2022 is the year that I officially became old. Aside from the general, life-progressing milestones (I turned 38, my wife and I celebrated our 16th anniversary, and I skipped out on my 20 year high school reunion), I decided that my hair was now thinning too much to do anything with it besides buzzing it, and after being mostly deaf in my right ear for the past two years, I am now the proud owner of a hearing aid.
To deal with my swiftly arriving death, I listened to a lot of music this year. Here’s the stuff I liked the most. Editors Note: after completing this and trying to publish this post, it didn’t save anything, and instead of re-writing my review of each record, I’m just posting the record and a bandcamp link/Youtube video. Dang that was annoying.
20. Sekunderna – Här Har Du Ditt Liv (Bloated Kat, August 26th)
19. dumb – Pray 4 Tomorrow (Mint Records, November 11th)
18. Pulley – The Golden Life (SBÄM Records, June 10th)
16. Hogar – Todos Contra Todos (Mata La Música Records, March 1st)
15. Failing Up – Stories of a Disturbed Mind (Sell the Heart Records, June 17th)
14. Bruce Lee Band – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (Asian Man Records, May 27th)
13. Celebration Summer – Patience in Presence (A-F Records, September 23rd)
12. Bear Away – A Drastic Tale of Western Living (Sell the Heart Records, October 21st)
11. joyride! – Miracle Question (Salinas Records, April 15th)
10. The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field (Carpark Records, September 16th)
9. Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa (Matador Records, February 11th)
8. Sunliner – Sunliner (Lockjaw Records, November 4th)
7. Elway – The Best of All Possible Worlds (Red Scare Industries, April 1st)
6. Quaker Wedding – Total Disarray (Salinas Records, April 15th)
5. Black Thought & Danger Mouse – Cheat Codes (BMG, August 12th)
4. Five Hundred Bucks – $500 (self-released, April 29th)
3. Swami John Reis – Ride the Wild Night (Swami Records, February 18th)
2. Big Nothing – Dog Hours (Lame-O-Records, February 18th)
1. Signals Midwest – DENT (Lauren Records, April 8th)
I did a mid-year “best so far” list, and DENT landed at my no.10 spot, despite only having listened to it once before publishing the post. I mentioned that I “may rank it higher after a few more listens”, and yeah, I guess I did. I listened to it nonstop over the remainder of the summer, and… I really haven’t stopped listening to it. Beautiful record, one that I’ve listened to front to back more than any other album this year. Emotional, poetic lyrics, thoughtfully and sincerely delivered, catchy as all get out. This is the best record I’ve listened to in a long time. Tunes to check out: Tommy Took A Picture, Gold in the Grey
We’re just about halfway through 2022, and I’m ready to proclaim that there are just too many things happening every year. The days are quick but the weeks and months drag by. On a personal note, I had a decently successful first year of teaching in a new district on a new grade level, and both of my boys had pretty good seasons of baseball, which is awesome (ok, one was drastically more successful than the other, but I think they’ll both be back for more next spring, so I’ll take it).
On a musical note, I think the first half of the year has been pretty strong, and I *may* even go as far as to say that my top 10 from the first six months of 2022 edges out my top ten of all of 2021. Not that arbitrarily ranking records is right or good, but I’m gonna do that for these, just so I can see how things change for me by the end of the year. So, without further ado, my top 22 releases of the first half of 2022 (16 full lengths, and six EPs):
Full Lengths:
No.16 – Oso Oso – Sore Thumb (Triple Crown Records, March 18th)
I saw Oso Oso open up for The Menzingers a few months ago, and they put on a good show. “Computer Exploder” and “Nothing To Do” *might* be the best one-two punch to start off a record on this list.
No.15 – Heart To Gold – Tom (Memory Music, April 8th)
A little similar to Elway (which is featured later on this list), Heart to Gold combine elements of emo w/basement show punk and wear their heart on their sleeve (which idk, that’s kind of a weird idiom – I don’t really look at people’s sleeves that often, and if you wanted to talk about showing emotion, I think wearing your heart on your face is a better way of saying that). Anyways, this is a good record.
No.14 – Original Son – Currents (Sell The Heart Records, Feb 17th)
Andy from Sell The Heart records seems like a really cool dude and he does a pretty good job (imo) of getting new music out there. I caught a live stream on Instagram of a few songs of Original Son that he broadcasted, and they were really good. Punk rock n roll that sounds like Southern California, “Parasite” is a catchy tune that’ll get stuck in your head fora while.
No.13 – Reminders – Best of Beach Punk (Wiretap Records, May 17th)
Best of Beach Punk is the debut album from Reminders, but they’re already quite adept at writing ridiculously catchy choruses and have a fun, breezy punk vibe that is perfect for the summer. “Picturesque” and “Carousel” are jams.
No.12 – Plosivs – Plosivs (Swami Records, March 17th)
If you’ve read more than one post on this blog, you probably know that I am a huge fan of everything that John Reis touches. So why is it not closer to the top? It’s probably because *compared* to other Reis bands, Plosivs sounds less original – not that it’s bad, but after listening to a few songs, I feel like changing it to Hot Snakes instead. Maybe it’ll grow on me some more, but don’t let me undersell it, this is definitely good.
No.11 – Failing Up – Stories of a Disturbed Mind (Sell The Heart Records, June 17th)
This is probably the hardest hitting punk record on this list, very reminiscent of Neighborhood Brats’ Confines of Life, which was a top five record for me last year, though this is a little less polished. When vocalist Tanya Delgado screams the lyrics on “Parasite” and “Not Today”, I can feel my brain shake in my skull, and the rest of the band rips. Great debut.
No.10 – Signals Midwest – DENT (Lauren Records, April 8th)
I remember hearing the first Signals Midwest release Burn The Blueprints when I was still in college, and it sounded like a rough, unpolished band that was probably great at a basement show. The sound has matured and developed since then, and they’ve made a belter of a record that I found out about late and may rank higher after a few more listens. Their best work yet in my opinion.
No.9 – Doctrina – Desprendimiento (self-released, June 27th)
I’m gonna be completely honest, this only came out a few days ago, so I’ve only been able to give it one listen through, but Doctrina put out one of my favorite albums in 2019, and I was very excited to see that they came out with some new material. One of my favorite bands from Spain, hands down.
No.8 – Joyride! – Miracle Question (Salinas Records, April 15th)
Another great release from Salinas Records. It’s been a while since Joyride!’s last album, and I had kind of assumed that they broke up, so this was an incredibly pleasant surprise. I have a difficult time picking out a favorite part of the record, so idk what recommendations to put on your playlist, I just like listening to it from front to back.
No.7 – The Bruce Lee Band – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (Asian Man Records, May 27th)
If there is a cooler dude in the current scene than Mike Park, I don’t know who they are. Aside from having a killer-DIY ethic and supporting great social/political causes, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back is flat out good. Super talented players, urgent lyrics, and even a dub version of a song that I’ve been playing the heck out of. It’s great.
No.6 – Quaker Wedding – Total Disarray (Salinas Records, April 15th)
I’ve only written one album review this year, and it was for this one (found here). One of the most relatable (for me) records to come out in a while, Total Disarray is a sound that fits my ears like a glove. Incredibly personal lyrics, great songwriting, and tons of emotion, it’s a travesty that Quaker Wedding doesn’t get more attention.
