Monday, August 26, 2013

REVIEW: El Sur - Neko EP (self-released)

El Sur's latest EP is decidedly dreamier and gazier their previous efforts...don't worry though... its brings the same primitive, visceral feel as the El Sur of yore.  The Argentinian duo have made the perfect soundtrack for your next "high as fuck" skateboarding tour of [insert name your city].  I suck at skateboarding, but if I didn't this would be the music I would want in ma' headcans.  Get it here.


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

OLD SHIT: Killed By Death: Rare Punk 77-82 Comp (?, ЯedRuM Records)

Need to get your mind right with some full-throttle punk rock?  Sure you do!  Well, look no further than this mysterious collection of lesser known punk anthems from the golden era of the genre.  Tracks from Nuns, Mad, Dogs, Authorities and others are artfully compiled for posterity by an [apparent] mystery label.  Its an amazing bootleg for sure.  I'd write more about this, but I've get back to scraping fragments of my own brain off the wall next to my stereo.


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

REVIEW: Mujeres - Soft Gems LP (Sones)

This LP is well over a year old, but I'm totally digging this shit.  Barcelona's Mujeres offer up their take on the 1960s garage, surf and punk on Soft Gems.  And just like the title suggests there is a soft, analog feel to these recordings.  The band is not necessarily playing "softer" but the recording sounds like they're draped in a gossamer blanket.  The songs howl and pound away, but the listener's ears are none the wiser.  This fact alone made this record stand out from the crowd, but you will be pleasantly surprised by how original and toe-tappin' the songs are.  Really fucking cool.  Get it here.


REVIEW: Cool Ghouls - Alright Cassette EP (Under The Gun)

Cool Ghoul's first cassette release has just been reissued today (I think its today, anyway) on Under The Gun Records.  This band is fan-fucking-tastic....vocal harmonies, hooks-a-plenty, even horns for god's sake!  Its like The Band/Neil Young via a modern garage milieu. This is your chance to get your hands on an amazing debut by this super sweet bay area band...only 150 copies available.  Get it here.


REVIEW: Absolutely Not - Mister Something LP (Chain Smoking)

Local garage rock mainstays, Absolutely Not, just released a new album last month on Chain Smoking Records.  Let me preface this review by stating that this music is not for the light-hearted...in fact, if you were planning on going out on a bath salt binge Mister Something might be the perfect music to listen too while you're chewing your next victim's face off.  The overall feel of this record is frantic, wild and sonically in-your-face...and isn't that what rock n' roll is all about?  See these dudes live! And get the LP here.


Thursday, August 8, 2013

REVIEW: Hollow Mountain - Demo (self-released)

Just caught these kids for the first time last night at Wally's World (one of the best places to catch a DIY show in Chicago, btw).  Hollow Mountain prefers their rock boiled down to it's essential elements.  They take proto-punk-metal-influenced progressions and trudge resolutely in synch with each other.  Their tone is crisp, almost crystalline, with just a touch of spacey-sounding echo trailing off in the distance that fits in nicely with their sci-fi themed songs.  Its music that will invariably cause every long-haired dude in the room to stare at the floor and bob in stoner-esque approval.  That's right Chicago...you've got one more reason to get out to one of the many, many killer shows our fair city has to offer.  Get it here.

REVIEW: BRONCHO - Can't Get Past The Lips LP (Fairfax)

BRONCHO manage to play punk music that sounds "pure" and at the same time "not derivative".  Of course all music is, but BRONCHO just doesn't sound that way.  Overall, the sound is angular, but it still takes on different sonic forms...it can be fuzzy, echoey, claustrophobic, punchy... Also, these guys have some very catchy tunes.  This was an extremely satisfying listen...simple, quirky, honest punk music.  Get it here.


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

REVIEW: The Fat White Family - Champagne Holocaust (Trashmouth)

After taking one quick glance at the cover of The Fat White Family's debut LP, Champagne Holocaust, you know you're in for something weird...you're just not quite sure how weird and in what way.  Fortunately its weird in a very, very awesome way.  It sounds like a bunch of hillbilly mountain folk took acid, watched a bunch of youtube videos about the decline of the American empire and availed themselves of every inanimate object around them that could possibly be classified as an instrument and then recorded an album.  Each track has a slightly different aural landscape which makes for an exciting listen all the way through.  Fans of Stereopathic Soul Manure be on alert...there's a new batshit crazy sheriff in town.  Get it here.

REVIEW: Vaguess - Drift Brain LP (Refry)

Two dudes, a keyboard, a guitar, some self-loathing, an 8-track and a shitty apartment...aaaaaand presto!  You have a recipe for a cool DIY tape.  And Vaguess out of Costa Mesa, CA are kicking out the DIY jams properly.  Their sound borrows from the ripest of the rock n' roll branches: 60s garage, bubblegum punk, powerpop, etc.  This recording is real dirty, but not to the point of being annoying or over-the-top (to my ears).  I dig'em.  Get it here.


