The Bitters - East General ( Release The Bats)

I still haven't worked out if i like this yet. I have been putting off this write up as i think this album is a grower, it has definitely some killer parts to some of the songs, but it just doesn't sink in easily and some of it still grates my ears. I was a big fan of the 'Wooden Glove'EP that came out last year on Captured Tracks, its big choruses, triumphant guitars and killer dual vocals. This doesn't give me the same want to play it over and over again. But it's not bad. I think. I don't know?

I may have to file it under records-that-may-grow-on-me-but-i-probably-wont-listen-to-enough-to-let-it. Maybe it's because it sounds pretty grunge, one of the musical eras of my childhood i don't look back on with rose tinted specs? I do get an itching to listen to Babes in Toyland again. This is wrong. Or is t?

I'm sure all of the Young Guv's fan boys will have this on every format anyway along with the other 27 releases he has put out recently. That's not a dig at bands putting out lots of records, if the songs are all good enough to release then do it, and from what I've managed to pick up, i like alot of it, just maybe a bit more than The Bitters.

The Bitters - East General (release the bats)

1. Wild Beast
2. Nurtured Disease
3. Nails In The Coffin
4. No Anchor
5. Beggar
6. The New Real Way
7. East
8. Impatient As Can Be
9. Bitters Bust
10. Travelin' Girl
11. I'm Feelin' Good

get from italianbeachbabes.bigcartel.com (UK) or www.releasethebats.com

The Bitters - Travelin' Girl from Mexican Summer on Vimeo.

Ale Mania - Essayes ( Sixteen Tambourines)

Ale Mania is 2 dudes from San Diego who also moonlight in Beaters who kick out a nice line in noisey garagey punk tunes, which carries across a little to some of the tracks on this cassette, but it is buried or nestled under layers
of swirling synths, gated drums and smooth vocal lines. I feel like i'm in a seedy 80's dive full of synth punks and bent police drinking cheap liqueur to drown sorrows.

By no means is it tropical in sound but it has a sense of heat to it, sweaty moist heat. Post punks layers sweep in, but it is too accomplished to portray the simplicity that post punk sometimes follows, and it has a sense of soul to it and i imagine if played in the right place it would get people onto the dance floor.

These tracks are culled from their recent 7"s on Volar and Hell Yes!! Records and some compilation appearances with a bonus exclusive track, in a similar vein to the recent Beaters cassette on Suplex Cassettes. The packaging also came in a nice protective plastic sleeve like an LP and the artwork includes an acetate interpretation of the artwork tucked inside, again great attention to detail which sets certain packages away from others. This tape is highly recommended if you already like this band and essential if you have no Ale Mania in your life.

Ale Mania - Essayes (sixteen tambourines)

1. Lustfulfistful
2. Robust Universe
3. DC Rails
4. I've Let Myself Go
5. Ramp Age
6. Vomitpig

http://sixteentambourines.bigcartel.com/

Ale mania-robust universe by Suplex

Blessure Grave - Live In Oakland, CA ( Italian Beach Babes)

The second in the Italian Beach Babes live tape series (the first being the Male Bonding/Fair Ohs live in London tape) which sees the gloomy death punk Blessure Grave kicking out a New Years eve set in Oakland. The thing that often puts me off live sets is not being able to hear very well, more often than not the recordings are overblown to the point of unrecognisable noise, which is fine if you're listening to a Wolf Eyes tape but annoying if you're straining to hear the hooks of a good song. This tape sounds great, the bass has a real treble twang and doesn't take over the mix and the vocals are pretty well pushed with everything else.

But what does a Blessure Grave live set sound like? I have missed out on the 12" on Captured Tracks and the large amount of 7"s dropped in the last year so this is my first BG experience. I can mainly hear an 80's post punk feel to it, with the low Ian Curtis quiver to the male voice and a gentler 45 Grave esque feel to the female one, with the guitars driving the music that is not far from Echo & The Bunnymen or The Gun Club. I generally don't find myself going for alot of bands that could ever be lumped as 'Goth' as its a very lazy term and doesn't really mean much, apart from maybe the band has more black jeans than Bermuda shorts? Yes, this is not tropical and it lies somewhere in the void between depressing, ethereal music and aggressive punk/post punk.

