'The Thorns of Life' by House Boat

By Jason Duarte
Traffic Street Records
8/13/2011
Rating: 4/5 (you guys didn't get a 5 because there is only one Ace song. Bitches.)

House Boat is definitely the best "Hey,-there's-these-leftover-Steinways-tunes,-what-should-we-do-with-them" band of the decade. This band scooped up not only pre-existing, disgruntled-by-their-demise Steinways fans, but Ergs! fans, Off With Their Heads fans and a couple of Rivethead fans. These tricky bastards covered the east coast AND the Midwest fanbase just by being like, "Hey, we're a band. No, a supergroup."
So they had success and (HIV-)positive feedback with their first album, The Delaware Octopus. Upon announcing a second album, fans all over the world (or at least the east coast and Midwestern USA) thought, "Shit, album number two. This is where they're gonna sell out. I bet it's gonna sound a lot like 'Load' by Metallica. I bet Mikey Erg's gonna get contact lenses. I bet Grath's gonna start auto-tuning his vocals. I bet they're gonna sign to Fat Wreck and they're gonna put people like Sam North and Adam Ali on the street. We'd better sell all our House Boat shit before it comes out so it looks like we never were a part of this band's fanbase."
BUT THEY WERE WRONG! They really were. Mikey still owns his glasses and I don't think Grath's vocals are that auto-tuned.
As over-produced and with as many synthesizers and lasers as The Thorns of Life has, it's a great record, with one exception: there's one fucking Ace song (remember that foreshadowing under the album art? You knew this criticism was coming, House Boat). I was told that it was going to be less of a Steinways band and more of a House Boat band, so I expected more Ace and Mikey Erg lead vocals. They do some great backups though. Guess I'll just have to wait for Ace's solo album, so I can have something to mack on my girlfriend with. Whatever. Hurry up.
In all seriousness, AIDS. No, this is a great pop punk record. It's everything that's a step up from The Delaware Octopus but with the same amount of power chords. That's hard to do, right? Best song: "Now We Are 31." Dude, this shit even ends with a fucking acoustic ballad by Grath called, "Bug Out." It's a good, hopefully-optimistic song about missing a girl and waiting around for her. I imagine him playing it at shows and everyone puts their arms around each other and sways around and sings along. About 3/5 into the song, drums come in and there's some electric guitar feedback beefing up Grath's ballad. It's just feedback though, it doesn't go, "DUNNNNNNN" at any point, like you expect it to. Whatever. Get this album cause it's fun and good and stuff and I'm not gonna talk about any of the songs other than the ballad. I'm not gonna mention the album art and it's similarity to Screeching Weasel's Television City Dream cover or the fact that the album title is the name of a defunct band fronted by Jawbreaker singer, Blake Schwarzenbach.

House Boat - "The Delaware Octopus" review:

Based outta Elmhurst (NY, not Illinois), comes The Steinways! I mean The Ergs. I mean Dear Landlord. Er-Off With Their Heads. I mean The Steinways! If they all just jerked off on a toilet seat at a rest stop in Indiana and then a woman of particularly low appeal sat on it, the baby would be called House Boat, OK? And it would kinda look like the little feller that graces the cover of its debut album, "The Delaware Octopus."

Before I get too into this whole review process, I've listened to this fuckin' thing over 15 times in the last two days. That doesn't really happen when I review something but goddamnit, this shit is tighter than a nun's snatch. Especially if you like all those dead (but not really?) bands that these guys used to play in.
Grath (Steinways, Barrakuda McMurder) sings lead vocals on most of these short little nuggets of gold.
Surprisingly, Mikey Erg only makes one vocal appearance (that I can discern) on the album during the song "Battlestar Galactica..."

The themes seem to be similar to that of The Steinways'. You know...Grath signing about being fucked up, stoned and pathetic and falling over chicks and shit. Yet, all in a really, really catchy way. Then there's the Ace songs, which were always my favorite of The Steinways' tunes. No offense, Grath or Michelle. Ace sings on "My Guts Have Shit For Brains," which, from what I can tell, is about being fed up with bungholes 10 years younger than him at school. It's also quite possibly the best name for a song I have ever heard. If you've got a heterosexual crush on Ace like I do, he also sings on "30 Going On 13," in which both Grath and he split the vocals (with a little bit of Zack in there). It's a tune about lacking motivation infused with stress, laziness and uh...you know...defeat really. But you go with the motions anyways kinda thing cause you have to.

"A Song For Halfpint To Suck On My Balls To" came on and I thought it was a fucking Copyrights tune at first. Well, Zack sings it. But he does that thing Fletcher does where he opens his mouth real big and stretches the vowels. It rules. Then him and Grath share vocals during the chorus. This album ends after 13 catchy songs with a run time of 20:21. I was disappointed that they didn't put "Traffic School" on here. Ace was kind enough to inform me that "Traffic School" is actually a Kirk Hammett (Metallica) cover from some Metallica DVD. I guess he had to go to traffic school, so he went with his guitar and came out with that tune. Perhaps House Boat will release it sometime. It used to be on their MySpace if you have absolutely no fucking clue what I'm talking about. Bottom line is, when It's Alive Records finally releases this, get a copy and have yourself a good old time as you relish in the memories of The Steinways and The Ergs! but are also experiencing something totally new and completely fucking awesome. 5 stars out of 5. I've never done that before. Shit's tight. Here's the artwork. The baby's head was originally supposed to be a Buddha head, but I guess Adam Ali changed it. I'd like to see the original artwork, done by Michelle Shirelle of The Steinways. But the final version is great too.



