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(Ramo) Primo stuff –
trashy but not trashed garage rock (meaning more New Wavey than Rip Off
Records-ish) that captures a Ramones + organ tones Girls (& Boys) in the Garage groove. It’s a musical mini-skirt
malfunction! It’s tastier than ice cream! It’s cinch, the Pinsch will pull you
in like a winch!
(gorettiquartet.over-blog.com)
Dark mathematical garage jazz from Belgium that will not have you waffling –
you’ll eat it up with confectioner’s sugar! On their split with Sexy Rexy
(named for Bear’s QB Rex Grissman I assume?) both make beautiful noise, with
Gorgeous Grossman improvising some groovy greatness.
(jasondanielsmusic.com)
It’s pleasant, even tempered, and a little classic rock-ish at points, but
listening to JD brings to mind my man Coe’s immortal words…if that ain’t
Country, you can kiss my ass! (Though classy Daniels wouldn’t use that
language).
(Another kind of review-BY GUEST REVIEWER GABE WALTER in the form of
inventions) (www.quirky.com/verse-ability) Sure you
can keep up with the latest reunions and demos, but to find out about
ideas like a door that doubles as a smoothie dispenser, you'llhave to check get
Quirky. I will only comment on the gadgets Im directly involved with to let you
know how easy it is to get involved. Sign up. Post idea! That's it! From a
"praying mantis" prayer box to a ladder that rotates pretty much any
idea can be added. Now, this doesn't mean the idea will be chosen by the team
of experts but you will get feedback on how to improve your ideas (For the
$10.00 per post or 100$ yearly fee). Although my Rib Bibs idea (keep palms
clean while fingers messy eating ribs) didn't get picked up, valuable comments
were made on how it can have team logos or anything imprinted on it. Its the
community that helps any site and you can see like minded quirky people. If an
idea happens to be picked sure the company gets a profit but they say they'll
send a share to the inventor too..and the product becomes a reality! That's the
exciting part- due to 3d printing changing almost…everything there are
things that were impossible to be done before. Now its easier to prototype a watch
that dispenses vitamin pills at a certain hour… Once their prototype is tweaked
and somewhat agreed upon by all parties involved it goes through a lot of steps
(for instance getting electrical clearance for safety issues). Im still hazy on
some of the process since no one has yet seen the benefit of a key that plays
musical notes when you turn it on a lunchbox. But it just takes the right
invention at the right time etc etc. So sketch up those napkins and post
something online maybe you'll make the greatest invention since sliced bread.
Hey, you can try to invent a bread that slices itself!
(daycreeper.bandcamp.com/album/raging-beast-ep)
Columbis bands are usually a little uglier and nastier than this – but that’s
not a knock on this perfectly imperfect poppy melodic punk record that sounds
more convincing when its got one foot in Modern Lovers water than when it’
sticks a toe in whatever the Dead Boys’ tub is filled with (note that I did not
compare them to New Bomb Turks, et al).
(danmiraldi.com) Meaty (and
potato-ey) American rock n roll with sweet pop hooks, chunky riffs, heartland heart and rust belt balls!
(skafishbootleg.com) While there have been a number of
Chicago punk revelations unearthed over the last few years, I will declare this
my favorite. Jim Skafish was both a quirky weirdo and a exquisite perfectionist,
so despite the off kilter nature of his depraved New Wave music, his band was
always crisp, well rehearsed, and in line with his vision. This lengthy live
set from 1977, on Jim’s birthday, and at the beautifully named Ratso’s, is
amazing. The angular, controlled chaos, is recorded at far better than bootleg
quality, but with a lo-fi rawness that gives Skafish some extra edge not found
on all his records (at times they become more an organ-driven garage band than
a keyboard driven New Wave act). This is a full show, with dozens of songs,
banter (about bullies, psychiatrists, throwing up at the Cubs games, La Mere
Vipeire), a cover of “Splish Splash,” an early version of the classic “Knuckle
Sandwich,” tons of songs that don’t appear on albums, and a lively “Sign of the
Cross.” This digital-only album is something your 21st Century
Walkman cannot live without!
