L.R.

https://tjcabot.bandcamp.com/
https://sonichz.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sonickhz/

Lucy and the Rats - Got Lucky

This has been one of the best weeks ever for new album releases! We already had The Speedways on Monday and The Yum Yums on Wednesday. Last but certainly not least is the absolutely stunning sophomore long player by London-based foursome Lucy and the Rats. A co-release between Stardumb, Surfin' Ki, and Dirty Water Records, Got Lucky builds on the promise of the band's 2018 debut album and ultimately exceeds it by leaps and bounds.

As a singer and songwriter, Lucy Ellis (ex Spazzys) has been responsible for some of the finest pop music of recent years. She crafts beautiful melodies and sings with a tenderness and vulnerability that bring to mind the 1960s heyday of girl groups and Brill Building pop. While known primarily for their punk bona fides, band-mates Joe Tolosoa (Los Perros, Johnny Throttle), Manu Santos (Thee Tumbitas, Johnny Throttle, Raw Fun, Michael Jackson), and Liam Brody (The Gaggers, Johnny Throttle, Scraps) have proven to be exceptionally accomplished players in a pure pop style. If I had any complaints about the debut album, it's that I would have liked to have heard a song or two that picked up the pace a little and exercised the band's punk chops. And that's where Got Lucky really hits the mark. It delights with a nice mix of moods, tempos, and musical styles. It has got plenty of the dreamy, bittersweet pop songs that this band is so well known for. "September" is wistful, beautiful, and exquisite in every way. "On Fire" sounds like a lost girl group classic and will absolutely tear your heart out. It takes a special songwriter and singer to make a ballad work, but "Lucky" is truly extraordinary. I've been going back to this song again and again, and it makes me smile every time. But while the softer side of Lucy and the Rats remains fully intact, the punkier side also comes out on this album. Uptempo numbers like "Real Thing" and "Time To Time" really put the power in the pop. "Sorry" and "Jelly Baby Baby" are perfect pop-punk songs. "Pinch Myself" is pure '77-style punk along the lines of last summer's "Stick To You" single.

If you're going broke buying all of this music I've been touting lately, I apologize (okay, not really). But I hope you've got a little more saved up for Got Lucky. When I heard the advance single "Dark Clouds" this past spring, it was clear to me that Lucy and the Rats had turned out the finest song of their existence. I am happy to report that the entire album is at that same level. If you love power pop with a punk influence, Got Lucky is an album you need to own. Lucy Ellis is a tremendous songwriter and as likable of a singer as you'll ever hear. And this band as a whole is everything that power pop ought to be. Vinyl is available now from Stardumb and Surfin' Ki Records in Europe and The Machine Shop The Machine Shop in the U.S.A.!



-L.R.

https://lucyandtherats.bandcamp.com/album/got-lucky
https://www.stardumbrecords.com/collections/lps/products/lucy-and-the-rats-got-lucky-lp
http://surfinkirecords.bigcartel.com/product/lucyandtheratsgotlucky
https://www.facebook.com/Lucy-and-the-Rats-817424101645809/
https://www.facebook.com/surfinkirecords
https://www.facebook.com/stardumbrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/dirtywaterrecords

Jay Allen and the Archcriminals - Fun Is Fun, The Trilogy Is Done.

With Rum Bar Records having become home base for the best of Boston punk, garage, and rock and roll, it was never in doubt that Jay Allen and the Archcriminals would be a big part of that. Jay Allen (Quest for Tuna, Thumbcramp, Bosley) is a legend in the Boston punk scene going all the way back to the '80s. Backed by the Archcriminals, he has delivered the new album Fun Is Fun, The Trilogy Is Done. on Rum Bar. This eight-song long player follows Fun Is Fun But This Is Unsanitary (2003) and Fun Is Fun But You Gotta Be F'n Kidding Me (2010). In true Jay Allen fashion, this is a unique and entertaining creation influenced by '70s punk, garage rock, old rock and roll, and even a little pop. Jay Allen is a genuine original. When you put on one of his albums, you immediately know who you're listening to. What does Fun Is Fun... sound like? Well that changes from track to track! Opener "Cry A Little Tear" (featuring Emily Grogan on backing vocals) is an on-point homage to doo wop and early rock and roll. I've never heard anything quite like this before. It's like Sha Na Na meets Elvis meets The Dictators, and it's just so damn good! "Little Daggers" brings to mind label mates Indonesian Junk - think trashy '70s punk with a pop heart. This song really hits me hard. I love the raw emotion in the vocals and lyrics, and man that chorus is sticking to my skull like glue! "Grow Some Stones" is great straight-forward pub rock and roll not unlike The Dogmatics. "Big Lie" and "Beautiful Chaos" are rough-edged pop songs with a little bit of a Replacements feel. "I'll Be Damned" is some rip-roaring cow-punk to get you up and moving. And then there's "Chopped Liver". Who else would ever think to write a song about heartbreak with a backdrop of Jewish cuisine, and then throw in a shout-out to Fred G. Sanford for good measure? Jay Allen is a freakin' genius! If you're a fan of Boston punk/garage or the Rum Bar label in general, Fun Is Fun... needs to be on your radar.



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fun-is-fun-the-trilogy-is-done
https://www.facebook.com/jayallenandthearchcriminals
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords