The Skabbs bassist, Mike Enzor, had been in the LA shop a few times before Jackpot issued the archival "Idle Threat" LP.  He's a super cool dude with great taste and a pleasure to talk to.  Once I heard the incredible Skabbs LP and read the liners, I knew more of the Skabbs story needed to be told.  He, Mark Salazar and I sat down for an interview not long after the release of their record and discussed the history of the band.  At this time, Mark offered us copies of the Skabbs' key songwriter Steve Salazar's self-released LP from 1975.  This privately pressed LP is pretty rare.  According to Mark, only a couple hundred were pressed and he's only got a handful of 'em left.  I cracked the nearly 40 year old seal on my copy and was pleasantly surprised by the tunes contained within these vintage grooves.  So we acquired a handful and here we are, offering them up to you, our loyal record collecting comrades.  I've listened to "Shorty's Portion" a bunch and I could describe this record in depth for you, but why waste time and effort when Mike Enzor has already done such a great job of reviewing the record on his blog.  Here's that review in it's entirety:

"Shorty's Portion was centered around singer/composer Steve Salazar. Steve was born with a hole in his heart, and underwent 2 corrective surgeries by the time he was 10. Unfortunately both surgeries went awry and doctors gave him only a couple of years to live. Steve beat the odds and stayed alive despite the dire predictions of his doctors, but was not able to enjoy physical activities like other kids. He was brilliant though. He excelled in school and proved to have near genius intelligence. He was the oldest of 5 kids in a very tight half Hispanic, half Armenian family. The Salazars lived in a big old Craftsman style house in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, and despite Steve's pessimistic prognosis, they were a very positive, happy bunch. Steve's siblings all looked up to their big brother, even though by the time he was fully grown he stood about 5'3", and weighed about 90 lbs.

Steve took piano lessons at an early age. Of course he discovered rock music by the time he reached puberty, and he admired artists like Neil Young and Todd Rundgren. But when he discovered Frank Zappa, he went into hyper-drive and began writing not only pop songs, but also complex, near symphonic musical pieces with sardonic, self depreciating lyrics. In high school, he soaked up music theory classes, and was quite popular with the other "music geeks".

Later he attended USC, and eventually got a degree in musical composition. The Shorty's Portion album was recorded during his USC stint, and the band was comprised mainly of other music majors. Steve had high hopes for a career in music. He had an almost equal passion for film, and especially loved film music. About half of his massive record collection was comprised of soundtrack albums, so if given the opportunity, I'm sure he could have easily segued into composing film music ala Danny Elfman or Randy Newman. True to his quirky nature, he often said that if he made some money, he'd like to open a liquor store in Beverly Hills, and sell booze to rich people.

Shorty's Portion did occasional shows, but it was mostly his many friends and supporters that showed up. Andy Gonzalez was Shorty's drummer and a good friend of Steve's. I knew Andy from high school and we were in our early 20s, we were hanging out during a time when Shorty's Portion was inactive. Along with a couple of other high school buddies, we came up with a concept for a band, based on our recent exposure to the Sex Pistols and Devo. None of us were song writers though, so Andy thought of Salazar. Steve was a bit reluctant at first, but after we loaned him "Nevermind The Bollocks", he came up with a song called Long May She Wave, intended as an answer song to God Save The Queen. We loved it and he was in. The band was called The Skabbs.

Salazar was the perfect addition to the band. His bizarre physical appearance, and outrageous stage presence, combined with his high, fragile voice made for a strange mix with this aggressive, stupid band blazing behind him.

When Salazar began writing songs for The Skabbs, he realized that being forced to write in a simpler style was good for him, and the years of absorbing music theory had filled his head with too many musical rules. Writing and performing with The Skabbs freed his mind, and in his mid-20s he finally started doing a lot of things he was afraid to do before because of health concerns. He had a steady girlfriend for the first time, had a warrant out for his arrest (mostly for parking violations, but he bragged about it none the less), and moved away from home to the South Bay hamlet of Lomita (home of the Alley Cats). Life was good, but unfortunately short. His bad heart finally got the best of him and he passed away just short of his 27th birthday.

In our brief moment in the smog, The Skabbs recorded some demos, played a few shows (enraging and confusing hippies and punks alike) and at various times performed as many as 40 Salazar originals, but never cut any wax during our year + run (my biggest personal regret). Thus, the Shorty's Portion album is the only slab of Salazar vinyl in existence. So, without further adieu, here it is, in all it's glory.

I'm loathe to say anything about the album. I feel too close to it, even though I had nothing to do with it. Listening to it now, it's better than I thought it was. I love Gonzalez's drumming. Andy's told me about the sessions at Jerry Shirar's studio in the O.C., and how he insisted on recording each instrument separately, one at a time. So they'd do a take with Steve's piano, and go from there without the use of a click track or anything like that. It's fun to listen to Andy try to catch up, then slow down again (on Cliche especially, featuring Steve on "Half-assed" lead guitar and "tough guy licks"). On all 7 of Salazar's songs though, the songwriting comes right through.

Steve was torn between writing songs with hooks and songs with substance, but he always managed to combine the two anyway. He was mindful of his audience (his family, fellow USC students, etc.), and you could tell he was eager to please, to prove he was good, and this record does indeed prove that.

From Steve's liner notes: Bear in mind that most of this was done in our spare time and under not-so-opportune conditions. I'm sure that under the proper conditions with access to better facilities, it would still sound the same.

Tracks 7,8 & 9 are not by Salazar nor Shorty's Portion, and although he performs on two of the songs (guitar and bass on Terence d'Balboa's "I Had To Practice My Smile" and Steve Laughlin's "Lonely Leah". The other song is "Fantasy Child" by D. Layne), it's a weird left turn for the album to take a little better than halfway through it. Somehow in the end though, it all comes together.

Also from Steve's liner notes: The first four numbers on side two were written by four U.S.C. music comp majors (known to some as the USCateers). They were originally entered into the American Song Festival, 1975. We chose them from songs we thought had the most commercial potential. Unfortunately, the ASF judges disagreed! So, we thought we'd put these rejected entries on plastic and let you, the listeners, decide for yourselves.

One final note from 2009: The four surviving members of The Skabbs reformed in '08 and have been performing Steve Salazar's music at various watering holes around the L.A./Orange County area (we even played a couple of shows in Vegas. Steve would've loved that!). And like every other band these days, we have a myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/wearetheskabbs

One thing we knew when we got back together and that still holds true today: There's no way to fill Steve Salazar's shoes, but at least we can show you the shoes."

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not a punk record, but it's pretty fucking awesome nonetheless.  Steve Salazar was a decidedly gifted songwriter and his chops are on display in full-forced on this LP.  If that doesn't bum you out too much, I highly recommend getting one of these while you can!

Australia's Negative Guest List is still goin' strong continually keeping things infinitely fresh and interesting. This time it's a much needed debut long player, "Rave Cave", by Sky Needle. Recently a handful of the Aussie labels have been officially defaulting to Volcanic Tongue to review their records, and we can see why as they've done a killer job capturing the essence of what we believe is going on with Aussie music of the now. Check it:

"The first couple of broadcasts from this amazing group from Brisbane Australia were some of the most defiantly original sides of outsider rock/pop to reach these ears in many, many years so it was with some excitement that we unpacked this one, the debut full-length from Joel Stern, Sarah Byrne, Alex Cuffe and Ross Manning playing all their own invented instruments. The feel is still of a fantasy Godz-play-Moondog session but given the space to really stretch out the group reveal themselves as equally proficient in radical free improvisation. Byrne’s vocals are particularly boggling, ululating all over the honking, scraping, huffing rhythms and melodies with an elastic a-formal approach that has few parallels but that orbits a similar universe to Meredith Monk and Amy Sheffer. The group’s tonal palette is truly singular odd, with brokedown rhythms illuminated by percussive tones and sawing folk drones in a way that sounds like Tago Mago played with nothing but Harry Bertoia’s sound sculptures. Indeed, their evisceration of song is every bit as far-reaching as Damo-era Can, building to peaks of nowhere with a hands-on tactile feel that is supremely satisfying while Byrne works mysterious/evocative tongues around every starry shape. This is atavistic folk music w/a heady hobbyist edge and the kinda sublimely out atmosphere that says ESP-Disk like nothing else. If the newly activated ESP really had an ear to the underground then they would have snapped this group up: Rave Cave is easily the equal of any of the original label’s wildest avant/rock releases. Right now Sky Needle are one of the most radically original and self-sufficient performance units in the world and this is one of the most beautifully skewed releases of the year. Truly, you never heard such sounds. Simply can’t recommend this enough."

…and we simply can't recommend this enough either. Get your dance on to some primitive deconstructionalist jams. RECOMMENDED!

Two of our favorite things in music of the now have joined forces to put out a no doubt killer debut LP. Looks Like Miaou is from France with a sound sniffing comfortably in the French Glue Wave scene and the label behind this, Bon Voyage, is based in the overseas music scene hotbed of Brisbane, Australia:

"Extremely pleased to announce that BV will be releasing the first LP from French duo Looks Like Miaou later this month.

I first came in contact with Looks Like Miaou’s music when my friend Sian returned from her rambling days in the continent of Europe. She told me about this group of lifestyle punks she’d met hitching, living in a secluded village near Marseille. They seemed kinda mythic. I heard about parties, home-job tattoos, and about how two of them - Chloé and Constant - played music.

I was struck by the palpable anxiety and frustration to their work straight away on listening. It was raw and vicious. There was a sound to it too that seemed so at odds with its setting. It’s Anglo-Franco vocals, sometimes squalling, sometimes sweet, over broken guitar riffs, harsh noise, and clean machine rhythms. The best I can do to describe it is to say that you can hear bits of stuff like Flipper, AH Kraken, and early DNA, with an overtone of Suicide romance.

In any case, best you listen for yourself. These are two of nine tracks."

We're hearin' what Bon Voyage is hearin' and ultimately you need to get hearin' on this one. It's the best kind of weird, which from us is the best kind of recommendation.