No.5 – Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa (Matador Records, Feb 11th)
Spoon only makes good records (even though some are definitely better than others). Their four-record run from Girls Can Tell to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga remains my favorite Spoon era, but “The Hardest Cut” and “The Devil & Mr. Jones” are already all-time songs for me. The singles stand out, but it’s a very cohesive album as a whole – it’s always a good year when Spoon has new material out.
No.4 – Elway – The Best of All Possible Worlds (Red Scare, April 1st)
I’m super late to the game on Elway, a band that I’d heard of before but never really given much of a listen to. Dumb move. Punk with dashes of emo, if you already love The Lawrence Arms, Sincere Engineer, The Menzingers, or any number of Red Scare bands, you’ll love this.
No.3 – Five Hundred Bucks – $500 (self-released, April 29th)
I’ve been obsessed with this record since finding it a few weeks ago. The songs have enough variety to keep things interesting even on back-to-back-to-back listens. “Animal” and “Too High To Cry (Too Rare To Care)”, and “I Wanna Die Young” have a Green Day vibe (in a very good way), “Take It Back” and “This Welcome Mat Is A Land Mine” have a rock n roll sound, and “Standby” and “Velvet Arms” are perfect for early mornings or unwinding on a late night drive. This one is seriously great, three seems almost too low here.
No.2 – Big Nothing – Dog Hours (Lame-O-Records, Feb 18th)
Without a doubt, my most listened to record of the year, and it’s not particularly close. I loved Big Nothing’s Chris a few years ago, and I was initially disappointed that Dog Hours leaned away from the louder elements of their previous record. After a second or third spin, however, it was obvious that they stepped up their songwriting game, and even if they’re playing a little slower than most of the other records on this list, it’s still a brilliantly beautiful record.
No.1 – Swami John Reis – Ride the Wild Night (Swami Records, Feb 18th)
John Reis is a musical god and everything he touches is gold, and his first “solo record” (although he is quick to point out that it’s not just him playing, and he also released a sort of solo record under the name “Back Off Cupids” – which is a cool if sonically pretty different part of his discography) is no exception. It probably sounds a little similar to his work with Night Marchers (See You In Magic) and Sultans (Shipwrecked, not Ghost Ship), but it’s all fresh, doesn’t sound recycled at all. Swami Forever.
EPs:
No.6 – Montaña – Montaña EP (Andalucía Über Allies, April 25th)
I’m a sucker for post punk bands from Spain, and Montaña do this well. Highly recommended for fans of Semana Santa and Doctrina, and if you know who either those are, we should be best friends.
No.5 – Mondo Beta – Mondo Beta EP (self-released, March 31st)
If you’ve ever wondered what Hot Snakes might sound like if they were from Spain, look no further than Mondo Beta. These disciples of the downstroke put out a killer full-length in 2020, and this EP picks up right where they left off.
No.4 Slomo Drags – Twin Absorber EP (Spaceflight Records, Feb 25th)
Austin is the live music capital of the world, so since Slomo Drags are my favorite Austin band (tied w/the beautiful people in Capture Phase), they may well be the greatest band on planet earth. Great indie-pop w/catchy hooks, snarky lyrics, and to top it off, they’re incredible live. Love these dudes.
No.3 – Future Girls – Year Long Winter EP (Dirt Cult Records, May 6th)
Apparently Future Girls are now broken up, which is kind of a bummer, but vocalist Matty Grace is still making music with Cluttered and Century Egg and doing solo stuff, so no reason to get too depressed. A Year Long Winter doesn’t sound too appealing to this Texan transplant from California, but the frustration and anger shared in these five songs are relatable to just about anyone.
No.2 – New You – Candy EP (Lonely Ghost Records, June 24th)
I came across New You’s EP when I saw that Lonely Ghost Records was offering a free tape of theirs for donating $6 or more to any pro-choice funds after Roe was overturned. While not a great circumstance to find new music, I was more than happy to do so, especially after hearing how great the songs were. If this was a full length, it’d likely be in my top ten – breezy, fun poppy rock in the vein of Fountains of Wayne, I like this band a lot.
No.1 – Cluttered / Talk Show Host – Enemy Us (split) (self-released, May 13th)
I have not hidden my love for Cluttered and Talk Show Host on this blog, and even though I had never listened to Enemy You before this split came out, it a) blew me away, both of these bands are great and are incredibly underrated, and b) gave me another band to dig up and check out. The only downside is that this is only four songs, and I can’t get enough of either of these bands.
…
Anyways, if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, hopefully you find something good to listen to here. As far as what I’ve been listening to the past six months, here’s my last.fm grid since Jan 1st:
I recently got turned onto Against Me!, and my digital plays helped it edge out Dog Hours, but I’ve played it on vinyl over a dozen times, so it’s the unofficial number 1. I played Tom Petty to almost every one of my kid’s baseball practices and games, so that accounts for a high ranking as well. Spiritual Cramp was a band I saw at SXSW that totally ripped, and I *might* make it out to see Motion City Soundtrack while I’m visiting San Diego next week. Dark Thoughts, Teenage Halloween, Cobra Skulls, and The Clash are basically on every iteration of this grid since I learned how to make ’em.
Anyways, be excellent to each other, and hopefully the rest of 2022 is as good as it can be.
Ok, so… man, I didn’t post my end of the year best of 2021 records. Pretty lame if you ask me, that’s most of the reason that I even have this blog. Ok, so before getting into the stuff I’ve been listening to that’s come out this year, here’s my quick 2021 recap:
my favorite music of 2021 thread: for all four accounts that follow me for my musical taste, listen up. pic.twitter.com/qgZ5uD4OrF
Highly recommend checking any of those out if you missed them, they are all very good.
OK, onto my favorite releases of the first quarter of the year.
Swami John Reis – Ride the Wild Night (Swami Records, February 2022)
John Reis is a friggin’ legend and at this point, I don’t think it’s possible for him to release any music that I don’t absolutely love. He’s got another (perhaps more lauded?) release on this list, but this is my favorite one, and an early contender for album of the year. Less Hot Snakes/RFTC, more along the lines of what he did with Night Marchers, it’s just great.
Elway – The Best of All Possible Worlds (Red Scare Industries, April 1st)
I’m embarrassingly late to Elway, as this is their fifth record, but the first time I’ve ever given them a fair listen. As someone who has been obsessed w/The Lawrence Arms, Sincere Engineer, and The Menzingers for the last while, Elway is right in my wheelhouse, while still putting their own spin on the emotive punk genre.
Big Nothing – Dog Hours (Lame-O-Records, February 18th)
At first listen, I wasn’t as moved as their 2019 debut, Chris, which had a few more uptempo tracks. After a few spins though, I stopped trying to compare it and just enjoy it for what it is, which is a great record to just relax to on my way to work or while I’m working around the house. “A Lot Of Finding Out” is great, but enjoy this album as a whole, it’s so good.
Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa (Matador, February 11th)
No band is on a consecutive-album streak like Spoon. How are they so good and still able to mix it up on (almost) every album? Britt Daniels is a wizard, and he’s still got plenty left in the tank on Lucifer on the Sofa. “The Hardest Cut” is a heavy staple when driving w/my kids, but “The Devil & Mr. Jones” is also a gem, and the whole record is diverse enough to keep you entertained the whole way through.
