Damn, it appears for some weird reason i've skipped posting about all previous releases of this Minneapolis group here, begging the question of what the fuck has been wrong with me all the time. While i'm consulting my therapist about that, lemme just say that this newest Citric Dummies LP is a perfect knockout punch of early '80s-influenced-oldschool-energy-meets-contemporary-garage-punk goodness packing an extra punch due to the always excellent production duties of garage prodigy Erik Nervous, of whom we're gonna hear again this week. While the Hüsker Dü-referencing title and artwork feel kinda goofy at first glance, they're also not entirely out of place as these songs conjure up a fury not entirely dissimilar to the Dü in their prime but similar things could be said of early Naked Raygun, Adolescents, an occasional hint of Bad Brains or a touch of Dickies in their catchiest moments. Every fucking song on here is a simple and precise, premeditated hit in the guts, their incredible song wizardry never failing to land even once.
This Portland Group's third full length further refines their explosive formula of seriously noise- and slightly garage-infused postcore into their most realized and elaborate effort do date, their hyperactive vision of structured chaos constantly shapeshifting and throwing curveballs all the way, leading into all kinds of interesting maneuvers. Although no two songs are too much alike on here, the most frequently applicable comparisons i can come up with are groups such as the various incarnations of New York's Kaleodoscope, early Bad Breeeding, Acrylics and, in some parts, Crisis Man, early Video and Ascot Stabber.
R.M.F.C. Human State Alien Nosejob Split Personality Violent Change Fabio's Playhaus Dadgad Hire Me Max Mucus Time is Scary White Knuckle Split Tongue Slip Nylon PC Violence Adhesive Hyperlink Plumbob Plumbing Song For Gel to Sing Pack Rat Parasite City Rifle Marked Man Lovebite Bumming Top Dollar No Exit Necron 9 8 Ball
Yobs Fortune Teller The Bad Plug I Know My Chickens The X’d Go Away Rudix Ni Pensar Waldo Faldo Año 2033 Combat Tribes Undertaker Ghost Beef Moleman Invasion Why Bother? What's Wrong With Me? Les Aranyes Llefiscositat Power Pants New World The Wind Ups Nothing But Time Death Party Dead To Me Citric Dummies Drugs in the Snow Erik Nervous Alligator Facing East
Blues Lawyer Have Nots Glas Nost Narcissist Anytime Cowboy Counting Feathers Private Life Keep It Movin' Genre Rewired Luggage Nowhere Arse Kaputt. Daydream Patron Saint
Pedigree Runaway Pyrex Struck Down TV Cult Empty Quarter Gyrate Collision Drunk Meat Pic à glace Home Front Nation The Serfs The Dice Man Will Become The Vacant Lots Scars
The second LP of this Chico, California based group led by Jake Sprecher (of Smokescreens, Beehive and Terry Malts fame) picks the strands right up where they were left off on their amazing 2021 debut album Try Not To Think, which is to say: More of their irresistibly catchy blend of noise- and power pop, garage- and fuzz punk making for yet another high-octane bubblegum pop spectacle whose impeccable songwriting prowess never flounders even for a second!
Over the past two years, Portland label Spared Flesh Records has proven itself a real powerhouse of weird and offbeat noises in the realm of post-, garage- and art punk and this new LP by Reuben Sawyer aka Anytime Cowboy is yet another rough gem to behold. His bluesey low-key cowpunk sound comes across kinda like an incarnation of early Gun Club incredibly mindful of not waking the neighbors or a super-muted version of Parquet Courts, Tyvek, while in parts also not entirely dissimilar to that recent Peace de Résistance album. It's a soundscape that could softly lull you to sleep if it weren't for that pervasive sense of unspeakable abysses lurking just around any corner now, with Sawyers calm deep voice further adding to the music's quite uncanny yet weirdly comforting qualities.
Is that title meant to be understood as a 13th Floor Elevators reference? If so, it kinda fits (plus a ton of Kinks in here as well, i'd say…) as this LP marks the closest the eclectic project of Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Smarts, Drug Sweat, etc…) has ever approached classic '60s garage rock territory - a proposition that could easily turn out a recipie for pure boredom in the hands of lesser musicians, but damn… this dude simply knows how to construct and carry a catchy tune. Add to the mix lots of ancient power pop of only the saddest kind and you get an LP that will surely turn out a bit difficult to swallow for some fans of his broader work, yet also doesn't seem too out-of-place if you're familiar with the breadth of previous Alien Nosejob releases, as Robertson has already dabbled in similar fare on albums such as Various Fads and Technological Achievements (2018) and Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud (2020), although here he finally goes all-in on this overwhelming sense of doom, an all-devouring black cloud of deep melancholia.
