Superchunk
Live in NYC 7''
Merge
2014
Rating: 7.5 motorized questions out of 10
I got this Superchunk seven inch in my goody bag when I picked up my Merge 25 festival pass. While I'd like to think I'm special, I'm pretty sure everyone who bought a pass got one. This would get a thumbs up if I paid for it, and it gets a super duper thumbs up since I got it for free. And now, out of sheer laziness, I'm going to steal the description of the release straight from the Merge website (where you can now buy a copy if you are so inclined):
On September 28, 2013, Eleanor Friedberger joined Superchunk onstage at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC to lend her vocals to covers of The Ramones’ “Oh Oh I Love Her So” and Patti Smith’s “Free Money.” Those two recordings are collected on this limited-edition 7-inch, which features cover art by Casey Burns.
Les Savy Fav
Let's Get Out Of Here 7''
Frenchkiss / Wichita
2010
Rating: 7 squeaky feet out of 10
I think the record store gave me this when I bought Les Savy Fav record "Root for Ruin," and I always thought it was an odd giveaway / bonus considering both of the songs on this record (the title track and "Sleepless in Silverlake") are also on the full length. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to own anything Les Savy Fav put out, but this is pretty redundant. Still, both of the songs are excellent regardless.
Total Control
Typical System
Iron Lung
2014
Rating: 7.5 sassy dogs out of 10
I'm trying to think of a smart or witty way to say this Total Control record "Typical System" sounds pretty much exactly like an early Gary Numan record, but I can't find my way around it. Bear in mind this is definitely not a complaint - I've actually been listening to a fair amount of Numan lately, and this slides nicely into a playlist with him. The vocals are a little more laid back/less paranoid sounding than Numan, but I'd be hard pressed to find many more differences than that. I actually thought the second song "Expensive Dog" was a Tubeway Army cover at first, and don't get me started with the following song "Flesh War" - I'm pretty sure that synth line is directly lifted from Numan.
Let me really reiterate that I don't give a shit, not even a little one, that these songs sound just like Gary Numan. Catchy songs are catchy songs, and I plan on listening to these quite a bit...can't say that I give a good goddamn if it's a rip-off of someone else or not.
Spider Bags
Frozen Letter
Merge
2014
Rating: 7.5 stages of healing out of 10
There is much to like on this new album by the Spider Bags called "Frozen Letter" - but like in the past, the recorded material just doesn't do their live performances justice. On wax they come across as a very likeable but somewhat straight-forward garage rock band; not a damn thing wrong with that, and in fact I'm certain I'll listen to this record quite a lot just like I did with their previous effort "Shake My Head." The songs offer plenty of hooks paired with fuzz and distortion and even the occasional cowbell - immediate highlights include "Japanese Vacation" and "Summer of '79." There are also jams that fall out of the garage rock mold, "Coffin Car" and "Walking Bubble" specifically, that approach something akin to Giant Sand's take on fractured country.
But live, man...live they're a different beast, a squirming mass of caged animals in the form of a rock band, sweaty and ferocious and usually a little drunk and it's just a scene that is hard to adequately put into words no matter how many times I have the pleasure of seeing them. So listen to this record for sure - it may end up one of my favorites of the year. More importantly, if they ever play anywhere near you, drug your own father* and steal his car if that's what it takes to get to the gig.
*Don't be an asshole and actually drug your father or anyone else for that matter. Just steal his keys when he isn't looking.
The Easybeats
Friday On My Mind 7''
United Artists
1966
Rating: 8.5 sweaty bottles out of 10
The song, "Friday on My Mind" by the Easybeats, the "Beatles of Australia," is one of my all-time favorites from this era. So catchy and upbeat, it's the sort of song that I think a lot of people forget about until they hear it and then exclaim "oh yeah I love this song!" The track hit number 16 on the US charts...should have been much higher. The b-side is also good, but the name is better - "Made My Bed: Gonna Lie In It." The rare colon in a song title! It's the small pleasures...
The Capitol City Dusters / Aina
Split 7''
Superbad / Dischord
1999
Rating: 7 reported casts out of 10
I'm not sure where I have heard the Capitol City Dusters track at other than this release, but it sounds very familiar to me. Maybe it just comes from the same place as their other Washington DC indie punk songs, but wither way it's pretty decent. I'd never even heard of the band on the b side before, Aina, but their track "Lutton Can Wait" sounds like a mash-up of Jawbox and the Archers of Loaf, so I'm backing it.
Varnaline
The Hammer Goes Down 7''
Zero Hour
1996
Rating: 6.5 chain reactions out of 10
A Coke bottle clear promo-only seven inch by Varnaline that was likely given to me by a friend who used to be roommates with one of the Zero Hour honchos (or maybe the only honcho, who knows). Title track was also on his first record, and a b-side called "Hear the Birds Cry" that might only be here. Both tracks are perfectly fine folk rock like most Varnaline releases, neither inciting excitement or derision much like most of their catalog.