Quaker Wedding – Total Disarray (Salinas Records, April 15th)
You should’ve spotted Quaker Wedding’s Running List 7″ at the top of this post as one of my favorite releases from last year, and both the A and B sides are here on their sophomore release. Just like 2020’s In Transit, the melancholy themes of strained relationships and recurring frustrations are matched with heavy, catchy tunes that will make you feel better about feeling like shit. Love this band.
Plosivs – s/t (Swami Records, March 17th)
Don’t let the fact that this is only my second favorite Swami release of the year sway you, Plosivs are great. John Reis’ extensive catalogue keeps this from being higher on my list, if only because I’d like it better if the vocals were a little more raw and the sound was a tad heavier. I realize now that I’m describing Hot Snakes, and that’s not fair – Plosivs are great and you should listen to them. Then Hot Snakes. Then Sultans. Then Rocket from the Crypt. Then Swami John Reis. Then Back Off Cupids.
Joyride! – Miracle Question (Salinas Records, April 15th)
A while back, I was taking advantage of a sale Salinas Records was having, and bought a few LPs from Joyride!, a female-fronted indie-punk band that sounded cool but that I’d never heard of before. I got hooked on them, but then figured that they’d broken up. WELL, it turns out they didn’t, and just put out a really good record you should go check out.
Reminders – Best of Beach Punk (Wiretap Records, April 1st)
“Carousel” is probably one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard the whole year. While it’s not a perfect record, Reminders have written a few perfect choruses on here (“Picturesque” among them). It’s a really impressive debut and well worth checking out if you’re in a pop-punk kinda mood.
Ten Things I Hate About You – s/t (self-released, January 21st)
My favorite Hawaiian emo band named after an underrated romantic comedy. I’d like this one better if the production value was a little higher, but I think that’s a choice they made, to make it a little fuzzier and noisier. Either way, they write some catchy songs if you’re able to hear them.
Original Son – Currents (Sell The Heart Records, February 17th)
The best $3 a month I spend is on the Sell The Heart Records digital subscription, which is how I found out about Original Son. A mixture of a few influences, it definitely reminds me of growing up in the punk scene in southern California, and I really like STH Records’ media approach – I’ve been able to catch Original Son on some Instagram livestreams and they’re good live.
Russ Rankin – Come Together Fall Apart (SBÄM Records, January 28th)
Good Riddance was one of the primary punk influences in young Marcus’ life, so I’ll always have a soft spot for everything Rankin does, and while I still prefer the full band sound, his always political lyrics (I write this on the night that it was leaked that the Supreme Court has the votes to overturn Roe v. Wade) are sung just as earnestly and are as relevant as always. America Flies First Class.
Oso Oso – Sore Thumb (Triple Crown Records, March 18th)
My most recent show was seeing The Menzingers down in Austin at Empire Control Room (incredible show, easily the best I’ve been to since the beginning of the pandemic), and while I was bummed to arrive too late to see the opener (Sincere Engineer, though I fortunately caught them a few months prior at the same venue), I was able to see Oso Oso live. While Sore Thumb didn’t quite grab me on first listen, seeing them live really brought it together for me, quality indie rock that can be catchy but still keep you guessing.
Slomo Drags – Twin Absorber EP (Spaceflight Records, February 25th)
I know that Austin has a ton of bands, but it’s still crazy to me that Slomo Drags haven’t gotten more attention here. They are by far my favorite local band (honorable mention to Capture Phase, who are recording new music this week). Indie pop that is really catchy and creative, they stand out for tongue in cheek lyrics (see: “Guns! (Baby) and “Effeminate Cop” from some earlier releases), which they continue on “All The Kids” and “Almost Good Enough”. Listen to them please!
Mondo Beta – s/t EP (March 31st, No Men’s Records)
The lone non-English speaking release, Mondo Beta first graced the pages of this here blog with their debut release, which was incredible. They’re back here w/a few more tunes paying homage to the Hot Snakes, and I’ve always maintained that people that like Hot Snakes are the best kind of people.
Teenage Halloween – split w/Homeless Gospel Choir (Don Giovanni Records, January 1st)
On of the highlights of my 2022 SXSW experience (aside from seeing Pom Poko and Spiritual Cramp, a pair of new-to-me bands that blew me away) was finally being able to see Teenage Halloween live. Even on a slightly drizzly morning w/only a handful of people who weren’t there for the free stuff from Paste Magazine, they totally shredded their way through an awesome set. Anyways, I’m not totally into the Homeless Gospel Choir part of this split (it’s not bad, just not my thing), but both Teenage Halloween tunes are top notch.
Alright, that’s it for now. Hopefully it doesn’t take me six months to post again.
Well, it’s October. I trust you celebrated Limbeck Day (the first day of October, after a line from “The Sun Woke The Whole State”) appropriately by listening to some good music. After monthly posts for the first half of the year, I’m now playing a bit of catch-up, squeezing the best music released from the past three months into one post.
Between coming back from an unexpected trip to California this summer, moving into a new house, and beginning a new school year in a new grade level (4th) at a new school, I haven’t been as active patrolling bandcamp as I was earlier this year. As such, there aren’t many super obscure bands here, and only a few that I hadn’t heard of previously, so if you know of something I missed, definitely reply in the comments.
July:
Kiteflighter – Минулі Часи (July 6th, self-released)
Hands down my favorite emo band from Ukraine, Kiteflighter put out a killer full length in 2019 and this three-song EP is the follow up. Really like these guys, remember contacting them on Facebook to order a shirt, but even though it was only $9 USD, it was like $30 for shipping. I don’t know the title or lyrics to any of these songs, but still very enjoyable.
I am a very very casual Descendents fan (I wasn’t a big video gamer in high school, but “I’m The One” was a jam that my friends told me about after playing Tony Hawk), but they were my first show of 2021, so I had to check this one out to get ready. It’s good but not great, and I won’t pretend to know where it ranks among their discography, but definitely worth a listen. The live show was great, first time seeing them and (surprisingly) my first time to Stubb’s in Austin. Milo forever.
The Raging Nathans – Bring Me The Head of Betsy DeVos 7″(July 23rd, Rad Girlfriend Records)
I was raised in an ultra religious and conservative household, but up until the former guy was elected, I was pretty apolitical. I mean, I laughed at Jon Stewart a little when I was in college, but didn’t really pay too much attention. Privilege and all that. But Betsy DeVos getting the Education Secretary nomination was the thing that forced me to pay attention. I know plenty of teachers who are conservative (basically one-issue voters, with that issue being abortion), but all of them knew that she was an idiot. I remember having a big long Facebook argument w/my dad who knew nothing about her but defended her because… well, that’s a story for another blog. But yeah, fuck Betsy DeVos.
Vacation – Existential Risks and Returns (July 30th, Salinas Records)
Salinas Records is so good. I’ve become sort of email buddies w/Marco, the guy that runs the label (who also happens to be a public school teacher), and in the past year, I’ve accumulated a pretty decent chunk of their catalogue on vinyl. A slight departure from their last record, which my buddy Steve described as “shittily recorded to perfection”, it’s lo-fi (but not like, *super* lo-fi) garage rock that sounds old and new at the same time and idk I just dig it.
August:
Liquid Mike – Stuntman (August 23rd, self-released)
This was really the only album I came across in August that I liked. This band reminds me a little bit of the Fountains of Wayne self-titled record or a new band I like called Camp Trash. This is a fun record that I’ve listened to a lot even though I haven’t seen literally anything about this band anywhere.
