Category Archives: punk

Let’s Do It Again

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Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it on NPR. Got the album, listened to it 100 times, love it, realized it’s from 2007. Nina Diaz has the most amazing voice. Her sister Phanie hits the skins, and their longtime friend Jenn Alva plays bass. Joan Jett discovered them and signed them to her label. Morrissey took them on tour. Robert Rodriguez directed one of their recent videos. They’re Girl in a Coma. Here. Have a peek.

Wait – to say the video is directed by Robert Rodriguez sounds like the whole thing was planned.  He is a fan of theirs, went to see them at SXSW, pieced together shots from their performance, and gave them this video as a gift!  Yes, that Robert Rodriguez.  As in, Sin City.  In return, they contributed the song “Yo Oigo” to his film Machete.
The song in the video, “As The World Falls Down”, is from the band’s 2010 covers album.  This one is of David Bowie’s Labyrinth tune.  They also covered one of my favorite songs of all time, Ritchie Valens’ “Come On Let’s Go.”
Because they come from San Antonio and are from Latin descent, they’re being put in the Latino, in the Tejano, in the Alt Latino categories. This sound is Female Punk Rockabilly. I am pretty sure I just made that up. Google that shit. I love it. I want to dye my hair, paint on the eyeliner, and join the band. Or just prance in the background.

The girls are happy with Blackheart Records: It’s a “very low-key, relaxed label, which is perfect for us,” they say.  And you know, I should backtrack a bit.  Joan Jett got to them after they’d been touring a few years – even after Morrissey pulled them out of their little touring van and onto a plane to London.  After they released Both Before I’m Gone on Blackheart, they opened for Cyndi Lauper and Social Distortion.

I love that they have their own sound but do an amazing job of paying tribute to those who influenced their sound. Their second album, Trio BC, is named after the girls’ Grandfather’s band from the 50’s. Then on Adventures in Coverland, there is pretty much a cover from every band or artist that influenced them, including Selena.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from album #1, but I’m going to share “Mr Chivalry” from Both Before I’m Gone and “Come On Let’s Go” from Adventures in Coverland.

Click to Play Girl in a Coma – Mr. Chivalry

This is us all trying not to be sober

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When did the news become entertainment?

Right out of the gate this album, as it was designed to do, grabs hold of you and tells you there’s no way you’re not going to listen to this. It’s too important. So sit down. No, wait. Stay standing. And raise your fist.

Political punk.

So content to live in your ignorance while they manipulate and tell you it’s true.

Don’t think it’s just FOX News with the spin and rhetoric. Politicos on both sides love the ignorant masses who will remain divided and follow the wildly dramatic claims and warnings.

Smoke or Fire have been writing hardcore punk songs with lyrics full of social commentary since 1998. At the time, they called themselves Jericho. They had changed their name by the time they recorded the album Above The City in 2005 with Fat Wreck Chords. They stuck with the label ever since, and in November of 2010 released The Speakeasy.

The commentary in the lyrics are not focused solely on the sad state of our humanity. Songwriter Joe McMahon dispenses words of advice to other bands in the industry in Track 6, “Hope & Anchor.”

Click to Play Smoke or Fire – Hope & Anchor

Those days are over now, what started off as fun
Has made you question everything and not trust anyone

It’s this and “Porch Wine” that can be used more as personal anthems rather than revolutionary battle cries. Also, I love this track musically more than the others on the album:

Click to Play Smoke or Fire – Porch Wine

The realization of great potential
Leads to the feeling of an emptiness
And what to fill it with in our time?

All I can offer you is a shrug. Find something lasting to fill it with. Make a change. Quote pundits on your FaceBook page and do nothing. Self-medicate. The only certainty is death.
(And taxes.)

Mmmmmmoby

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So another new year has come into our lives. And with it? Well, another year of my pointless banter about music. And what better way to start it all off than by posting some good ambient tunes by one Richard Melville Hall. You guys probably know him by another name – Moby.

The first track here is something I thought of the other night not really knowing why I thought of it. However, this one is one I said flat out to all my buddies on Facebook that I would want played at my funeral. That’s a pretty morbid statement, yes, but it’s 100% true. This is just a hauntingly beautiful song, and hell, it was even used in the Sopranos. So check out “When It’s Cold, I’d Like To Die” off of the mid-’90’s electronica breakthrough album Everything Is Wrong.

Click to Play Moby – When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die

The next one is off of his critically acclaimed album Play. You know, I had sort of skipped past a lot of this album. Not even sure why. This is one I had to be reminded was a great tune. After posting this one online, as well, I got one comment from the following video accompaniment to it.

This song makes me *sob.*. Love it.

