Supernova - Ages 3 and Up

Name: Supernova
Album: Ages 3 and Up
Year: 1995
Style: Punk
Similar Bands: Ramones, Dead Milkmen, Devo, Sleater-Kinney, Buzzcocks, The Presidents of the USA, Aquabats, Tom Verlaine, Man or Astro-Man?
"One-Word" Review: Wacky, Silly Punk
Based Out Of: Costa Mesa, CA
Label: Amphetamine Reptile Records, Atlantic

Cover & Back

Liner Notes, CD Back, CD

Ages 3 & Up (1995)

1. Vitamins 2:07 (single)
2. Oreo 1:35
3. Harry Gato 2:18
4. Up & Down 2:16
5. Mechanical 3:01
6. Gum Fighter 2:15 (single B-Side)
7. Wabbit 1:58
8. Invasion 2:14
9. Best Coast 2:09
10. Drool 1:14
11. Hippy 0:12
12. Sea Stunt 1:54
13. Daredevil 3:04
14. Math 2:18
15. Mentos 0:31
16. Boo! 2:16
17. Our Way 0:49
18. Electric Man 3:21 (single)
19. Supersong 3:00
20. Close Encounters 1:04

Album Rating (1-10): 9.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Art (Mitchell) - Bass (Gum Fighters)
• Dave (Collins) - Drums (Gum Fighters)
• Jo(dey Lawrence) - Guitar
• Tiim Mac - Producer, Recording
• Andrea Collins - Toy Piano
• Tim Connolly - Affirmations, Synth, Backups (Delicious Mind Garden)
• Haze XXL - Design
• Corrigan - Photos

Unknown-ness: Picked this up because it looked wacky. Like Presidents of the US- but in space wacky. Like somewhere between Dead Milkmen and They Might Be Giants wacky. Like so energetic you think it's cocaine, but it's really just too much Tang and Pixy Stix wacky. They are van-traveling-in-space, 20 tracks with 3 under a minute,  and weird haircut in space suits, which is wacky. The promo sticker on the front doesn't promote any "single," but instead, apologizes for language used in a 12 second song called "Hippy." 

Album Review: Right off the bat, the song Vitamins speeds through with some fuzzy, rockabilly punk guitars and sarcastic propaganda. The general sound is speedy punk with some juvenile imagery and silly lyrics. "Harry Gato" oddly sounds like Sleater-Kinney. "Mechanical" sounds like Tom Verlaine on acid. Live, the band tends to employ a sci-fi / space theme, with astronaut suits, like a punk version of surf rock Man or Astro-man? In fact, their original singer/guitarist (Hayden Thais) left Supernova right before this album was made to join Man or Astro-man? Their origin story is also similar: aliens from Cynot 3 who escaped a supernova that engulfed their planet. They landed in So-Cal and ask for folks to come to their shows bearing tin foil...not too far from what Man or Astro-Man or Peelander Z did for that matter.

Their song Up & Down, which sounds like any a solid, jittery/nervous early 80's new wave song, was performed on Yo Gabba Gabba in 2007, and their song from the previous album, Chewbacca (Chewy/What A Wookiee), was on the Clerks Soundtrack. Even though this was their first full length for a major label, they had previous released a bunch of singles (grouped together in the early years comp Pop as a Weapon in 2001). This record helped get them on the initial Vans Warped Tour in 1995. They enacted legal trouble for CBS in 2006, where the network produced a show called Rock Star, where contestants battled to become lead singer of a band, they called Supernova. The show knew of the other band's existence but ignored them and stole the name anyway. In the end, the original Supernova won, and the tv band was renamed Rock Star Supernova.

Stand Out Track: Up & Down

Links:
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic

Punk News

10 Things Zine

Famous Fix

Flinch! - Dyslexic Rhino

Name: Flinch!
Album: Dyslexic Rhino
Year: 1999
Style: Rockabilly, Punk, Grunge
Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, Butt Trumpet, L7, Danzig, Misfits
"One-Word" Review: Raw Raucous Rock
Based Out Of: Gaithesburgh, MD
Label: none

Cover & Backs

Liner Notes & CD 

Dyslexic Rhino (1999)

1. Lonely Holiday 1:54
2. Kick the Can 1:33
3. Hail Bop 2:02
4. Octopus 2:48
5. Angie Speaks 2:31
6. Candle 2:25
7. Baby Said 1:50
8. Schizophrenia 3:02
9. Downtown 3:32
10. Here We Go Again 2:01
11. Expontaneous Combustion 11:04

Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Doug
• Kevin Good - Mixing
• Djodjo - Mastering, Artwork
• Melissa  - Vox
• Al - Vox
• Stephanie - Photo
• Rodrigo - Artwork
• Rossano - Artwork
• James Belmore - Vox
• Al Armbrister - Drums
• Luciano Silva - Bass
• Thomas Kendrick - Guitar

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, from the album + randomly generated title, they're about 5 years to late for the self-made alt-grunge vibe the album puts out. The poor quality photo with a "green screen" effect makes them look like the album should have been made in 1991. Adding to the dated vibe is the 11 min long track 11, which is in all likelihood, concealing a hidden track of phone pranks and fart noises.