Easter Bilby is responsible for getting the lion's share of the Aussie import titles out to shops such as ourselves. After distro'ing so many of the titles we've been gushing on and on about, Easter Bilby is putting out this Lower Plenty "Hard Rubbish" LP as their very first record as a label. Needless to say we're stoked for Easter Bilby and we're stoked for this record. Recently a handful of the Aussie labels have been officially defaulting to Volcanic Tongue to review their records, and we can see why as they've done a killer job capturing the essence of what we believe is going on with Aussie music of the now. Check it:

"Made up of members from bands such as Deaf Wish, UV Race, Dick Diver and Total Control, it’s understandable that you’d expect this band to produce some nice little numbers. Lower Plenty recorded their debut 2nd album Hard Rubbish almost a year ago, thank god it’s got to see the light of day for all of us who don’t have a friend in the band that would give us a sneaky preview.
In a great interview with Mess + Noise, Jensen Tjhung describes the recording process, “We went to my place with an eight-track reel-to-reel. Al and I sat down and worked out what was going on. The whole record is the first take. On one of the songs you can hear the reel run off. Then we just left it on the machine for like six months. [Laughs] So we actually recorded it this time last year. These things sometimes take a while.”
The record is delicate, yet has a certain no-frills feel about it garnered from the recording process. ‘Strange Beast’ is a beautiful duet, where Sarah Heyward‘s vocals sound as if they are coming from the rafters. ‘Nullabor’ is a more slow paced, driving tack that deliberates on the actions of a girl who drove a commodore across a unforgiving desert, vocals are almost spoken, much akin to ‘Bring Me Down’ by Twerps, yet grittier guitar."

Members from bands such as Deaf Wish, UV Race, Dick Diver and Total Control? Sign us up! In true Aussie fashion Lower Plenty sounds absolutely nothing like any of it's members other respective bands. Think a totally bummed out Dutchess and The Duke, lingering through "The Doctor Came At Dawn" era Smog (yep, Bill Callahan joined by Cynthia Dall). We're consistently impressed with ability of these Australian artists to keep things fresh, interesting, and us coming back for more. Highly Recommended.

Bedroom Suck records is about 35 releases deep now. It's run by a dude in Kitchen's Floor and Loose Grip, another dude in Loose Grip, along with another dude in Kitchen's floor as a silent third partner. These Australian lads have their hands in all sorts of good things Aussie. When they started releasing wax no one was putting out records in Brisbane. Recently a handful of the Aussie labels have been officially defaulting to Volcanic Tongue to review their records, and we can see why as they've done a killer job capturing the essence of what we believe is going on with Aussie music of the now. Check it:

"The wedding of original neighbours Scott and Charlene continues to send out ripples throughout Australian culture: this particular manifestation consist of members of Spider Vomit, Lost Animals, Love Of Diagrams and Panel Of Judges. Para Vista Social Club was originally issued in an ultra-obscure edition in 2010 and this edition from Bedroom Suck restores one of the Australian underground’s rock/pop monsters. The sound is somewhere downwind of the Flying Nun roster but with a beautifully keen/moving atmosphere that is pure teenage garage band. The lyrics are as simplistic and affecting as early Modern Lovers while the songs sit this side of UK DIY legends like The Scrotum Poles, early Pastels and some of the groups associated with the Manchester Musicians Collective. Some nice fuzz guitar and elegiac teen punk-style leads illuminate the whole set but the thing that keeps you coming back is the heart-on-the-sleeve vocals and the primitively rendered songcraft. Long time since I heard such a totally beguiling DIY side without a single duff track. Instantly sold out from the label. Highly recommended!"

YES! Highly Recommended! "Para Vista Social Club" actually isn't all that far from early US slacker rock fueled by a young Stephen Malkmus. The best part is Scott and Charlene's Wedding  aren't even trying to do this on purpose, rather they deliver naturally, as this record is very real and very genuine. On a side note, Scott and Charlene’s Wedding went on to form Divorced, a more Wipers-y punk rock rockin' band, that put out a 2011 Permanent favorite LP, "Separation Anxiety". Big time recommendations.

Australia's Cosmic Psychos are still at it! Pitshark did the wax:

"After the releases of "Off Ya Cruet" and "Dung Australia", PITSHARK Records wanted to have a vinyl release of the COSMIC PSYCHOS... It's done now... And on the better way i would ever could dream of... This new album "Glorius Barsteds" is the best thing I heard since so long !!
The COSMIC PSYCHOS are back with a bunch of great tunes and their own style and sound that we all enjoy so much !!!
Don't wait suckers ! Grab this album and listen to it until your neighbours dies !!!
(COMES WITH A FREE BONUS CD : "Who Flung" by DUNG) "

Yep, Cosmic Psychos are back with all the killer punk rock pummeling wah'd out fuzzed out repetition! GET IT!

