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New album: Dragon Rapide || Mumbo Jumbo

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Pop music is not singular. In fact, and I hope our site illustrates this, good pop music is multifaceted. But usually, bands limit themselves to a specific corner of the pop multiverse, and in doing so, they are making it easier for us listeners. After all, it’s kinda nice when you can conclude within a couple of songs that a band is right up your wheelhouse. Here’s a band that threw me off base at first because they are unafraid to wander into different musical directions, and do so unapologetically and with attitude. I am talking about Dragon Rapide, a French band whose latest record Mumbo Jumbo is an intriguing trip trough pop’n’rock’n’roll history.

Seemingly effortless, Dragon Rapide switch from ’80s new wave and postpunk (The Rock Bottom – Week 42, Second Line Parade), to ’90s Britpop (Lost In Space (originally by Aimee Man), This Someone), to bouncy powerpop (A-OK), to indiepop (Ghost, and Your Scar – probably my favorite two tracks on the record). The label (Le Pop Club) namedrops bands like Nada Surf, Teenage Fanclub, Travis, Gang Of Four and R.E.M. as influences, which should give you a further idea of the wide range of sounds on Mumbo Jumbo.

Mumbo Jumbo is the kind of record that is all over the place, and worth diving into.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Le Pop Club Records

New album: Inhalators || Inhalators

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Have we covered a band from Poland before? I don’t think we did. Anyhow, I’d like to draw your attention to the excellent debut record from Inhalators. Inhalators are a new collective of punk veterans from bands like Bilety Do Kontroli, Nowy Świat, PDS, Damrockers, Firenze, Royal Kids Of The 1977. They play a classic and authentic brand of ’77 punkrock that is upbeat, rockin’ and melodic. I should add multilingual to that list: in addition to Polish, the vocalist sings in English, German, Spanish and French. Most importantly, this band sounds good and know how to write killer punk tunes, as illustrated with songs like Atak Serca, Dziewczyny W Ramoneskach, and Another Kind Of Dziad Punk.



Inhalators is out now on the Polish label Enigmatic Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Enigmatic Records

New album: Sonny Vincent || Snake Pit Therapy

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

It’s better to burn out than fade away is one of those truisms surrounded with the rock’n’roll and punk subculture. To be honest, I always preferred the positive spin 7 Seconds took on that exclamation in their classic anthem Young ’til I Die. Either way, here’s an artist who defies the expectations that come with age. Somehow, Sonny Vincent, who was a punk before you were a punk, and was writing garagepunk songs as early as 1970 – in the mid to late ’70s he played with The Testors and frequently performed at the legendary CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City, is still putting out music in 2021. And that music is neither redundant nor expandable nor tragic. On his latest release, the 15-song Snake Pit Therapy, Sonny Vincent churns out rockin protopunk tunes as if his career has only just begun. I have no idea how he does it after recording somewhat like 30 records, but Snake Pit Therapy sounds vibrant. Vincent’s songwriting skills are on full display on the record, and songs like Messed Up In Blue (listen below) and Never Tired are a masterclass in how to write timeless rock’n’roll. Rock on, Sonny. Rock on!

Snake Pit Therapy is out now on Finnish Svart Records. The record accompanies Vincent’s recent book bearing the same title.

Add to wantlist: Svart Records

New single: Los Recuerdos || Los Recuerdos

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

If you like your powerpop catchy, fast paced, and with ramshackle and jangly guitars, you will feel right at home with Los Recuerdos. Los Recuerdos, which translates to The Memories, are Pedro, Juan, Rojo and Milky. They operate from Madrid, although three of its members are from the Valladolid region. Last April they went into the studio to record a three song self-titled single. I have to assume it’s their first output, because I have trouble finding any intel on the band. I am pretty sure it won’t be the last we will hear from Los Recuerdos though: All three songs are killer, and I particularly enjoy Solamente Tal Vez De Vez En Cuando – watch the video for the song below. RIYL: Nude Beach, Tough Shits, The Whiffs.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Action Park || You Must Be This Tall To Die

By / / Punk / 1 Comment

Action parks are at the bottom of my list of places I like to be at – don’t get me started on rollercoasters. So if you call your band Action Park, and your record You Must Be This Tall To Die, let’s just say you are way behind before the game has even begun. And that’s exlusive of the impossible to google bandname/album title combo. But I must admit having warmed up to this record rather quickly.  Action Park play punkrock for fans of the mid-to-late 90s punkrock explosion. I have a lot of fond memories of that era, though admittedly, not all of my purchases of that era held up as well as I hoped. You Must Be This Tall To Die sounds like a record that will. What I appreciate about Action Park is how in each of their songs, they seem to pay tribute to a different band. For example, 24 Months sounds inspired by the Bouncing Souls, whereas Waiting For The Rain reminds me of a band like Weston. Other songs hint upon The Ergs, Sicko and Dillinger Four and others that are on the tip of my tongue.

The combination of familiarity and well executed punkrock tunes make for a very enjoyable collection of songs. Will Action Park reignite a new wave of punkrock popularity? Unlikely. But it sure is nice to hear bands from 2021 sound like this. Not bad for a record grown of necessity according to the band: “This sonic document is the product of countless hours of painstaking physical, mental, and emotional labor. The guiding force throughout what has no doubt been one of the longest, darkest, and decidedly most bizarre chapters in any of our stories… This thirty-one minutes of music was the thread we were all collectively hanging by that kept us back from the edge.”