So yeah. Go check this one out.

Click to Play Moby – My Weakness

The last one is a lengthy tune that doesn’t really seem to be long enough, if you could believe it. This as well as Panda Bear’s “Bros” and the Mad Professor dub of Massive Attack’s “Protection” are all in select company, there. It’s “Alone”, off of the failed Animal Rights album. The album was one I anticipated, but definitely had the same reaction as many – confusion. It was a very different sound from what I was used to, but there was plenty on it to like. This, to me, is the standout track. Just gorgeous.

Click to Play Moby – Alone

Okay, go buy stuff. I told you to, so you’re obliged.

Here We Go (get it?)

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When I meet someone new, I usually end up telling them I run and write for a music blog. More often than not a music fan will light up and try to find out which of their favorite bands I haven’t heard of yet.  I’m pretty well versed, but sometimes whatever band they’re gushing about ends up being new to me. I promise to look into them, and I always do. I figure that if I don’t know, maybe you don’t. If YOU don’t, then I am obligated to share them with you. Good or bad–although I try to spare you the bad.

This last time I was at the bar, our bartender spots us as we walk in and asks me if I like Punk music. He knows I am a “music snob” so I wasn’t caught off guard in the least. I say I love Punk music…and then a girl on the other side of the bar hollers over the din of the bar to ask who my favorite Punk band is. I answer quickly. My favorite band, period.  Never mind the genre.  “Bad Religion,” I shout back.

After 15 minutes I get her to sit on my side of the bar so I don’t have to yell to be heard. We get into more discussions about music. She shits on Sublime for 15 minutes and I try to defend. She’s from So-cal and just hates on them because she feels like they bit everyone’s style out there. I spar with her, but she won’t budge. Her mind is set.

Then she asks me if I have ever heard of Jawbreaker.

Jawbreaker

I hadn’t.

She does what they all do at this point. She gives me the pitch. Why they are great and why I need to listen to them. She tells me about how great the music is and how emotional the lyrics are. The band was formed in Oakland, CA (which might have been a plus according to her?) and dissolved in 1996.

She’s piqued my interest. I asked if she thought they were an “Emo” band and she quickly dismissed that they were. Most punk purists scoff at the idea of Emo has a watered down version of Punk. I disagree, but I understand why most people feel this way. Emo sucks is the new “disco sucks” mentality of many Punk Rockers.

This barfly tells me I need to listen to the album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy first and then check out the rest of their discography after that.

That is exactly what I did. I wish  I could tell you that she was on the money. It’s rather mediocre. I expected better from Oakland honestly. Check out “Jinx Removing”… Track 11 off of 24 Hour.


Click to Play Jawbreaker – Jinx Removing

ZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZzzzz…

It’s totally an Emo band, by the way. A bad one at that. We should be thankful they broke up. We’ll give them credit for being an influence to all the Emo bands that came after them. They should be thankful for even that much credit. If you are feeling this track, I suggest you pick up the album Dear You. It’s their last album, before they broke up. Dear You is a lot more polished than the bands other albums, and in my opinion this band could use the acoustic clean up.

The Flatliners

Well…if you are reading this, “girl from the bar,” I suggest you listen to the Punk band The Flatliners.  It’s the band I think you were describing. The only thing wrong with them is that they are not from Oakland.
Toronto, Canada isn’t that far from Oakland right? Also, the band is still together. Since 2002, and an album for as many years.

Click to Play The Flatliners – Here Comes Treble

Rockin’! That’s a punk band to claim!

The best chance to get a Royal Flush in a casino is in the bathroom

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I don’t think I have told you this yet, but I play poker once a week. Used to be a lot more. I mostly stick to poker tournaments, as I think the added level of strategy gives me more of an advantage. I have played in two World Series of Poker events in two different years. Both times I didn’t make the first break because my rockets didn’t hold up. Did you know the odds you get dealt pocket aces only 220 to 1?

A lot of people don’t understand the intricacies of tournament poker. It’s not about winning the most money like it is in a cash game. The chips you use in tournament poker don’t stand for anything except keeping score. In a poker tournament those that are patient get rewarded. Cash game poker versus tournament poker is the difference between dedication and inspiration. Cash game play values steadiness, repetition, consistently making the mathematically correct play, showing up day after day and playing better than your opponents. Tournaments value “seizing the day.” The ability to inspirationally find a successful play in critical situations is far more valuable in a tournament. There are times you step on the gas and times you just quietly fold away waiting your turn to attack. In both types of games though, this one fact is true: There can be hours of boredom around moments of excitement. It takes discipline to not get bored and play any hand. I have a tool to keep me from getting bored and playing bad.

