Jake Robertson's Alien Nosejob usually finds some way to subvert our expectations and their newest 7", coming to us as usual via Anti Fade Records, ain't no exception in that regard! The Executioner surprises with what might easily be the most post punk the group has ever sounded as cold and raw electric beats get welded to an equally rigid construct of repetitive guitar riffs, combining into a slightly industrial-ish overall vibe. West Side Story then is closer to the familiar and beloved standard Alien Nosejob formula, a straightforward yet elegant garage punk smasher based on a single exquisite riff that could just go on forever but conveniently gets faded out in time before it can cause any lasting (hearing-) damage.
Following up on their much rougher, hardcore-leaning International Heartthrob EP of last year, Indiana's Spewed Brain take their sound into a catchier, slightly egg-ish direction on their new LP while staying delightfully fucked-up and unpredictable, at different times reminding me of groups as diverse as, say, Trauma Harness, Print Head, Exwhite, The Gobs, Snooper, Rolex, Witch Piss or Slimex.
Oh look, it's that mysterious dude again who also goes by such names as Zhoop, Djinn, Nightman, Feed, Brundle and even more disguises i can't recall right now. As usual he does exactly one thing on here and he gets it right every single time - five excellent no-frills minimalist detonations on the intersection of garage-, hardcore- and fuzz punk.
The second LP by this Melbourne garage punk supergroup brings further gradual refinement to their distinct formula carrying all the right baggage from many decades of particularly australian punk history both ancient and recent, presented with heartfelt urgency and a persistent sense of melancholy that's quite unique to them, a knack for catchy hooks, elegant, simple and effective songwriting which has had the group running circles around the bulk of the genre pretty much from day one, all the while leaving impact craters with the unrelenting fury of their performance. Nothing short of spectacular, this record!
A mainstay of recent years in garage punk is back with a somewhat more high-profile LP via Erste Theke Tonträger following a recent string of more understated cassette and digital releases. This thing is as eclectic as any of these but at the same time, a lot more focused, determined and consistent than some of those more scrappy recent offerings. Spanning a spectrum from the propulsive post punk of the opening salvo (When It's Gone, A.P.A.C.), melancholy indie rock ballads (Texas Cloud), compfy synth pop tunes (Let U Know) to straightforward garage-/fuzz punk explosions (Can't Take It, 2 Car Garage), there's plenty of meat to dig your teeth into, all held together by Vinny Earley's always confident, often plainly brilliant songwriting powers. Last but not least, Weekend Shadows and Carryon are further examples of exactly that kind of supreme power-/fuzz pop hymn the dude has always excelled at.