Vice Records has the all the deets on this one:

"If 2012 really is the end, the members of OFF! are determined to go out kicking and/or screaming. But preferably both. As such, theyʼve written their first “proper” full-length for release via Vice Records. Simply and effectively entitled OFF! and once again featuring cover art courtesy of the always-masterful Raymond Pettibon, the record was written and recorded at lightning speed, the only speed at which the band knows how to operate. Produced by Dimitri Coats at Kingsize Soundlabs in L.A., OFF! clocks in at a grand total of just under 16 minutes, each song slightly more pissed-off than the last."

This record is a snarling beast of unrelenting hardcore punk done short, loud and fast.  Pissed til infinity, OFF! just do not let up and that is just fucking fine with us.  It is good to know that there are still bands out there mowing a path of their own direction and that frankly don't give a fuck what anybody says or thinks about it, so get out the way and enjoy the chaos!  Totally Recommended.

The BLVD Records label has brought us great releases by Astrobrite and Vee Dee in the recent past and now they are doling out the debut by Chicago's Fake Limbs.  Here's what they're spittin':

"A self-described “eight-fisted rock trial in meat, wire, and maple,” Fake Limbs have Man Feelings and they’re gonna let you know it: featuring a handful of Chicago music heavyweights, they have burst onto the scene with bruising beats and furious riffs drenched in massive doses of lyrical/onstage humor. These four dudes play a brand of heavy r’n'r/punk rock that is seriously on par with the legendary likes of Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Pere Ubu & The Stooges. AND THAT’S NOT ALL… get into it: AmRep stylings galore, EPIC rhythm section, post-hardcore flavoring, technical finesse, punk rock character, feel-good abrasiveness, brutally real heavy/smart lyrical content, yowling frenzy, and the finest frontman since D. Boon. Need to explore the humility of existence in the western world? Then this record is for you. Finis."

Day-um! They pretty much owned it with all that praise.  The whole Minutemen crossed with Pere Ubu run through the AmRepper machine is definitely what we're hearing and we likes it so very, very much. When they did an in store at the Chicago shop they were conscientious enough to hand out ear plugs before sonically boot-stomping everybody's ears off!  Buckle up kiddies cuz its gonna be a bumpy ride and the brakes have done broke off!  Ultra Recommended.

TRYPES! We'd like you to direct your attention right to the Acute write-up, we searched for some textual fat to trim, but there are just too many essential deets to digest on these Jersey contemporaries of The Feelies, so get on at it:

"The New Jersey towns of Haledon and Hoboken may not have the same mythical status as Beatles Liverpool or Velvets New York City, but in the early-1980s, a group of high school friends came together there to form a shifting network of bands that would be referred to as “the stuff of legend and cults.” The Trypes emerged from this scene, playing hauntingly beautiful, baroquely arranged psychedelic rock music. Acute Record’s newest release, Music for Neighbors, gathers their contributions to the “Hoboken Sound.”

The Trypes overlapped with another vital Hoboken band, The Feelies, both in members and the development of that sound. Joining original Trypes John Baumgartner, Toni Baumgartner, Elbrus Kelemet and Marc Francia was Glenn Mercer of the Feelies on drums, only to be replaced by Dave Weckerman when he moved to guitar. Later, newcomers Brenda Sauter and Stan Demeski took over rhythm section duties, with the other remaining Feelie Bill Million finally joining as well on percussion. Elements of the signature Feelies sounds were present in their songs—the Moe Tucker toms, the jangly guitars, the Beatles covers—but were played through The Trypes’ chamber-psyche lens and embellished by John’s rhythmic piano and droning accordion, Toni and Brenda’s stunning harmonies and, thanks to Toni, pretty much every wind instrument this side of the kazoo.

The Trypes found fellow travelers in the West Coast’s 60s revivalist Paisley Underground, but were unique in their sound and arrangements. They rehearsed and performed at famed Hoboken club Maxwell’s, and regularly played with bands like The Bongos and The Dream Syndicate. Their closest kinships, though, were always that tight-knit set of schoolmate bands—The Feelies, Yung Wu, the Willies, even Dr. Robert, a Beatles cover band, all variations of the same group of friends.

Too often it seems that mention of the Trypes gets accompanied by the inevitable tag, “Feelies side project.” However, they existed before any Feelies were involved and had a different, if related, sound. The Trypes officially ended when The Feelies re-formed for their second album, taking Stan and Brenda with them. But the remaining Trypes expanded their membership once again and became Speed the Plough, still going strong today, still calling New Jersey home.

Side A of Acute’s release Music For Neighbors contains their entire released output, the 4 songs from the 1984 EP The Explorers Hold and 1 song from the 1985 compilation Luxury Condos Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon, both on Coyote Records. About The Explorers Hold, Trouser Press, calling the Trypes “A loud psychedelic band”, wrote “The Explorers Hold is a placid, constantly shifting landscape of sounds. The four songs emphasize coloration, not beat; yet, for all its subdued calm, there’s an explosive tension bubbling underneath the music…The quieter songs, complete with woodwinds and keyboards, are hauntingly beautiful.”

Side B features a selection of never before heard demos from the earlier period of the band, who’s raw artfulness and sparse arrangements contrast the ornate production of the studio recordings. The LP comes with a download card that features an additional 7 songs (also available when purchased digitally) primarily recorded live at rehearsals at the legendary Maxwell’s club in Hoboken. Sample free downloads from the release as well as two additional downloads otherwise unavailable can be found below.