Wayfairer is the solo project of… uh, one of the guys from Modern Shakes (I looked it up, it’s Ian), a punk band from the UK. I dig those guys and even though this is a little different, I dig this too. A little more mellow, bedroomy sound while still sounding like a side project of a guy in a gruff punk band (in a good way).
The Violent Hearts – Everything and Nothing (September 3rd, self-released)
I already mentioned my buddy Steve on here, and I’m going to do it again, since he posted about The Violent Hearts on his blog and that’s how I found out about them. He does a Top 5 or 10 every month when he’s not on vacation, and these guys were his number one for September. And usually I dig through the other stuff he links to and find things I like better than his first choice and I tell him that he’s wrong, but this month he nailed it. Well done Steve. And well done Violent Hearts, who don’t sound particularly violent but very hearty in a good post-punk kind of way.
Sincere Engineer – Bless My Psyche (September 10th, Hopeless Records)
Rhombithian, the debut of Sincere Engineer that came out in 2017, is still in pretty decent rotation (“Overbite” is an incredible jam, as is “Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7” and “Shattering”). Took a while for Bless My Psyche to finally emerge, but dang, it is good. I remember hearing that the best way to get rid of the blues is to play the blues, which I never really understood, but a good way of not feeling so depressed is knowing that Deanna Belos has felt how you feel and will sing you a depressing song that will make you feel better. Lots of mental health themes in here. It’s an easy top 5 record for me, gonna call it right now (with like, three months left in the year, probably not a super bold prediction). Oh, also Franz Nicolay from The Hold Steady plays keys on it and really takes it to the next level. Can’t say yet if I like it more or less than the first one, but really good regardless.
No bandcamp link, so go check it out where you listen to music, I guess.
Face To Face – No Way Out But Through (September 10th, Fat Wreck Chords)
Face To Face is still on my “need to see them live” list, and I was gonna cross em off but the pre-SXSW show in Austin 2019 turned out to never happen, so I’ll havta wait a little longer. My general take is that they’ll never top “Blind” or “Walk the Walk”, but it’s still good and what you’d expect from a band that’s been doing the same thing for about three decades – loud and fast and themes of overcoming stuff. To be honest I haven’t listened to this one too much because I can’t update my music library to my phone and I don’t like streaming while I’m driving, so hopefully I can remedy that soon.
Elway – The English Wishbone (September 24th, Red Scare Records)
I haven’t really gotten into Elway until now, mostly because I’m an idiot. This is definitely in my wheelhouse and hopefully they put out more music soon, but if they don’t that’s fine because I need to go back through their catalogue and listen to everything else they’ve put out. It’s on Red Scare so you know it’s good, RIYL Lawrence Arms, Sincere Engineer, etc.
Thanks for reading, here’s the playlist, be sure to listen and support artists by finding good music and then buying it.
To be honest, July was a pretty rough one for our family. Lots of unplanned stuff (my wife’s father passed away, our car broke down on the way to travel to CA for his service, and the moving date for our house was moved back after we put in our notice for our apartment, so we we had to stay with family for a few weeks), but we made it out the other side. We are officially in our new home, teachers report this week to our new school district, the car situation has been re$olved, and I’ll be seeing live music this month (Rise Against, Descendents, and The Menzingers at Stubbs on the 13th, the day after our 15th anniversary and the week after my 37th birthday).
Anyways, for lots of reasons, I wasn’t following new music releases that closely last month, I’m borrowing a page from my buddy Dave over at Oklahoma Lefty and do a playlist post. These are some songs that I’ve been listening to, some old, some new.
Frank Black & the Catholics – “Horrible Day” (2003) I worked w/a dude named Tyson at a window making factory before going to college and he had really good taste in music. He burned me a copy of Show Me Your Tears and Jawbreaker’s Dear You and I owe a lot to him for that. This song is really good (I listened to it five times in a row while driving a few weeks ago) and after dealing w/a lot of worries this past month, was a good way to start the playlist
The Raging Nathans – “No Goodbye” (2021) I had heard of these guys before, but either the name or the record covers or a song or two that I heard never caught my ear, and I kinda dismissed them. Well, they have a new 7″ coming out (super bummed it’s already sold out) called Bring Me The Head Of Betsy DeVos, and as a teacher, that is a really good way to get my attention. This is the A-side and it’s great and I’m digging into their back catalogue as I write this.
Vacation – Color By Numbers (2021) Vacation has a new record coming out on Salinas Records this month called Existential Risks and Returns. I probably need to do a post just on Salinas Records, because after digging through their catalogue, they just have so much good music, and I’m stoked to hear the stuff they’re releasing. Lo-fi rock goodness here.
Descendents – I’m Shaky (2021)So I don’t think that there’s a standout standout track on 9th and Walnut, but there’s lots of short, good punk songs on here. This is one of them. Can’t wait to see these guys live.
Rocket From the Crypt – Pressure’s On (1993) So while I was in CA for my father-in-law’s service, we went to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, which is very close to Lou’s Records, one of my very favorite places in the world. Nothing like picking up an old RFTC CD from Lou’s. Actually, my first RFTC CD I ever bought was one of these All Systems Go comps and I hated it so much that I didn’t listen to them for a long time after that. What an idiot.
The Hold Steady – The Smidge (2010) This was the other item I picked up at Lou’s – a 10th anniversary pressing of Heaven Is Whenever. I was actually at the record release show for this one, at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. I remember being bummed that they didn’t play “How a Resurrection Really Feels”, but still a good show, and a very underrated album IMO. I got into The Hold Steady after Stay Positive came out, so this was my first “new” record from them.
Limbeck – Let Me Come Home Demo (2017) I think that Frank Black & the Catholics was my gateway to Limbeck, who became my favorite band. While Hi, Everything’s Great is my all time favorite record, this is my all time favorite Limbeck song, off their self-titled album. The demo of it is my favorite rendition, which was added to this 10th year anniversary re-press. Definitely a great song to listen to while driving home from anywhere, especially the place you used to call home.
Unwritten Law – California Sky (1998) I probably haven’t listened to any album more times than UL’s self-titled, and most of those spins were when I was still in high school (which is to say, that I played it a ton). This was the record that made me fall in love w/punk (yes, I know that it’s more rock than punk, but that’s besides the point for now). Anyways, listening to this while being back in San Diego was almost too nostalgic for me.
Friend Of My Youth – Soft Sci-Fi (2019) I mentioned that I’m obsessed w/Salinas Records, and this is a record I came across that really blew me away. Really speaks to the part of me that loves Tigers Jaw. Probably wouldn’t have been into this when it came out, but I’m glad to enjoy it a few years later.
Good Riddance – A Credit To His Gender (1996) So earlier in the month, I thought that I had lost the thumb drive w/all my music on it, so while out running errands w/the kids, we stopped at a Half Price Books and I perused the music section and picked up their lone Good Riddance CD. GR and No Use For A Name were the bands that I transitioned to after getting into Unwritten Law, and GR has stuck with me the longest. Love this band, love this record.
Jimmy Eat World – A Praise Chorus (2001) I was gonna write about the 20th anniversary of Bleed American but it didn’t happen. While this wasn’t really even close to one of my favorite records in high school (it came out right before I started my senior year), it is one that has aged the best into adulthood. I mean, I still feel like skipping “The Middle” every time I hear it, but the rest is just great, especially this song.