"The Delaware Octopus"

1. I Watched The Biggest Loser Australia
2. I Work On The 13th Floor
3. Alonelylonelylone
4. Battlestar Galactica Vs. The Pop Punk Message Board Part VI: Grivet Loves Goats
5. My Guts Have Shit For Brains
6. Every Day
7. My Life Hurts
8. Are You Into Metal?
9. 30 Going On 13
10. All Of The Time
11. A Song For Halfpint To Suck On My Balls To
12. Wait, What?
13. Dumbmarket Travesty

Preview two songs from the upcoming House Boat album

By Jason Duarte
Photo from Inhabitat.com

Check out House Boat's BandCamp page to listen to the freshly-posted, "A Song In Which I Try To Convince Myself To Stop Being Such a Fucking Idiot" and their cover of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart." The latter is available for free download, so grab that! Oh hey, would you look at that, I'm wearing my yellow House Boat shirt today.

Interview with Luke McNeill of The Copyrights/Hospital Job

Photo by Patrick Houdek
By Chris Carlton

Squid Pro Quo: Thanks for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Luke. The new Copyrights album, North Sentinel Island is set to be released August 9th via Red Scare/It's Alive Records. This will be the band's first full length in three years. Why so long of a wait?

Luke McNeill: "It was sort of planned to wait a while between records just because we felt like we were always rushed in some way or the other on past records and we wanted no time constraints with this one. It kinda got out of hand though and each step took forever. We forgot how lazy we are."

SPQ: The band's last album, 2008's Learn The Hard Way, was a really strong album. What can fans expect from the new album?

LM: "Well, this new one is definitely our poppiest and weirdest album. That's relative though, of course. It's still a punk rock album after all; kind of, anyway. It was produced by Matt Allison who did Make Sound and the Methadones split. It's definitely our best-sounding record in terms of production. It's also my favorite in terms of lyrics/themes."

SPQ: Can you give us a little history on the band? How did you guys get together?

LM: "Me and Adam have been playing together since we were 15 years old. We decided to start a heavily Screeching Weasel-influenced band at first, then we've tried to at least put our own influences and spin on the tried-and-true formula of melodic punk rock."

SPQ: What are your personal musical influences? And do those influences show up in your songwriting and playing?

LM: "I like tons of stuff, and I'm sure I rip off everyone I like equally. I'm a big fan of '90s alt-country like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco, Whiskeytown; old-people stuff like that. I'm also pretty into hip-hop lately, at least the Wu-Tang family and east coast stuff. As far as contemporary punk rock bands, I still really love Dillinger Four obviously. The Dopamines, Dear Landlord, House Boat and Iron Chic are all great but everybody knows that. I'm pretty obsessed with Fucked Up too."

SPQ: The band has been a non-stop touring machine for the last few years. Are there plans for more European dates as well as state side dates for this album?

LM: "I think we're actually planning on touring Europe next year again. This year, we're gonna do the west coast in early September, and then do the eastern U.S. in late September/October."

SPQ: You're also a producer and engineer, and worked at Sonic Iguana Studios. Can you name some bands and albums you've worked on throughout your career?

LM: "The only band I've produced besides my own in the past five years or so has been House Boat. They're all my friends and it's a blast getting together with them every once in a while to do a record. Back when I worked there full-time, I worked on records by The Riverdales, The Groovie Ghoulies, Common Rider, Squirtgun, The Lillingtons, Teen Idols, Beatnik Termites and a bunch of other ones. It was really fun and Mass taught me a ton of shit about producing and engineering both."

SPQ: Do you find it just as enjoyable working on other albums as working on a Copyrights album?

LM: "Hmm, I think it's more fun working on our albums just because they're my songs and I'm more 'emotionally attached' or whatever. But it's also a ton more stressful and you second guess every possible thing. For the House Boat records, I don't even care if the tracks get recorded. I think there's a song on their new record that doesn't have a lead vocal. Whatever, people won't even notice."

SPQ: The Copyrights released an LP of all its past albums. Will the new album be released on vinyl as well?

LM: "Yeah, we were really adamant about vinyl being released the same time as the digital formats. Adam Alive is taking care of the vinyl on the new record so we're not worried, it'll be out when the digital comes out."

SPQ: With the new album coming, are there any big festivals that you guys have signed on for that you can confirm?
LM: "We're doing the usual Insubordination Fest in Baltimore and The Fest 10 in Gainesville, Florida. I think we're also doing Red Oktoberfest in Chicago in October."

SPQ: Is there a website you would like to plug where fans can get news updates, tour dates and merch?

