Seven more inches of undiluted greatness from Berlin post punk stalwarts Pigeon. The a-side is a turbocharged stremroller just as catchy as it's abrasive while the b-side track goes a more cumbersome, slow and stubborn route to a no less pulverizing effect.
I'm sure everyone's already taken notice, but i can't leave that one out here, a new release by the only german punk group i've ever heard of. In a nutshell, Pisse are still very much Pisse (and yes, that is indeed the german word for piss), their jet of yellow liquid still being very precisely focused on the various processes and phenomena involved in the gradual crushing of the human soul in that society of ours while not sparing the punk scene their due amount of ridicule either. Their music on the fringes of post- and garage punk ain't nothing to be embarrassed about either, even in the closing track Favorit, which drags some Suicide-esque synth minimalism through a decidedly german schlager hell.
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This project revolving around Jim Blaha (The Blind Shake, Jim and the French Vanilla) and Annie Sparrows (Soviettes, Awesome Snakes) sounds quite unlike any of Jim Blaha's other groups that i'm aware of on their second LP, these songs without exception having a dreamy, melancholy power pop vibe and an unlikely post punk edge to them - kinda like a mix between Radioactivity, Mind Spiders and a slightly muted The Estranged fused together by rock solid songwriting chops.
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The Leipzig scene delivers reliable quality once again with this EP made up of hyperactive garage-/post punk bastardizations calling to mind a cluster of groups á la Onyon, Patti, Big Bopper, Warm Red, Cat Scan, Rogue… a bit of Ex-Cult & Constant Mongrel, maybe??
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The debut Album of this Philadelphia group is, in a word, fucking impressive. Versatile, inventive post punk this is, moving about somwhere inbetween the repetitive abstraction of Nots, the no-bullshit direct attack of Lié, grooves, noise eruptions and melodic textures reminiscent of early Protomartyr, some sparkling Sonic Youth-esque walls of noise and the relentless propulsion of Nervosas, then closing out the album with a jam enveloped in a thick psychedelic haze.
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Damn, i thought i was done blogging for the week and then this unexpected little gem of crude and shambolic noise by a Budapest group crops up last minute, their sound striking me as a peculiar fusion of oddball garage punk in the Eddy Current Suppression Ring and UV Race vein with similarly weird acts in the post punk and oldschool indie rock field such as Treehouse, Kitchen's Floor, The Molds and City Yelps.
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An exquisite jet-propelled racket, the second longplayer by Athens, Georgia group McQQeen - now proudly carrying the Big Neck Records seal of quality. What kinda starts out a bit in the vein of bands á la Flat Worms, The Cowboy and Fashion Pimps & The Glamazons with a conspicuous Psychedelic/Space Rock undercurrent then expands into a quite comprehensive sweep through much of what is and has been great on the intersection of garage punk, noise rock, post punk and -core including contemporary acts of the Metz, John (Timestwo) or Spray Paint kind as well as the occasional flourish of Destruction Unit's space punk excess, the fuzz punk orgies of early The Men, even some slight touches of U-Men or McLusky are to be found in there.
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Some familiar faces at work here, although it takes some detective work to untangle the nebulous web of connections especially of guitar player and vocalist Robert Pawliczek. That dude has played in a lot of groups although i can't exactly confirm all of them. So he seems to have had a hand at, among others, Heavy Metal, Bobby Would, Needle Exchange, Itchy Bugger, Pitva… also, possibly, Diät and Idiota Civilizzato? Of those two i'm the least sure. On bass duty, we appear to have the same Bill Gray known of Bands like Shark Toys, Rearranged Face. And this being a Refry Records release, of course they've got Vinny "Vaguess" Earley completing the line-up on drums. As you might have suspected, the music fuckin' rips too, their post punk with some garage overtones striking me kinda like a super brittle and dry version of Rank/Xerok or the aforementioned Diät.
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While i couldn't quite warm up to the previous EP of Sydney's Nasty Party, with their newest release they really hit the spot once again just like their did with their brilliant debut EP. Treading in somewhat similar territory to Mekons- and Television Personalities-worshipping groups á la Suburban Homes, Silicone Values or Proto Idiot, they round things off with a strong Buzzcocks flavor.
After their more power pop-leaning debut EP, the first full length of this Cleveland group featuring Nervosas' Mickey Marie on guitar and vocals, while not a exactly departure from their previous record, expands their color palette quite a bit. Overall the vibe here is more grim and melancholy, steering closer to moody yet melodic post punk territory with a distinct Wipers influence while once again proving their stunning ability at crafting catchy and unique hooks. Of more recent bands, you might consider them in a loosely related Orbit to groups like The Estranged and Daylight Robbery.
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