(Discriminate Audio) One of the attributes we at Roctober most admire in an artist is the
refusal to give up, even when you probably should. For well over half of
century rock and roll lifer Ralph Gean has been banging away on his acoustic
guitar, writing rockabilly-inspired pop tunes, and playing wherever and
whenever opportunity allows, which it rarely has. Although this release is a
few years old I’ve never seen it, and feel as if I’ve been missing out on
something important, and if this is new to you run, don’t duckwalk, to get it.
This two disc set opens with a career retrospective initially curated by Boyd
Rice a while back that includes the b-sides of his two early 60s 45s, lo-fi
home recordings from the 70s, 80s and 90s, and some 21st Century
live tracks. A good guitarust with
a distinct, homey baritone, and a clever songwriter, Gean is represented as a
novelty artist here in some respects, as his earliest inclusion is a song about
the Ben Casey TV show, and later tracks try to cash in on Lorena Bobbitt, the
Hale-Bopp comet, and Star Trek. But what made the nomadic, former polygamist
more than an outsider/Dr. Demento act is a skill for songwriting that is no
joke, attested to by oddly captivating tracks like “Experimental Love” (which
is not as explicitly freaky as you’d hope…“Guitar Pickin’ Teabag” is similarly
chaste). But what made him a hit with the underground kids for a spell was a
suite of songs he’d written for an unproduced horror movie…jaunty numbers about
serial killing, murder gone wrong, and falling in love with your technician
during your court ordered electro-lobotomy. Disc 2 features the fruits of the
lifelong Elvis fans visits to Memphis, where one can pay a house band to back
you up in the original Sun Studio. His Sun Sessions demonstrate just how solid
his compositions are when backed with journeyman pros, and his energetic covers
show what a fine showman Gean is. As far as critiques of the release: while I certainly
can imagine reasons for their exclusions, Brian M. Clark’s stellar, respectful
liner notes reference several recordings not included (a childhood gospel
acetate, his 60s A-sides, unreleased early recordings), and the Sun session
guys are a little tamer than they should be on some numbers (particularly a
cover of the Phantom’s “Love Me”). But praise is really my main takeaway here,
and I was thrilled to see, as of late last year at least, Gean was still alive
and kickin out the jams. He deserves immortality.
(Discriminate Audio) Giddle Partridge
and Boyd Rice create a slice of ridiculously delicious musical birthday cake
that takes the gretest ingredients found in teenage pop, punk, French pop, and
your dreams and squeezes into a pink, heart-shaped vinyl EP. Boyd explores his
seductively creepy side, and Giddle her seductively seductive side by genuinely
capturing the magic of Serge and Bardot on loyal covers of “Bonnie & Clyde”
and “Contact.” Suicide, with Stooges confidence and Archies gloss, is channeled
on “Rocket USA.” And jaw dropping originals (or originals-esques, as highlights
of pop history are sublimely sampled in music and tone, with the Shangri-Las
most overtly embraced) inform us not only that Ms Giddle’s vagina is made of
bubble gum, but that Boyd is capable of making garage goodness so fine it makes
you forget all past perceived indiscretions…even when he includes the word “SS”
and jackboot sound effects on a track!
(Cipher Bureau/Bar-None) I was in Target
this week and they had a shelf full of $30 vinyl LPs, all ubiquitous hits
albums by U2 and Tom Petty and Pink Floyd that you could get used for $5 or
less, or sealed on eBay for $10. That is stupid and those things should not be
reissued like that. I’m saying that to say this: Anything else, anything that’s
rare, hard to find, gone for any reason, deserves a reissue and it can be as
lush and deluxe as the label and band and archvists and Kickstarter backers and
trust funds and drug money allows. I am happy that there is an ultra posh
reissue of two of this Athens-adjacent 80s New Wave band’s mid-80s’ albums,
with a bonus disc of rarities and a DVD and bells and whistles. Did I like the
band? Do I think these are compelling to listen to? Are these their two best
albums? I cannot answer in the enthusiastic affirmative for any of those
questions, but this stuff sounds OK still, and I’m happy that they are being
treated right by history with this collection, and I’d sure as shit rather see
this in Target than “Rattle and Hum.”
