Category Archives: Uncategorized

Compilation Review: Florida’s Dying Party Platter [2010]

Bands: Various!
Release: 5/2010
Label: Florida’s Dying

1. “C-H-I-C-A-G-O-I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S-U-S-A” – Johnny & The Limelites – A-
2. “Hocus Pocus” – Nobunny – A
3. “Shim Shang” – The Yolks – A
4. “Hoosier Twist” – Sweet Sixteens – B+
5. “The Hucklebuck” – Sexcapades – A-
6. “Do The Make Up” – Hunx and His Punx – A-
7. “Wiggle It Around” – Brian’s Dirty Business – A
8. “Cuddle Up” – The Rantouls – A-
9. “Toss That Pie” – Personal and the Pizzas – B-
10. “Nice Girls Don’t Explode” – Garbo’s Daughter – A-
11. “Totally!” – Puddin Pops – B+
12. “Come On Do The Dolphin” – Coconut Coolouts” – B
13. “Shake That Bear” – Slippery Slopes – A-

Comments:
We have, for starters, a catchy old timers number. Let me explain to you my favorite part. It’s when they say OOOOOOOOOOOOOO and SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS and AAAAAAAAAAAA. After that it’s a rock and roll freak out…how all rock and roll freak outs should be, specifically. Also, at the (sort of) end when the dude says “down on the floor. How low can you go? Yeah. Shhh. That’s right. Shhh.” That’s great family fun. Everyone’s favorite riff ripper, Nobunny, insists on you doing the “Hocus Pocus” abracadabra, which may or may not involve you getting low. You better be down for anything. Make sure your mask’s on. “Shim Shang” with me…right now! This dance is more of a slow dance, although it is flexible as fuck. Prerequisite: you have to be smooth. This isn’t the shim sham. Don’t be confused! You will fail. If you are a punk from the Caribbean, then please proceed with the Hoosier Twist. It’s not hard. “The Hucklebuck” is hot shit. It’s both a sex position and a groove. Does anything get better? “Turn off the lights and do the make up!” As you might imagine, Hunx wants to get right to the bottom of it. Haha! That was too easy…but so isn’t the make up! The description in “Wiggle It Around” is telling: “Put your right foot back, your left foot back. Come on little girl and shake it just like that. You put your right hand up, your left hand down. Come on little girl you could wiggle it around.” Sort of like the The Rantouls explain, there is no music necessary to do the Cuddle Up. AKA you are free to do that shit anywhere. P.S. do I hear auto-tune? “Toss That Pie” just keep tossing. Just don’t toss the salad. Yet. “Nice Girls” is, as someone commented, “poptastic.” Pop listeners of today would be like WTF YO? but if we go back a half century or so then this fits right in with that description. With a howl like Nobunny, I thought PP was Nobunny. Gee whiz. There’s horns and shit on “Totally!” Totally acceptable. “The Dolphin” ain’t my thing. It just ain’t. I mean, I might still come over and do it just because, but yeah that’s about all. Maybe I don’t feel confident enough in my dancing ability to venture into that territory. It’s risque. This is probably my longest review and I should probably stop now. The bottom line is that I like it. I do. It didn’t increase my serotonin levels or get me all fuzzy inside, but I did leave with a feeling of happiness. You know?

Grade: B+ (89)

7″ Review: Tiny Sioux

Band: Box Elders
Release: 4/2010
Label: HoZac Records

1. “Tiny Sioux” – A+
2. “Plenty of Room at the Bottom” – A+

Comments: Box Elders strike again! The amazing pop trio from Omaha continue their spree of hits on this 7″ !!! This release has a more innocent feel than Alice & Friends, making it perfect ably suitable for both children and adults. The somber “Tiny Sioux” moves at the kind of pace you’d expect it to and includes a pseudo-Native American call that literally fits right in with the narrative. “Plenty of Room at the Bottom” is fascinating. I’m going to compare it to the work of Adam Green and Calvin Johnson. It’s got that coy outsider thing going on.

Grade: A+ (97)

CD Review: Avi Buffalo [2010]

Band: Avi Buffalo
Release: 4/2010
Label: Sub Pop

1. “Truth Sets In” – A-
2. “What’s In It For” – A-
3. “Coaxed” – B+
4. “Five Little Sluts” – B+
5. “Jessica” – A-
6. “Summer Cum” – A-
7. “One Last” – B+
8. “Can’t I Know? – B
9. “Remember Last Time” – B+
10. “Where’s Your Dirty Mind” – A

Comments: Avi Buffalo the successor of the late Page France? That’s my initial impression. Catchy folk influenced pop binds this record together. Much has been written about the whipper-snappers who came up with this fun record. I won’t get into that. All I’ll say is that it’s really freaking impressive! “What’s In It For” has a particularly memorable ending…recalling a young (more epic) Built to Spill if you will. The heartfelt “Jessica” strangely gave me Weird Al vibes. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s strange. I like it. “I’ve got lost in your summer cum” sings young Avigdor on the fittingly titled “Summer Cum.” Haha! Laugh, damnit! It’s a funny song title and you know it. The song’s particularly more freaky than anything that came before it (no pun intended). Not to be real negative, but this record sort of loses its charm during the second half.