All of this is contained within a hand-letterpress-printed cardstock sleeve with a composite band photo attached to the front with homey photo corners. The LP and digital downloads also come with a deluxe booklet with photos and liner notes from Trypes John, Marc and Glenn as well as their first fan, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan."

Well that certainly was no tripe and neither is Trypes' "Music For Neighbors". As pointed out by Acute, Trypes existed before any Feelies were involved as Trypes members, there must have been something in that 80's Hoboken water as the Feelies-ness is undeniablely in the genes of their recorded output, yet still all their own. Some of the material feels something like the Feelies collaborated with the Vaselines, but make no mistake this is a TRYPES record. Recommended.

"In this first of two new albums planned for release in 2012, Mount Eerie presents a monumental work of depth and maturity. These are songs about a quiet life in and around a small northwest town, usually buried in fog, and the unexpected moments of clarity that briefly flash through. Clear Moon is the resonant lone bell symbol, the glint in the water, the sudden breath.

After all the world-touring that followed the release of Wind’s Poem, Phil Elverum has spent 2 years establishing a new recording studio, “the Unknown”, in an old de-sanctified church in Anacortes, Washington. These 2 new albums, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar (due in September), are the first Mount Eerie recordings to be released from the new old space. You can hear the giant wooden cathedral room in these songs. Vast echo, resonating gongs, impenetrable walls of thickness, and always a voice cutting through the fog, moon-like. The sound is not lo-fi as it is sometimes called. It’s also not hi-fi. These are just crazy recordings, bigger and deeper than any real- life fjord. It’s 100% analog, and it is a sound that can only come from 15 months of studio solitude, crushing tape, riding waves of fake strings, finding new angles on “intensity”. The music of Popol Vuh was inspirational, as well as explorers from black metal such as Menace Ruine, Nadja, and others. Contemporaries in theme can be found in the heavy sacred regionalism of Olympia’s Wolves In The Throne Room. Ultimately, this is music on its own island, unlike anything else; a break in the clouds and a view of a hidden new landscape." - P.W. Elverum & Sun

"CLEARSPOT presents on 180 gram vinyl and housed in nice hardcarton sleeve! for the first time ever, the great Pacific Northwest band that released over a dozen 45s on both the Piccadilly, Parrot and Capital labels. They opened for such national acts as THE TURTLES and PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS. This is their previously unreleased LP from 1968, produced by CURT BOETCHER and KEITH OLSEN, who teamed up on THE ASSOCIATION's recording and many others out of LA in the 60's. From the master tapes. Experimental and psychedelic in nature, it features outstanding keyboard, vocals and fuzz-driven guitar work." - Gear Fab / Clearspot

"For over 15-years, the highly influential Black Dice have continuously reinvented and mutated punk music into new sonic stews. The New York based trio of Eric Copeland, Bjorn Copeland and Aaron Warren have released scores of albums, EPs and singles on iconic labels (Gravity, 31G, Troubleman, DFA, Paw Tracks), that document their musical travels, from raw brutal thrash to inside-out pop anthems from way out.

A decade and half of evolution has seen the amplification get larger, and the instruments more enigmatic. Drums and bass guitars have been replaced with mixer feedback, processed vocals, and alien sounds that seek to seduce and repulse impressionable ears. Using videos, live projections, and printed ephemera, the band has developed an over the top psychoactive audio-visual aesthetic that twists the useless pop sights and sounds we are bombarded with into infectious new strains of music and imagery that ooze a rock and roll spirit.

Mr. Impossible, is the band’s sixth full length, and their first release on Ribbon Music. The album is the soundtrack to a substance-fueled teen basement show on Mars. It explores the uncommon ground between The Seeds punk primitivism, extra-terrestrial throbbing of Funkadelic, and discordant rebelliousness of Royal Trux. The record is informed by countless live performances the group has done worldwide, over its long lifetime. Band highlights from past eras were re-germinated, and grew into a new mutation called Mr. Impossible. Consistent to every era and all of Black Dice’s material is an irreverent, aggressive, hand-made aesthetic that simultaneously revels in and reconfigures the whole of popular culture." - Ribbon Records

"Chicago's 7-headed monster, BLOODIEST unleash a beast of an LP on Descent (CD was released on Relapse in 2011). "By any definition Bloodiest have given us a serious metal record—one of the most creative & diverse ones to come along in quite some time." - Loudlooppress

"Cem Karaca was one of the pioneers (if not THE pioneer) of blending Western rock music with traditional Turkish folk, giving birth to the succesful and acclaimed Anatolian Rock movement. This record is his debut album, actually comprising songs previously released between 1969 and 1971 on 45s backed by the bands Kardaslar and Apaslar. Enjoy Anatolian Rock in its full glory! Deluxe vinyl release with thick 425g old-style paste-on carton cover, 180g vinyl, fully remastered sound and insert with extensive liners and photos." – Guerssen