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros – Johnny Appleseed (2001) Global A Go-Go also turned 20 this year, and jeez, this was also a landmark listening for me. For whatever reason, the first time I heard a song from The Clash, I just wasn’t into it, and kinda wrote them off. Then a few years later, I came across this record and it literally blew my mind. I’m probably one of the few people who got INTO The Clash after listening to Joe’s work w/the Mescaleros first. Some of the songs get a little lengthy (especially on side B), but this song is a masterpiece. RIP Joe.
Anyways, nothing *too* new this month (besides the new/old Descendents, The Raging Nathans, and Vacation), but I’m excited to get August going. My birthday gift for myself is a new record player (I previously just used a cheap portable one, and it broke while we were packing stuff up for our move months ago) and while it’ll still be something pretty inexpensive, it’ll still be a step up from what I had before. Oh, also, the picture at the top was taken while walking around San Diego Bay w/Max because he was too scared to go in the fishing boat w/everyone else. Foster ended up catching his first fish, and Max eventually got up the courage to go out on the water when everybody came back in. Take care y’all.
Hey y’all, it’s July. If Sunday nights are hard to fully enjoy because you know Monday is right around the corner, that’s how I’m feeling about July. This month is gonna be busy, since we’ll be spending a few unexpected weeks in California (my father-in-law’s funeral and a “oh crap, they pushed back the closing on the house we’re buying but we already put in our notice at our apartment so now we’re gonna be homeless for a few weeks” trip), and by the time we get back, it’ll basically be August and we’ll have a lot of new orientation and planning meetings since we will both be new at the local school district.
But at least live music is back! Or it’s gonna be back, shortly, right? I just got tickets to the Austin leg of the Rise Against / Descendents / The Menzingers tour, as well as Bully’s show at the Mohawk, but I’m really looking forward to supporting smaller/local bands as well. Spoon did a last minute show at Mohawk this week that I couldn’t have gone to but was very jealous of everyone that went.
Anyways, I’m gonna skip the usual monthly “best of” post, and share the music I’ve loved from the whole (first half of the) year. I haven’t done a mid-year post like this before, and I wasn’t planning on ranking them initially, since I haven’t had a lot of time to sit with some of these. However, I do have a running list that I keep in the notes section of my phone, and I’m interested to see how much this list changes from now until the end of the year. I have them divided up into full lengths, EPs, and a couple of bonus singles at the end. Let me know if the comments of any bands that you agree with or think I missed, thanks for reading!
EDIT: just short writeups for these ones, but feel free to go back into the posts from the past few months to find out more of what I had to say about them (with the exception of a few that I only recently came across or a few that I wrote about on a blog called That’s Good Enough For Me – speaking of which, you should definitely check out my reviews on Cluttered, Misgivings, Needles//Pins, and Talk Show Host).
RECORDS
12. Fake Fruit – Fake Fruit (Rocks In Your Head Records)
Post-punk is a weird genre, in that some of it I really love, and others I can’t stand at all. Really polarizing to my ears. Anyways, obviously this is the good stuff. You know I wouldn’t lead you astray.
Feels like I was finding new awesome Canadian bands at a pretty regular clip for a few months this year. These gruff punks are one of ’em. This and their previous record Good Night, Tomorrow have been in constant rotation the past few months.
8. Neckscars – Don’t Panic (Sell The Heart Records)
Considering that a lot of the bands I like are influenced by Hot Water Music, you’d think that I was a big fan of HWM. But I’m not. For example, Neckscars seem to sound a lot like HWM, but I like Neckscars better than HWM. So that’s my pitch – if you like HWM, these guys are even better.
7. Tenpera – Buffet (self-released)
I’ll admit that I have had the least amount of time with this one, so it could move around a bit in the year-end list. But I’m a sucker for bands from Spain and this kinda post-punk, and this is a twofer.
6. Hadda Be – Another Life (Last Night From Glasgow)
This record is such a vibe, great for driving in the rain or going on walks w/Miles and Ollie.
5. Talk Show Host – Mid-Century Modern (Wiretap Records)
Sometimes I wonder what 17-year-old me from 2002 would think of my current music tastes, but this is one that we would both agree is a gem. If you’re looking for the ultimate pop-punk summer record, this is it.
4. Mikey Erg – Mikey Erg (Rad Girlfriend Records)
I’m a simple man w/simple tastes, and this record checks a lot of my boxes. No frills punk-pop, fast and to the point before moving on to the next one. It might’ve ended up even higher if it was a little bit longer.
3. Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me (Hopeless Records)
I’ve only recently gotten into Tigers Jaw, and I don’t know how the die-hards rank this one in their discography, but it’s definitely grown on me this year and is one of my favorite TJ records now (their self-titled record is a masterpiece). I can and have listened to “Hesitation” on repeat many times this year.
2. Neighborhood Brats – Confines of Life (Dirt Cult Records)
This is such a great punk record. I listen to a lot of gruff, gravelly, bearded dude punk (no shame, I like what I like), but this album is such a breath of fresh air. This should be a big record and I haven’t seen nearly enough press on it. Any band that puts out a song called “All Nazis Must Die” is worth a listen.
1. Remember Sports – Like A Stone (Father/Daughter Records)
This is the one to beat. I mean, you can just enjoy music without comparing records, but I’ve listened to this so much, and the songwriting is so, so good. Love it love it love it. My Last.fm tells me that this is my most listened to record of 2021, and I don’t see that changing any time soon, heavy rotation, everyone with ears should check this out if they haven’t yet. “Sentimentality” is the first song on the Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post, just stop reading and go listen to it.
EP’s:
7. Sekunderna – Hjartat EP (Luftslott Records)
The best punk I’ve ever heard out of Sweden (besides that one band that wrote “No Cigar“.
Fun rock n roll from my favorite Argentines. There’s a few poppy songs, a few bangers, and “Johnny” is just a really, really good song. Love these guys.
5. Back East – Until It Ends (self-released)
I know I already referenced Millencolin, and Back East is from Switzerland, not Sweden, but if you like that brand of punk, Back East are yr dudes.
4. Bruce Lee Band – Division in the Heartland (Asian Man Records)
I’m not super into ska, but Mike Park remains one of the coolest dudes in music, and this EP is very good.
3. Lost In Society – Stay Jaded (Wiretap Records)
When I first heard this EP, I felt like I had already heard it before, and was just remembering it. Is that weird? Big Loved Ones/Gaslight Anthem vibes from these New Jersey punkers, really dig it.
2. Cluttered – Cluttered EP / Accidents (Sick Scene Productions / Bloated Kat Records)
I’m cheating a little and counting both of these EPs as one entry, because put ’em together (which is how I listen to them in my car), and you’d have a top five record of the year IMO. Obsessed w/this band.
1. Camp Trash – Downtiming (Count Your Lucky Stars Records)
Like Saves the Day covering Fountains of Wayne, “Bobby” is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year.
SINGLES:
Quaker Wedding – Russian Hill 7″ (self-released)
Quaker Wedding put out a top 10 record last year, and my Last.fm says it’s still one of my most listened to records of 2021. Very stoked for whatever they’re doing next, love these guys.
