The lass and lads of Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy have returned with a new album but they’re not ready to give it to you just yet, you’ll have to wait until October 28th to hear it in full. They are streaming one track from it to get you started and revved up to listen to “Emotional High” and perhaps get the song title in your life. Meaning, for you to get an emotional high from listening to it.
Tag Archives: punk rock
REVIEW: “Typical Girls” compilation album
Typical Girls is an excellent compilation album from Emotional Rescue that gathers 16 different punk bands from a female perspective but don’t allow that to be the only reason you’ll want to hear this. The entire album is full of incredible independent spirit by groups from around the world who aren’t afraid to go crazy, from the feedback-drenched insanity of Nots’ “Reactor” to the gutsy jingle-jangle rock of Daskinsey4’s “Optic Nervous System”. It reminds me of the kind of post-modern compilations I remember as a kid, taking a chance and discovering new bands doing new songs and discovering most of it is damn good. I say “most of it” because if there was something you weren’t too fond on, you kept on listening any way until you catch yourself singing the chorus as if it was your favorite song all along. That is Typical Girls, all playing atypical music because it matters to them and they love it. The goal is that you’ll love this too.
SOME STUFFS: Official Melvins documentary film on its way
When the filmmakers behind The Colossus Of Destiny: A Melvins Tale were looking for anything for people to contribute in the making of their Melvins documentary, I passed along some letters Buzz Osborne sent to me when I was a high school radio disc jockey between 1986-1987. I mentioned how I had bought a 7″ single from Green River and getting the record and a letter from one Mark Arm. Arm was nice enough to include a free record as a way to say thanks and for me to check out. It was Melvins’ first record, a 6-song 7″ EP released by C/Z Records. I ended up liking Melvins far more than I liked Green River at the time. A year later, Melvins released their debut album called Gluey Porch Treatments and Buzz was nice enough to say thank you for the airplay I was giving it. I was only 16 or 17 at the time. Not as a souvenir but I simply kept the letters as I always thought it was cool.
A few years later, when Melvins were signed to Atlantic Records, I asked for a chance to interview them and I did a phone interview with Buzz. At the end of the interview he goes “where are you from now?” and I told him. He then goes “wait a minute? John? You’re the guy from that radio station who played us in high school, right? How have you been?” Back then, I had my own fanzine and was doing a one-off Melvins issue called I Love You Melvins: rah, Rah, RAH and to make a long story short, 30 years this fall, I will be a Melvins fan for 30 years despite the fact I’ve never seen them live, other than on video tape and what I’ve seen/downloaded from YouTube.
What do my last two paragraphs have anything to do with this documentary? Well, I had thought I could be a micro-contributor with one of my letters but I don’t think any of my notes were used but nonetheless, I will watch The Colossus Of Destiny: A Melvins Tale, which was directed by Bob Hannam. They are currently looking for places to screen the film, be it film festivals or “other” so if you’re someone who is able to present this, please head to MelvinsMovie.com for more information. When it gets near you, please watch it and remember: we can go to church and you’re naked.
SOME STUFFS: Blankus Larry get full with release of second album
They call the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area home and they want to throw out their brand of garage rock to you with their new album Problemo. No problemo, you say? Exactly. You can also say who they are, as I haven’t introduced them to you: their name is Blankus Larry. The members are Bloody Larry, Durdy Larry, Cuzin Larry, Marion Larry, Neon Larry, and Dub Larry although when it comes to writing and recording, Bloody and Durdy are the core. They like to mix things up with what they do so find out what they’re made of by streaming here.