Album Review: The songs are solid: fast and driving punk, like Hail Bop, with touches or rockabilly like on Schizophrenia, and juvenile humor. Octopus sounds like a straight up Dead Milkmen song. Candle, or the fuck you song, reminds me of The Misfits.  Three songs are fronted by female "guest vocals," guests, because none of the band members are listed on the liner notes. The final song is a 3:35 instrumental, followed at the 9:30 mark by a raunchy sexualized hidden track. 

Nothing is out there on the internet about this band, aside from a minimal Discogs page (which doesn't include this album...only a compilation of this and another one) and some download/download requests). Which is a shame, because these folks sound quite competent at what they do.

Stand Out Track: Candle, Kick the Can

Links:

Discogs

Surf Punks - My Beach

Name: Surf Punks
Album: My Beach
Year: 1980
Style: Punk, Rock
Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, Surf MC's, Ramones
"One-Word" Review: Silly Juvenile Surf-Topical Tunes
Based Out Of: Malibu, CA
Label: Epic, CBS

Cover, Record

Back, Record

My Beach (1980)

1. My Beach 1:48
2. My Wave 2:27
3. Teenage Girls 3:06
4. Shoulder Hopper 2:42
5. The Dummies 2:32
6. Beer Can Beach 1:54
7. Surfer's Nightmare 1:43
8. I Live For the Sun 2:17 (Sunrays cover)
9. Meet me At the Beach 2:44 /
10. Big Top 2:46
11. Somebody Ripped My Stick 2:50
12. Letter From Hawaii 2:13
13. The Surfmen 3:27
14. Can't Get a Tan 2:44
15. The Surf Instructor 3:55
16. Punch Out at Malibu 1:58
17. Bird Bathroom 1:41

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Dennis Dragon - Drums, Vox, Percussion, Producer, Engineer (Beach Boys, Byrds, Neil young, Rick Springfield, Captain & Tennille, Farm, Joyous Noise, Protein Bros, Dragons, Marc McClure, Ron Elliott, Heavenz, Scott Goddard, Eliminators, Royal Philharmonic Orch, DJ Food & DK, Apokaful, )
• Drew Steele - Guitars, Vox, Synth, Keys (Crowbar Salvation, Scott Goddard)
• Johnny Malibu - - Guitar, Vox
• Richard Arrindell - Photos
• Rat (Tommy Steele) - Art
• John Hunt - Bass
• Spino Urchin - Guitar
• Jeff Ray Ban Eyrich- Bass (Roadrunners)
• Jo Hansch - Mastering
• The Hulk - Harmonica, Guitar

Unknown-ness: Never heard of the Surf Punks. Just having listened to the Surf MC's, i can't help but feel this will be another terrible niche version of a particular musical genre. Where the MC's were bad hip hop, this, I fear will get bogged down at trying to fit all the surf vernacular into short punk songs...maybe it will be surprisingly good?

Album Review: As the music is, it is not very punk rock...it is silly, short, and eccentric at times, but it does not embody the sound or spirit of punk. It is kinda close to the Ramones at times, particularly on the power-pop-punk "Teenage Girl," and the song "My Wave" has a great punk bass line, but the majority is flawed. They also use a lot of surfing jargon like tubes for waves, stick for surf board, and they mention beaches and girls an awful lot...one song is all about a largely endowed woman walking on the beach. They also have a song about not being able to  get a tan- a trait shared with the other surf themed band, Surf MCs. 

It is a long album full of short songs, and most of the tracks were previously released before they got signed to CBS/Epic on Shelter Records. Dennis Dragon basically put the whole thing together being drummer, singer, engineer and producer. The two punk kids came from rather established entertainment families. Dragon's dad was a symphony conductor, and his brother was Captain in Captain & Tennille. Steele's step dad was Gavin MacLeod: McHale's Navy, Mary Tyler Moore, Love Boat. They apparently had a wild live show and were locally loved. They started in 76, and self released their first album, which was re-released with bonus tracks via Epic in 1980.

