'American Despair b/w The Coming' by Run Down

By Jason Duarte
Release date: July 25, 2012
7'': Firestarter Records
Rating: 3.5/5

Run Down recorded this two-song 7'' in 2007 and since then, the band adopted a new moniker - Voight-Kampff. "American Despair" is a classic-style punk tune with hints of haunting surf influence reminiscent of the Dead Kennedys, but it embodies the darkness of Rudimentary Peni and nihilistic lyrical tendencies of Pegboy as well.

After a minute-long creeping intro, much like a less melodic "Smash It Up Pt. 1" (The Damned), "The Coming" reveals its meaty innards as a faster, early-style hardcore tune by way of Black Flag. I would recommend this 7'' if you're a fan of any of the aforementioned bands. Not many go for this sound in punk rock world 2k12, though Night Birds and Culo are two current bands that share it. These two very well-written songs are a refreshing throwback and the only bummer is that it's a posthumous release.

This piece of wax is limited to 300 copies on white vinyl via Firestarter Records.

Listen for yourself:

'Hollow Earth' by Black Wine

By Jason Duarte
Release date: July 3, 2012
LP: Don Giovanni Records
Rating: 5/5

Black Wine, hailing from the Matawan, NJ area, released its third full-length, Hollow Earth, earlier month via Don Giovanni Records.
On Hollow Earth, the band continues to take steps outside its comfort zone, thus maturing its sound. The band's haunting and sometimes eerie tones linger in songs like "Blurry" and "Naysayer." Singer/guitarist Jeff Schroeck (The Ergs!/The Hamiltons) and Miranda Taylor (Full of Fancy/Hunchback/Noun) offer four songs each, while Jay Nixon (Hunchback/Psyched To Die) offers two.

Black Wine instills an inquisitive mentality on its listeners. The concept of Hollow Earth deals much with perception and how we relate to each other and everything around us.
"The architect has plans/His bricks and expression/Tricks are paint to the magician/I am always searchin' for an alteration or a clever iteration," Schroeck sings on "Heavy Veil."
I highly recommend Hollow Earth not just because the lyrics and music top everything they've ever done as a band, but the minds behind it weave some of the best sonic tapestries I've ever heard. Listen hard enough and you might look inside yourself and around you in a different way.

Hollow Earth, as well as the rest of Black Wine's catalog, is available here.
Stream Hollow Earth below:

Black Wine playing "Burlap" at Township in Chicago on 7/1/12:

Black Wine playing "Flatland" at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, on 6/30/12:

Black Wine's music video for "Burlap:"

'Missing Link' 7'' by Sore Subjects

By Kevin Toomey
Release date: April 14, 2012
7'': Surfin' Ki Records
Rating: 4/5


Sore Subjects is back with four new songs on its second 7'', Missing Link, released earlier this year. It’s obvious on Missing Link and from the band's recent live shows, that the Sore Subjects is really finding their own sound and style. The band is playing tighter than ever and somehow managed to pull off an even more lo-fi sound than last year's self-titled 7''. A-side tracks, “Obscene Calls” and “Wearing You Down,” are both reminiscent of the Marked Men and the Busy Signals, and have made their way onto my summer party playlists. The last two songs continue in the same vein, although they lose some of the momentum from the first side. But, this 7'' still good enough to earn 4/5 stars. Purchase the Missing Link 7'' on Sore Subjects' Bandcamp page, and stream it here:

'Days Go By' by The Offspring

By Jerry Cola
Release date: June 26, 2012
CD: Columbia Records
Rating: 1/5


*DISCLAIMER*
[This review was strung together from a thread of Facebook comments].

Here is possibly the worst album of 2012.
It's hilarious how The Offspring is blatantly writing songs already written by other bands. "The Future Is Now" sounds like "Prayer For the Refugee" by Rise Against, "Days Go By" sounds like a pale imitation of Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" and "Turning Into You" sounds like "Ready To Fall" by Rise Against. Then there's all this horrible pop shit like "Bumpin' In My Trunk" and "O.C. Guns" that sound like they could be Weird Al Yankovic-style parodies.
"All I Have Left Is You" is a horrible rock ballad. "Secret Family With You" is also terrible. It's like Dexter Holland (vocals/guitar) keeps trying to outdo himself in writing the worst song ever.
And why the fuck is a re-recording of "Dirty Magic" sandwiched between "O.C. Guns" and "Secret Family With You?" It's like Holland personally wanted to remind people that his band at one point was actually a really good punk band, but now is writing songs that will give you ear-AIDS and insult your intelligence at the same time. Of course the re-recording of "Dirty Magic" has no fucking soul or real emotion behind it like the original did.

Imagine how much better life would be if The Offspring would have stopped making albums after Americana. Then the only embarrassing songs you'd have to deal with would be "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get a Job."

There are really no major redeeming qualities to Days Go By. The songs that aren't blatant ripoffs or terrible pop songs are just average, run-of-the-mill punk rock songs. They're only boosted in musical quality due to the fact that there's so much shit on the album.

