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DARK RIDES: Self-titled: 7"EP 2011 is a much different DIY punk trip than 2001. The 00s have shifted over to the left. What was once a 10,000 print run is now 1,000. So it takes a certain level of grit to just keep your head above water. It takes a larger amount of buoyancy to make songs that are about soul, about the power of human will, of fighting back not with weaponry but thoughts and actions. The short crib is that Dark Rides is superlative “Chattanoog-y” (the “y” because I’m not sure they all live in Chattanooga) melodic punk. It’s sweet, rough, catchy, homegrown, modest, and forthright: People and music beautiful from scars. Beautiful glints in the eyes when brushing themselves off from being knocked down again. Sparking and staring right through opponents. Dark Rides bark militant compassion and sing about not giving up as the only viable option. For those who’re drawing out the band family trees on napkins, Dark Rides includes Eric and Buddha of Hidden Spots, Ashley of Future Virgins and Sexy, Amy of Savage Weekend, and Morgan of Tulsa and Black Rainbow. This record’s awesome and totally worth seeking out. –Todd Taylor (Razorcake) |
DO YA HEAR WE? BY ALL MEANS: LP Fuck yeah!! This is compilation of sixteen unreleased songs by eight bands from the region of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is totally great from start to finish. This music is made by punks who work shit jobs (or no jobs at all) and spend most of their time writing anthems to our lives that mostly go unrecognized outside of the Southeast. I'm telling you: you need to improve your fucking lives and pay attention to these bands, if you don't already. FUTURE VIRGINS start it off with some beautifully crafted pop that has caused a room full people to lose their minds and even break limbs. WHAT IF brings the super tight rock to the forefront and will shit in your mashed potatoes if you cross them. TURE STEREO is some kind of super-rock that will blow your mind on a late night. REALLY WRONG is soulful and great and they have a librarian for a singer! ADD/C has somehow been aound for ten years now and are consistenly writing epic anthems that will rule your life. DOS TORNADOS is high energy, pissed off and will drink you under the table. 40OZ FOLKLORE is nasty, fast and punk as fuck! HIDDEN SPOTS are currently the best active band in the US and can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned. This LP is more than a simple compilation of bands and their songs. It is a document of a time, place and people that are full of a love and respect for one another that I've rarely seen anywhere else. Also, the cover art and insert is colorful and beautiful. Highly recommended! Watch Clark. Watch him close. Do Ya Hear We? (GH) (Maximum Rock n Roll) |
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STUN GUNS: … And There Was Nothing We Could Do About It: LP I was handed this at about four in the morning from someone I think everyone was calling Buddha at someone’s house I’d never been to while a Great Dane was eating dumpster pizza off of the counter. I was a little less excited the next morning. Hungover and finally home, I put it on. Holy shit! This album is so good. It’s one of those albums where you can hear small glimpses of a band, but on the next listen you hear someone completely different because they’ve made it all their own. This listen I’m getting some Vindictives, but I’ve never heard that in there before. Songs range from Tiananmen Square to girls on drugs. I’d never heard of them before, and this is one hell of a taste. Apparently, Dan Destructo from No Fraud was involved in some of the recording for this. The packaging is right up there with the sound. It’s on clear vinyl, which I’ve always liked the most for some reason, with a screen-printed cover (red on black), and a ton of goodies thrown in as well. Well worth looking for. –Megan Pants (Razorcake) |
| WHAT IF…: Self-titled: 7" When I picked up this 7” I was put off by the cover, the skulls and hearts motif is totally played out, though this art has a whimsy you don’t see often, and well done color. Still, I was willing to give it a chance, and it was worth it. Fun songs about getting fucked up, and maybe fucked, a few poignant observations on living poor and happy, rather than relentlessly chasing a buck. The playing gets tighter as the 7” rolls on (they crammed six songs on it); I bet they tear it up live. They included the lyrics, which are always a bonus for anyone who’s shot their hearing at shows over the years, and the back cover is my favorite illustration on any record I’ve seen: A red “What If...” be-licensed-plated dune buggy heading off into the horizon, the sunset being a warm, glowing foamy mug of beer. Check it out. –Samantha Beerhouse (Razorcake) |
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AK-77 / DEATH STATISTIC: Split: 7” As they say on The Antiques Roadshow, it’s the provenance—the documented story—that increases the value of a piece. On the surface, AK-77 is serviceable tongue-in-cheek oi (along the lines of Oil!). Death Statistic provides roughly recorded songs played at home. Their band name / logo takes a bit of time to visually decipher, so I’m saying they’re going for something along the lines of Bathory or Entombed, but don’t hold me to that, since my time in those dark corners are limited. What this 7” is really about is an audio tribute to a Ukrainian punk—who had formed both bands—and died before his twenty-first birthday. And in that context, it’s oddly sweet that making fun of bald xenophobes and sidling up to dudes who prove their commitment by burning churches is this guy’s swan song. –Todd Taylor (Razorcake) |
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