Sometimes, all you want is to stumble across a good old fashioned, catchy as hell punk rock tune. This Is one of those...
AVENUES (https://www.facebook.com/AvenuesMKE) are from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and they formed back in 2006. Towards the end of last year they released an album titled We're Doomed. I missed it then but am making up for lost time by listening (and enjoying a lot) as I type out these words.
11 tracks of punk rock tuneage that's full of melody. It'll have you singing along but it has a little more bite than most pop punk. Strong backing vocals are the order of the day (Whoa....Whoa!). There's no great message being imparted, it's just a band writing fun anthems. It's available on cd and digital download... https://avenuesrock.bandcamp.com/album/were-all-doomed
I particularly enjoyed the portrait painted of a girl in a leather straight jacket robbing liquor stores and dancing to The Queers. This is Straight Jacket...
Something a little different today that I was recommended by one of the listeners to the show (Cheers Jim!).
Gutterblood (https://www.facebook.com/gutterblood) are from Peebles, Scotland, and they formed in 2019. Their name is a Scottish word for a low person of inferior breeding (one of the rabble). Their music is a fusion of blues, indie, doom, punk and prog. They're a trio who "seize the socio-political climate of the day, incorporating it into the live arena by using samples and heavy, groove driven dynamics." They claim to be a mostly instrumental band but when you check out their debut album you'll see that there's lyrics aplenty (many of them well chosen samples).
That debut album is Self Titled, it was released last December (though the cd version is out on Thurs 16th March) and it's a record you can easily lose yourself in. Their sound brings to mind both Mogwai (rich, classy instrumentation) and Benefits (spoken word monologues of a political nature but less abrasive in tone). For your first listen can I recommend you take yourself away somewhere quiet that you can immerse yourselves in what is a aural and lyrical treat.
This is the opening track, its called Alienation...
"And let me right at the outset define what I mean by Alienation It's the cry of men who feel themselves the victims of blind, economic forces beyond their control It's the frustration of the great mass of ordinary people excluded from the processes of decision making It's the feeling of despair and hopelessness that pervaids people who feel with every justification that they have no real say in shaping or determining there own destinies" (Jimmy Reid)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times The punks were pulling on their boots I was six years old on a picket line and in the evening my mother made me watch the mini series Roots I got the jist Well the strike went on for 9 long weeks and they had to sent the army in Some of them died The Green goddesses were not fit for purpose and the tinder box lived right up to it's name Well Christmas came and went, not much of an event Our family got our picture in the Evening Times But poverty was respectful then and most people had that wee bit of pride still... Two years down the line it was 1979 It was the turn of the Clyde and the mines We were told to 'retrain', 'get on your bikes', 'keep up with the times' Jesus Christ, I left school with a smile and I thought I had guile right up to my YTS I'll not even mention the job club With no ships or coal you could work for your dole You're a wage slave but minus the wage Not that these tasks were appealing to me, the truth be told
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times I was pulling my boots on now But the revolution had long been televised I accept that I had missed the boat No frigging in the rigging for me I was doing all nighters watching the hit man and her and stealing my mothers fags I'd attend the occasional LPYS meeting but I found it a bit culty and I only really went because there was this girl I fancied that went, when she stopped showing up, so did I I'd attend the occasional demonstration But some of my old school friends were now in the BNP They would try and attack us And that made me a little bit paranoid
I did find a group of friends eventually and they would drag me to anarchist meetings But I remember getting called a 'schemie' for turning up with a bag of chips And pretending to like Discharge was impossible but for the most determined However I had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do So I did the best I could to have fun with it
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang That's the sound of the men clearing their browser history That's the sound of the men calling me a libtard That's the sound of you clapping for the nurses
That's the sound of the soccer mom dropping off her psychos With an extra clip in their pack lunch box That's the sound of finding a sense of belonging Somewhere you don't belong
Some people talk about a mid life crisis Some people experience lifelong crisis
And that's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
Personal Damage is Bungee, Baño & Earbean, a trio from Los Angeles who's members have also been in bands such as Abuso de Poder, Krigshoder and Hate Preachers.
A few months later as 2021 crept towards a close they followed it up with a 6 track ep on 1753 Records titled Ambush. The tracks are definitely influenced by 80's hardcore, they're short, aggressive and very enjoyable. If you like your punk energetic and fat free then you can find the ep here (I'm not sure if there's any of the ltd edition cassettes left but it's also available as a name your price download) : https://1753.bandcamp.com/album/personal-damage-ambush
A little surprisingly for a hardcore punk release, the song I'm highlighting is a cover of reggae artist Peter Tosh's Steppin Razor (it was actually written in 1967 by Joe Higgs and recorded by Bob Marley, Sinéad O'Connor, Sublime & The Kills but the version on Tosh's 1977 Equal Rights album is the best known https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLJFRgE4Ywk).