Stream Days Go By here. Or don't.

'21st Century Breakroom' by House Boat

By Jason Duarte
Release date: June 1, 2012
LP: Bloated Kat Records
Rating: 5/5

I know what you're thinking: "sweet! Another lyrically self-depreciating batch of House Boat songs in which Grath cries about stuff. I already own that in too many analog formats." Well guess what, buddy?! Never before have you felt sorry for Mr. Madden for 9:25 straight. As in, with no breaks. This isn't the kind of pity you feel for 2 minutes and then it's emotional break time. Oh no. House Boat fucks your heart and fingers your emotions while they're sleeping on this one. Haus Butt is re-paving the pop punk world. It's the 21st century and that means we get pop punk songs longer than the album version of "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd now (current pop punk bands, take note).
The incredibly entertaining comic book-style album art accompanies the title track, "21st Century Breakroom." So in case you can't imagine what's going on in the lyrics, you've got cartoon drawings of cum rags, a brain in a cage, a bloody volcano head, the 5-0 and a guy with a basketball for a head smoking a d00b. All of which happen in the song and leave you feeling pretty dirty actually. The album art is a parody of Big Brother & the Holding Company's album art from Cheap Thrills, which was done by Robert Crumb. So that's side A. And it's all right, but side B is where House Boat really shines.
Side B features a song titled, "Suburban Grit;" the best song on the record, in my opinion. In this one, Grath spills his heart about how he gave said heart to a girl (I'm assuming), and she left it on the floor in the basement for a solid century. Then she returns to him (having not aged a day), puts her hand on his and it's ice cold. Nothing triggers empathy, pain and letdown like "Suburban Grit." This song could be the plot of a movie; it's that good.
The LP is available through Servo at Bloated Kat Records here. The MP3s are available from Grath via Bandcamp here. And if you're a cheap son of a bitch, you can still be a House Boat fan by listening to the entire record below.
Read a review of Thorns of Life here.
Read a review/see pics and video of their performance at the Don Giovanni Records Showcase 2012 here.
Read a review of The Delaware Octopus here.

 

Mikey Erg/Alex Kerns 7''

By Jason Duarte

Release date: 2012
7'': Asian Man Records
Rating: 4/5

I love it when two members of two of my favorite bands go head-to-head on a split. In this case, it's Mikey Erg (The Ergs!) and Alex Kerns (Lemuria) joining forces with Asian Man Records, and they created one of the most cohesive splits I've ever heard. Plus, both tracks by both dudes are full-band, by the way, so it's not any of that hippie-dippy, namby-pamby flower business (just kidding, hippies (not really)).
On his side, Mikey Erg first re-recorded "Song Against Ian Raymond" in an electric, full-band fashion. It's much more well-rounded-sounding than the original recording (off 42,069 Seconds With...Ergquist by Ergquist). He told me the song is about three years old, so I'm super glad it's seeing the light of day in a shiny, new way. Mikey Erg also covered "Flower Tattoo" by Down By Law. That's Down By Law's best song in my opinion, and his homage is quite enjoyable. He sings and plays all the instruments on his half, which clocks in at just over three and a half minutes.
Alex Kerns contributes two originals; "Responsibility of the Doll" and "Criminal To Be Alone." I dig Kerns' unconventional-yet-strangely-catchy songwriting technique. The intro to "Responsibility of the Doll" is just over a minute long and then suddenly it switches into the song. As a big fan of Kerns' past solo material, this 7'' shows how he's progressed on his own since the release of his demo his self-released Art of the Underground 7''. "Criminal To Be Alone" is faster and sounds more like a Lemuria track than a solo one.
Both songs by both guys are fun ones. This is a great release, and I think it'll be especially enjoyed if you're already an Ergs! or Lemuria fan.

'Gates of Home' by Sick Sick Birds

By Jason Duarte

3/31/2012

LP: Toxic Pop Records

Rating: 4/5

If you're reading this, chances are you're familiar with the annual Insubordination Fest in Baltimore and if you've been, you've probably eaten Sick Sick Burgers in the alley at some point. My hungry, wandering belly was how I first heard about these guys, and now they grace my turntable with their second full-length, Gates of Home.
"Pick and Choose" is a strong opener. Immediately, there's recognizable influence by Joe Strummer. The song is particularly catchy, and sticks out like a sore thumb on the album as one of its best tracks.
A little deeper into the album, "Marietta" speeds its vibe. It's reminiscent of early Cure songs (as is the bass line of "New Shoe Leather"), particularly when it comes to the clean bass and vocal tracks.
Sick Sick Birds take the melancholy, slightly-gothy and progressive characteristics of bands like The Cure and The Smiths and add a punk rock/garage touch, making something new.
The songs on this album tease the listener a bit, keeping the vibe steady and bringing it up in the chorus with catchy leads, but they don't let it go on too long, thus creating an awesome ebb and flow effect.
This is a strong album that brings new stuff to the scene, and I can feel it's already rooting itself into "Best of 2012" lists.

Stream Gates of Home: