Following a thoroughly enticing debut EP last year, Bergen, Norway group Sklitakling present an even stronger first LP, retaining the strummy, quirky charm of the debut while expanding and branching out stylistically. Their songwriting has won a lot of contour since then, their idiosyncratic arrangements coming across much crisper now. Despite their norwegian origin, i can't help but feel reminded of the danish scene of the past decade - the Copenhagen approach to post punk you might say - with the likes of Iceage, Melting Walkmen, Spines and, just recently, Pleaser coming to mind at various points as having a similar sense of melancholy and melody. In addition, there's a distinct cowpunk vibe at play here, kinda like an LSD-soaked early Angst, Gun Club and, especially, the more recent hallucinogenic existential nightmare of Murderer.
The latest LP by this Tokyo group, originally released last year in Japan and now being reissued by Baltimore, Maryland label SPHC Records, kicks things off with not just one, but two maximally corny faux-orchestral intros seaguing into a cheesy faux-metal pastiche as if hellbent on one-upping any of the recent dungeon punk developments. Then, the actual fun starts in the form of equally basic but all the same unpredictable and inventive hardcore punk bursts, the aforementioned tongue-in-cheek dungeon/metal flourishes being counterbalanced by a freewheeling creative spirit reminiscent of, among other things, early Crass! There's no use arguing with this kind of insanity, just embrace the weird and enjoy the wild ride.
(…) as focused as they haven't been in a long while (…) i wrote about their previous album Smile Building's Exit. Tempe, Arizona group Soft Shoulder then be like: "Hold my beer…" and come around the corner with yet another LP, recorded around the same time as its predecessor and presenting their sound in an even more snappy and compelling light. Their unique blend consisting of both contemporary and ancient post punk magic tricks, oldschool noise rock and distinctly no wave- and '80s The Fall-informed noise experiments has never had more catchy appeal and sparkle than on this record.
Luxury new fodder for garage- and eggpunk aficinados by this Cincinati, Ohio group. Soft Violence and Why Fight resonate the quirky madness of groups like Prison Affair, Nuts, Beer, Cherry Cheeks and Pringue but extend that aesthetic with a distinct psychedelic feel transported mainly through the polyphonic vocals here. The latter tendencies are also leaving their mark on Null Future, which expertly treads in oldschool garage punk territory resulting in a vibe á la Mononegatives with a more purist fuzz punk edge. Closing track It Goes On, then, closely resembles the kraut-y psyched-out post punk vibes of fellow Cincinnati groups The Drin and The Serfs, suggesting some of the same folks might be at work here.
Thrilling post punk shit from NYC balancing out a classic Joy Division-/Bauhaus/early Interpol vibe with an unexpectedly playful and melodic power pop sensibility more reminiscent of the likes of Woolen Men, The Estranged, or Radar Eyes… also some hints of Wipers and Television can be found in there. Rather than just another standard genre pastiche, everything here is well thought-out and robustly constructed, every track on this EP is anchored by some sound and solid songcraft.
After a promising demo followed by what struck me as a kinda rushed sounding debut EP struggling to add substance and shape to their rather basic rock'n'roll formula, the Perth group's first full length finally has them operating right in the goldilocks zone again. Granted, this still ain't the most original thing garage punk has ever seen but these songs simply work and it's hard not to be excited by their frantic energy coming across a bit like a mix of early Nervosas, Vexx, Ex-Cult and, more recently, Cel Ray with further bits and pieces reminiscent of groups á la Piss Test, The Neuros, Gen Pop and The Abandos.
That's the dude from The Uglies barking here, right? These australians' new EP ain't entirely dissimilar to the latter group's output, pushing the whole thing into a more quirky, adventurous direction though, frequently having some Useless Eaters or Knowso feel to it in addition to quite a bit of musty dungeon-esque vibes throughout the whole thing.
Two current powerhouses of weirdo garage- and synth punk join forces for this neat new little EP and guess what: It sounds exactly like you'd expect and all i can further say is what the fuck is not to like about that proposition? The shit rules!
Bamm! Exquisite new shit in the realms of garage-infested oldschool hardcore mayhem brought to us by a group from Perth, Australia, reminding me of acts in the vein of G.U.N., early Electric Chair, Cement Shoes, Crisis Man, Cülo and Chain Whip.
Spanish noise pop overlords Beta Maximo return with a strong new batch of tunes. Hard to believe their prolific output began just sometime last summer… Starting out with what i'd consider more of an eggpunk-aesthetic, they've constantly kept changing things up, gradually evolving into a somewhat slower, dreamy and slightly shoegaze-y direction and these new songs strike me as the most realized and well-rounded stuff we've heard from them recently.
