Dionneing it by Stable Boys

A-Frames: Black Forest

Loud, crunchy guitars? Hard, banging drums? A strong snarl emanating deeply? If these aren’t things you are looking for in your music, then Seattle’s A-Frames probably aren’t for you. BUT if you do enjoy the sounds of classic garage rock, with a punk twist then this might be your new favorite group. Keeping things straight and to the point, the A-Frames don’t mess around, recalling sounds from the early punk scene in their short, power-packed songs like Hostage Crisis and Black Forest. Spin these guys next time you feel like getting some aggression (just in time for the holiday season as well!)

Dana Lauren Goldstein is bohemianism incarnate, or, at the very least, she photographs it.  While I realize that the Punk scene is not one typically associate with other bohemian staples such as the Beats Generation of the 50’s and the Hippie Counterculture of the 60’s and early 70’s. But, really, when considering the essence of what Bohemian culture represents, the expunging of consumerism (her work for Converse notwithstanding), the idealizing of iconoclasm (the irony notwithstanding), it is easy to notice the relationship between Punk and Bohemia.

It’s very rewarding to have a listen to a band from Birmingham that’s as different from Black Sabbath as one can be while still having as profound an impact as the aforementioned pioneers of hard rock. The music of Au Pairs is construed by my imagination as a band consisting of a female Joey Ramone, and a less distorted fusion of the Pixies and London Calling era Clash coupled with Dire Straits. The band simply effervesces with industrial Birmingham teenage angst conveyed so brilliantly that it is almost nonsensical. With a lyrical repertoire bridging sarcastic political commentary to humdrum relationship happenings, Au Pair symbolizes the unholy marriage of witty, lyrical apprehension and the melodic asymmetry that is the band’s guitar, bass and drum work.
Punk is a tough mistress to tame, and one can go about a myriad of ways to do so. You can force your angst through a distorted tube amp a la Sid Vicious or better yet screw what was intended to be a non conformist genre and reinvent the very nails and grind that construe punk itself. And that’s what Au Pair is.

Total Control – Paranoid Video

Somewhere in the breeding patterns of the 80s noise punk movements and the synth head movement birthed the synth punks Total Control. Drawing influence from what seems Futuristik, Screamers, and Perhaps Devo, they bring to the table a crunched up no wave dancefloor numbers. Sawtooth leads over frantic punk beats interloping into a obnoxious yet capturing piece. The building progressive Kraftwerk leads into chip-tune solos like a busted cartage game. Paranoid video is a track you would find on the mixtape of some rebelous adolescent from a post apocalyptic timeline.

The Vivids, a brand new band from LA, take a guitar-heavy psychedelic sound and add a pinch of punk energy to create a collection of brooding, darkly dreamy tracks. Their frontman’s high falsetto delivery stands out sharply from the cloudy background, a nice point of contrast to the overall sound. And although it’s hardly ever possible to hear what he’s singing, his delivery suggests pain and longing, in the best way possible.

Idle Times – There Ya Go

Hozac Records, is a distortion drenched oasis, quenching the inner thirst for true Noisy Grunge-Pop. Garnering alot of attention for their blogosphere successes Dum Dum Girls & Rayon Beach, these guys are nothing short from ‘New’. Rising from the ashes of a Chicago zine (Horizontal Action Magazine) , meant to cultivating the local scene there from indie/pop punk carbon copies into a very supportive, creative music scene. What Began as a few releases from faithful local acts, grew into an entity, fastly expanding. Loads Of 7″ Singles Later, and a handful of LP full lengths, they have solidified their transition from Publication To full fledge Record Label. Now The underground punk scene is alive and well in chicago.

Sickoftheradio.com is proud to release yet another mixtape. In contrast to our previous volumes, this mix features a more organic down to earth theme, no electronic computer generated stuff on this one, just guitars drums, and bass. “Suburban Dreams” is an eclectic mix of grunge, psych, garage, post punk, and pop, featuring Bird Names, PC Worship, Witch Gardens, Pageants, Scott & Charlene’s Wedding and more.