Some of you could care less about poker, and I understand that. You are here for some music enlightenment and I have given you the poker equivalent of a “slow roll“. Here is the tie-in. I listen to an enormous amount of media during these tournaments. I will usually play in these tournaments for 5 or 6 hours. During this time I listen to podcasts and music. I often load up my iPhone with potential albums to review for the site.

Sometimes those albums suck and I end up going through my albums looking for something to get me through. It was today that I rediscovered an album I love that I haven’t heard in such a long time. Caution by the band Hot Water Music.

This album is 36 minutes of perfect punk rock. Is it something in the water in Gainsville Florida where this band, and many of my other favorite punk bands (namely Less Than Jake) originate from? I dunno, but this album saved my butt today. Sometimes it’s not about keeping from being bored. Sometimes it’s drowning out the Chatty Cathy at the table. I swear that some people play poker just to force 9 other people to listen to him or her. That’s what happened today, and I was blissfully drowning that person out with loud punk rock!

The song that stands out most on this album is track two… Trusty Chords.

Download Hot Water Music – Trusty Chords

I hate this place but I love these chords
“an empty fate just means an even score”
And the pain this morning……
it filled my head
It’s JAMESON.
It means that I’m not dead.

Jameson whiskey I presume? Tasty. But that’s neither here nor there. That’s an example of a great song. The entire album is fantastic. By the way, you might be wondering about the band’s name? It’s also the title of a Bukowski book. You have read Charles Bukowski right? That’s a convo for another time and maybe another blog… (perhaps I am ready to create books.inALLcaps.com hmmm…)

King Khan rules over you

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I’ve just recently discovered the oddity known as King Khan. Recently, on tour with BBQ (real name: Mark Sultan), the Khan was arrested for having certain fungi in possession. His tour manager was also arrested, having an invalid license.

No matter. They still make some quirky era-inspired tracks. Depending on whether he’s working with BBQ as King Khan and the BBQ Show or with the Shrines (as, yes, King Khan and the Shrines), you’ll get a pretty varied era-specific sound. Here’s where I get to have the fun of sharing the tracks I like.

First up is what I think is the best of the bunch. It’s off of the latest King Khan and the BBQ Show album entitled Invisible Girl. This is reminiscent of late ’70’s punk at its glorified high. Just think of the Ramones, and you’ll get a good comparison. This track, “Lonely Boy” is loads of fun, and while only around two and a half minutes, packs a lot into it.

Download King Khan and the BBQ Show – Lonely Boy

Next up is something hearkening back to the ’50’s off of King Khan and the BBQ Show’s self-titled album. “Fish Fight” is a romp, and Chuck Berry is written all over this one. This is the sort of stuff that the Amazing Royal Crowns were going for, also, but the stripped down sound that these guys have makes it a big winner.

Download King Khan and the BBQ Show – Fish Fight

Lastly is from King Khan and the Shrines. This is really one of the only ones I dug off of What Is? and has a completely different sound from their usual ’60’s guitar inspired riffs. This makes me think of the Rolling Stones, and I think you’d clearly see why I think that. Rolling grooves and very mellow. Definitely a big winner.

Download King Khan and the Shrines – The Ballad of Lady Godiva

As always, buy this stuff. Or else turkeys will come by and smack you around a bit. They will! I swear!

Something really random here…..

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Okay, so I ran across this first track more on accident than anything else. It’s a freakishly simple casiotone sort of cut featuring what I’m guessing are the lyrics to “Technologic” by Daft Punk in reverse. The guy’s name is DJ Goldwwater (or Goldwater, the original blog I saw this on had both spellings). I’ve dug around for more info on this guy, but found absolutely zilch! So if you guys find something? Let me know.

[Download DJ Goldwater – Touch It (Goldwater Daft Punk Revverse)]

Next up for this week is something I had nearly forgotten about in my vinyl collection. The Rapture burst onto the scene back in 2003 with their album Echoes, but the single for the track “House Of Jealous Lovers” was what caught my attention. Included on the wax was a remix by Morgan Geist of Metro Area, and here I give you said remix. Enjoy!

[Download The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers (Morgan Geist remix)]

And if you have a sac, you’ll go out and buy stuff and support these guys. If you’re a chick, I guess that means you don’t have a sac. So I’ve really got nothing. I’ll just pretend I don’t want you or something. And trust me, that would hurt. Time to drink heavily, now.

A very simple song and a very angry one also…..

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This is one I’ve been hearing a lot lately. There’s a bar up here in Boston called Bukowski’s that I try to stop into every so often. Well, they generally play whatever the fuck they want, and this is a song I’ve heard a few times while in there. If you’re not familiar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, I’d suggest learning a bit about them. We’re in that phase of music where we’re getting a few people copycatting what they did. I guess that’s good.

Well, here we have the first track off of The Boatman’s Call from 1997. The track is titled “Into My Arms” and is just a gorgeous little cut that’s become somewhat of a classic.

The next cut is also Nick Cave, albeit in a much different form. The group Grinderman consists of most of the members from the Bad Seeds, but has a much different sound than what most would really be used to. This is “No Pussy Blues” off of the debut by Grinderman.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand go buy some of this. Or else your penis will fall off. If you’re a chick and you don’t buy some of it? Well, you’ll grow a thick moustache. That’s how karma works.

NOTE FROM MOOKIE:
I loved that Grinderman song. LOVED. I found a Midfield General remix that I can’t wait to play out, and I’m dying to share it with you. Hope Zink don’t mind!

[Grinderman – No Pussy Blues (Midfield General Remix)]

Rebels have more fun

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Here’s one that’s short and to the point. Ever heard of Soulwax? No? Well, they’ve been around for a while and have been at the forefront of the bastardized genre of eletro. They’ve done remixes for the likes of Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem, and have remixed one of my favorite artists – David Bowie.

This remix, of “Rebel Rebel”, will be on a future compilation entitled Most of the Other Remixes. I haven’t seen a release date on it, but have seen that there will be remixes they’ve done for Bowie, Miss Kittin, MGMT, and more. Enjoy! Oh, and be warned, the start of the song is super screechy and a bit harsh.

[Download David Bowie – Rebel Rebel (Soulwax re-edit)]

And well, buy some stuff. Make Obama’s stimulus crap seem like it makes sense. Or something like that.

Submissions Part 2

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Yes, I get the weird duty of doing the posts on both X-mas eve and New Year’s Eve. Right now it’s fucking snowing up here in Boston. We had two storms a couple weeks back that dumped 20 inches on us. Then it melted. I was like, “Yay! I can park my car without having to destroy my back by shoveling now!” And now more snow. Some New Year, eh?

Anyways, I have to say I hope yours is good. And to bring in the New Year? Here are some more submissions I have gotten over the last few months. A sort of “Look Out For These Guys in ’09” sort of post.

First up is a dude by the name of Dave Wrangler. Here’s his MySpace page. He’s from Houston, and the South does do things dirty! He’s sent me a couple of tracks, and I wanted to share these with you guys, also. He does remixes of hip-hop cuts as well as mash-ups. They’re pretty straight-forward club cuts, and if you’re into dudes like Jokers Of The Scene, you’ll dig this guy’s stuff.

Download Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Baby I Got Your Money (Dave Wrangler remix)

[Download Detroit Grand Pubahs – Sandwiches (Dave Wrangler remix)]

[Download Dave Wrangler – Stay Fly VS. Womanizer (Three 6 Mafia VS Britney Spears)]

Next up is the post-punk group the Homosexuals. Myspace page is here. Now, I got this e-mail December 5th, touting their first US tour ever. Only problem? All the shows had already passed! And one was near Boston! Fuckin’ hell. I would’ve gone to see these guys, too. They’re definitely known to folks who dig the old school punk. And they released their first music in about 25 years. Here’s one of their new cuts, “Slow Guns”. Good shit!

The Homosexuals – Slow Guns

And lastly is a band that you guys probably know already. Devotchka. Myspace page is here. Well, for the XBox 360 game Gears of War 2, the fun folks at Microsoft chose to use a song of theirs that many people reading this already probably know – “How It Ends”. If you don’t recognize it by name? It was used in Little Miss Sunshine, and brilliantly, at that. So below, I give you their hit “How It Ends”, and have posted the commercial used to promote Gears of War 2.

[Download Devotchka – How It Ends]

And now? My “This shit has been on my iPod all goddamned year!” list. Yes. I swear. a lot. It’s beautiful. So here’s my list. You’ll notice I left off MGMT, as well as a few other indie-hipster-bandwagon groups. Well, it’s not bad stuff. It’s just that I got sick of them after about three weeks. These guys? I obviously didn’t get sick of! So here you go!

1 – Mogwai – The Sun Smells Too Loud
2 – The Dirtbombs – La Fin Du Monde
3 – Radiohead – House of Cards
4 – Fuck Buttons – Sweet Love For Planet Earth
5 – Hercules and Love Affair – Blind
6 – Bon Iver – Skinny Love
7 – Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor
8 – Thieves Like Us – Drugs In My Body
9 – The Verbs – I’m Your Chocolate
10 – The Ting Tings – Great DJ

As usual, buy this shit! Do it! For the children! Or just imagine children are somehow involved.