A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Mantra” b/w “Surfers On Acid” 7” single by Trabants. It’s impressive how engaging Trabants prove they’re capable of being on their “Mantra” single, particularly given that the first which tends to hook listeners is the thing that is noticeably absent from the band’s construct: a singer. Usually, a band’s singer is the first thing that engages listeners and brings them into the music but, without that, Trabants finds a way to...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the On Further Reflection EP by Wrong War. At this point, now decades since hardcore reshaped the face of punk rock, it would be easy for someone who isn’t a part of the punk community (isn’t a fan) to not understand how anyone could get excited about “another punk 7”.” Really, that there’s a form and structure in place is impossible to deny; guitars are distorted, songs are fairly simple, lyrics normally...
Beach House 7 Photo: turntablelab.com Of all the ridiculous musical genres and subgenres, the one I’ve grown most pleased with is dream-pop. A long time ago, Mike Watt told me that musical genres are just something someone at a record label came up with to make their job easier. I haven’t quite found it to be that, exactly. Genres are important for listeners because it helps us find what we’re looking for. That said, there have been some subgenres so...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Give It Back” 7” single by Death. You’ve got to respect Death for the way the band has chosen to conduct itself, over the years. Really think about it, reader; this is a band who, since changing its name and turning to punk rock in 1976 , has only released six albums – most of which were released...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Flesh & Bone” 7” single by Dan Rico. On first play through Dan Rico’s “Flesh & Bone” 7” single, many listeners will likely be struck and dazzled by what they hear. They’ll be excited by the tone and tenor of both “Flesh & Bone” and its B-side, “Gold Volvo,” because both tracks sound tightly and classically composed, in the finest tradition of the best power pop records. That is indeed a...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Best Of The Best” b/w “45” seven inch single by Roadside Bombs. It’s pretty uncommon for a punk band to publicly praise a music journalist (not that it never happens, just that it doesn’t happen regularly) so when Roadside Bombs doesn’t just praise a critic, they put his face on the A-side of a single and publicly promote him as being “The Best of The Best,” it begs attention.The critic in...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Harrington Saints’ “Red State” 7” single. It’s not uncommon for punk bands to tackle political subject matter, but it is unusual to hear the language of Republican politics appear in a punk song. That’s what makes the title track from Harrington Saints’ newest 7”, “Red State,” so compelling; while the song itself is not actually “red,”it utilizes the language as a discussion point in order to uncover the politics and psychology of...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Unclean 7” by Tough Age. After they’ve gone through all three songs which comprise Tough Age’s new Unclean 7”, listeners may find that they need to take a moment and collect themselves – I certainly did. I needed to step back and collect myself because I had no particular desire to just spill ink and compliments all over a page; true, all three songs are great and effortlessly called out the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the They Call It Justice 7” by The 45 Adapters. It might sound a little strange at first, but the 45 Adapters and their new 7”, “They Call It Justice,” are coming at the perfect moment in history for the band’s brand of Oi to really get over with audiences. Why? First, a pretty significant portion of the world’s population is good and pissed off with the political climate in the United...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Record Store Day 2017-issued 2×7” set by Alice In Chains. Over the last few years in particular, Record Store Day has really seemed to cater to a “collectible” market over a market wherein fan interest is the focus. That has proven to be a little frustrating; because of it, record stores get glutted by people one day a yearhoping to score something they can resell – not necessarily something they can...