"GRASS WIDOW—HANNAH LEW, RAVEN MAHON, and LILLIAN MARING—write their hypnotic, layered melodies collaboratively. Their haunting songs, rich in metaphor and couched in reference and allusion, are mined from the personal narratives of each member. Vocal duties, shared equally all around, complete the overall sensibility. Grass Widow has no front-person, and offers a musical experience not based on celebrity or spectacle. In line with these principles, they have maintained their objective of playing age- and gender-inclusive shows since their formation. Grass Widow formed in 2007; their first release was a self-titled LP on San Francisco’s Make a Mess Records in 2009, followed by a 12-inch EP on Captured Tracks and their second full-length, Past Time, which came out in 2010 on Kill Rock Stars. The band has played in Europe and China, and recently started their own record label, HLR. The ready-steady build for Grass Widow is representative of their music and overall band aesthetic, and it reaches a new high point with the release of Internal Logic, their third album. " - HLR

"The second album (first for Dirtnap) of sexy, sleazy, reverb'd out slime from GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH. Guantanamo Baywatch was started by JASON POWELL and CHEVELLE WISEMAN in Portland about 4 years ago to an immediately enthusiastic reception, released a very well received and now out-of-print LP on Portland's awesome Hovercraft Records, as well as a couple of EP's/tapes. The band really came into it's own, though, in late 2010, with the addition of CHRIS MICHAEL (also in BOOM!) on drums. Technically they joined the Dirtnap roster in June 2011, but they took their time recording their debut for the label, done mostly at home by the band themselves. Chest Crawl sees the band working more vocal numbers into the mix, incorporating the usual surf/garage suspects (Cramps, Trashmen), more obscure ‘50s rock n' roll/RNB wildmen, as well as slightly heavier nods toward the young-oldies sound being popularized today by bands such as Hunx, Shannon And The Clams, Nobunny, etc. Wildly popular in Portland, and not afraid to tour, Guantanamo Baywatch are gonna be all over the place in 2012, starting with a two week tour with frequent bill-mates The Mean Jeans in March, followed by a solid summer of touring following the release of Chest Crawl." - Dirtnap

"With a heavy-handed approach and a sound that crashes like thunder, sludge metal merchants High On Fire have put the power back in ‘power-trio.’ Less a band than a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume and sheer heaviness, the band has burned the metal rulebook and forged a new archetype with De Vermis Mysteriis (Mysteries of the Worm).

Recorded in Salem, MA's GodCity Studios with producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, the 10-song effort touted as "direct, eye-opening and powerfully supernatural" is the band's sixth studio recording and the follow-up to 2010's Snakes for the Divine. Features the captivating first single "Fertile Green." Double gatefold vinyl." - E1 Records

"Groovesome twosome, din-yin and bang-yang, San Fran band of solo brothers, DAMON PALERMO and DANIEL MARTIN MCCORMICK disjoin forces here for a split personality. MAGIC TOUCH and ITAL, respectively, travel the globe separate and together (as the harmoniously, ever-evolving MI AMI), forging a years-long relationship that supercedes the prod of producer’s ego. Like his previous paean “Clubhouse” but with gospel-gush swirl and swoon, Magic Touch’s “Anywhere You Want Me” bursts with soul to squeeze, a slip-disco house hunt for the perfect ease-ster egg. Then, re-envisioned by Ital, “Anywhere” goes satin to satan, perfect paranoia pitch, choir curse, a ‘bot-banger out of darkness into flight. Flip to Ital’s “From A Dream” and find your BPM on a trip-treadmill, jacked, pumped, maxxed Max Headroom seizure samples, with moments of power-pretty sweat-spritz dizziness. The remix from Magic Touch jumps through italo-boogie loops and hoops for a revolution-evolution of hooks and crammies, all dissolving into an interzone afterglow. Compliments to the chefs." - 100% Silk

"OCTO OCTA adds the melancholy to LA VAMPIRES infinite fadness on Freedom 2K, their reachin’/preachin’ 50/50 collaboration on 100% Silk. Here LaVamps has traded her cheap n’ chic booty-budget grooves for sleek n’ chic haunted house. With lyrical references to Minnie Riperton, Arthur Russell, and Evelyn Champagne King, vocalist AMANDA BROWN reappropriates realms of romance, skewing them into fresh sonic moods. Her wash n’ rinse sing/speak is backed by NICK MALKIN’s keys-like-skippin’-stones, BRITT BROWN’s Tex-Mix dub-bumps, and BRIAN FOOTE’s sense and sexpertise, which are all just spit and shine for Octo Octa’s moonlit piano naïve melodies. Gloss and glow design by aesthetic-elevator BOBBY HOULIHAN, with silver and pink toned drop-of-androgeny photography by ASHLEY ANTHONY, will push your candy buttons. Freedom 2K provides dance-or-be-danced-on anthems for the 21st Century, with a diagonal devotion to our generation’s gay nineties. “We were living in a fantasy”—George Michael, Freedom 90." - 100% Silk

"Mark Sultan (a.k.a. BBQ) is a one-man band and one of the best crooners around. For this release, he declares war on rock n’ roll music. He’s even written a manifesto that’s included with this release so you know exactly where he’s coming from. The dude’s pissed. Who can blame him?  War on Rock ’n’ Roll is one continuous, 51-minute piece recorded in one take live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It’s a weirdo medley that includes many of his best songs, drum breakdowns, primal screams and guitar freak-outs.  The album was pressed in an edition of 500 and all copies are on red-and-black splatter vinyl. The silk-screened record cover features totally badass artwork done exclusively for the release by Gary Panter." - In The Red

"Nick Waterhouse is the new breed, an R&B fanatic who combines an uncanny old-school sensibility with a charged, contemporary style. Having just turned 25, he joins the ranks of similar acts and producers of recent times like Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, Mayer Hawthorne and Aloe Blacc who are all moving forward into the past, yet all quite unique in their approach.

