The EPs
Going clockwise from the top left, first one is
One Hundred Dollars- My Father's House
I watched a couple videos of this band live and decided I didn't like them. Then I heard one of their recordings and immediately placed this order.Carrying on the great tradition Canadian folk in the vein of Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot, this EP is the second in some "regional 7" series", which I'm still a little in the dark about but from what I gather they're trying to put out 7"s in various regions of Canada, and this being on Deranged makes it southwestern British Columbia's contribution, a great idea if they can pull it off. And seeing as Canada doesn't have a redundant number of regions, and the fact that these are two song EPs, I feel like it will fair better than other similar projects that I've watched come to fruition only to fail before really making a dent and then claiming it was a farce (I'm calling you on your shit, Sufjan Stevens). As far as this EP goes musically, I'm totally enamoured by it. It makes me think of what it would have felt for me to be 19 in 1972 and picking up Neil Young's Harvest. There is no pretension here (I wouldn't fault you for expecting it, they are a folk group from Toronto in 2010), just two amazingly written and well refined songs. Straightforward through and through.
White Lung- Atlanta
Jumping from a Toronto to BC , here is something Vancouver's White Lung. A month ago almost to the day they played in a house around here and I was instantly blown away. Both by the fact that 3/4 of the band are ridiculously good looking (sorry other 1/4, but I'm sure you're a nice guy), and by the fact that they play great noisy frantic punk in a way that keeps up the great snotty twang that all good punk rock should have (both vocally and instrumentally) without crossing the line into stuff that's too frantic or too noisy, which is not my forte at all. It would be too easy for me to simply throw a "sounds sorta like Black Flag" on this band at leave it at that, but that would also be untrue. They certainly sound like something that has grown out of listening to a lot of 70s-80s LA punk rock, and while they certainly pay some dues to Black Flag with a Greg Ginnesque feeling of power and drive behind the song arrangements, that's pretty much where the comparison ends. The guitar work is phenomenal, totally outrageous lead guitar accompanied by frantic singing whizzing around over nothing but drums and bass for the three songs of pure energy. If you're into great guitar work that still fits nicely into the punk framework, with slight hints of surf buried deep in there somewhere, you'll totally love this. Only downside is the lack of a lyrics insert, what a bummer.
Airfix Kits- Flex Time
The second of two EPs from this Californian band,Airfix Kits and Flex Time take all the elements I love about bands like Wire and Shitty Limits and other twangy, snotty post-punk bands (I'm going to from this point on refer to them as Art-School-Punks, which I'll get to later in this review) and slows them down to be ever-so-slightly menacing ,the riff halfway through the first song of the B-side, 80s Aesthetic is a great example of this. But what they retain with the loss of speed is a sharp sense of intellect and satire in their songs, and you can tell not only through the lyrics, but also the vocals and the ways the songs play out. It's hard to put into words, but you'll understand it once you hear it. This along with the fact that much like The Shitty Limits, Airfix Kits really hit it out of the park with their record layout and cover design. Great clean lines everywhere, the insert is minimal and well organized, it just looks like something that cannot be accidentally accomplished with the help of a little punk-magic. This was an intentional effort. The combination of excellent humour and attention to minute details both in music but also in record design, lyrics and general aesthetic of a band are why from this point on I'm coining the term Art-School-Punk to refer to these bands and others like them. But who gives a shit what I'm calling it, this record is a must hear for everyone remotely interested in any facet of punk rock, even if it's just so you read the lyrics to 80s Aesthetic and get your head out of your ass.
Marvelous Darlings- I Don't Wanna Go To The Party b/w Careerist
No Warning starling Ben Cook is now the marvelous darling of this Toronto based power-pop foursome. I know, if you're reading this without actually hearing Marvelous Darlings, you are scratching your head somethin' fierce right now. And so was I until I heard this record. I really like No Warning, and I also REALLY LIKE power-pop so it's a wonder I didn't pick this up sooner. Both sides are insanely catchy, as I find myself flipping the record over and over again trying to get the opposite side's song out of my head. There are serious pop-song writing chops happening on both sides of this little record, and I'm not sure who to shower the praise on so I'll just soak the entire band instead, two song of pure gold just leave me wishing this was an LP, not an EP. A couple other observations to note, side B, Careerist, sounds a little like a song The Ergs would write, so if you like them check it out. Secondly, the insert thanks "C.C." for the design, who I'm assuming is Chris Colohan. So you know, if you liked Left For Dead, Ruination, The Swarm, Cursed, or Burning Love, I think you should just pick this up as well, for the sake of posterity. Thirdly and finally, I like this more than Ill Blood. There, I said it.
Burning Love- Don't Ever Change b/w Jack The Ripper
Speaking of Mr.Colohan, this is a single from his new band's recently released LP, Songs for Burning Lovers. The A-side appears in the same recording as on the album, but on the B-side we're treated to Jack The Ripper, a cover of the awesome Nick Cave tune. I'm not going to lie, I miss their Battalion of Saints cover, and I was told of a Thin Lizzy cover that never materialized (to my ears, anyway), but this more than redeems that. I've always loved this band because of the real ballsy full throttle sound they have going all the time, reminds me of Discharge with less "dum-tss-dumdum-tis" and more mild stoner influences. And, man, that Nick Cave cover. God damn it. Did I mention how good it was? cause it is.
I GOT A WOMAN AND SHE STRIKES ME DOWN WITH A FIST OF LEAD
It sounded good when it came out of Cave's mouth, and it sounds just as good coming from these guys, with a real thoroughly crushing sound on both sides of the record. I don't think this band can do any wrong. You should probably expect a review of the previously mentioned LP in the next couple of days if I get time. It's just as good as this. Order both, and go into either a pot or straight edge induced trance and enjoy.
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