I honestly did not think i would like this as much as i do, and its a great way to jump into a band that has alot of material out there, for a cheap cost, so well done Italian Beach Babes, you did it again!

Blessure Grave - Live In Oakland, CA / 31/12/09

1. Intro
2. Steps
3. Interlude
4. 90 Plus Days
5. Come Back
6. Stranger In The House
7. Reduce You to Black Smoke
8. Interlude
9. Motion Sickness
10. Parallel Lives
11. Shadow
12. Learn To Love The Rope
13. Outro

www.italianbeachbabes.bigcartel.com to purchase

Daniel Higgs - Devotional Songs of Daniel Higgs (Open Mouth)

At this point, i have come to realise that Daniel A.I.U Higgs is as close to a cultural icon to me as they come, along with Billy Childish. Both have a large discography of great music, have made innumerable amounts of paintings and great works of art, written books of poetry and done pretty everything they wanted to on their own terms, both with a slight nod to the eccentric side of life.

Daniel A.I.U Higgs delivers a tape of tracks that have been collected from a variety of sources and in many cases are just a voice, banjo and a tape recorder, with a variety of drone instruments that sound like harmoniums and sruti boxes. It's the delivery of these banjo ragas or vocals word plays that make all of Higgs solo work so mind warping and exciting. I get lost in his recordings and with no song titles on this 90 min tape, it makes it easier to just lose yourself and let Daniel take you on a psychedelic trip with tales of Eden, God, and the Kingdom of Death. To avid fans of Higgs solo work, you will recognise some of the tracks on this, but with many being played live or recorded at home with a simpler set up to his recent vinyl released albums. Sound quality has never prevented him from exercising his ability to tell a story and if anything, the tape format provides a perfect platform to really experience Daniel Higgs.

Whilst searching this tape out from Open Mouth tapes, make sure you get the new 'Say God' Lp on Thrill Jockey which literally blew my mind when i first dropped the needle on wax, and left other recent purchases in the dust. Essential.

Only place i found to buy is here:
http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/artists/daniel+arcus+incus+ululat+higgs.html

Male Bonding - Daytrotter tape (Sub Pop)

If you were one of the lucky 300 people who either pre-ordered the 'Nothing Hurts' LP from Sub Pop or snagged a copy of this tape at their stage dive fest of a launch party in London then well done, you hold a copy of Male Bonding's latest tape effort which is the songs from the Daytrotter session they did in March 2010 whilst on tour in America.

As the inlay notes states, they arrived with tour buddies Vivian Girls to both record their sessions only to find that they had to record a stripped back 'acoustic' style session due to recent noise restraints. Alot of bands would crumble under the weight of having certain pedals turned off and amps not cranked up, but it works for Male Bonding, allowing the vocals to come through with very restrained drumming from the usually hard hitting Robin Silas Christian. The Vivian Girls also provide some sweet back up harmonies, replicating what they had done on album closer 'Worse to Come'. At only four songs and with the dulcet introduction of bassist Kevin Hendricks of 'Hi, we don't mean to harsh your mellow, we are male bonding welcome to daytrotter' this is a great addition to one of the best albums of 2010.

If like me you didn't pre-order the LP from Sub Pop because popping to your local record shop is easier, then try the band as they have a small boxful to sell, along with a few copies of the split 7" with Graffiti Island, Old Blood and Rapid Youth which is a mile marker in records you must have!

Male Bonding - Daytrotter Tape (Sub Pop)

1. Daytrotter Introduction
2. Before Its Gone
3. Worse To Come
4. Can't Dream
5. Your Contact

Get from the band when they are on tour or if you pre-order the LP from Subpop.com

Male Bonding "Year's Not Long" from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Kid Romance - Thriller / Killer (Captured Tracks)

I can't really avoid talking about the recording on this tape, which is so poor, probably the poorest of any release i own, that i never find myself listening to it. I know a song is judged on the song itself, but if i cant hear it then its pretty pointless. The second track 'Glitter & Ash' i think is a poppy rock n roll punk track but fuck knows if thats what it really is? I would hate to write off this band because of this tape, but i know 1 mic practice room recordings can be alot better than this release. Sorry Kid Romance, the tracks on the 7" that this tape came with were not much better either. I'll listen up again when they buy a 4 track or a good dictaphone.

www.myspace.com/kidromance
www.capturedtracks.com

Kid Romance - Thriller (Captured Tracks)

1. Fuck Punx
2. Glitter + Ash
3. Blood Worms
4. Fuck Sharks
5. Psychic Tele
6. Crazies
7. No Freedom
8. Darlin
9. Shadow
10. I Use Electricity
11. No NO NO NO NO NO
12. Telepathy
13. Piss Cop
14. Phantom Track
15. Hail Satan!