LM: "www.itsrainingtwoandahalfmen.com"

SPQ: I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo, Luke. I'm looking forward to the new album and catching you guys live again. Always fun seeing you guys live. Thanks again.

Don Giovanni Records Showcase 2012: Dirty Work and Death By Audio

Words and photos by Jason Duarte

This year was our first attending the annual Don Giovanni Records showcase.

I flew from Chicago to Laguardia, in Queens early Thursday morning, met up with my buddy Mikey Erg, and we made our way to NJ to take care of some business, rip CDs and talk all afternoon about Black Flag shows, Def Jam Records, Kraftwerk, touring, bands and other relevant topics of interest. He showed me this rare artifact:

He showed me the studio where his dad, Mickey Erg - I mean Yannich - worked on Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album, and I saw Bon Jovi's (and Eric Truchan's) high school:

We walked past THE grocery store where Mikey wrote most of the songs for The Ergs!' DorkRockCorkRod and Upstairs/Downstairs. In the parking lot, he recalled writing "Stinking of Whiskey Blues," one my favorite Ergs! tunes, and a highlight from his solo show the following night.

We took our second bus to New Brunswick, where I was introduced to the 'Fat Sandwich.' At first, I pictured a generous amount of lard between two slices of bread, but what I got was much more delicious, and filling. Exclusive to the Rutger's University campus, the Fat Sandwich wears many masks. Mine was called the 'Fat Elvis (Jason),' and consisted of gyro meat slices, mozzarella sticks, lettuce, French fries and tzatziki sauce smashed into a hoagie roll. It was amazing, and quite filling.

From there, we took a train a few stops over to Metuchen, NJ, where the infamous Forum Theatre (see the cover of Night Birds' The Other Side of Darkness below) is located.



In fact, that album hangs framed in the theater lobby. Anyway, we arrived before anyone else and anticipated the theater employees to put Dirty Work on the marquee, but Hugo remained. I was hoping they'd put 'Men In Black Who Like To Have Sex With Each Other,' but some things are too good to be true. In a way, it felt cooler with Hugo written outside, while Norm MacDonald was making dead hooker jokes on the screen inside. The movie was more incredible than usual. It was a cross between a Rocky Horror Picture Show theater experience, Dirty Work and the Pop Punk Message Bored. It was awesome. After the movie, I went back to my friends in Brick Mower's apartment with friends, Jeff and Miranda. I had some delicious Yuenglings and hung out for a bit before finally crashing out on their couch. The two days of being awake got to me. Dammit!

So the next day I walked outside and saw the band, Thursday's old house. I think this was it...

Then I walked to the New Brunswick train station and took an expensive ride back to NY Penn Station. From there, I bummed around NYC like a tourist and took the subway to Brooklyn, where I grabbed a coffee at Black Gold Records, and some pizza at Vinny's Pizza. Then I visited with Mike Hunchback at his record store, Co-Op 87 Records, easily one of the best record stores I've ever been to. Their selection was diverse and ventured into obscurities that anyone who fits in a particular niche would be delighted to find. Everything was so reasonably priced, and Mike threw in free vinyl (The Ergs' 3 Guys, 12 Eyes 7'' and Screeching Weasel's You Broke My Fucking Heart 7'') Hell yes. The best part was hanging out and chatting with him again about music, movies, shows and the like.

Then it was time to head to Death By Audio, a 1.1-mile walk from Co-Op 87. I grabbed my backpack and records and walked over. First up was Plastic Cross. It was their first show, and the band features Fid (guitar) and Tim (bass) from The Measure [sa]. They were good - more hardcore than punk, but I'm stoked to see what they sound like on record. This is them playing "Future Science" from the show:

Nuclear Santa Claust had For Science's bass player and I'd never heard them before. They sounded like hardcore Ramones-core, if you can imagine that. Check them out below:

House Boat was a good time. All four original members were there. They didn't play the tightest set, but were fun. They played the new song that will be featured on The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore compilation album, coming out later this year. Check that out below:

But first, they opened with "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

Also they also played "Real Life As a Metaphor For Real Life."

After House Boat, Mikey Erg! took the stage for his second set (for those who don't know already, he's House Boat's drummer/backup vocalist), the final one of the night. He played his solo songs off the heart-shaped 12'' released last year on Paper + Plastick Records, "Permanent Solution" by Psyched To Die, "Fuck You" by Cee-Lo Green, a new solo one, Ergs! songs: "Stinkin' of Whiskey Blues," "If You Don't" and "Books About Miles Davis," and others. The latter was the closer. Joe Keller (Ergs!/bass) and Fid (The Measure [sa]/guitar) jumped on stage to back him up and everyone lost their shit towards the end of the song, where it gets electric. You know the part. Fid played drums, and Joe did what he does best; bass. Check out "If You Don't" and a still shot from the show:

Friday night was a great time. It was nice meeting some people from the PPMB, and buying Chadd's 7'' vinyl! Stay tuned for the Don Giovanni Saturday night review. I wish I had more time for this to do it right now. I love you.

'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.

 

Top Albums, EPs, 7''s, Splits and Demos of 2011

First up is Top 20 full-lengths followed by Top 20 EPs/7''s/collections/demos and finally, Top 8 split 7''s. By each band name and release is a link to the label to which it was released, followed by a brief writeup, a link to a review (if it was reviewed), the album art, and then streaming music from the release. A lot of great releases came out this year. I hope you enjoy, and find at least something new. What were your favorite releases this year?

Top 20 Full-Lengths of 2011

By Jason Duarte

1. Tenement - Napalm Dream (Mandible)

Tenement is a band I saw a couple years ago, but paid no attention to, as I had never heard of them at the time. When Napalm Dream was released this year, I recognized the band and gave it a listen, which turned into giving it a shit ton of listens. This album channels garage, punk, indie and rock music and weaves it all into a beautiful sonic tapestry. This is the best album I've heard all year. Check out our review of Napalm Dream here.

TOP TRACKS: "Stupid Werld," "Spit In the Wind" and "Running Into Mirrors."

2. Samiam - Trips (Hopeless)

Samiam has an impressive back catalog, but since 2000's Astray, nothing has grabbed me the same (I know there isn't a lot since 2000). I picked up a copy of Trips at Reggie's without having heard it prior, and I am so happy I did, because it saved me from shipping charges. This album is Samiam at its best - the songwriting is top-notch, very well thought out and you can tell the band really took its time to write this one. Recorded at Green Day's Jingletown Studios, this album is great from start to finish, and the recording quality is incredible. Check out our blurbs about Samiam here.

TOP TRACKS: "80 West," "September" and "Happy For You."

3. Banner Pilot - Heart Beats Pacific (Fat Wreck)

This year, Banner Pilot released its new album - it's third Fat Wreck release (including the remastered re-issue of Resignation Day). Nate Gangelhoff's pronounced bass lines and songs are tighter than ever, the songs are personal and the sound holds true to the band's previous releases. This is also the perfect album to listen to in winter. Check out our blurbs about Banner Pilot here.

TOP TRACKS: "Forty Degrees," "Eraser" and "Intervention."

4. Black Wine - Summer of Indifference (Don Giovanni)

This year, Black Wine kicked all our ears' asses with an album titled, Summer of Indifference. I was in love with their first album and thought, "eh, they probably can't top it." What happened with that scenario was the complete opposite. This album is awesome. It's more held together by the members. They've tightened up. They've honed in on the sound they're going for, and they executed it wonderfully. The album art is nice and simple and just cool. I was lucky enough to catch two of their shows in Illinois this summer, and book one/house them for one. A great album by some great people.

TOP TRACKS: "End of Days," "Spit To See the Shame" and "Ocean's Skin."

5. House Boat - The Thorns of Life (Traffic Street/Kiss of Death?)

Fucking finally got my physical copy of this shit! House Boat released its second full-length, which turned out awesome. I was all "meh" about the Processing Complaints 7'' (but really dug it), but this full-length blew me away. As always, it could use more Mikey Erg! and Ace (of bass) vocals (screw you, Zack (just kidding)), but hey - you know what, it's like the Steinways never died, and I'm OK with that. In fact, it's like The Steinways evolved. This album kicks ass, and as of Christmas day, I wasn't sure if this thing was ever going to see a physical release, being I ordered it on July 31. Also, I was promised a poster and a pin when I ordered this, and didn't receive either - did anyone get those items, cause I'd feel a lot better if everyone didn't get them. I'm writing a letter, damn it!

TOP TRACKS: "Now We Are 31," "Real Life As a Metaphor For Real Life" and "A Song In Which I Convince Myself To Stop Being Such a Fucking Idiot."

6. Night Birds - The Other Side of Darkness (Grave Mistake)

"What the fuck, another east coast band on your top whatever list," you say? "Yes." Night Birds is awesome - no one can argue with that (they can try). After releasing a bunch of 7''s and EPs and shit over the last few years, they finally released a much-anticipated full-length. Before this, we had to hold ourselves over two or four songs at a time. The band re-recorded two songs from their demo CD-R, "I Can't Get Clean" and "Paranoid Times." There's also a song about the movie They Live called "Hofmann Lens." It rules and so does all 22 minutes of this record. Check out our full review of The Other Side of Darkness here, and other reviews of their stuffhere.

TOP TRACKS: "Born of Man and Woman," "Demon Haunted World" and "Hofmann Lens."

7. Sundials - Never Settle (Toxic Pop)

Sundials was another new band to my ears this year. A great indie/punk band from Richmond, Virginia, Sundials sings from the heart and captivates its listeners. Much recommended. Check out our review of Never Settle here, and our interview with the band from earlier this yearhere.

TOP TRACKS: "Take You In My Coffee," "Either Way" and "Probably Not."

8. The Copyrights - North Sentinel Island (Red Scare/It's Alive)

The Copyrights are one of my favorite bands, and it used to be they'd release a full-length every year. But it's been three years since Learn the Hard Way's release. The band took its time on this one, and recorded it at Atlas Studios in Chicago with Matt Allison. They went all out and added keyboards and a couple other things they haven't introduced to us yet. I love this album, and the band's Crutches 7'' is a great accompanying release. Check out our interview with Luke McNeill (drums) from earlier this year here.

TOP TRACKS: "Bow Down," "20 Feet Tall" and "Never Move Your Back Row."

9. Deep Sleep - Turn Me Off (Grave Mistake)

Deep Sleep is one of the only current hardcore bands I listen to, as I'm not much a fan of modern hardcore, but this band gets it. It's not just screaming and yelling and blind agression; there's a point to the songs, and that's key. Like Night Birds, Deep Sleep has released a handful of 7''s and a collection album before releasing a proper full-length. All 13 minutes of this album is filled with intense, urgent and great hardcore. Check out our review of Three Things At Once here.

TOP TRACKS: "Slow Down," "Be With You" and "Head Spins."

10. Noise By Numbers - Over Leavitt (Jump Start)

Noise By Numbers released one of my favorite albums a couple years ago and now they've released another one, along the same vein of heartfelt, geocentric songs by beloved Chicago punk musicians. I am a huge fan of this album, though I'm not sure it tops Yeah...Whatever. Check out our review of Over Leavitt here, and one I did for Jaded In Chicago here.

TOP TRACKS: "Lost My Way," "I Don't Think So" and "Over Leavitt."

11. Lemuria - Pebble (Bridge 9)

Lemuria is an awesome indie/pop/punk band from Buffalo, NY. Sheena Ozzella (guitar) has a higher, vulnerable voice and she switches lead vocals with Alex Kerns (drums), who has a lower, more monotoned voice. They compliment each other wonderfully and the catchy tunes on this album will resonate with you for a long time. I've been playing this with the band's entire back catalog for weeks. Their most recent DIY space show in Chicago was incredible and I can't wait to see them again.

TOP TRACKS: "Chautauqua County," "Pleaser" and "The One."

12. Underground Railroad To Candyland - Knows Your Sins (Recess)

Underground Railroad To Candyland is one of the most fun bands to see live. I was lucky to catch them at Schuba's this year with Screaming Females and Treasure Fleet (though it took me three hours to get there). I can't say enough good things about URTC. Check out our review of Knows Your Sins here, and at the Elgin Courier-News here.

TOP TRACKS: "We Aren't the World," "And You Think You Can Tame Me" and "Stop Cryin' Kid."

Stream Knows Your Sins here.

13. Spraynard - Funtitled (Asian Man)

Spraynard is a great young band from Pennsylvania. Its posi-punk, anthemic songs are nicely-layered, especially for a three-piece. I was fortunate enough to catch them twice in San Francisco this year as part of the AMR 15-year anniversary festival, and see their raw talent and emotion come through with the songs. Spraynard is a great contrast to a lot of the more negative or otherwise nihilistic punk rock songs out there. Check out our review of this year's Broadways reunion show featuring Spraynard here.

TOP TRACKS: "The Denver Broncos vs. The Denver Broncos," "Homies Where the Heart Is" and "Quite Exciting, This Computer Magic."

Download and donate here.

14. Kepi Ghoulie - I Bleed Rock 'N' Roll (Asian Man)
KEPI!! What a pleasant surprise this album was. Kepi keeps it Kepi-esque while switching it up a little bit, introducing more rock 'n' roll riffage and energy. The dude is a machine. I love this album, and wrote some reviews for it. Check it out, and give this one a listen - one of Asian Man's best releases this year!
Check out our review of I Bleed Rock 'N' Roll here, and over at Jaded In Chicago.

TOP TRACKS: "The Fever," "Nikki Lee" and "I Bleed Rock 'N' Roll."

Stream I Bleed Rock 'N' Roll here.

15. The Dead Milkmen - The King In Yellow (Self-released)
It's been too long since the Dead Milkmen released a proper full-length, and holy crap! We have a new one! The band put it out themselves, and are selling CDs and digital versions of the songs on its website. The songs are funny, satirical, serious and cynical. They don't skimp out either with 17 new songs on this one.

TOP TRACKS: "Meaningless Upbeat Happy Song," "Passport To Depravity" and "Or Maybe It Is."

Preview the album here.

16. Brick Mower - Under the Sink (Viking On Campus/Stumparumper)
Brick Mower is a three-piece from NJ, heavily influenced by grunge and punk. I was lucky enough to meet these guys (and girl) this summer while they were on tour with Black Wine (NJ). The bands stayed at my house in Elgin and played the Gasthaus, and then Chicago the next day. Those two days were absolutely packed with fun, and I'm happy to have been introduced to these guys. Their music is straightforward and raw. This album gets better the more you listen to it.

TOP TRACKS: "Tuxedo Bitch," "Slow Too Fast" and "Weaving."

17. The Gateway District - Perfect's Gonna Fail (It's Alive)
Minnepolis's Gateway District is a fun band. Their first album, Some Days You Get the Thunder was amazing, and this follow-up album carries the rock. This album is upbeat and fun and one of my favorite It's Alive releases of the year.

TOP TRACKS: "Leaving Me Behind," "Waiting For the Sirens" and "I'll Take the River."

