Drain
Santa Cruz, California’s Drain sure pack a lot of punch into the 58 seconds of ‘Sick One‘. Vocalist Sam Ciaramitaro absolutely shreds his vocal cords over a cacophony of combustible metallic hardcore and I for one can’t wait until the release of their forthcoming LP, “California Cursed” on Revelation Records.
Ex-Vöid
Based on their current output Ex-Vöid, featuring Alanna McArdle and Owen “O” Williams of Welsh noise poppers Joanna Gruesome leads a double life. On their new 7′ the side one track ‘Only One‘ is a perfect jangly pop song à la early Lemonheads and the flipside, the eponymous ‘Ex-Vöid‘ sounds possessed by Zen Arcade era Hüsker Dü. Any way you look at it, the songcraft here is off the charts.
Wyldlife
I’ve got April 17th circled on my calendar. That’s the release date for NYC rockers Wyldlife’s new album ‘Year of the Snake‘, their 4th. It’s been a few years since the excellent ‘Out on Your Block‘ and the first two singles off the new album, ‘Neon Nightmare‘ and ‘Kiss and Tell‘ promise a knockdown, drag-out rock and roll party in the streets. The album will be released on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool label.
The New Brutarians
St. Petersburg Florida rock and roll duo The New Brutarians (pop artist, Adam Turkel on guitar/piano/vocals and fashion model, Christina Wright on drums and bass) straight up list their influences as a who’s who of proto-punk, you know: Alex Chilton, Nikki Sudden, Lou Reed, Gun Club, The Only Ones, Dogs D’amour, the Rolling Stones, Modern Lovers, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Thunders. So I only need to tell you that on their debut 7′ they successfully manage to meld the sounds of their heroes into an impeccable track with ‘Little Hit Of You‘. The B-side is a creative cover of Cohen’s ‘I’m Your Man‘. A band to watch for sure!
Fleshies/Shellshag
What’s better than two legends teaming up for a cracking split 7′? Last year hardcore legends Fleshies released their first studio album in 10 years, and here they drop an unreleased fuzz-pop gem called ‘The Black Hole‘ and the raging ‘NOmatse‘ from last years’ release. Shapeshifting noise-punk duo Shellshag crush it with two wall-of-sound tracks, the pounding ‘Trigger‘ and the sonic ‘Kingdom’s Are Crashing‘ Pick it up from Dead Broke here.
Memes
Glasgow post-punk duo Memes released this one back in November on the wonderful French label Six Tonnes De Chair (Memes also have a newer single but we love STDC)) marking a promising start for a band that only formed last year. Cousins John and Paul McLinden along with a drum machine, create sardonic and catchy post-punk that has echoes of the Sleaford Mods and The Fall.
Live Skull
Another legendary band regroups to release their first new album in 30 years! Noise rock forerunners Live Skull formed in 1982 when there was a new President named Ronald Reagan, the US was in a recession, and there was the threat of a nuclear war with Russia. Pretty good fodder for a band as is the current political climate and although not overtly political, other than the title track (look up Saturday, October 20, 1973), present-day social issues provide the running theme. The reformed band is made up of Mark C., Rich Hutchins, Kent Heine, and Dave Hollinghurst. Former member Thalia Zedek and Marnie Jaffe appear on the album as well.