Golden Grrrls - S/T Tape (Self Released)

I will tell you immediately that I'm biased on this tape as i have released the 2nd Golden Grrrls cassette which was a split with Boredom Boys (Merida from La La Vasquez & Andy from Teen Sheikhs,)so i will get straight into why you should track down this self released gem. The tape itself is an overdubbed Rita Macneil tape, so even if i hadnt liked it, i could've turned it over for some crooning from the rotund Canadian singer songwriter. The artwork itself lies on the esoteric side with 3 panels of strange artwork and a total absence of track titles or information, leaving the music just to speak for itself.

Starting with a short track of heavily effected guitar, the first proper track starts with a some distorted drums, a cutting organ line and tinny guitar line with some fuzz ridden vocals that bring on a robbie pastels for kids who dig blown out production. Its upbeat and not as doomy as some of the blank dogs stuff, but would definately fit in with some of the acts Captured Tracks have released.

The next 2 tracks keep a simlar pace with tom heavy drums and post-punk styled single note guitar lines before a breakdown comes with some awesome droney noises thatloop around like some eastern influenced repetitive mantra. I like it when a band purposefully or by total accident plans the ebb and flow of a release regardless of format so the pace and styles of the whole product is right, not just the individual tracks, and especially as the tape format doesnt allow for the skipping and jumping of tracks that most of us are used to, this choice is being made for you.

The final tracks get a bit sunnier in disposition and one in particular i reckon would sound great if cut to the '1979' Smashing Pumpkins video? Maybe thats just me? Anyway, this is 6-8 tracks of noisey indie from this Glasgow band which i hope someone has the sense to put out a vinyl release soon.

Write the band and see if they have any left for sale here:
http://www.myspace.com/goldengrrrls

Golden Grrrls @ Glasgow Social Centre 18.12.09 from Winning Sperm Party on Vimeo.

Personal & The Pizzas - Raw Pie (Burger Records)

It's funny how much the cover of this tape tells you about the music contained on this tape. Firstly, these guys love pizza enough to write songs about it, include it in the band name and on the front cover. They also love The Stooges and take influence from them and The Ramones equally. The are either really funny or totally ridiculous, again probably in equal measures!

The tape kicks of with the man himself, Personal, introducing himself and the first track, which he does inbetween many of the tracks, and even going so far as to explain that he can read on the track 'I Can Read'. No hidden meanings in these tracks! As they have stated themselves on their myspace page, 'ONE RAMONES RIFF + ONE STOOGES RIFF + REALLY DUMB WORDS' which is a good enough distillation of this singles compilation.

Straight from the first song on this tape, The Pizzas let you know that they can shred, with the guitarist shredding like James Williams did on 'Search & Destroy'and then they can drop down to a more mid paced tune, like 'I Want You Around' or any number of slower Ramones numbers. I hate the fact that most of this review is mentioning the 2 influences they self reference, but i would find it hard to describe it in any other way? New Jersey surburban dumb punk made by the tall elder brother in Everybody Loves Raymond inbetween mouthfulls of meatballs??

Recommended for pizza parties, sleepovers and short drives.