18. Dan Andriano In the Emergency Room - Hurricane Season (Asian Man)
One of my all-time favorite songwriters. Dan Andriano gushes with honesty and raw emotion. This record starts off pretty melancholy but by the end, the sun's out. Check out our blurb about Dan here.

TOP TRACKS: "Let Me In," "It's Gonna Rain All Day" and "Me and Denver."

Check out a track-by-track article on the album here.

19. Face To Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later (Antagonist)

Face To Face was one of my first favorite punk bands in high school, and this is their first new album since 2002's How To Ruin Everything. Seeing them with Strung Out this year was amazing, as it was my first time. This album is upbeat, and just as awesome as anything else they've done (OK, not anything, but still...for 9 years of breakage, this album rules). The bass line on "What You Came For" is the best part of the entire album. Check out our blurb aboutLaugh Now, Laugh Later here.

TOP TRACKS: "What You Came For," "It's Not All About You" and "Should Anything Go Wrong."

Stream here.

20. Smoking Popes - This Is Only a Test (Asian Man)

One of my all-time favorite bands are The Popes. This Is Only a Test is the band's first new album since Stay Down was released in 2008. This album is great - as it is a concept album told from the perspective from a high school-aged male. Interesting and intriguing, but I felt it pigeonholed itself (just a little bit). This is a great record, and I look forward to the next Popes album.

TOP TRACKS: "Wish We Were," "Freakin' Out" and "Letter To Emily."

Stream the album here.

Top 7''s/Collections/EPs/Demos of 2011

1. Tenement - Blind Wink LP (Cowabunga (LP)/Dead Broke (cassette))

Formerly released exclusively to cassette, I was happy this gem found a proper vinyl release. I know it's heavily Tenement, but they've been the band of the year over here. This collection of demos and other tracks is a great deviation from Napalm Dream. So much so that it quickly climbed to the top of my list.

TOP TRACKS: "Lost Love Star Lust," "Hey Soozie" and "(Messy Endings) In Middle America."

2. Iron Chic - Split N' Shit EP (All In Vinyl/Yo-Yo)

Not Like This was my favorite album last year. The split they did with Pacer, plus the Bikini Kill cover and European tour song are all packaged into one on this digital EP, which is nothing short of amazing. I can't wait till the second full-length release this year.

TOP TRACK: "Climate Is What We Expect, Weather Is What We Get."

3. Tenement - Taking Everything 7'' (Toxic Pop)

The Taking Everything 7'' is an amazing follow-up to Napalm Dream. One catchy, hook-laded electric song, a slow one and another catchy slower one are on here with a bonus track called "Jesse's Poem." Check out our review of the Taking Everything 7'' here.

TOP TRACK: "Taking Everything."

4. Chixdiggit! - Safeways Here We Come LP (Fat Wreck)

Chixdiggit! is back with its first release since 2005's Pink Razors. This 12'' EP is seven songs long and just as tight and funny and amazing as their past stuff. The first song's about Miso Ramen (or is it?), and then KJ Jansen wrote some songs about hating on his friend's dog, stupid hairstyles, his disgust for basketball and so on. This release is awesome.

TOP TRACKS: "I Hate Basketball," "Swedish Rat" and "I Hope Things Will Turn Around."

Stream the EP here.

5. The Steinways - Promise It'll Never Happen Again LP (It's Alive)

This is one of the best pop punk bands ever. This LP is a collection of various 7''s the band released over the years (Rocket Surgery, the It's Alive Wedding split, the Peabodys split and more). There's a lot of great pop punk on this album. Makes me wish The Steinways were still a band. Check out our review of Gorilla Marketing here.

TOP TRACKS: "Always? Never!," "Headache-Girlfriend=Zero" and "I Shit (You Not)."

6. The Measure [sa] - My Heart and the Real World: Another Collection of Standard Waits and Measurements (No Idea)

The Measure [sa] broke up this year, playing its last show at Fest 10 in Gainesville, FL. The last few shows they've played, they were giving away a 7'' called Jersey's Best, and I was kind of disappointed those songs didn't make it on this collection LP. BUT, a whole bunch of the band's 7''s made it on here including its splits with The Ergs!, the Art of the Underground 7'' and many others. For someone like myself who hasn't tracked down and rounded out his Measure [sa] collection, this is perfect. Pre-orders from No Idea also came with a bonus 7'' with a song that also isn't on the collection (argh!) and some live songs from Fest 9. Awesome! I wish I had them digitized!

TOP TRACKS: "We've Upped Our Standards, Now Up Yours," "Remember the Devillock" and "Workage."

7. Night Birds - Fresh Kills, Vol. 1 (Grave Mistake)

Pre-dating The Other Side of Darkness came this release, a collection of the band's 7''s and EPs. It has everything TOSOD doesn't, and it's amazing. If you don't have all the other releases, I'd recommend picking this up.

8. Night Birds - Midnight Movies 7'' (No Way)

Night Birds released a collection CD this year, titled Fresh Kills, Vol. 1, which features theMidnight Movies songs, but before that came this 7''. Four fast, sick songs in 6 minutes. The artwork, by Mike Diana, is arguably the best part of this release. Research him if you're not familiar. Check out our review of the 7'' here.

