Still Spark

(http://stillspark.com/) Poppy singer-songwriter-style stuff that sparkles more than a sexy vampire!

The Terminal Orchestra "The Seasons"

(Phratry) Should be called the Terminal MORE-chestra because I can't get enough of weather-themed dirges!

Glambilly "White BBQ Sauce"

(www.saustexmedia.com) Thoroughly rockin' and fun, but poorly named as, oddly enuf, these Texas trashmeisters do not play glam or rockabilly. It would be more accurate if they were named  TrashaBoogie or Blues-a-Crampsrecordcollection or Southernrock-a-70sPunk (admittedly, the last two are pretty awkward). They kind of play bar rock, and sound like they listen to Skynyrd (the pride o' sweet home  'Bama) so maybe they could be called, brace yourselves:  BarRocko'Bama!

Life in a Blender "Homewrecker Spoon"

(www.fangrecords.com) Although it sounds like the blender they're in may also contain some potent cocktails, this is some surprisingly sober sounding quirk-core oddball musical melange story song wit rock. Bonus: Sammy Davis, Jr cameo in a song about a Sean Connery that's really about a picture of Sean Connery. Holding a picture of Sammy.

The Next Book, Jason $#!t#e@d All Up In...Roctober, Dudley

(www.midasimages.net) Roctober #50 marks the official launch of our 20th anniversary celebration, which hopefully will include a festival, another book, an LP, and more. The release of the Roctober book Flying Saucers Rock n Roll in early Fall marked the semi-official launch of the anniversary. But the official unofficial launch of the anniversary was a few months earlier when Jason Mitchell/Midas/Shithead/$#!t#e@d/whatevayawannacalhim had his retrospective art show in New York which featured the launch of three amazing limited edition books of his archival comix. Next featured stream of consciousness, semi-druggy/psychedelic sketchbook comix that were pretty impressive, the collection of comix featuring his drunk duck Dudley was awesome, but best of all was a hefty book reprinting all the comix, illustrations, concepts, weirdness, and brilliance he's done in Roctober over the decades. 45 pieces from over 30 issues demonstrate his ridiculously one-of-a-kind style that combines hip hop graffitti linework, 60s underground comix vibeology, paying-attention-in-art-school technical skills, deceptively astute writing ability, and omnivorous pop culture consumption that poops out perfection. This is one of the best Roctobers we never published!

Zisk #20

(POB 469 Patterson NY 12563) Lotsa White Sox in this issue (Disco Demolition, Ozzie Guillen eating meat, Oscar gamble’s natural, and some Joel Skinner jonesin’, not to mention the zine’s name) making this the most sox-sational issue ever…and we needed it!

The Energy “streets of in-between”

 (www.theenergy-music.com) Hard rocking power pop that sounds like Red Bull tastes!

Gaylord Phoenix, Foie Gras by Edie Fake

(ediefake@gmail.com) Gaylord Phoenix is a narrative-esque, 2-colored, dream-like (nightmare/wet dream mashup division) art-gasm of a mini-comic that takes Fort Thunder aesthetics to a new visual-symphonic plane: when the semi-castrated, cutting fetishitst (?) monkey/buckethead man (??) enters a garden of erotic Hindu mysticism whatsamacallits (???) it looks better as anything you've ever seen on a piece of paper in your life -- guaranteed! The Foie Gras one is drawings of shrimp, cheese and chickens.

Monkey Power Trio "Who Cares What the Vultures Want? ep

(www.monkeypowertrio.com) This year the monkeys may have eaten some bad bananas because these are some sour-sounding simian sonics. Yet, the kids these days love them some sour candies, so this may be their best year ever!

Social Climbers

(Drag City/Yoga) This lost 1981 album amazingly sounds like a parody of New Wave/avant garde 80s music, like something that Johnny would play on Square Pegs or Mike Myers would dance to on Sprockets -- without being a joke at all! Desperate, brilliant post-punk semi-electronic anxious seductive poppy weirdo music with period photos of the band as good as the music! Just awesome!