A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Cartoon Violence LP by Herzog. Did it take me an unreasonably long time to review Herzog’s Cartoon Violence LP? Yes, yes it did – and the reason for that is simple: Cartoon Violence exists as a series of contrasting elements which are all trying to function and/or co-exist...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Buddha Jabba Momma LP by Chomp. As much as I like the artwork on the front cover (before I heard a note of the music on Buddha Jabba Momma, I was captivated by the cover’s similarity to some of the artwork on the interior of the Plastic Fang LP by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), I had to remind myself that interesting aesthetics do not make a good album. I also needed...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Hand On Heart LP by Cock Sparrer. While it would be easy for critics to claim that there are a finite number of ways to make an English-sounding or uniquely “Bostonian” punk record (see Dropkick Murphys’ catalogue for a Cliff’s Notes summary of that story so far), it should definitely go to Cock Sparrer’s credit that the band has managed to produce a solid and captivating listen in their Hand On...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Before You Get Broken LP by Guest Directors. It has often been said that a band’s debut album is intended to introduce that band to the world – but their sophomore release is more for the band itself. It might come from a desire to push boundaries or simply to establish that the band in question is capable of doing more than just reproducing the strengths that their debut album presented,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Do You Really Wanna Know? LP by Plizzken. I confess that European punk (the stuff from mainland Europe – not from the British Isles) has often been a pretty hard sell, to me. I don’t mean that to come off as a slight or cultural bias, the music is just often hit or miss for me; even going back to albums like The State of Punk To Come and albums by...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into 45 Adapters’ Unstoppable LP. After having released a series of records of different sizes and speeds since the band formed in 2008 (to date, the band has released six EPs, splits and singles), it’s kind of funny when one realizes that Unstoppable is only the second full-length album which bears 45 Adapters’ name; they just always seem to be working on promoting something, so that their output includes just two full-length albums...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Modify The Sacred LP by Seized Up. Let’s get this out of the way first, because it’s almost never the thing that metal heads like to read: as metallic as Modify The Sacred is, it’s impossible to deny that the album has a sizable punk streak running through it too. From front-to-back, for example, it’s very easy to hear reflections of Keith Morris’ vocal styling in singer Clifford Dinsmore’s vocal delivery....
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Overtime 12” EP by SLIP~ons. It might read as being anti-climactic but, on SLIP~ons’ new Overtime EP, the Vancouver-based band establishes that its last release was not intended to establish any new musical directions for them to later explore or anything like that – the band was just being who it is, and it happened to be captured on tape. The proof is apparent on this new Overtime EP, because the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Beggar Weeds’ Tragedy in U.S. History LP. It’s funny how, sometimes, there’s a collision between music and time which ends up leaving people to feel like they showed up late to the party, or walked in by accident without knowing there was anything happening at all. It’s not one of those occasions that anyone enjoys, but the reward which comes with the music still leaves those who came upon it glad that...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Porterhouse Records-pressed, 45th Anniversary reissue of the Teen City EP by The Modernettes. Isn’t it funny how, in punk rock, being known for only a couple of songs can still make a band superstars? It’s funny, but it’s true – really, Vancouver’s Modernettes have a catalogue which includes just one full-length album (1981’s Gone… But Not Forgiven) and two EPs (1980’s Teen City and 1982’s View From The Bottom), but the...