REVIEW: Cuntz - Solid Mates LP (Homeless Records)

"Brutal!" (spoken in a so-Cal, Spicoli accent)...Cuntz music hits your head like a cinder block.  Its as primitive and violent as the world is (I guess)...not that this band is overtly political, but there is a bit of social commentary there.  With song titles like "Third World Attitude" and a cover that depicts a soldier lighting his cigarette off of another's...there's a clear implication of world consciousness.  But unlike Pussy Riot, this band is actually good.  Get it here.


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

REVIEW: JC Satàn - Faraway Land LP (Teenage Menopause)

Every time I talk to French bands (either over the wire or in person) one topic of discussion always pops up: about how much the scene sucks in France.  It's really unfortunate.  I can't say that I can back this up with any amount personal experience (I was in the country for about 10 days last year), but I've gathered that it is the result of various social, cultural and economic forces that have rapidly transformed the country in the last few decades.  That being said, there are more than a handful of kiiiiilllller bands coming out France.  Catholic Spray and Kaviar Special are a couple that come to mind...Well..add JC Satàn to the list.  Their latest LP defies any sort of precise genre definition.  At times is dark, sometimes sensitive, sometimes weird and other times its just straight-forward, 4-chord garage rock.  Above all, its totally original.  Get it here.


REVIEW: Primitive Hearts - High and Tight LP (FDH Records, Resurrection Records, P. Trash Records)

Here at WPOM we will never, EVER dog any band for stickin' to the bubblegum/doo-wop/powerpop/punk formula...especially if they're doing it reeeeally well.  Primitive Hearts of Oakland, CA are one such band.  Nothing's gonna get the pins on your cut-off denim jacket clickin' like High and Tight.  True to form, nearly every song is stuck in your before it even ends.  Pure rock n' roll.  Get it here.


Monday, August 5, 2013

REVIEW: Native America - Bad Weed / But Still Weed casette EP (self-released)

Ready for some garage-indie-pop-psychedelia out of New Orleans?  Meet Native America.  This 5-song EP provides a delightfully fuzzy, genre-bending journey through the sounds of the modern underground...and its got a great "analog" sound to it ta boot!  Each song is melodic, unpredictable, tonally interesting and ballsy.  Really cool, dudes.  Get it here.


REVIEW: Your Ugly Sister - Waiting To Wake Up

Your Ugly Sister's sound is chock full of fuzzy, trashy slacker appeal.  "Waiting to Wake Up", a song they released last month on their bandcamp page is a prime example...tt's got a funky, laid back beat that skips along underneath fuzzed-out guitars and reverberating vocals.  Its the perfect music for smoking weed and watching the sun go down at the beach.  Get it here.


REVIEW: 2 Ton Bug - It's A Wonderful Life (self-released?)

Squish!!  2 Ton Bug's latest album just squashed my fwagil widdol mind.  It's hard to simply describe their sound exactly, but its a combination of garage, grunge, punk, trash, pop with a hint of country twang.  Their sludgy, sloshy sound mucks its way through a colorful lyrical landscape that has a life of it's own...like the pages of some bored teenager's sketch book.  However you label it, it definitely fucking rocks and its one of the more original sounds I've heard in a while.  Squash your brain...Get it here.


REVIEW: WAU Y LOS ARRRGHS!!! - Todo Roto LP (Slovenly)

High-octane 60s-styled, snotty, face-melting, organ-laced garage rock.  WAU Y LOS ARRRGHS!!! of Valencia, Spain keep things simple, classic and loud...just the way we like it.  Their latest LP is due out in October on Slovenly (duh).  Get it here.


REVIEW: Anika - S/T LP (Stones Throw)

Anika's debut LP, produced by Geoff Barrow(of Portishead fame), sounds like an album that Nico and Ian Curtis might have released in the early 80s.  Its dark and minimal, combining sparse electronic instrumentation with a punk aesthetic. The whole record is rife with haunting melodies that echo and fray at the edges.  It's definitely different from what we normal cover on WPOM, but its just too damn cool and interesting to not mention.  Get it here.


REVIEW: The Bingers - Blow It Away EP (self-released)

Chicago' own The Bingers are set to release their latest EP, Blow It Away, in September.  The EP demonstrates the same nostalgic ecceclecticness that we've come to expect from The Bingers- it bounces back and forth between garagey screamers like "Fuzzy" and "Creeper" and 50s-esque ballads like "love Go Wrong" and "My Darling".  These recordings capture the of feel their high-energy, dynamic live performances quite well.  Get it (in a couple months) here.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

REVIEW: Lil Tits - RAT MANSION // DO IT TIL YOU PUKE

Raw, visceral, minimalist, giving-no-fucks, ragged punk rock...Lil Tits.  Dude...Chicago....why didn't anybody tell me about this band?  My guess is pure jealousy.  Their latest tape was recorded over at electrical audio and it rips.  Oh yeah...and did I mention they're total babes?  Get it here.