Magic Kids - Hey Boy 7'' (Goner, 2009)

Magic Kids
Hey Boy 7''
Goner
2009

Rating: 7 special leather harnesses out of 10

The short-lived Magic Kids were a real throwback to the Elephant 6 days of the mid-nineties where every band was trying to do their own imperfect spin on recreating the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."  (It's all in the sleigh bells, folks.)  Side A, "Hey Boy," kicks off with a chorus before turning into a song catchy enough to almost be a deep cut on a Brian Wilson rarities collection (that's a compliment, for the record).  The B side, "Good To Be," is such a slight wisp of a song song it barely exists - it's mostly just them saying "it's so good to be" over and over.  I always thought this band should have been more popular, and maybe they would have been if they had recorded more than one record (oh yeah, both of these tracks are also available on the only full-length, titled "Memphis").     

Jay Reatard - Hammer I Miss You 7'' (Goner, 2006)

Jay Reatard
Hammer I Miss You 7''
Goner
2006

Rating: 10 jugs of moonshine out of 10

What can I say about Jay Reatard at this point that someone else hasn't already said?  A truly great talent, wrote a ton great songs, and left this planet too early.  The title track is one of my all-time favorites by him and gets stuck in my head quite often.  The first track on the other side, "It's So Useless," might be even better than the lead single to be honest.  And the final song, "All Wasted," is the weakest of the three, but still worthy.  I think I bought this at one of his shows when I was living in SF. 

John Wesley Coleman - The Last Donkey Show (Goner, 2012)

John Wesley Coleman

The Last Donkey Show

Goner

2012

Rating: 7 bulldog farts out of 10

While I've always enjoyed Golden Boys, the main band of John Wesley Coleman, this is his first solo record I've really gotten interested in.  I couldn't tell you why exactly - the songs just stick with me a little better I guess.  I'm not sure if this is the first record he's done that sounds a lot like Reigning Sound or it's just the first one I made that connection on, but surely my love of that band is translating to my strong feelings on "The Last Donkey Show."  It's probably the heavy use of organ causing this connection in my brain, combined with a slight tinge of tex mex ala Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Quintet.  That Coleman also hails from Texas is most likely not a coincidence.  Whatever the connection or comparison, the bottom line is this is an enjoyable, fun rock record. 

Nobunny - Maximumrocknroll 7'' (Goner, 2012)

Nobunny

Maximumrocknroll 7''

Goner

2012

Rating: 6.5 baseball schedules out of 10

Five songs under eight minutes, and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded on a boombox with a broken microphone...Nobunny might have really outdone himself on this one. Opener "Assholes" sounds like a tribute to the Circle Jerks, is my favorite song on the EP, and is ripe to be included in any and all mix tapes you make after you hear it.  The next three tracks are sloppy junker one-offs that I doubt he spent any more time thinking up than he did recording them.  Then the final track "Lizards Liars and Sluts for Hire" closes the album nicely, sounding the closest to a regular Nobunny song, although still recorded like shit.  I can deal with the lo-fi, it was how I was first introduced to the dude, but the quality doesn't beg you to re-listen to this often. 

Nobunny - First Blood (Goner, 2010)

Nobunny

First Blood

Goner

2010

Rating: 7.5 investigative leads out of 10

Nobunny has come a long way from when I literally saw him play in a friend's basement a few years ago, but the music is still just a joyfully stupid.  Songs like "(Do the) Fuck Yourself," "Blow Dumb," and "I Was On (the Bozo Show)" tell you all you need to know.  Musically, his previous releases were more a pastiche of the garage pop underworld, this time around really obvious influences like T. Rex, Velvet Underground and Mott & the Hoople shine through on a number of tracks.  It's a damn catchy record, inviting singing along after only a couple of listens.  Muy bueno.

Ty Segall - Ty Rex EP (Goner, 2011)

Ty Segall

Ty Rex EP

Goner 

2011

Rating: 5 wooden salamanders out of 10

Ty Segall releases records almost as often as Robert Pollard, but to my knowledge Pollard has never released an EP entirely made up of T. Rex covers. I appreciate the effort, but I don't see this as something I'll be listening to all that often.  It sounds exactly as you'd expect - mostly straight-forward lo-fi, dingy recordings of the originals.  No interesting arrangements or anything special really, just a garage rock version of some pop classics.  To be perfectly honest, it just makes me want to listen to the originals.  Not to say that this release is terrible, and I'm sure his super fans are well into it, but...meh.  Mostly meh.