For Waterhouse, his muse is the over-modulated sound of vintage '50s R&B and rebel rock 'n' roll. His take on such a time-honored tradition evokes the back-alley thrill of New Orleans, Detroit and Memphis in their heyday and has resonated with fans the world over (his debut 45 sells for upwards of $250).

Waterhouse combines an astute attention to detail with an honest desire to match the emotional impact of the music that inspires him by using all vintage equipment recording to magnetic tape and mastered straight to mono on the same Gold Star Studios lathe that Phil Spector and The Beach Boys once used. Innovative Leisure Records now presents this, his highly anticipated debut album Time's All Gone." - Innovative Leisure Records

"Gatefold sleeve, silver colour outside cover. Includes one unreleased track!! REMASTERED IN THE 24-BIT DOMAIN FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES. Q65 was revived in 1970 with the original line-up apart from Jay Baar (replaced by Beer Klaasse of Group 1850). 'Afghanistan' (1970) headed towards tough hard rock in an attempt to regain their original energy level. The result was rather dark-hearted, being close to the mood Pretty Things created on their Parachute album. Tracklisting: Side 1: INJECTION (J. Roelofs) BABY DONT WORRY (J. Roelofs - W. Bieler) I'M GLAD (J. Roelofs - P. Vink - W. Bieler) NOBODY KNOWS WHEN YOURE DOWN AND OUT (J. Cox) PLEASE COME BACK TO ME (J. Roelofs - W. Bieler) WE ARE HAPPY (F. Nuyens - W. Bieler) NIGHT (F. Nuyens - W. Bieler). Side 2: GRAVEYARD TRAIN Live (J. Fogerty) Non album / unreleased track ROCK AND ROLL MEDLEY Live a LONG TALL SALLY (E. Johnson) b WHOLE LOTTA SHAKING GOIN ON (D. Williams - J. David) c JENNY, JENNY (R. Moore) d ONE NIGHT (D. Bartholomew - P. King - A. Domino) e MY BABE (W. Dixon)." - Pseudonym

"The Replay Lounge in Lawrence, KS has been putting on punk shows since 1993, and when asked to put together a compilation representing local Lawrence/Kansas City music scene along with a concept that is undeniably representative of the Replay, Cheap Beer was the logical choice. The Replay lounge is consistently in the top ten for PBR sales in the world. How? Don’t ask. Just take a listen to the record that crosses many genres but stays connected some how. That is what the Replay is all about: a home for everyone and their band. Take it from Maximum Rocknroll’s review in their March 2012 issue, ‘The Unfortunate reality of most stylistically eclectic compilations is that they are qualitatively eclectic as well. Cheap Beer defies this convention. With straight-ahead punk, new fangled garage and even technical post-punk, its musically diverse but qualitatively cohesive…Buy this record to ensure Replay’s ability to bring us more.” Features tracks from MOUTHBREATHERS, UP THE ACADEMY, FAG COP, NATURE BOUS, HIPS, DARK AGES, ROOFTOP VIGILANTES, DER TODESKING, JABBERJOSH, MAJOR GAMES, MUSCLE WORSHIP, DACTYLS, DRY BONNET, SPOOK LIGHTS, and THIS IS MY CONTRADICTION. Limited to 500 copies, packaged with an insert printed on PRB boxes and download." - Replay Records

"Vagabond American legend CARLOS GONZALEZ drops his first NNF full-length, and it's 10 of his greatest junkyard surf-slime tunes of all time. Edition of 500." - Not Not Fun

If you think Blue Oyster Cult wrote "This Ain't The Summer Of Love", you're dead wrong!  An incredibly underrated LA proto punk band called the Imperial Dogs wrote that subversive anthem and we thank them for it. The Imperial Dogs version was recorded in 1975, but was didn't get preserved to wax until1978.  A couple of us have cherished our personal copies of this single for years, but only recently did we track down some new/old stock of this rarity, complete with the original picture sleeve.  If you're not already sold on this proto-punk platter, here's a bit of the backstory from the Imperial Dogs website for ya to chew on:

"Written by vocalist Don Waller and guitarist Paul Therrio, the Imperial Dogs' original version first surfaced as the A-side of the band's posthumous 1978 single on Back Door Man Records, which wasn't released until after the song was recorded -- in a radically revamped version that retained only the hookline ("This ain't the Garden of Eden/This ain't the Summer of Love") and none of the original music -- by NYC-based metal-masters the Blue Oyster Cult on their platinum-plus 1976 Agents Of Fortune LP."  If you dig the BOC version (who doesn't?), just wait 'til you hear the OG.  Byron Coley had this to say after watching the recently released Imperial Dogs Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD: "Anyone with an interest in the development of the American musical underground in the '70s will truly get their goddamn lunch eaten after watching this."