TOP TRACK: "Midnight Movies."

9. Mikey Erg! - Heart-Shaped 12'' (Paper + Plastick)

Mikey Erg! is arguably the coolest dude ever. We got to hang a bunch in San Francisco this summer and around the country in some other parts this past year (NJ, Chicago, etc.). He's one of my favorite songwriters and can do no wrong by me. On Valentine's Day this year, Paper + Plastick released three colors (I have all of them!) of a two-song heart-shaped 12''. Both are catchy as fuck, and will resonate in your head for months (at least). Read some Mikey Erg!blurbage!

TOP TRACK: "Little Hands of Concrete."

10. Teenage Bottlerocket - Mutilate Me 7'' (Fat Wreck)

Teenage Bottlerocket made my number 1 album of 2009 list, and now they've followed up with this 7'' titled, Mutilate Me. It's just enough to hold me over until new TBR songs come out. Word is, they're writing/recording for a new full-length. The two originals on this 7'' are amazing and they do a great cover of Bad Religion's "Henchmen" at the end. Check out our review of Mutilate Me here.

TOP TRACK: "Mutilate Me."

Stream here.

11. RVIVR - The Joester Sessions LP (Rumbletowne)

RVIVR is a band I got into post-Latterman and post-Shorebirds. I like them a lot more. They're proactive, gritty, bold and aren't afraid to speak their minds and shatter the status quo. This collection LP features the songs off the Life Moves 7'', the Dirty Water 12'' and the Derailer 7'', with a bonus song titled, "Elizabethan Collar." This is one is a fun one.

TOP TRACKS: "Seethin'," "Life Moves" and "Tallest Tree."

12. The Old Wives - Backed In a Corner EP (When's Lunch)

The Old Wives are in my top two favorite bands from Canada (Chixdiggit! is the other one). They are an amazing pop punk band and on this new EP, bassist Ryan Dix takes over on lead vocals for a couple of tracks. It's an awesome change-up, as his vocals compliment Liam's very nicely. He's a lot more smoother, a little higher and poppier and Liam's are a bit grittier and lower. I highly recommend this band, and their full length kicks ass.

TOP TRACKS: "Backed In a Corner," "Heroes" and "Dix 1N1."

Stream the EP here.

13. Worriers - Past Lives 7'' (No Idea)

So The Measure [sa]'s last show was at Fest 10 in October, and from the ashes, Lauren Measure, MIke Hunchback and two other dudes formed this band. It sounds very Measure-esque. The intros to the songs are all pretty similar; individual notes being plucked from chords, but the songs are great. Being I'm such a huge fan of The Measure [sa], I'm happy to hear Lauren's still making music. Check out our blurb on Worriers here.

TOP TRACK: "Past Lives."

14. Chris Wollard and Addison Burns - Lil' Bitta 7'' (No Idea)

Chris Wollard is one of my favorite songwriters, and since Hot Water Music's hiatus, he's been dabbling in his own solo material. He released a split with Mike Hale, Drag the River and a couple other 7''s before this one, where he teamed up with Addison Burns. This 7'' features four original tracks and is great folky, mellow tunes in the vein of Rumbleseat and The Draft. Can't wait till his next release.

TOP TRACK: "Lil' Bitta."

Listen to/watch songs from Lil' Bitta here.

15. The Bomb - The Challenger 11'' (No Idea)

The Bomb features Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun on vocals, Pete and Mike S. from The Methadones on bass and drums and Jeff Dean on guitar. You might call The Bomb a Chicago punk supergroup, and really, that's what they are. This 11'' from No Idea features four new ones and four live ones from the first two albums. A real treat.

TOP TRACKS: "Man...Atlanta," "Hey World" and "A Song For the Helenas (Alternate Take)."

Check it out here.

16. The Measure [sa] - Jersey's Best 7'' (Don Giovanni)

I missed their last two shows in NY and the Fest 10 final show, so I wasn't able to pick this 7'' up in person, but lucky for me, No Idea had extra copies and I was able to snag one. This is The Measure [sa]'s final recordings (to date), and it's awesome. I feel like The Measure [sa] is a band that improved with time, so they definitely went out on a high note with this one. The song "Jersey's Best" is nothing short of amazing. I love this 7''.

Check out our review of Notes here.

TOP TRACK: "Jersey's Best."

17. Latterman - Our Better Halves 7'' (Self-released)

Latterman did a reunion show not too long ago in New York, and the band pressed up a bunch of these one-sided 7''s featuring a song they recorded in 2007 called "Our Better Halves." It was the last song the band recorded together and it was never released before the band called it quits. This year, it saw the light at the reunion show. It sounds more up Iron Chic's alley to me, or RVIVR, but it's an amazing song. A little pricey for one song, but it's not like new Latterman material is going to be recorded again.

TOP TRACK (heh): "Our Better Halves."

Listen here.