Camera Obscura
4AD Session EP
4AD
2014
Rating: 6.5 bowling balls out of 10
This EP by Camera Obscura was released as part of the 2014 Record Store Day shenanigans. Despite my having a great love for these Scots, this isn't anything particularly special - all four songs on this release are also found on their most recent (and fantastic) record from 2013 "Desire Lines," and the versions found here aren't different enough to make it necessary. Everyone should get "Desire Lines" though, so many catchy pop songs.
Protomartyr
Under Color of Official Right
Hardly Art
2014
Rating: 7.5 pinched shovels out of 10
Similar to how I felt after seeing them live, I'm sort of at a loss as to what exactly Protomartyr sounds like...and god knows if can't compare one band to another, it will drive me completely crazy. You might call them an American version of the Fall after hearing a song like "Ain't So Simple" or "Bad Advice," but that doesn't quite capture it; plus, as great as Protomartyr singer Joe Casey is, he's no Mark E. Smith. Other tracks like "Trust Me Billy" sound like a punkish version of GBV, catchy and upbeat in the best sort of way. And this might be a stretch, but I even hear a little bit of the National here and there. Whatever the formula or combination of known and/or unknown vibes, I'm really into this album, definitely recommended.
Urban Legends
Dance and Burn 7''
Tree
1997
Rating: 6 dead things out 10
Urban Legends is more noteworthy for what it would lead to than for what it actually is. Hutch Harris is the story here, and after Legends he would go on to form the fantastic Thermals. Three songs here, all sorta mining the early Mountain Goats territory if I had to make a comparison. Nothing overly exciting honestly.
Tristeza
Macrame 7''
Rocket Racer
2000
Rating: 6.5 ebola scares out of 10
Another slab of slowcore post-rock from Tristeza. Nice song but nothing special in the title track on side A, and a remix from Rafter on side B. I wish I had more to say about it than that. Great looking record though. Probably bought this at a Tristeza show back when it came out.
Pontiak
Innocence
Thrill Jockey
2014
Rating: 8 puffy chairs out of 10
Somewhere between their last record "Echo Ono" and this new one called "Innocence," I went from Pontiak casual fan to a Pontiak super fan. We're talking "pre-order the record to get the special vinyl" level of fandom, something I rarely do. This was largely due to seeing them live three or four times, which made me appreciate the records more, which then made me love their live performances more, and so on and so on as the snake ate it's tail.
Their live shows tend to be pretty heavy from start to finish, but their albums mix things up a little, and "Innocence" is no different. You have "Ghosts" as likely the best song of the record, sounding like a new genre called kraut metal; and then shortly thereafter you get a pair of songs in "Noble Heads" and "Wildfires" that make me think of a folky version of Pink Floyd. It seems like this trio of brothers can go in pretty much any direction and do fantastic work, and this new album is only further proof of that.
Warm Soda
Young Reckless Hearts
Castle Face
2014
Rating: 6.5 dead doves out of 10
The first Warm Soda record, "Someone for You," was a glammy power pop gem that received a lot of plays from me. It had just the right amount of hooks and crunch and attitude and vibe that made you want to listen again and again. Their sophomore record "Young Reckless Hearts" returns with only part of that formula dialed in. The hooks are definitely there - the album's title track along with "Save This Dance for Me" might be the two catchiest songs the band has ever written. The crunch though...the crunch is really is missing. The record feels very subdued, very low energy - I suspect this is mostly on the production side, but I'm no Steve Albini and that's just a guess. Without that crunch, the attitude and vibe are left lacking.
It's still a pretty good record, don't get me wrong - not many people these days understand how to write a good pop song as well as Matthew Melton does, and I'll probably "warm" to the sound of the record as I listen more. I'd also bet these new songs kill live, when things are naturally a little more raw and raggedy. Let's just hope on their third offering they revisit the same studio as their first record and get the feel of their music back on track.
Alan Sparhawk / Charles Atlas
Split 7''
Star Star Stereo
2000
Rating: 7.5 reckless hearts out of 10
I'm not entirely sure why the a-side here, "Sleep Song," is called an Alan Sparhawk solo track when it sounds exactly like Low and I'm pretty sure even has Mimi contributing backing vocals. Of course anything that has him (or them) singing on it is just going to sound like a Low song. Good track too, for the record.
The Charles Atlas b-side "Pondcup" is good but not particularly exciting. It's basically just some nice guitar playing and nothing else, a style I've never gotten worked up about but given the popularity of William Tyler and that ilk, seems like this would be popular if released today.
Tristeza
Foreshadow 7''
Caffeine vs. Nicotine
1998
Rating: 7 airplane toilets out of 10
Sure, why include the playing speed of this Tristeza record, a band known for slow building instrumental songs? It's not as if I'd like to be playing it from the proper speed from the start, I'd rather spin it for a couple of minutes and then see if I guessed correctly. I dig both songs though, even if they kinda sound the same. Tristeza are sorta like Explosions in the Sky without the bombast, in case you are wondering.
Tortoise
Why We Fight 7''
Soul Static Sound
1995
Rating: 6.5 buried surgeons out of 10
I've had this Tortoise seven inch since it came out, but barely listened to it. Both tracks are the very mellow side of the band. It's not really anything special to be honest, especially the title track. B-side "Whitewater" is a little better, but either way this record was clearly just the result of clearing out the back catalog of unreleased songs.