A very different beast to Tosh's version, this is Steppin Razor...
Glaas are a "supergroup" from Berlin featuring members bands such as Clock Of Time, Idiota Civilizzato, Useless Eaters, Lacquer etc.... The line up is Jan (Drums), Cosey Mueller (Keyboard), Alexis (Vocals), Raquel Torre (Bass) & Seth Sutton (Guitar).
They've an album titled Qualm on the way via Static Shock Records which will be out in the spring but to give us an idea of what to expect they recently released a Self Titled ep. 3 tracks, all very fine examples of dark but energetic post punk. It stands out from the crowd due to an impressive turn on the keyboard from Cosey Mueller who's also in synth punk duo Das Das. Clock Of Time's Tobias Lill is on production duties.
Veterans of The Rebellion, Nice 'n' Sleazy and Wasted festivals and regulars on the gig scene (you may have caught them supporting the likes of SLF, Theatre of Hate & Spear of Destiny, UK Subs, 999, Undertones, The Alarm, Goldblade, Sham 69 etc, they're a band who pride themselves in the strength of vocalist Alan Bishop's impressive song writing skills. What's more, they're improving with every release.
Another cool song today that I missed last year, it's by a trio from Melbourne called Bitch Diesel.
It's also, as you may realise once you listen to it, a cover of a 1979 single by a Sydney punk band called X. It featured on their debut album X-Aspirations and you can check out the original here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4zkE0SLR1U
Bitch Diesel have been together since 2016 and their most recent release was a 4 song cassette titled Hail.
Recorded and mixed in the French Pyrenees while the band were touring Europe in late 2019 it's a release that showcases the band's versatility.
As mentioned above, this is the cover, it's called I Don't Wanna Go Out...
The early days of a new year are often a difficult time to find exciting new music to play on the Just Some Punk Songs show as most bands have been quiet during the festive season and it sometimes takes a few weeks for the releases to begin flowing in any great number. It does however give me the opportunity to mop up a few of the many songs I missed during the previous year. One of those features on this week's show (8pm Uk time today and then it's repeated on various global online radio stations during the week) and is getting posted on here today.
NiiS are based in Los Angeles. I only stumbled across them recently and know very little about them aside from their being influenced by the likes of Dead Kennedys, The Bags, Bad Brains and X. They've a single on Bandcamp titled Media Blitz which is good https://niisla.bandcamp.com/releases (and which has a very cool Elastica cover on the B side) and they recently posted a video on Youtube for a track which is Mimi SanDoe's heartfelt reaction to breaking up with an ex.
This is straight from the heart, it's titled Fuck You Boy...
Neon Belly are the lo-fi punk band from Wilmington, North Carolina, who impressed back in September when they released a very decent name your price S/T ep on Fort Lowell Records https://fortlowell.bandcamp.com/album/neon-belly
That song has just resurfaced on a new album by the band titled What's Mine Ain't Yours. The other tracks from the ep also feature, along with a few new tracks including a very fine cover of the Zero Boys' classic Civilisation Is Dying. It's just the kind of enthusiastically scrappy punk rock that I gravitate towards. You can find it here : https://neonbelly.bandcamp.com/album/whats-mine-aint-yours
In my previous piece on the band I mentioned I was impressed with their cover of a single originally released back in 1978 by Netherlands band Filth. This is it, it's called Don't Hide Your Hate...
Those that were paying attention will have noticed that chart bothering, potty mouthed The Kunts weren't the only band that were critical of Boris and his capitalist wide boys in 2021. Wonk Unit topped the Just Some Punk Charts with an anthemic singalong criticising the government and today I bring you another song in a similar vein.
Rum Lad (https://www.facebook.com/rumladpunk) has featured on here several times previously. He's from South Normanton and is a modern day Mr Angry. My Facebook feed is often full of his withering put downs (recent examples including; "The rumour is Boris Johnson is set to be cleared by Lord Geidt over the donation for the Downing St flat refurbishment. Does that sound ok to you? Do you go out your mind worrying about paying tax etc to see it spaffed up the wall like this? Im calling all you bastards out next year.....", "Lets make this clear...the Maxwell guilty verdict means absolutely fuck all unless they start naming and shaming the cunts that were buying young girls and abusing them...until then sex trafficking will remain" and "Are we knighting war criminals now?? Fuck all surprises me anymore....jobs for the boys."