18. RVIVR - Belebend 7'' (Yo-Yo)

RVIVR released this European-label-only 7'', which I hadn't heard of till just a few weeks ago. The songs are on YouTube, and the 7'' is available in distros/labels overseas, and it's awesome. I especially love "Wrong Way One Way," which I believe they played the last time they came through Chicago at that basement show. It sounded great, and I'm glad there's a studio version now. If some domestic distros pick this up, I'm going to snatch it.

TOP TRACK: "Wrong Way One Way."

Listen to "Wrong Way One Way" here.

19. Hot Water Music - The Fire, The Steel, The Tread 7'' (No Idea)

Hot Water Music hasn't released any new material since 2004's The New What Next (unless you count that Bouncing Souls cover), so this has been a long awaited and much anticipated release for me. They played Milwaukee, WI earlier this year and some friends and I drove up to catch them at this ballroom venue, and they were incredible. This 7'' is great, but not HWM's best stuff. Still, it's nice to hear new tunes, and I can't wait for the release of the 3xLP of the Live in Chicago stuff. I was at both those shows in Feb. 2008 and can't wait to hear how that came out. Hopefully they put out a full length soon.

TOP TRACK: "Up To Nothing."

Stream here.

20. The Copyrights - Crutches 7'' (It's Alive)

The Copyrights released North Sentinel Island via It's Alive and Red Scare, and It's Alive pressed this 7'' to accompany it. It features "Crutches," from the record, a demo version of "Worn Out Passport," also from the record and two demos that didn't make the record. I'm glad The Copyrights went with the songs they did for the full length, but for any fan, this 7'' is an essential and fun release to have.

TOP TRACK: "Current Event (Demo)."

Top Splits of 2011

1. Cheap Girls/Lemuria 7'' (No Idea)

Cheap Girls and Lemuria are two bands I just got into this year, so this split has been getting a lot of play. Lemuria offers two songs to Cheap Girls' one, but all three are solid. The Cheap Girls song may be the best Cheap Girls song I've heard to date, and the Lemuria ones are among my favorites of theirs as well. This one's essential to your collection, and the best split 7'' of 2011.

TOP TRACK: "Lemons (Lemuria)."

2. Spraynard/Sundials 7'' (Evil Weevil)

These bands are friends and teamed up this year to release this split, which is awesome. Both bands were new to me this year, and all their songs have been ear-pleasers. This split is fun, and I've found myself flipping it over and over again.

TOP TRACK: "Snowballs At Cops (Sundials)."

3. Dear Landlord/The Dopamines 7'' (Paper + Plastick)

Finally, new Dear Landlord songs, and they're awesome! Especially "Neighbors." More mentions of trailer parks and shitty living conditions, but it's easy to relate to. Their other one, "A Little Left," is a slower song, which picks up after about 0:45 and rules. The Dopamines' side is great as well, though if it was Dear Landlord vs. Dopamines, Dear Landlord wins (sorry, Dopes, I still love you). The Dopamines' best song on here is "Heads Up Dusters," which is extremely anthemic and will stick to you. This split rules and was worth every penny (though it did take forever for the label to release it, to which they made it available for super cheap, which was awesome. I think they're still super affordable, so get one!)

TOP TRACK: "Neighbors (Dear Landlord)."

Stream here.

4. Caves/Sundials 7'' (Kiss of Death)

Sundials made a lot of appearances this year, but they're one of the best bands of the year, and this split with Caves is awesome. I'm not so much a fan of the Caves side, but the Sundials songs here are golden.

TOP TRACK: "Viking Funeral (Sundials)."

5. Tenement/Cülo 7'' (Cowabunga)

At the very end of the year, Tenement squeezed in one more awesome release; a split with Chicago hardcore band, Cülo. Tenement's songs are a little more upbeat and fast on this one - not necessarily to match the hardcore on the opposite side, but in general. The Cülo side features five fast songs.

TOP TRACK: "Your Life Or Mine (Tenement)."

6. Mean Jeans/Hollywood 7'' (Big Neck)

I'm a huge Mean Jeans fan, so when I saw there were a limited number of these being pressed, I had to grab one. The Hollywood side is pretty good, but the Mean Jeans song is awesome. I hope they release another full length this year.

TOP TRACK: "(Let's Go Before I Blow My) Brains Out (Mean Jeans)."

7. Marvin Berry & the New Sound/Nude Beach 7'' (Freedom School)

Dammit, I can't find art for this 7'' anywhere. Not even the label has a picture of it on its site. I wish I had a scanner. But I don't. Handy. Anyway, Marvin Berry covers a song and plays an original. The Nude Beach side is great too. Oh hey, stream the split here.

TOP TRACK: "Howlin' At the Highway (Marvin Berry & the New Sound)."

8. Rise Against/Face To Face 7'' (Folsom)

Two of my favorite bands, back when Rise Against was local and hardcore, and Face To Face was...well, active. This 7'' is just fun. Rise Against covers one of my favorite Face To Face songs and while I'm not all that fond of the song Face To Face chose to cover, I think their spin on it is cool.

TOP TRACK: "Blind (Rise Against)."

Preview the split here.