The Night Marchers – Wot’s Da Use 7″ (Swami Records)
Joe Strummer is my one music idol, but if there was a second, it would be living legend John Reis. Everything he does is great, from Rocket From the Crypt to Hot Snakes to Sultans to The Night Marchers to Swami John Reis to Back Off Cupids to his radio show that I used to listen to on FM94/9 that I think is on 91X now maybe or maybe it’s just on Spotify idk. More John Reis is always better.
SO, there you have it. I fudged the math a little bit, but there’s 21ish good music things to listen to from 2021. Here’s the accompanying Spotify playlist, you should listen to it. Then support the artists you like by buying their stuff or going to a show or sharing it w/a friend. Happy July y’all!
Alright May, way to go. Aside from the many, many days of rain we’ve gotten here in central Texas, I really can’t complain too much about May (and even then, the rain has kept it from getting oppressively hot, so hey, silver lining). School is out (well for me and my wife and my boys – my daughter’s district still has a week and a half), we’re getting nearer to closing on our new house (like, 45 days or so, but who’s counting), and the Padres are winning more games than they are losing.
Oh, also, there’s been some really good new music, AND I’ve been getting into some new-to-me music as well. I mentioned it before (and I’ll mention it again), Salinas Records had a 20% sale for their 18th anniversary and if you didn’t get anything, you missed out. I mean, the good music is still probably there, just at a full price, which is still fine. Anyways, here’s the new music:
Quaker Wedding – Russian Hill (May 7th, self-released)
Quaker Wedding released one of my favorite records last year, and I am stoked that they are already working on releasing new material. I don’t know if this was recorded from the same session that their LP was cut from, but if you told me it was, I’d believe it. More Jawbreaker meets Face to Face tunes to feel sad to. Not quite as catchy as “Jilted Lover”, but still so, so, so good.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – When God Was Great (May 7th, Hellcat Records)
Let’s Face It was a big deal record for young Marcus. “The Impression That I Get” is a banger that still holds up, and other songs on that one like “1-2-8” and “Never Mind Me” were key gateway-to-punk tracks. Ska and ska-punk are not genres that I’ve followed much after the heyday of the Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and Less Than Jake, but this record is a fun listen. There’s been five records between this and my first introduction to this band, and outside of a few tracks, I haven’t listened to many of them, but I dig this one.
PURONYLON – FICHITA (May 11th, self-released)
Do you ever get a craving for lo-fi punk en espanol? I can’t say that it’s an itch that I’ve felt like scratching that often, but for what sounds like a bedroom demo, this one is a decent spin.
The Black Keys – Delta Kream (May 14th, Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records)
I don’t know how I really feel about the new stuff from The Black Keys. At this point, they’ve already done the “covering old blues guys that influenced them” bit (the Chulahoma EP, along with some scattered tracks on other full lengths), but I like them, uh… getting back to their roots, I guess? All told, I’m not really sure why this was created and released, and I don’t really see me playing it as much as, like, Rubber Factory or some of the singles off El Camino, but it’s still an enjoyable listen, even if it’s not incredibly original.
KRONSTADT – Quai de l’ouest (May 16th, self-released)
France is almost as big as Texas (only about 8,000 square miles smaller) but has way more cool bands than Texas. Too much country music in Texas. I mean, some of it is okay (c’mon, expand yr mind, get beyond what you already know), but most of it sucks. Anyways, idk what KRONSTADT or “quai de l’ouest” mean, but this is a good record, solid jams throughout.
When my first girlfriend broke up with me, I had just gotten my first Face to Face CD, and it took me like a decade to fully separate that feeling of being dumped with some really good songs. I feel like I might’ve done that (to a less uh, traumatizing extent?) with this one by Misgivings, as I listened to it nonstop during the last week of school, so I might connect this to cleaning out my room and packing everything into a storage unit for a while. I guess it’s good music to clean to while feeling a bit nostalgic. It doesn’t sound like The Loved Ones, but it feels like they could’ve opened for them on their Build and Burn tour. A little Gaslight Anthem and Replacements influence. I like this one.
I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. I’m usually hesitant to pull the trigger on a vinyl purchase before I can listen to the whole thing (or unless it’s a band I already really like and there’s a cool color variant or something), but as soon as I heard the first single, “A Rather Strained Apologetic”, I knew this was gonna be good. And I was right! It seems like all of a sudden Canada has all the cool new-to-me bands. Thank you Canada, I hope Montreal gets the Expos back soon.
Bruce Lee Band – Division in the Heartland (May 28th, Asian Man Records)
Is there anybody in music that is cooler than Mike Park? Outside of John Reis and Brendan Kelly, I’m not sure that there is, and least in my worthless opinion. If you had told me at any point, this year or last, that I’d have not one, but TWO ska-related releases on a monthly countdown, I’d have thought you had lost yr mind. But it’s like when I was in high school, people would ask if I was a surfer, and I would say that I could surf and went surfing occasionally, but I wouldn’t consider myself a “surfer”. I wouldn’t say that I love ska (or even like it that much), but I’ll listen to it once in a while and I like some of it.
Alright, well, there you have it, eight good releases from May. Here’s a Spotify playlist if you wanna jam to it.
April was nuts. We *officially* sold our house and moved from a town of about 7,000 to a town of about 80,000, and after a half a dozen job interviews, I finally landed a teaching job for next school year. We nailed down a closing date for the house that we’re building (July 15th), which is very cool, so now we are down to closing out the rest of the school year (NINETEEN SCHOOL DAYS LEFT HOLY COW) and spending what little free time we have exploring our new city.
I don’t know if it’s all the hectic/exciting life stuff that has kept me from finding a lot of good, new music this month, but pickings are pretty slim (for my picky music tastes). I normally like to get out this post at the beginning of the month, but this time I waited (smartly) until my buddy Steve at The Doesn’t Suck posted his picks for the month and see what stuff slipped under my radar. I don’t know that the Venn diagrams of our music taste have a ton of overlap, but I almost always find something great from him every month, and this was no exception.
Maybe because I spent a lot of time this month packing up stuff for the house (and also throwing out a ton of stuff that we had accumulated during the last five years in our old house), I was looking for things that sparked A LOT of joy instead of a normal amount of joy. If I’m being honest, of the 24 releases that I’ve shared this year (eight each month), there’s only a handful that are still in pretty solid rotation – Lxs Diamantes, Cluttered, and Camp Trash from January, Mikey Erg from February, and Tigers Jaw and Fake Fruit from March.
Perhaps I’m being more selective, but regardless of how everything holds up, I only post music on here that I paid for at some point.
OH! Another great thing from this month was that Marco from Salinas Records sent me an advanced digital copy of the new Quaker Wedding 7″ (and told me that they have a new full length coming out this year). It rips and Marco is awesome, so even though that isn’t showing up on this rundown, that’s something else I’ve been listening to a lot this month. On a related note, Salinas Records is celebrating it’s 18th anniversary, so coupon code “eighteen” gets you 20% off their store, I’d recommend the LPs by Quaker Wedding, Distants, Big Nothing, Vacation, and Second Narrows, but they have lots of good stuff. I am of course not being paid to say this, I just love that label.