He says it as he sees it.
And this applies very much to his music. He's just followed up LP1 Vandalism and LP2 Punk AF with LP3 Wonder Meat. It'll be out on blue vinyl sometime later this year but for now you can get it digitally (pay what you want) here : https://rumladuk.com/home or here : https://rumlad.bandcamp.com/album/wonder-meat
For one man, it's a big sound. Don't expect 70's style sub 2 minute traditional punk ditties. The anger is the same but the songs are a little longer giving them more room to breathe. It's biting acerbity that could quite easily be filed under post punk and it works.
This is probably the most simplistic song on the album and it's the one I'm sure will be sung loudest at upcoming live shows. It's called Hate Tory Scum...
James Domestic must be one of the UK's most prolific artists. He's been responsible, or at least involved in more projects than I can remember over the last few years. Off the top of my head I can think up The Domestics, Tokyo Lungs, Bring The Drones, PI$$ER, KÖRD VÄRLD, Froggy & The Ringes & Hazard Profile. As well as this he's released his own solo material (a new solo single will be available digitally on January 14th with pre orders for a new album probably going live on the same day) and he runs Kibou Records releasing music by the likes of Las Ratapunks, Negativo, The Bristles etc...
As far as I'm aware, we never got a Vol 2 but plans were in place a couple of years ago to release more tracks as part of a split 7" but due to Covid and other shit, it never happened. The DIS-TANK tracks were already mixed and mastered and now they've seen the light of day on a 4 track ep titled Wasted Prayers on a Fucked Up System. You can find it here : https://kibourecords.bandcamp.com/album/wasted-prayers-on-a-fucked-up-system
The ep kicks off with a statement of intent called D-Beat Existence and never lets up. All tracks are brief and brutal slabs of pummelling noise with James shouting enthusiastically over the top of a blitzkrieg backbeat. It's a hell of a way to test out how bad that New Year's Day hangover is so play it loud.
This is the title track, it's called Wasting Prayers on a Fucked Up System...
First things first, Happy New Year everyone. 2021, just like 2020 has been pretty fucked up due to Covid. 2022 looks as though it could be the same. But at least we still have loads of great new music to get us through. Let's finish the year with a brand new release from down under.
Hailing from Sydney, Daughter Bat & the Lip Stings featured on here in the summer of 2020 when one of my occasional guest reviewers, Simon Geddis, managed to grab a word with Angus Lewis, the man behind the solo project https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/07/daughter-bat-and-lip-stings-preemptive.html The song which featured on that update, Preemptive Strike, went on to make the JSPS Top 50 end of year chart.
There's now a new ep out titled More Love Songs and although it's come too late to feature in this year's chart it is going to get a plug today. It's 5 new tracks of diy egg punk. It's fun, it's catchy, it's available here : https://daughterbatandthelipstings.bandcamp.com/album/more-love-songs
This is my pick of the bunch, it's called Botched Boob Job...
Whilst we wait to see what musical delights 2022 has in store for us, let's have a look back at a song that featured on the show earlier this year but didn't make it onto the blog.
RABBIT are yet another one of the many great bands that Australia is offering up at the moment. They're from Hobart, Tasmania. They play a mix of garage rock and power pop and their sound manages to be both instantly familiar but also fresh and invigorating. Their intention is to write and release roughed up pop songs with "overdriven guitars and demo-quality recording." They line up thus; Maggie Edwards (vocals), Bobby K (guitar/vocals), Claire Johnston (bass) & Willy Wyers (drums).
They formed around 18 months ago and in October they released a debut 7" ep on Rough Skies Records titled Gone. It was recorded & mixed by Zac Blain and mastered by Mikey Young (pretty much everything from down under seems to be mastered by Mikey Young nowadays, maybe that's why everything ends up sounding so good). It features 3 tracks, all very impressive and you can find it here : https://roughskiesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gone
This is the title track, it's the result of a traumatic breakup and it's called Gone Gone Gone...
They're back on here today with a song from a brand new album titled Ishguin. This time around they treat us to 8 tracks and it's a worthy follow up to Fracasco. It kicks off in style with an aggressive track titled No Futuro (which pretty much sums up how many people see things at the moment "Chaos, violence, destruction, mass media, misinformation, political anxiety and depression. No, there is no future, there is only corruption.") It's a sub 60 second call for resistance ("there is no evolution without revolution") and it's a great way to start proceedings.
Things continue in a similar vein, passionate performances married to lyrics about fighting on behalf of the downtrodden, the wealth gap between the haves and the have nots, corruption in the police force, low wages, poverty and equality. It's a great release by a band with plenty to say and you can get it here : https://lasratapunks.bandcamp.com/album/ishguin-2
An highlight amongst many highlights, this is a song about resisting with hope. It's about dreaming of a better future. It's called Utopia...