Grade: B+ (89)

Classic Review: Free Drugs;-)

Band: Harlem
Release: 2008
Label: Female Fantasy

1. “Witchgreens” – A-
2. “Caroline” – A+
3. “South of France” – A
4. “Irresistible” – A
5. “Beautiful and Very Smart” – A++
6. “Psychedelic Tits” – A-
7. “Think I’m Thinkin’ Bout” – A-
8. “Disneyland” – A
9. “Little Black Cowboy” – A
10. “I’m on Drugs” – A-
11. “Red Herring” – A
12. “Hundred a Dollar a Night Man” – A

Comments: Not as great as Hippies, but still amazing. “Beautiful and Smart” is an instant favorite.

Grade: A

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Side note: Check out this video for “Friendly Ghost”

CD Review: Maniac Meat [2010]

Band: Tobacco
Release: 5/2010
Label: Anticon

1. “Constellation Dirtbike Head” – A
2. “Fresh Hex” – A
3. “Mexican Ice Cream” – B+
4. “Lick The Witch” – A-
5. “Sweatmother” – B+
6. “Motorlicker” – B-
7. “Unholy Demon Rhythms – C-
8. “Heavy Makeup” – B
9. “Grape Aerosmith” – C
10. “New Juices From The Hot Tub Freaks” – B
11. “Six Royal Vipers” – A-
12. “Overheater” – A-
13. “Creepy Phone Calls” – B
14. “TV All Greasy” – B-
15. “Stretch Your Face” – B
16. “Nuclear Waste Aerobics” – A-

Comments:
Tobacco, the thing I really like about your music is that it is fun. While every song may not be as fun as the next, there is always at least something embedded into the pits of every tune, that makes them, at the very least, a solid listen. So, definitely props there. It’s not reasonable to expect every song on here to be straight up gold. I mean, after all, we’re talking about a man uses a vocoder. I suggested this as party music, but a die-hard fan called it “making love music.” That’s believable. Due to noise constraints, I haven’t been able to blast this music non-headphones, but I do feel like that’d be an experience. A good majority of these songs clock in at under three minutes, so if you get even slightly distracted from the music, you may notice songs finishing before you even realized they started. Word.

Grade: B (85)

CD Review: Crystal Castles [2010]

Band: Crystal Castles
Release: 4/2010
Label: Fiction (Universal)

1. “Fainting Spells” – C
2. “Celestica” – B-
3. “Doe Deer” – C
4. “Baptism” – B-
5. “Year of Silence” – B-
6. “Empathy” – B+
7. “Suffocation” – B
8. “Violent Dreams” – C+
9. “Vietnam” – B
10. “Birds” – B
11. “Pap Smear” – C+
12. “Not in Love” – C
13. “Intimate” – B-
14. “I Am Made of Chalk” – D

Comments: Crystal Castles. I want some crazy catchy stuff from you. That’s a demand actually. I don’t want spotty dance/noise punk. You hear me? “Empathy” is the first song that accomplishes the kind of catchy that I was looking for, equipped with dreamy vocals and a strong rhythm. “Vietnam” has some streaks of greatness, but isn’t really a hit from start to finish. Unfortunately, most of the album is just average minutes of electronica. Maybe that’s your thing.

Grade: C+ (78)

CD Review: Forgiveness Rock Record [2010]

Band: Broken Social Scene
Release: 5/2010
Label: Arts & Crafts

1. “World Sick” – A-
2. “Chase Scene” – C+
3. “Texico Bitches” – A
4. “Forced to Love” – B
5. “All to All” – B
6. “Art House Director” –B+
7. “Highway Slip Jam” – B
8. “Ungrateful Little Father” – B+
9. “Meet Me in the Basement” – B-
10. “Sentimental X’s” – B+
11. “Sweetest Kill” – B
12. “Romance to the Grave” – B
13. “Water in Hell” – B-
14. “Me and My Hand” – B

Comments: I’ve always heard about Broken Social Scene, but I’ve never given them a proper listen. “World Sick” is a solid foray into the band’s discography. It’s one of those under-the-radar epic songs, similar to a Dan Boeckner-led Wolf Parade jam. “Texico Bitches” has an awesome rhythm, personally reminiscent of Uninhabitable Mansions. Another thing…I would be a little shocked if Here We Go Magic wasn’t at least a little inspired by these guys. And another thing: the band’s tempo is little bit slow or else a lot of these B/B+ tunes would be A-/A range. It makes them a bit forgettable.

Grade: B (85)