Stand Out Track: Teenage Girls, My Wave

Links:
Spotify full album

Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic

Facebook

riff relevant

pop matters

imdb

Dragon's Obit 2017

Why it Matters

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Logo'ed Surf Shorts

Fucking Hell - s/t

Name: Fucking Hell
Album: s/t
Year: 2008
Style: Post Punk / Punk
Similar Bands: Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Social Distortion, punk Velvet Underground, Ed Schrader's Music Beat
"One Word" Review: Velvet Fuzzed Surf Punk
Based Out Of: NYC
Label: self released

Fucking Hell  - Cover & CD

Fucking Hell - Back

Fucking Hell (2008)

1. A Minar  1:13
2. Arabian Knights 1:37
3. Killer of Sheep 2:16
4. Intro 0:24
5. Drum Roll 1:10
6. Pan Tierra Libertad 1:44
7. Eddie Diaz 2:03
8. Pipeline / Sloppy Seconds 3:36

Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:

Joe

Mark Perro - Drums, Vocals (The Men, Everyone, Dream Police)

Nick Chiericozzi (The Men, Everyone, Dream Police)

Anna

James

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this band. I assume they are local, perhaps to the Philly area, since this is a homemade demo (Verbatim printable CD-R) surfaced in a Philly thrift store. I got it because I like the screen printed cover (not sure what it is, though...a nuclear blast, maybe?), the well-made sip cover, the back is explanatory at least to the songs and band members' first names, and the stenciled FH on the CD proved to match to the packaging’s band name. So it was a complete set (a high find in a disorderly thrift store). I am guessing it will be in the complex-hard side of the music relm. Despite the possibility with the name, I don’t project any indie synth stuff here. I think it will be either heavy dark metal, punk or prog.

Album Review: Now this band does not have anything about them on-line. I found a myspage page with one song from this record on it, and two members are currently still together in the somewhat popular, and genre revolving band, The Men. But FH is just a foot note in The Men’s biography, and I don’t know who Joe, Anna or James are aside from members mentioned on the back cover. I don’t even know if the song titles are split up correctly, since there looks like 10 songs, but there are only 8 tracks.

“A Minar” starts with pounding fuzzy guitars, and a Henery Rollins style of spoken punk, and Social Distortion guitars with extra grit.
“Arabian Knights” is another fast pace, chaotic-in-check electric guitar, and somewhat monotone spoken lyrics. Toward the end, emotion comes into play and the vocals change to shouting.
“Killer of Sheep” is the one song I found on line, on their myspace page. It is calmer and more straightforward punk song influenced a little by the Velvet Underground. The echoing guitar feels like it is sloppy and is going to careen out of control at any second. The marching drum instrumental supports the echoing repetitive drone of the guitar until the verse kicks back in one last time.
“Intro” is electronic feedback for a few seconds, like Atari Super Break out effects on a scrambled, static-y TV.

“Drum Roll” brings in a surf punk vibe with a rolling drum and heavy distorted vibrating surf rock chords. The cycle repeats twice, the second time gaining more confidence and melody.
“Pan Tierra Libertad” is a really fun and melodic guitar played in a warbling loop with playful changes and aggressive vocals alongside pounding and crashing drums. The second half of the song loses the fun guitar, but it still makes a powerful statement.
“Eddie Diaz” is a little darker, but still has whining electric guitars and heavy, fuzzy, droning production. The song comes together in the second half of the song, with spoken vocals over a simplified, and clearer guitar structure.
“Pipeline” has all the elements of a 90’s alternative song, including some Velcro-ripping feedback in the bridge and a catchy bass hook that is the backbone of the song. It is fully instrumental, and is a sludgy take on a surf melody. It ends at about the 2 minute mark, and “Sloppy Seconds” starts on the same track. It still follows the 90’s alternative theme, but loses the catchy surf guitar, and is replaced with Op Ivy/Rancid guitars imbedded in the background. 

Stand Out Track: Killer of Sheep

Links:

CODA music: The MEn

Spin: The Men

Myspace

Ground Zero - Pink

Name: Ground Zero
Album: Pink
Year: 1985
Style: Hard-Core, Punk
Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, King Missle, Early Dismemberment Plan, Early NOFX
"One-Word" Review: Silly-Proto-Alternative/Grunge
Based Out Of: Minneapolis, MN
Label: Reflex Records, Dutch East India Trading, L.S.R. Records

Pink - Cover & Promo sheet
Pink - Back & Record

Pink (1985)

1. Will You Please 1:24
2. South 2:27
3. Just a Criminal 1:59
4. Company 3:47
5. The 11th Hour of the Skippy Peanut Cluster 1:31
6. Revenge of the Blimp 2:14/
7. Pink 2:54
8. Patriot 3:46
9. One Half Hour / The Legendary Rose 5:26

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

Bob Mould - Producer, Engineer (Husker Du)

Steve Fjelstad - Producer, Engineer

Taras Ostroushko - Guitar Vox (Henry, Terry Eason)

Jamie Ronnei - Bass

Dave Evenhouse - Drums (Million Megaton Explosion, Wahinis)

Val Sutpher - Cover Art & graphic Design

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this band, and I don’t know exactly why I got it. The cover art is a bit juvenile, with rats working at construction. The image, name and album title don’t seem to be connected at all except that the font is pink. But I am familiar with Dutch East India Trading co a little, and that is something familiar I can take assurance from. Also I like how the back is set up, it is very indie, with the band images in the middle and the lyrics right there too. The back says Bob Mould produced and engineered it, so that lends it self, along with the recording year of 1985, to being a competent record.

Album Review: “Will You Please” has a metal guitar pulsate in the beginning that after a couple of measures is picked up with the driving bass and drum beat. The vocals are basically spoken, and fast at that, and it reminds me very much of the Dead Milkmen. It is about riding a skateboard, and it places the singer’s identity of a mo-hawked punk into the song.
“South” again, has the vocals that are more spoken than sung over the music that comes in little sections that are split by tempo changes. It is fast in general, but it is fun and upbeat, rather than angry and aggressive. The guitar is nearly prog in its cruising up and down the musical scales.
“Just a Criminal” is a story song about a person put in jail, who should only be thought of as a criminal. And the storyline is dripping with sarcasm. It ends quite abruptly, but it follows the whole heavy punk/metal edge.
“Company” begins with a metal guitar base, but then quickly switched to a bouncy pop number, reminiscent of the Violent Femmes in the music. But it quickly changes to Screaming Trees or Dinosaur Jr when the guitars enter back on.
“The 11th Hour of the Skippy Peanut Cluster” is a fast thrash song with vocals spoken over it like slam poetry. It is like free-form jazz with beat poetry...but the jazz is speed metal, and the poetry is nonsense silliness. They clash with each other perfectly, creating more art than song.
“Revenge of the Blimp” takes off after bit of silence. It speeds through fast so the kids can slam and mosh together. But the vocals are laid over top, sounding a bit like Weird Al / early Dismemberment Plan. Yes. Early Dis. Plan is a good comparison. But it is not nearly as good. At the end of the song, the singer has a bit of mouth foaming ranting, but he settles down for the ending.

“Pink” finds the singer using a higher end singing style. The complexly crafted song changes behind the vocals, begging them to change with it, alas, no vocals are layered over the most complex changes. But where they do meet up, the vocals still seem teetering off key. They are wimpy and trembling, probably exactly how the band designed them. This is the most song of the songs, and it really pre-dates but would fit in perfectly with what was to come from Seattle 4-5 a few years later.
“Patriot” is a country folk-metal song. It is designed with simple chord changes, and the thumping bass and drum beats drive it on faster, leaving the true folk aesthetic behind. I could see the kids at the show doing a tongue-in-cheek square dancing hoe-down that would quickly transition into spinning their “partners” around and letting go into the crowd, thanks to centrifugal force.
“One Half Hour / The Legendary Rose” begins with a competent drum beat and electric guitar wailing, but overlapped, they throw each other off, and they seem very off beat. But they soon sync up around 45 seconds and continue to grow faster through out the musical intro. Around 1:15 they gain musical harmony and play out the rest of the intro, occasionally falling into a chaotic spiral, but it digs itself out with meandering scales and a solid drum beat. The bass helps out, but is really covered over by the drums. Around 2:45, the vocals, a story reading really, begins as the music pauses. The reading continues as the music pounds and pulses through the background. At 3:45, the vocals stop and the song changes direction to a silly speed punk/metal song. The vocals strip any hard core image that they might have by sounding like a zany Weird Al. The song ends with sound effects from the guitars and sporadic notes played without any real cohesion. And somewhere, for seemingly no good reason the album ends.

Stand Out Track: Will You Please

Links:

Kill From The Heart

Flex!
Andrew Earles

Discogs

Human Hands - Bouncing To Disc

Name: Human Hands
Album: Bouncing to Disc (Complete H.H. volume 1)
Year: 1997
Style: Punk/New Wave
Similar Bands: ? & Mysterians, Code Blue, A's, XTC, Talking Heads, Gang Of Four, The Planets, Franz Ferdinand
"One-Word" Review: Jittery Art Punk
Based Out Of: Pasadena, Cali
Label: Grand Theft Audio

Bouncing To Disc - Cover & Back

Bouncing To Disc - Liner Notes & CD

Bouncing To Disc - Photo Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc - Photo Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc - Lyric Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc - Lyric Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc - Lyric & Credit Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc - Credit Liner Notes

Bouncing To Disc (1997)