AUDIO: Mike & The Melvins’ “Chicken n Dump”
18 years ago, Melvins were going to release a collaborative album with bassist Mike Kunka, who had taken a break from GodheadSilo to work with Buzz and Dale. They were that close to releasing it and for whatever reason, nothing was heard from it, not even a single. They all returned to the project last year and decided it would be a very good time to finally have it out so here it is. They’re calling themselves not Mike & Melvins but Mile & The Melvins and the album, due out on April 1st, is called Three Men And A Baby. Despite the release date, this is not a joke, no April fooling here, it will be out on that day. From it is a song called “Chicken n Dump”, which is said to have been written by a 9-year old girl. Well, she was 9 years old at the time but she is now 23 and will hopefully earn whatever royalties an album like this could lead to.
Here’s the track listing. Sub Pop are releasing this one.
1. Chicken n Dump
2. Limited Teeth
3. Bummer Conversation
4. Annalisa
5. A Dead Pile of Worthless Junk
6. Read the Label (It’s Chilli)
7. Dead Canaries
8. Pound the Giants
9. A Friend in Need is a Friend You Don’t Need
10. Lifestyle Hammer
11. Gravel
12. Art School Fight Song
AUDIO: No Parents’ “Die Hippie Die”
May The Thirst Be With You is a title that sounds quite similar to that of a well known movie franchise but in this case it’s a forthcoming album from No Parents. The loud ass garage rock band will be releasing the album of the same name on January 8th and to show you what it takes to play with a lot of power and rage without a care for volume levels, check out “Die Hippie Die”. May The Thirst Be With You will be available on vinyl in two different color variations, along with a pressing on tape. You may pre-order it from Burger Records.
FREE DL: Rare Parts’ demo tape
Rare Parts are a trio from the Bay Area consisting of Erik Phillips (drums and vocals), Anna Lisa Belli (guitar and vocals) amd Colin Peden (bass and vocals). It was Peden, who I follow on Twitter, who made me aware of his demo and wanted me to check it out. It sounds like something that was recorded straight out of the basement or rehearsal room and while some of the songs still sound like pieces that are in-the-works, I enjoy the energy and enthusiasm in these songs. It was recorded on the first day of November so check out what a young punk band are doing to get some great songs put together.
VIDEO: Hobart W. Fink’s “Boyfriend”
The thing about this video is that it requires your complete attention. You see someone who seems to bump in on a long lost friend, or maybe someone who know each other very well. It’s time to embrace, and they do, and it is a sensuous moment. Then you hear punk rock by a guy named Hobart W. Fink and you might be saying “hold on, buster: what kind of punk rock is done by a guy named Hobart W. Fink?” I’ll then ask you” what kind of grungy rock is done by James Osterberg?” Exactly. You then watch this and think “wait: none of these guys are named Hobart, unless the lady singer is named Hobart.” No, her name is Rachel Fox and she is a guest. The video, put together by vocalist Jayk Gallagher, is festive and funny while retaining the rock power it represents. If you’re feeling it, you can buy the song through Bandcamp below.
AUDIO: Forever Cult’s “Tunnel Vision”
Leeds band Forever Cult are gearing up for a tour next month to coincide with the release of a single as part of Too Pure Singles Club (Pulled Apart By Horses/Hookworms/Tigercub). The 7″ will be out on November 27th and you can pre-order it by heading to Norman Records. To check out the A-side, press play below.
Show dates for the November/December tour are below:
23 November… Newcastle, England (Think Tank)
24 November… Edinburgh, Scotland (Sneaky Pete’s)
25 November… Glasgow, Scotland (Bar Block)
26 November… Perth, England (The Green Rooms)
27 November… Liverpool, England (Maguire’s Pizza Bar)
28 November… Hull, England (The Adelphi)
2 December… London, England (The Old Blue Last) (launch show)
3 December… Swansea, England (The Lemon Factory)
4 December… Newport, England (Le Pub)
5 December… Leeds, England (Brudenell Social Club) (launch show)
AUDIO: Wimps’ “Suitcase”
Coming up in November on Kill Rock Stars is a new album by Wimps called Suitcase and they want to share a song with you, and it happens to be the title track. You can pre-order the album now, directly from Kill Rock Stars. The album will be formally released on November 13th.
This Is Book's Music 