Byron would surely agree that the same could be said for listening to this single.  Don't believe us?  See for yourself here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su101Rb7Qp4
This also ain't the summer of sleeping.  Act quick 'cuz we're not sure we'll be able to restock this one.

Holy Moly Guacamole! The Kitten Charmer label has pressed up a red,white & blue single of Crime's "Hot Wire My Heart"! Just in time for Memorial Day, even!  And here's the details from the label:

"Originally released in 1976, this debut single was the first punk rock single to emerge from the U.S. West Coast. As well as being wildly influential in America's hardcore movement, "Hot Wire My Heart" was made famous to a whole new generation by Sonic Youth's faithful cover on their classic Sister LP. The original 7" release is a highly sought-after collectors item, and the single has been bootlegged several times. Here, for the first time ever, is the original single, digitally remastered from the original session tapes!"

Self proclaimed as "San Francisco's Only Rock 'N' Roll Band", Crime brought the hurt back in '76 and theirs was a raw and minimal R'n'R monster played at ear splitting volume.  These are flyin' outta the shop at a quick clip and won't be around long so grab it now!  Thurston Moore even once proclaimed "Crime will always be relevant." Do your patriotic duty by doing some Crime! Recommended.

The Volcom Entertainment imprint and Resurrection Records have teamed up to bring you this thrilling split single by 2 awesome bands.  The Night Beats side plays out like the 13th Floor Elevators playin' a show at a haunted house with a dark swagger and eerie scuzz, gobs of reverb and a swinging beat bring the tortured vocals to the forefront and make this recording sound as if it might actually be some lost reel from a dingy 60's basement.  Flip this beauty over and Trmrs start things off slow with plenty of tremolo before igniting into a jangling burst of catchy punk.  Drenched in reverb as well and adding a good mixture of melodic guitar interplay and outright full-strum craziness.  This is a killer split single and if you're not familiar with either of these bands, then its a great place to start.  Then you can go track down all their other great releases.  Hand numbered edition of 1000.  Recommended.

The Bon Voyage label outta Brisbane has brought us the killer LP by Looks Like Miaou and now is offering up Brisbane's own Martyr Privates so here's what they're droppin':

 "Brisbane dirge-rock trio, Martyr Privates, set to work writing songs in a storage shed in Milton during the floods of early 2011. Their self-titled debut 7” is a double A side of drudging repetition and cavernous melody that’s seen the group draw comparisons to the likes of Spacemen 3, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Galaxie 500, while forging their own mixture of spacious blues elegies that churn and meander hypnotically.

‘Bless’ opens with a lurching sense of urgency that calls to mind the tumbling drive of Swell Maps, while still remaining drowsy in the pouring fuzz that’s shared by both tracks on the 7”. Its back side, ‘Native Son’ releases slow with hard “country” twang, building with probing percussion and deliberate shouts of belonging.

The tracks were recorded by Josh Watson, and mastered by Room 40 imprint’s Lawrence English. Since forming in early 2011, Martyr Privates have played alongside the likes of Ty Segall, Batrider, and Naked on the Vague."

Plenty o' stomp and jeanjacket and sunglasses attitude throughout, Martyr Privates stride a sleazy swagger and we like it a lot!  If you've been hungry for a bluesy something a little more on the Circle Pit side of Australia, this one is for you. The records comin' outta Australia lately just keep getting better and better so you better, add this one to your collection pronto cause in an edition of 300 it ain't gonna stick around long.  Super Recommended.

Obnox (aka Lamont "Bim" Thomas) has been steadily blowin' our minds and our eardrums with is relentless clatter whether be it with the Puffys, This Month in Black History or the Bassholes.  So it was no surprise when this slab of wax hit our turntable and promptly blew unholy wreckage from the speakers.  It seems Obnox has fired up the blood bong again and unfurled 3 new brain-smashing jams of blown out reverb drenched catchy as fuck punk soul insanity. Cop some intoxicants, drop the needle and let this sucker blow your doors off, then take it over to your buddy's place and blow their doors off!  Salacious feedback soaked booty shakers are here in dope-ious amounts and it's the latest from the fine folks at the NEGATIVE GUEST LIST so yous knows this is beyond Recommended. 

"Six songs from TY SEGALL’s PERVERTS. This 7-inch is loud as fuck, will melt your face off and do a line of blow off your skull. prepare to die." - CAPTCHA

Need we say anything more?

"A preview for the band’s upcoming Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me album, this single sees The Intelligence team up with San Francisco singer / multi-instrumentalist Kelley Stoltz on the A-side. The B-side is an otherwise unreleased track. Both sound like classic Intelligence. Pressed in an edition of 600." - In The Red