Fairly standard lo-fi punk could describe Straight Arrows sound, as if Stiff Little Fingers couldn’t afford proper recording equipment. There’s also a heavy attempt at countering the mainstream in their insistence to keep things as dirty as possible. While their efforts to pander to the garage crowd are quite embarassing, what’s annoying is these ironic intentions are exactly what this genre is about: acting like you don’t care about something.

WEAVE! serves up Riot Grrrl punk with a side of Devo’s rigid pop and a reggae digestif. It’s like Bikini Kill forgot to turn on their distortion and accidentally flipped the “Dub” switch.

Not that there’s anything accidental about WEAVE!’s sound. Their layered, out-of-tune melodies and simple, four-square chord changes are bred of the purest punk. If you close one ear, you can imagine yourself sitting in the basement of your parents’ house in ripped jeans queuing up the tape deck. WEAVE!’s music suggests that the band members have thoroughly absorbed what came before them, and spiced it up with some contemporary flourishes.

Mac Blackout-Darlin Dont You See

I know it keeps you tossing and turning all night. Your brain just won’t let you rest until the answer to this riddle is solved. What would  punk music sound like if it was created by one guy? Well fear no more, your sleepless nights are  over now since you are aware of Mac Blackout.

There’s straight-ahead rock going on in über-hip Berlin? Yeah, I was surprised too. TV Buddhas, originally from Tel-Aviv, are on the last leg of their first U.S. tour, bringing with them the remnants of punk and garage rock: distorted guitars, grungy solos, and a badass female drummer. Don’t be fooled by the greasy hair and fuzzy guitars; their power trio exteriors hide sophisticated riffs and a penchant for trailing off into sublime noise. I hope we get them back soon.

Brooklyn’s Gross Relations’ myspace page lists Richard Hell and the Voids, The Ramones, and other quintessential punk/garage rock bands as influences. Those bands’ impact clearly echoes in Gross Relations’ fuzzy, lo-fi sound. But Gross Relations also add a surprise electric pop element via singer Joey’s upbeat keyboard melodies.

WAVVES bust out with another new video “Post Acid”

Pierre & Bastien are a French band composed of a teacher and a librarian.  Fortunately, their music is certain to never be played within the confines of a educational institution.  United by a their mutual penchant for music in general, the two bring together individual inspiration rooted mostly in punk; their songs are delicate but ardent reminders of the fact that the genre is still alive and well.  The duo is notorious for putting on a fantastic live show that showcases not only their noisy side, but their abilities as talented musicians.  If you’re craving some fantastic grimey punk music that retains a melodic edge, check out their most recent video for single “No Sex”:

Nene Records is proof that punk rock is alive and kicking  in Mexico these days. The label has been around since 1999 and is based out of Monterrey. So if you like Mexican punk and no wave music give this compilation a listen. On Nene Record’s website you can also download 13 albums from various mexican bands for free here.

(open post to download compilation)

Telethon Veginald Cheeseburger is the leader of Orlando’s bizarre psych-punk group TELETHON.  As CEO and Front man, Mr. Cheesburger writes, performes, and records the bulk of the material.  TELETHON has released 6 albums and they are working on a new one set to be released on 7″ in fall 2010. They have played alongside artists like R. Stevie Moore, Dino Felipe, Harry Merry, and Snak Truck just to name a few. The awesome thing is you can download pretty much all of  TELETHON’s albums from their myspace page, check it out here. TELETHON will also be featured on an upcoming R. Stevie Moore tribute album that will be featured on the site, for details click here.

The Symbolic Jews -Afraid of Sleep

The Symbolic Jews- I Dissapointed My Parents

The Symbolic Jews-What Does It Mean

My old friend Adam shot me a message the other day regarding some free album downloads of his group The Symbolic Jews. Download them  here from Bandcamp. With lyrics like “I dissapointed my parents by becoming a drug addict” and “I wanna know where all the pretty girls go”, and song subjects like “drinking too much nyquil and  fucking a man” how could you go wrong??