1. New Look 2:44
2. Dilemmas 2:59
3. Fair 3:16
4. I Got Mad 2:51
5. Trains Vs Planes 3:59
6. Stupid World 3:38
7. Upside Down 4:44
8. My Kitchen 4:05
9. Lurk (live) 4:01
10. Dogfood 2:07
11. Go Existential (studio) 5:03
12. Jubilee 3:56
13. Rapture Of the Deep (live) 3:29
14. Hex (live) 3:00
15. Phantoms in the Darkroom 7:06
16. Walk A Crooked Line 2:54
17. Insomnia 3:38
18. State Of Mine (1988) 2:50

Album Rating (1-10): 9.5

Members & Other Bands:

Dennis Duck - Drums, Percussion, Keys, Vox (Dream Syndicate)

Juan Gomez - Guitar, Bass, Vox (The Romans)

Bill Noland Keys, Cornet, Vocals (Wall of Voodoo)

Rick Potts - Bass, Guitar, Sax, Saw, Vox, Drawings (Solid Eye)

David Wiley - Vox, Guitar, Sax, Percussion

Susan Seager - Photos

Cassimus - Photos

Andre Knecht - Restoration, Editing, Mastering

Michael Rozon - Index Time Coding

Michael Uhlenkott - Boolket Design, percussion

Ed Barger - Engineering, Mixing

Bill Noland - Mixing, Engineering

Ron Kane - Engineering

Michael Hamilton - Engineering, Mixing

Don Bonebrake - Marimba

Keith Mitchell - Steel Drum

Avi Kipper - Engineering & Mixing

Paul B Butler - Engineering & Mixing

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of these guys when I initially bought this album back in 1997. I picked it up to listen to it because I thought the name Human Hands referenced the Elvis Costello song. Ironically, I learned that it is similar music to Elvis’s early stuff, but as this was a compilation of their catalogue from 1980, their name preceded his song “Human Hands.” This is one album that since purchasing, I’ve listened to it many times, and have even gotten to see them live recently, when they opened for El Vez in Philly despite one member passing away (D. Wiley). The band is still together and has released their proper first full length recently too. But going back to the packaging, I was not inspired to buy the cd based on the cover art work. It does not really look like what the music represents. In fact, if I did not get the chance to listen to the album before I bought it, I probably would have not picked it up for the $2.50 price.

Album Review: “New Look” is a really really great song featuring all the jittery spirit that the best new wave/punk bands have. The music is just as bouncy as the lyrics, and the organ sound in the background adds a psychedelic spirit that summons ? & The Muysterians into the 80’s. The topic is also very attractive, putting down bands and style as being nothing but a façade and fluff with no underlying talent. This is a solid song, that can only be built off of greatly.
“Dilemmas” sounds like a start stopping, jittery XTC song, featuring the similar keyboards and a strong catchy group effort in the chorus. His vocals are an attractive mix of The Talking Heads and Gang Of Four. The song bounces up and down and makes you want to move. The delivery in the chorus is a great release of the building panic that the music evokes in the verse.
“Fair” begins with the organ in a musical scale straight down. The music becomes dark, and the vocals are a monotone, two part mix, starting with a fuzzy, low-fi distance sound, only to be followed up with a closer, louder, right next to your ear whisper. The music is carnival in nature, and revolves like a continual spiraling top. This sounds like the band I came to know, and will review eventually here, the Planets. After the near perfection of these first three songs, it is a wonder where there is to go on the album.“I Got Mad” begins with a drum and bass quiet match, yet it is full of potential. The guitar comes in over top recreating a near perfect version of XTC’s “Radio’s In Motion” The vocals are distant and removed, as if sung through a quieted megaphone. The style of singing is the same as it had been throughout the album: a relaxed, exhausted sounding singing, where he lays of the vocals over the music rather than following its melody, but using the music as notes as where to start and stop singing.
“Trains Vs Planes” is a dance track featuring the angular drum/cymbal technique bands like Franz Ferdinand take. This is a narrative comparison song, reminding me of Oingo Boingo’s “Reptiles and Samurai” if only by structure. I remember they played this song live when I saw them. The song is another great example of building and tension release, where the verse is ultra simple and repetitive and the chorus is musically catchy and the lyrics are chaotically thrown together, cramming syllabus in to make the sentences fit. It feels more like a Dead Milkmen song with the vocal style and musical content and silliness.
“Stupid World” is back to the XTC Go2 synth and jittery structure musically. The vocals have the cadence and emotion much like David Byrne. The music delves into evil carnival music, even the lyrics remark about this by singing about a roller coaster. The song is a very teen/juvenile theme, and it ends just calling the entire world stupid, like a normal teenager’s angsty argument“Upside Down” has an upbeat, and pleasant horn sounding synth effect. The vocals are only sung in the chorus, and the rest of the song reminds me the little I know about Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. This is a good example, of what I would believe to be Art Punk. The lyrics paint quite a specific picture with each description. “My Kitchen” Features the watery guitar style I like about Track Star, and the psych organ. The vocals are again, styled like Byrne, and the music reminds me if a Talking Heads song was played by the Beach Boys. The over all effect is a very pleasant head nodding fast pace tune, full of oldies structure and art-punk abstract metaphoric lyrics.“Lurk” is done live, and features squealing horns over rushed chord changes. The vocals are deep and chanted, almost sounding stupid, or Neanderthalic. The short sections are repetitive but the guitar holds it together. The instrumental tempo changes break up the monotony, and blossom into their own fast paced sections before returning to the verse repetitive section.