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Blunt Bangs || Proper Smoker

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Imagine having written one of the major hits of the indie scene of the ’00s, and having toured that for a decade. How do you follow that in a changing musical landscape? If you are like Reggie Youngblood (Black Kids), you don’t quit. You start a new band with veterans of the Athens (Georgia) scene (i.e., Christian “Smokey” DeRoeck (Woods, Deep State, Little Gold) on guitar and vocals, and Cash Carter (Tracy Shedd, The Cadets) on drums) that sounds quite different. But rather than going for a sound that is even more poppin’ than Black Kids, your new band is way more rockin’.

Proper Smoker, the debut record of Blunt Bangs is quite the surprise. It blends indie rock with power pop influences, and from the get go sounds fresh and fun. The video for attention grabbing album opener She’s Gone essentially is a tribute to some of the classic albums that offer the blueprint of Blunt Bangs’ sound. And although this record sounds uncomplicated, and does not try to reinvent the wheel in any way, these songs are so well put together. Clearly, the band had a lot of fun playing the kind of music they enjoy themselves. And isn’t that the best recipe for a great record?



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Ernest Jenning Record Co.

New album: Sweet Nobody || We’re Trying Our Best

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

Life’s not perfect, and human beings are the opposite of infallible. The best we can do is try our best, a mantra my mom programmed in my brain ages ago, and still becomes active whenever I have to do something that is new or scary or filled with uncertainty. It helps to explain why I instantly sympathize with Sweet Nobody’s second album which is titled We’re Trying Our Best. The circumstances in which this album came to live were far from ideal. There was of course the curse of the pandemic: We’re Trying Our Best would have been released 12 months ago in a pandemic free world. More importantly, singer/lyricist Joy Deyo had to cope with chronic pains caused by a hard-to-diagnose ilness while writing the record. And yet, rather than a dark or sad record, We’re Trying Our Best sounds more like a celebration of life. Press play on Five Star Diary and let the indie pop of Sweet Nobody wash gently over you. It showcases the gorgeous and melancholic qualities of Deyo’s voice and how it complements the jangly and breezy guitar licks perfectly. It’s not the only standout track on the record; uptempo songs like Rhoda and White Lies are instant attention grabbers as well. I am also intrigued by Other Humans and If I Should Die Tonight, two emocountrypoppowerballads that pull at the heartstrings. [post continues below]

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New EP: Smirk || EP 12″

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Smirk is a solo project from Nic Vicario (Autistic Youth, Crisis Man, Public Eye). Six months ago, I wrote about the debut LP by Smirk, which compiled the band’s first two EP’s. I liked the groovy and hypnotic lo-fi punk songs on that one a lot, but I am even more excited about the band’s third EP, which is out now on 12″vinyl on Total Punk Records. The EP has a slightly crisper production that brings out the anxious energy of the music even better. Vicario has retained and refined his cool groovy guitar riffing, but the songs sound more direct, accessible, and melodic without losing any punk attitude. Songs like Staring At Screens, So Original and Imaginary Harry are an absolute blast. Play this one loud!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Total Punk

New album: The Reflectors || Faster Action

By / / Power Pop / 2 Comments

Time to update those AOTY longlists: Modern masters of classic power pop The Reflectors (LA) have a new record out. Well, technically Faster Action will be out on september 24, but you can already stream it in full on Bandcamp. And, if you are like me, you are likely to pre-order it three songs in from either Snap!! Records (Spain), Beluga (Sweden), or Time For Action (Germany).

Even though I usually like my powerpop faster and louder, I found it hard to resist The Reflectors’ debut First Impression, and it made #7 in my album top 50 of 2020. Still, I honestly was concerned the band would slow down and sound overpolished on their sophomore record. Fortunately that is far from the case. The songs on Faster Action are upbeat and on average may actually provide faster action – what’s in a name? And although the songs sound smooth, the band does not overdo it. Faster Action offers a wealth of hooks and ear candy, and songs that are as uncomplicated and direct as they are fun.

There are so many instant hits on Faster Action, I can safely say this would have hit the charts if it was released 40 years ago. If you are a fan of the power pop of that era, you cannot go wrong with Faster Action.


By the way, Time For Action has a special version of the LP that plays from the inside-out. Pretty cool.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Time For Action (Germany) || Beluga (Sweden)

New album: Cheeky || Freaky Deaky: The Cheeky Discography

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Well, this is a nice surprise from Jeff Rosenstock’s Really Records: the full discography of Cheeky on one conventient platter of clear blue vinyl! If you are unfamiliar with Cheeky, they were a short lived (2007-2009) four piece from Long Island with a knack for writing catchy old school pop punk, and a fearlessness to fight the increasing toxic elitism and machoism in the punk scene.

The band’s guitarist and vocalist Kate Eldridge went on to form the mighty Big Eyes. If you are a fan of that band, you are sure to like this anthology. Essentially, if you like your pop punk edgy and rockin’, you are sure to like this release as well. Other Cheeky band members went on to perform with bands such as The Babies and Sleater Kinney.

Freaky Deaky compiles Cheeky’s complete output: the Choke on a Cheeseburger EP, Art Of The Underground Single Series 7″, What The Heck 12″, their split single with Tenement, and their Live At The Boneyard cassette.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Really Records || Discogs

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