Talk Show Host – Blood in the Sand (April 2nd, Wiretap Records)
I started following this account on Twitter because the person running it had really good taste in music, and it turns out that he’s the bass player for Talk Show Host, a pop punk band based out of Toronto. They put out “This Monologue” as a stand alone single that I really loved, and I’m looking forward to their debut LP Mid-Century Modern later on next month. “Blood in the Sand” is one of the singles off that record, but to be honest I’m trying not to listen to any of the other singles off it because I want to absorb the record as a whole and not fixate on the singles. Pre-ordered the vinyl for this one, should be good.
Courting – Grand National (April 9th, Nice Swan Records)
This was the first of two finds from The Doesn’t Suck‘s Scrap Heap. I feel like this is the year of post-punk, and Courting’s dancey sound is quite a bit different from what I normally listen to, but fits in pretty well with dumb, a really good Canadian post punk band that’s not into capitalization. Only four songs on this one, but a good, fun listen.
War Dreams – Lull the Sky (April 15th, self-released)
I already spotlighted one of these guys’ EPs on here earlier this year, but the dudes from Hutto, TX dropped another pair of songs, and I feel invested now, like I need to be their biggest fan. Or at least pay a dollar or two for their music. Either way, a lot of promise for these dudes, even if I probably preferred their first release to their last one. Oh jeez, I’m already saying “I liked their older stuff” for a band that’s a few months old, I’m so annoying.
Remember Sports – Like A Stone (April 23rd, Father/Daughter Records)
This was the big find from Steve. He gave this one a 4.9, basically an Honorable Mention on his blog, and dang, this is hands down my best find from him this year. Not particularly close either. I am really into this record – great mix of indie-punk and alt-country, fits in with bands like Big Nothing and Hop Along. I’ve listened to it back to back probably a half dozen times in the past few days and I can’t get enough of it.
We Are Joiners – Black & Blue – Single (April 28th, self-released)
We Are Joiners is I think just a single dude making a bunch of loud, lo-fi noise, and that’s not normally my thing, but idk I just dig the vibes. I got one of their tapes at the beginning of the year and it’s good.
Hadda Be – Another Life (April 30th, Last Night From Glasgow)
Another Life is a huge ear worm – every time I listen to it, there’s something new I hear or I come away with another favorite song. Like, it’s one that I listened to all the way through because I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not, and then I had to listen to it again because I couldn’t tell if I really liked it, and then I had to listen to it again because I needed to know how much I liked it, and then I was like man, I need to just relax and enjoy this because it’s good. I took Miles and Ollie to the dog park and afterwards it started raining and then just kind of drove around in the rain and this was playing the whole time and now I’ll probably always associate it with the dog park and rain. idk if that’s good or bad but this record is definitely good. I’ll admit that I didn’t go the bandcamp route on this one because it was cheaper on iTunes and sometimes I’m just cheap sorry guys.
Anyways, a shorter list than normal (six entries instead of eight, plus three of those releases had just four songs combined) but idk what to tell you that’s just how it be sometimes. Already got some good ones lined up for May, so hopefully that trend continues.
I know it’s a cliche to say that time has lost meaning, but I’m definitely feeling that way. Right now the days seem to take forever, but the weeks seem to be going kinda fast, but also is it still only April? I’m a teacher, and I’ve always kinda frowned on co-workers who were like, counting down the days til school got out, because I actually like my job and the kids I work with, so I’m not dying to get to summer break. But, uh… yeah, this year I am kinda in that boat. I’m not doing a countdown or anything, but ever since my team submitted our assessment tracker for the rest of the quarter and seeing all those end of May dates, I’m ready.
But March was good, I guess. I got the first the first Pfizer shot from my school district (and hopefully by the time you read this, the second). I had a few job interviews in the district we’re moving to that I felt really good about (and hopefully by the time you read this, I have a job offer for next year). And we had the first two offers fall through on our house, but we have new showings lined up for this weekend, and we’ve already gotten an offer for over asking, so hopefully that is resolved soon.
Anyways, lots of things happening, but still feel like I’m in limbo a bit. But there were some good tunes to listen to throughout it all. Here’s eight releases I liked enough to write about.
Beach Things – Beach Things (March 2nd, self-released)
I’ll admit, as someone who gets an extra kick out of finding good music from remote locations, I haven’t had great luck finding bands that I’ve dug from Asia. But Beach Things is cool. I feel like I’m just reading off the descriptors in their bandcamp, but they are definitely do that low-fi / power pop thing right. “Wandering” and “Argument” are really good tracks.
Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me (March 5th, Hopeless Records)
I was pretty, pretty late to the game on Tigers Jaw. idk when I actually first heard of them, but I didn’t really give em a fair shot until I bought tickets to see them with The Menzingers up in Dallas in November 2019. I was at End of an Ear down in Austin and found a colored vinyl of Charmer. Their self-titled record from 2008 is pretty easily my favorite from them, and I’ll admit that listening to a few singles before this release, my expectations were actually pretty low. However, the whole record has really grown on me, I’ve listened to it more than any other record this year (well, besides the Mikey Erg s/t, but that’s also a lot shorter).
Anyways, there’s been a lot of life changes lately that I won’t get into here, but the phrase “I won’t care how you remember me” resonates quite a bit right now. That song is a great opener, “Hesitation” is probably my favorite track, and it’s just a really solid album.
Fake Fruit – Fake Fruit (March 5th, Rocks In Your Head Records)
A recurring bit on this blog is me saying stuff like “I don’t really like a lot of post-punk bands, but there’s like a strain of post-punk that hits me just right and I love it”. Gvlls, dumb, The Gotobeds, Semana Santa, neutrals, etc. all fall into that category, as does Fake Fruit. With the exception of “Swing and a Miss” (which has some repeated vocals that I’m not super into), the rest of the album is bangin’. “No Mutuals” will be on my end of the year playlist for sure, and “Lying Legal Horror Lawyers” is… well, man, you should just listen to it.
Bobby Ramone – Rocket To Kingston (March 5th, Guerrilla Asso.)
I don’t know if the person who decided to mash up Bob Marley lyrics with Ramones instrumentals is a genius or needs to lay off the weed, but… yeah, some of it works. I’ll admit that my knowledge of both of these legends is only cursory, limited to mostly just their greatest hits, but even I know that this is a combo that is too ridiculous to fail.
Captain Kaiser – The Drovers Inn (March 12th, self-released)
I just found out about this punk quintet from Belgium, but they have a sound that feels really familiar. Fist in the air org-core that seems to be slipping out of style, but still prevailing in a few shadowy corners. As I write this, I’ve only listened to it all the way a few times, and I don’t really know if there’s a specific standout track, it’s just all really good.
Hot Water Music is good, but tbh I think I kinda like Chuck Ragan’s solo-folk stuff better. I thought I’d be really into Chris Wollard’s first iteration of solo work (Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves), since it seemed to be aiming in a similar direction as Ragan’s solo stuff, but idk, it just didn’t really stick for me. Well, they’ve dropped his name off at the dock and stuck with Ship Thieves, and it may just be my favorite offering from the HWM-family tree. Ten tracks of southern fried punk rock, not a dud in the bunch. “Race to Oblivion” and “Virulent Man” are my current faves, but that’s subject to change, plenty of bangers here.
Savage Cougars – Self Titled Debut (March 17th, self-released)
While scanning bandcamp for good jams in the “punk”, the blue tiger with yellow and orange stripes with a guitar pedal embedded into its back that was chewing on a human leg really caught my eye. I’m sure that this is supposed to be some sort of cougar (hence the band name) but idk, it’s a big cat with stripes, imma call it a tiger. Anyways, it sounds good and it’s a free download. Oh, what does the music sound like? Garagey-rock from Italy with a punk edge.