“Dogfood” is an angular, jittery guitar driven instrumental song with equally frantic drumming. There is a rising and falling wind howl layered in the background which is unusual for the song’s tempo, but does not detract from its vibe, if only adding a haunting element.“Go Existential” begins with a dance drum beat, and a chaotically picked guitar, and normal sounding new wave synth building. One the vocals begin, the music comes together as a jumping poppy package. It too follows the dictionary definition of jittery pop with both the music and vocals that they have set forth on the album thus far. The instrumental break is weird and wacky for the sake of being jarring and making the listener wonder what’s next...part of the existential theme, no doubt. The song then picks up it melody and basic design right before the vocals come back. It ends with some carnival, carousel sounding musical stylings right before it adds a final round of the verse/chorus singing of the song’s title“Jubilee” begins with tribal drum beats, furthing the comparison to Talking Heads. The vocals are monotone and melancholy, but the chorus picks up like a Franz Ferdinand song, as the vocals croon over the upbeat danceable burst of musical energy that the verse builds up to very well. I remember them playing this song live, too. It is a fun clapping, dancing around event of a song. The synth is a simple one note at a time structure, and it leads up to an instrumental version of the chorus. They really bring out the xylophone at the very end to add a little last bit of tribal sound before it ends
“Rapture Of the Deep” sounds like a Residents song. It’s keyboards carnivally rise and fall and the vocals are musically sung a bit more than the Residents, and a little less creepily, but it has a darkness to it that never goes away. There are some weird swirling electronic effects that sound like a modem dialing up to the internet, and it regroups back into the previous formula to support the overly angry and emotional display of vocals.
“Hex” is an instrumental track that fades in on a chaotic musical storm of organ sounding synth rising and falling and a bass that bounces around regardless of the song’s melody. The drums remain steady, as the backbone of the track. Around two minutes, it takes a breather, but it builds up for 30 seconds back into the rushed onslaught that would spur the most stand still audience into bouncing off eachother.
“Phantoms in the Darkroom” is more of a tribal head shrinker theme song than a celebratory tribal dance song. It has the elements of a chant and steady beat of bongo drums that sound as if they are part didgeridoo. The guitars are slowly added in bit parts, and around 2:30, the song’s tempo becomes more rushed and stressful, like you are watching a bomb tech cut the appropriate wires. The mystical, gothic keyboard somehow transform the song from the sacred sacrificial song that it began like into a dark new wave ballad; at least as close to a ballad as Human Hand will get to. Again, this song becomes a Talking Heads song by the end of the track.
“Walk A Crooked Line” feels like a different song. It is trying to be sung too much, and seems out of character from the direction the album was going. It is a repetitive song with the extremely short chorus repeating and popping up in random (but not musically random) places. The whole song just seems to be a “wait for it” song, where the building in the verse could break into the chorus at any point. It keeps you on the edge of your seat by doing this, but it still feels out of place.
“Insomnia” begins just like a Mega Man level...it is Gemini Man that I am thinking of. It is a very video game music-y instrumental song. There are break downs where the mechanism goes haywire, but it fixes it self and returns to the normal theme after a brief restructuring.
“State Of Mine (1988)” was apparently made in 1988, and as such, came 8 years after much of the material on the album. Its vocals sound removed, and a little more settled; definitely less energetic and jittery. It sounds like a much smoother ? and the Mysterians. There is an instrumental with swirling keys and a synth horn. It returns to the dark themed verse, which is catchier than the chorus.