Personal & The Pizzas - Raw Pie (Burger Records)

1. I Don't Wanna Be No Personal Pizza
2. I Dont Feel So Happy Now No More
3. I Can Read
4. I Aint Takin You Out
5. Brass Knuckles
6. Nobody Makes My Girl Cry But Me
7. Knuckles #02
8. Pizza Army
9. Tearjerker
10. Never Find Me
11. 7.99 For Love
12. Pepperoni Eyes
13. Dont You Go in That Ground
14. Toss That Pie

www.burgerrecords.webs.com

Shannon & The Clams - I Wanna Go Home (Burger Records)

As this tape has very rarely left my tapedeck since it arrived, i can see this easily being one of those bands i will obsess over, and probably buy the vinyl from 1-2-3-4 Go! records so i wont get upset when i wear out this tape. Shannon & The Clams start off with an amazing Girls in The Garage esque song called 'Troublemaker' which has this haunting backing vocal track with an upbeat motown soul beat with Shannons amazing vocals driving the track forwards. As much as i'm a big fab of non-musical musicians and the punk/lo-fi/garage aesthethic of any one can do it and find that this approach presents much better music, it is nice to really hear a voice this amazing. I'm sure that comparisons to Beth Ditto will be made if Shannon & The Clams keep making records, which is unfair and obvious in the strong, soulful female voice in a punk band sense but relative in the fact that it made my spine tingle like it did the first time i heard 'Movement' by Gossip.

Not all the songs are straight up garage, with some nice 1950's slowdance feelers that have that dreamy sound our boy L. from Spectrals is hitting right now, with as much Phil Spector and 60's soul as Nuggets/Pebbles comps.

I really enjoy the vocal interplay between Shannon and the male gutarist, both being able to wail over each other succesfully. As a bonus to this tape, they have included the 4 songs from the 'Hunk Hunt' 7" which i'm made up about, missing out on it as it was stupid expensive to buy over here in the UK. I can't stress enough how you must buy this tape or the LP and how this band need to play London!

Shannon & The Clams - I Wanna Go Home (Burger Records)

1. Troublemaker
2. The Warlock In The Woods
3. You Can Come Over
4. Surrounded By Ghosts
5. Cry Aye Aye Aye
6. Take It Back
7. Scuffle With The Clams
8. Blast Me To Bermuda
9. Cat Party
10. Waiting For You
11. When You're On
12. I Wanna Go Home
13. Blood
14. Hunk Hunt
15. Would You Love Me If I Was Dead
16. Heartbreak

www.burgerrecords.webs.com

Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin - 'Reverse Shark Attack'

I was a big fan of the noisey as hell 'Pop Song' 7" these two productive chaps put out last year on Goodbye Boozy Records with its distorto-garage punk and sci-fi guitar lines, so i'm glad they are back with a full album, nicely put onto tape by what is fast becoming my favourite tape label, Burger Records.

Starting with the stomp and swagger of 'I Wear Black', you can tell this won't be a subtle record like some of Ty's solo stuff. The vocals seem a bit lower and dirtier with a hint of Lux Interior to them, and although for people like me who love anything these guys have done before like Charlie & The Moonhearts, Epsilons, Traditional Fools, Party Fowl etc this is forging a slightly different path and i wouldn't immediately judge this album against previous efforts. There is a fair amount of delay and noise effects, and i think some nicely overdriven organ/keys too which gives it a little bit of spacey feel, often coming in over the straight up four-to-the-floor sections to make the whole record an interesting listen.

There is also a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Tale Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk' which they have managed to make their own, as it nestles with the other tracks nicely. I don't know the original at all, but i'm going to presume its a Syd Barret era tune from before the prog took over the psych??

At the end of the Album is the a 10 min long freak out of a title track, starting out as a pretty psychedelic and effect driven tune with vibrating vox that starts out not as aggressive as the previous songs on this tape, which then drifts into an acoustic guitar passage with only the reverb drenched vocals remaining before the drums ride back in and the main hook is repeated on the guitars. It starts to freak out more and more with shrill brass coming in as the songs starts to climax before a stuttering sonic meltdown that finally segues into a Dick Dale surf riff that keeps on building and building building before a sharp clattering stop, bringing to an end this tape in a triumphant way.

As these two dudes seem to kick out an endless amount of records, i'm hoping there will be more from this awesome duo that builds on this album of aggressive psych, garage and punk.

Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin - Reverse Shark Attack (Burger Records)

1. I Wear Black
2. Drop Dead Baby
3. High School
4. Ramona
5. Doctor Doctor
6. Bikini Babes
7. Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk
8. Reverse Shark Attack
   

Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin "I Wear Black" from Claire Marie Films on Vimeo.