Sweet Reaper just puts out jams man. Been hooked on them since I heard their Sidekick album in 2018, and their whole discography bangs. Surfy-garage punk is a genre that needs to expand, and “Drink the Poison” would be the perfect soundtrack to the grim reaper skating down the boardwalk in Pacific Beach.
Anyways, thanks for reading if you made it this far. Here’s songs from most of these releases on a Spotify playlist. Bonus track of the new single from the Bruce Lee Band because Mike Park is cool.
February has always been a little underrated as a winter month, imo. Like, obviously December has the holidays that we mostly associate with snow, and of course January is right after, so those are definitely winter months. But in February, it’s like “Hey, there’s Valentine’s Day, and Spring Training for baseball is right around the corner, and this is the shortest month of the year, so spring is basically here!”
But not this year. While I always expect a few curveballs from February, this time it was straight up disrespectful, weather-wise, especially in Texas. Thankfully, our power didn’t go out (although we did have a pipe burst and ended up w/out water for a few days), so it’s hard to complain too much. One of my friends in a neighboring county literally chopped up furniture for their fireplace so they wouldn’t freeze. No school for two weeks (one for the storm, and another for dealing w/the fallout of school damage and water boil notices)!
Enough about the weather, here’s some good music, posted in the order it came out.
War Dreams – Baby Boy (February 2nd, self-released)
I’m a sucker for Texas punk bands, and the fact that something besides car dealerships and housing developments is coming out of Hutto (it was recently ranked as the 18th best Austin suburb to live in) is rad. Earnest, aggressive, and maybe a little out of tune at times, a little bit of 90’s alternative rock w/some punk fury. I dig it. Austin has a huge music scene, but it’s pretty eclectic, not much of a punk scene, so to speak, so it’d be cool to see these if these guys can make a name for themselves there, once live music becomes a thing again.
On A Hiding To Nothing – We’ll Probably Be Fine (February 8th, self-released)
I’ll be honest, I’m a little surprised that this was self-released, I’ve seen plenty of decent labels across the pond in the UK that seem like they’d be perfect to release this London quartet’s debut record, especially with a few quality EPs under their belt. I came across OAHTN on a CPRW comp, and for a genre (fast, melodic skate punk) that’s not particularly known for skilled lyricism and story telling, they do a good job of painting word pictures while you’re playing air drums in the car. “Dave” has been on repeat, but loads of other good tunes on here as well.
The Ouija Chords – Jupiter Talisman(February 9th, self-released)
This is The Ouija Chords second abbreviated release, all of the mostly-instrumental variety. While I’m not a connoisseur of this style of music, idk, I’d say it’s like a mix between goth-surf and like an old western? What it is is cool and not like a lot of other stuff I listen to, so that’s something. On “The Unquiet Grave”, they actually take a hymn I remember from my church-going days and make it sound more interesting than it has any right to be.
idk why their bandcamp page says 2/26 when I know I bought this on the first Friday (bandcamp Friday) of the month, but it’s fine, I’ll talk about it here. Nice Surprise is one of the guys from Riverboat Gamblers and Broken Gold (both great Austin bands) and one of his friends that drums and just started his own studio, and was born out of wanting to test out the studio’s recording qualities. It’s fuzzy and loud and really fuzzy and has a real DIY vibe to it. I also appreciate the symmetry of having a band named Nice Surprise writing a song called “Nice Surprise” and putting it out on a 7″ called Nice Surprise. A little surprising, actually, but it’s a nice kind of surprise.
Broken Gold – Held By A Thread(February 19th, Chicken Ranch Records)
Speaking of Broken Gold, here are a few songs they put out on 10″ vinyl this month. Man, I really dig this group, big Replacements-vibes (although that’s a band that for whatever reason I haven’t gotten into, a few bands I really like are Replacements worshippers, including these guys). A little reminiscent of one of my favorite records from last year, Made To Rust by a band from Corvalis, OR named Dumb Luck, though more on the rock side than the punk side. The last track is a Bryan Adams tune called “Kids Wanna Rock” that I had never heard of before, but after checking it out, dang it’s a good song and they’re able to improve on it while still staying pretty true to the original. Awesome stuff here, need more Broken Gold in my life.
The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy (February 19th, Positive Jams)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a top 3 all-time movie for me. The sequel is not that good (it’s fine), but last year, I was very nervous about Bill & Ted: Face the Music (the end of the trilogy). Would it be good? Would it somehow make the others worse? Did we really need another Bill & Ted? The answers were “yes”, “not at all”, and “definitely”. On The Hold Steady’s eighth studio album, I found myself asking similar questions. Do we need an eighth record from these guys? Other than Spoon, no band (that I like) has put out more than like, six good records, and I think even tHS would say that they peaked a few records ago. That said, this is good. Is it going to replace Separation Sunday as my favorite tHS record? Definitely not. Is it still fun and sing-along-able? Of course. Far from perfect but still worth listening to, my main critique is that lead singer Craig Finn, who sounds pretty animated in various spots on previous records, is more subdued here, and I wish he was more “out there”. “Spices” and “Heavy Covenant” are my faves here, but I think “Unpleasant Breakfast” is the most unique song in the Hold Steady canon (I think it is the most polarizing song on the record, and didn’t like it at first, but I’ve mostly come around. All in all, it’s like pizza – even when it’s not great, it’s still good, and better than what those weirdos over there are probably eating.
Ten Things I Hate About You – The Second Release (February 21st, self-released)
Ten Things I Hate About You is not only a great movie (seriously, Heath Ledger is great, my wife and I actually watched it on Valentine’s Day), it’s also a great band from Hawaii that put out one of my favorite EP’s last year (called Three Things I Hate About You). While there are no snippets from the movie they named themselves after, this is still an interesting release. It starts out w/a six minute dreary emo track, then cuts to a cover of a Hoobastank hit from 2003 (full disclosure, I kinda liked their debut but couldn’t get into anything else they ever did) that is miles better than the original, and then ends with a reworking of a song off their previous EP that is a lot slower and super emo as well. Overall, I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as their first one, but still a band that I’m looking forward to hearing more from.
Mikey Erg – S/T (February 26th, Rad Girlfriend Records)
I’ve heard of Mikey Erg for a long time – he’s in a ton of bands and has put out a ton of music, but I haven’t given him a fair shake to win me over until now. I think I picked a good time. He dropped an EP last year that I checked out but, idk, was a little too poppy for me, wasn’t really my thing. On S/T, he’s touted a “return” to a more punk sound, and when your record cover is a riff on The Clash’s S/T debut, you’d better not miss. He doesn’t. This is the straight up 90’s punk that I grew up – the Green Day cover plays pretty close to the original, the single “Rumblestrip” is my favorite song of 2021 so far, and I really think this will be a top 10 record of the year when the times come. Love this so much. Edit: I’ve listened to this like six or seven times and I’m still not sick of it yet.
I’m not sure if I’ll keep doing Spotify playlists for each month, but I’ve liked doing it so far. Kinda tricky for those smaller releases (Ten Things I Hate About You and The Ouija Chords are not on the site), so it’s a tight twelve songs this month, two each from the rest of the bands.
Radio Marcus 