Stand Out Track: New Look

Links:

Allmusic

Website

Myspace

CD Baby

Audio Lunchbox

Mutant Sounds Blog

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Famous Tea - Too Fat To Run

Name: Famous Tea
Album: Too Fat To Run
Year: 1992
Style: Hard-Core Punk
Similar Bands: Butt Trumpet, Early NOFX, Green Jelly
"One-Word" Review: filth-speed-punk
Based Out Of: Huntington Beach, Ca
Label: Juicy Butt Records

Too Fat To Run - Cover & Lyric Sheet
Too Fat To Run - Back & Lyric Sheet
Too Fat To Run - Record

Too Fat To Run (1992)

1. Too Fat To Run 2:01
2. Guacamole 2:47
3. No Go 2:16
4. Just Don't Know Any Better 2:08
5. Kill the Mole 2:07
6. Sick 3:21
7. Famous Tea 2:12
8. Pin Ho Chun 2:55
9. Converned Citizens 3:38
10. Offensive 2:50
11. Far Too Polite 1:50
12. Blatently Friendly 4:00
13. Frantic 1:52

Album Rating (1-10): 1.0

Members & Other Bands:
Ken Norman - Vox
Alan "Shortstack" Dominquez - Drums
Ernie Grimm - Bass
Ken Auto Hayler - Guitar
Eric Meyer - Guitar (live)
Donnell Cameron - Engineer
Joe Peccerillo - Asst. Engineer
Cathi Miller C.K. - Artwork

Unknown-ness: Never heard of these guys. A friend found the record at a thrift store, and bought it because of its pretty red vinyl and potential for wacki-ness. After hearing it, she thought it was terrible and just left it at my place. It looks like sick and raunchy DIY punk, but perhaps it is somewhat silly and/or redeeming.

Album Review: The album starts off with its namesake track “Too Fat To Run.” A mistake/start over on the drums, and the song takes off with fast driving drums, heavy guitars, bass and cursing and angry lyrics. The vocals are not good at all, less melodic than Butt Trumpet, who they seem to be like, but not anywhere close as good. “Guacamole” reminds me of NoFx’s STD song from Ribbed. The music is heavy and fast, but the vocals feel like they are indifferent, spoken too silly to feel connected to the song. The dirtyness of living styles presented in these songs also mimic’s the atmosphere NoFX that creates. “No Go” is a sexually frustrated song, but again, the vocals lack the interest or really any musical credibility. “Just Don’t Know Any Better” less musical than Dead Milkmen and Henry Rollins, these songs don’t even come off as humorous. The worst part is that the way he ends his lyrical stanzas, they just don’t fit. “Kill The Moll” feels rushed. It falls in line in the masculine, misogynistic, filthy (actual anti-cleanliness, as well as cursing) and just a bad piece of work. It doesn’t feel funny or ironic or sarcastic, but I can only home it is. “Sick” is just that, about being sick, and it is about sick that is vomited up. The music is fast, driving, as it is on every track, but that’s the spirit of dirty-punk music. There are occasional metal-guitar solos too. “Famous Tea” it a very quick/fast punk song. And of course it includes fecal jokes and gross humor. There is a slower breakdown, with sing-shanty cartoon melodies before it comes back to finish off the barrage of noise and filth. “Pin Ho Chun” is a poop term parade. Nothing new here. “Concerned Citizens” starts with a melodic guitar section, then the vocals begin and the punk song begins. It is a sarcastic list of parental guidance concerns. They even name drop themselves as something to be avoided, sarcastically, of course. Offensive has a little more singing that the rest of the album yet...very very little. They trying to be offensive to every person they could think of, which is limited to women, gays and fat people. “Far Too Polite” is an “idiot’s guide” to be less of a pushover. “Blatantly Friendly” contains more sexually frustrated lyrics. And more driving metal punk. “Frantic” is the last song, and it begins slow, and somewhat westernish. Then explodes into “just f-n’ play/we’re frantic” over & over again. Finally, it is over.

This album really sucks, and if it is trying to be offensive or sarcastic, everything falls short. It feels like the work of an 8th grader who just discovered a dirty internet porn website, and they don’t quite understand it, but giggle at all the words and terms. Somewhat pathetic even.

Stand-Out Track:

Links:
Famous Tea - Myspace
Famous Tea - Blog thread
Famous Tea - Live Video
Famous Tea - Podcast Directory
Famous Tea - Sampler Review
Famous Tea - Review Read Junk

Ashtray - S/T

Band: Ashtray

Album: S/T

Year: 1992

Style: Lethargic Indie-Punk Rock

Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, Butt Trumpet, King Missile, Half-Japanese
"One-Word" Review: Amateur-Garage-Punk
Based Out Of: Philadelphia, PA
Label: Shoe Records

Ashtray Cover

Ashtray Insert

Back Cover & CD

Ashtray - S/T
1. Sunday - 2.33
2. Dryspell - 2.47
3. Riding the Train - 2.53
4. Ed Hall - 3.52
5. Riverside - 1.33
6. Trailer - 2.53
7. Where Love & More - 2.32
8. Kitchen - 4.16
9. Yellow & Blue - 4.02
10. Out on the Highway - 2.15
11. Sand - 5.51
12. Looking Over the Houses - 1.50
13. Dell - 4.53
14. Corner Apartment - 2.45
15. Couch - 2.47