I've been a bit lax with updates during the last week or so but there's some cool stuff lined up to see out the year. I've been hard at work putting together the annual Just Some Punk Songs Top 100 Songs of 2021 chart and that'll be posted on the 30th & 31st of December. There'll hopefully also be an interview with the year's most prolific band any day now. And although there may not be updates every day as you're used to, there will be some. Including one today which is a timely reminder not to drink and drive this Christmas.
Death Of The High Street are a 4 piece punk band from the Midlands featuring a line up of Scott Baxter (lead vocals and guitar), Andy Purves (guitar and backing vocals), Ash Simpson (bass) and Joe Hodges (drums). They've been together for a year and released a debut single titled Exit in August after being snapped up by the legendary Alan McGee for his It's Creation Baby label.
They've recently released a cheap & cheerful video which they made themselves a year ago for a song which takes a wry look at a social concern which is most prevalent at this time of the year. It's a musical mash up of punk, alt and grunge and it suggests the band will have a very decent 2022. It's available now on streaming sites.
They say that good things sometimes come from tragedy
Well baby, this ain't one of those times...
A welcome back to Just Some Punk Songs to "four mongoloid brothers pissing people off with their immature antics and playing pure Red-Blooded American Punk Rock from Crystal Lake!"
That's right, Friday The 13th obsessives The Jasons (https://www.facebook.com/thejasonsband) have a new release. They've been stalking and slashing their way through the pop punk scene since their 2014 S/T debut album, writing songs about the blood thirsty movie franchise with titles such as We're Gonna Ki-Ki-Ki- Kill That Girl, You Should Never Have Reopened That Camp, Mommy Got Beheaded By A Bimbo etc... Not only do they do pop punk exactly as it should be done (catchy as hell but with more emphasis on punk than pop), they're great fun.
Their new release is the Jarvis House ep. The Jarvis House features in Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter and sees Jason Voorhees escaping from the morgue and returning to Crystal Lake to continue his killing spree. The ep features 4 tracks, 2 new and a couple of re recorded favourites from the band's 2016 Get Fucked album.
Firstly, it seems as though peaches aren't the only things you might happen upon whilst strolling on the beaches.
And secondly, WOW! What a great compilation of cover versions GTRRRC 3 is. The previous comp (https://geeteeband.bandcamp.com/album/g-t-r-r-c-ii) knocked it out of the park with 20 killer lo-fi reinterpretations of classic (and not so classic) songs. This latest instalment takes things to the next level with a mammoth 46 songs. The tracklist is pretty damn awesome. Haven't you always wanted to hear Buck Biloxi covering Joy Division? How about Nick Normal doing Poison Idea? Aussie rock giants C.O.F.F.I.N. blitzing their way through Funkadelic's Super Stupid? The songs are scrappy as hell and all the better for it, the cast list is a who's who of the lo-fi/garage punk scene, the album is essential listening. What's more, you can find it as a name your price download here : https://geeteeband.bandcamp.com/album/g-t-r-r-c-iii
If you want the double 12" vinyl (slime green or white) then check out either Legless Records (https://leglessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gtrrc3) or if you're in the US or Europe/UK keep an eye on Under The Gun and Erste Theke Tontraeger as they'll be getting it in a couple of months.
It seems a bit lazy choosing the opening track to highlight but boy, it's a brilliantly trashy take on a song I was previously unfamiliar with. Originally recorded by early 80's Canadian band Rude Norton (who weren't around for long but who's line up included members of The Subhumans, The Pointed Sticks and D.O.A.), this version is by Satanic Togas (https://www.facebook.com/thesatanictogas666). It's titled Tits On The Beach...
One of my favourite songs from last year was by a trio from London called Rabies Babies. It was titled Rape Is Rape, Even If The Rapist Is In A Band That You Like (https://rabiesbabiespunk.bandcamp.com/track/rape-is-rape-even-if-the-rapist-is-in-a-band-that-you-like). The band commented on it thus; "Just because a man is in your favourite band it does not mean that he is incapable of sexual assault. This song is made from comments on social media after some men in bands on our local scene were accused of sexual assault. We are shocked at how the ‘cool guys’ are excused for their actions and the victim of the assault is blamed or accused of lying."
Today's song deals with the same topic and whilst somewhat different in style is still every bit as powerful.
Heart Attack Man are from Cleveland, Ohio and feature a line up of Peric Peegan (vocals, guitar), Adam Paduch (drums), Ty Sickels (guitar) & Logan McNeal (bass). They play a mix of hardcore, emo & power pop and if I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of all their music. It's not bad by any means but it doesn't quite connect.
I have to admit though, new ep, Thoughtz & Prayerz is more my cup of tea. Opener, Puke, is an angry rant. It's a beast of a song about the disdain felt for someone who's crossed the line. Next up is the title track and it's another sonic behemoth about a phrase that seems all to often to roll off the tongues of uncaring celebs and world leaders. The last couple of songs on the ep revert to type and are big chorus pop punk singalongs but are decent enough and will please long term fans.
But it's the meat in the sandwich which is the standout. Track 3. The one that would possibly be written off as a 90's pop punk throwback if it wasn't for the scathing lyrics and the underlying sense of rage that spews out. It's a song that addresses an issue that shouldn't be an problem in 2021 but unfortunately still is.
Nervous Triggers (https://www.facebook.com/nervoustriggers) are a punk rock band from Asbury Park, New Jersey. They feature a line up of Jay Insult (lead vocals), J Nixon (bass/vocals/guitar), Patski (guitar), Christopher "Gobo" Pierce (guitar), Chris LeSavage (drums) & Marisa Bergquist (synths/electric piano/anything with keys). They debuted 5 years ago with the 6 track Demo 2016, followed it up a year later with an ep titled Do The Drool and then put out a cool end of the world themed single earlier this year called Good Run.
Now they're finishing 2021 off on a high with another single, this time they treat us to "a new wave throwback about all the awesome stuff that made the 1980s RAD: DEVO, Superman IV, Nintendo, the looming threat of nuclear annihilation from the USA and Russia, skinny ties..."
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Non-proliferation was the goal, but now the point is moot
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
They're revoking the treaties
They're rebuilding the walls
The good old KGB is back, baby
They're tapping all of our calls
They're enriching uranium
Nostalgia's all the rage
The Cold War was the coolest
Bring on the new Atomic Age
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Non-proliferation was the goal, but now the point is moot
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Superman was on a Quest For Peace
To throw the nukes into the sun
But Lex Luthor made a nuclear beast
Lex Luthor has a nuclear gun
Lex Luthor's in the White House now
Our efforts added up to nothin'
The biggest supervillains in the world
Have got their fingers on the buttons
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
We're going on the march, so dust off your old Cold War boots
Because the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
As we come towards the end of 2021 it's traditional that we look back at the last 12 months and start compiling our "best of" lists. It's always good to attempt the impossible task of collating our favourites from the year into some sort of order then wondering both how we forgot to add so and so and also how no one else's list is as good as our own!
It's also a time to look forward to what next year will bring.
One band that are building up a head of steam are two sisters from The Wirral (Liverpool) called Yee Loi (https://www.facebook.com/yeeloipunkrock). Rose (guitar/backing vocals) is 14, Matilda (vocals) is 12, they're half Chinese/Vietnamese and in case you're wondering, Yee Loi translates as two girls. Unsurprisingly they seem to be getting plenty of comparisons with another band on a meteoric rise, The Linda Lindas.
Their early releases included covers of classics by bands like The Ramones, Johnny Thunders, The Stooges etc and they're very good. Even better is the proof that they're not just a covers band offered up by their original compositions. Debut album No One Eats For Free contains 8 of their own songs and tracks like Be Like Johnny & ZWT suggest these talented sisters could one day be selling out stadiums like their heroes. You can find their music here : https://yeeloi.bandcamp.com/
This is their most recent Bandcamp addition, you'll no doubt recognise it as a Ramones cover. It's performed with great energy and confirms the girls are very talented indeed. Glad To See You Go...
Some very catchy indie/power pop for you today from Kids On A Crime Spree. They're a California based trio featuring a line up of Mario Hernandez (vocals/guitar), Becky Barron (drums) & Bill Evans (guitar) and they've been releasing melodic bubblegum gems for a decade or so.
January 21st will see them releasing a new album titled Fall In Love Not In Line and on the evidence presented by 2 early singles it could well be a little bit special. They aren't a punk band per se, just as regulars on this blog such as The Exbats and The Courettes aren't punk bands. But without punk, none of those bands would exist, at least in their current form. As much as Kids On A Crime Spree have a love of Phil Spector and 70's power pop, there's also plenty of other influences to pick up on. Take latest single All Things Fade, is that a Jesus And Mary Chain/Shop Assistants style intro? (watch the video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zwLYw_GGLY).
The other single they've teased us with is even better, It really is totally moresome, you'll want to play it on repeat. It's called When Can I See You Again...