Album Rating (1-10):
7.0

Members & Other Bands:Joe Leifheit - Guitar & Vox (current art gallery [same 'Joe Leifheit?'])
Sarah Howells - Bass & Vox & the rest
Steve Fujita - Guitar (bass on Crown Heights [same 'Steve Fujita?'])
Bill Bussone - Drums (Square & the Roots [same 'Bill Bussone?'])
Scott Herzog - Engineering
Joe Talcum - Producer (Dead Milkmen, Low Budgets)
Mark Milliken & David Lounsbury - Mastering (3rd Story, Phila)
Karen Carpenter - Cover Art

Unknown-ness: I do not know why I got this CD. Perhaps it was to fill a 'Buy X for $Y.00's' need. The art-work looks low budget, but that alone does not note how the music will sound. The picture on the back of the band had a laid back, garage rock band look (probably because they are all lying down). And the song titles are basic words, not much metaphor or "love" inspired tracks. That is a good, non-cheezy sign. At least they are locally from Philly.

Album Review: After buying it, a friend told me that he knew one of the members of the band. Not a long or great story, but merely a point of fact. And at one point, back in 1991, John Peel played their song "Trailer." Now today, while trying to find anything out about the band, the closest musical connection I could find is that the son or at least relative of Joe Leifheit is in a band Flower Girl. Other than that, I've been on my own. The one connection I've been able to make is that the record was produced by Joe Talcum of Dead Milkmen, whom they sound a bit like. I'm sure this is not a coincidence. The songs sound of minimal punk rock, and the vocals are slightly off key. A girl/guy vocal harmony is used in quite a few songs for added depth. The male vocals can best be described as slacker, unemotional talk-singing. And the song structure is similar to the Ramones in its repetitive and simplistic nature.

The first track is a bouncy upbeat punk number, that repeats "In a burnt out building, that's where we'll be." Fun and energetic. The second song is slower with distortion and fuzz guitar & bass, and the vocals give tired, uninterested praise of how a girl "looks so fine." "Riding the Train" is a basic noise rock song with a nursery rhyme chorus. "Ed Hall" starts off as a slow, bass driven song, that picks up a little speed then just winds down. Its song structure has the basic alternative, haphazard feel. Short and fast are the typical elements for punk songs, and the minute and a half "Riverside" is just that.

"Trailer" sounds just like a number of Butt Trumpet songs; aggressive and strong musical background behind an angry feminine rant, where neither element relies on the other for musical direction. Poetry to music. "Where Love And More" is similar to the first song; loud, bouncy and upbeat. "Kitchen" is a slow, tired march. The lyrics and music combined to form strong imagery of self-reflection in the moment you discover yourself awake, standing in the kitchen at 3am. "Yellow & Blue" is another guitar driven song, with minimal lyrics, and a pure 90's alternative feel. Another quick punk song, "Out On The Highway" takes advantage of the fast guitars, and then throws in a couple of bass line breakdowns, which really give the song character, timing, and definition. "Sand" follows the same organization as "Y &B" except that halfway through the song, female vocals repeat the chorus, and then the music takes over. The bass heavy quick punk song "Looking over the Houses" speeds up until it runs out of steam and falls apart after the 110 seconds go by. "Dell" could have been recorded by the Violent Femmes as a sequel to "Country Death Song." The repetitive, country-style bouncy bass, and the introspective vocals give you the feeling of being in the mind of a man trying to escape the moral disaster of pushing his own child into a well. Corner Apartment is a sinister, almost metal, song that reflects on the life of a high school rock band with a dead-end life. To end the album is "Couch" similar to "Kitchen," as it starts off in a slow tired march. As the vocals finish, the bass kicks in and it becomes a fast paced metal song. Like ingredients to a cake, a melancholy guitar begins to play, and then it quickly turns itself into a guitar solo machine.

The songs are predominately musical sound-scapes of traditional punk recorded with loud, distorted alternative music style in mind, all with minimal production. The lyrics come and go, leaving long periods of music, where you are not sure if they mixed the vocals so low in the mastering that they are inaudible, or if they forgot to sing altogether. When they do sing, the imagery is very minimal in description but extremely clear in emotions and moods evoked. The vocal execution is ironically very similar with today's style of indie-rock. And the minimal music also has a place at today's hipster market. This album sounds like it could have been made last year, rather than 16 years ago. It is art-rock.

Stand Out Track:
Out On The Highway

Links:Amazon