A.H. Kraken – “Giana Michaels” – (Sweet Rot)

There was a minute where it looked like Metz, France was going to be the most exciting place in the world (for me). La Grand Triple Alliance Internationale de L’est was in full swing, connecting the dots on bands like Feelings of Love, Plastobeton, and of course The Anals with the likes of A.H. Kraken. A true mark of quality, the La Grand logo on the back of this single cemented it as a quality record.
It’s easy to say “Brainbombs” when you start talking about A.H. Kraken: disturbing imagery, similar vocals, European, single-riff-repetition. But where Brainboms occasionally relied too much on BEING Brainbombs, A.H. Kraken is able to move past that. The guitars sound thick, and the riffs are slightly more off-kilter. It’s repetition for the sake of repetition, but there isn’t the rock-riff feeling that their Swedish counterparts had. I get songs stuck in my head, but not in the rock’n’out way that songs like “Die You Fuck” do. There are times when these songs reach a No Wave peak and then others when it sounds like you’re listening to a Teenage Jesus song you’ve never heard (that doesn’t have Ms Lunch but instead has Arto Lindsay).
The drumming on this record might be the thing that stuck with me the most. The floor tom and kick sound like they are being hit with a 2x4 and the high hat sounds like it’s made of high-quality trash can lids. It’s animalistic and tribal and still very punk.
Sweet rot is a label whose releases I will continue to by if for no other reason than that they make very nice looking records. Beautiful heavy stock reverse-board pocket sleeves and heavy records.



I wish I knew what anyone in any of the great French bands of 2008 are up to now. I’m sure it’s just as fucked up and miserable as it was then.

The Love Triangle – “Boomerang Girl” b/w “Quick Joey Small” – (Dire Records)

The Love Triangle started putting out singles and tape(s?) almost immediately after The Shitty Limits bit the dust. One of my yearly highlights happened a few years ago when Shitty Limits played a matinee at a record store followed by an unbelievable show in the evening with Logic Problem (in what would end up being the last Logic Problem show sans scattered reunions). The Shitty Limits wrote catchy punk songs that were punker than Buzzcocks but made you sing along the same way “Autonomy” does. There was also a definite Detroit vibe to the Limits that is hard to do without sounding like a bad Nuggets cut, but they pulled it off.
The first cut on this single by The Love Triangle has what I can only describe as one of the greatest dumb-punk hooks of all time. “Booma booma booma booma RANG RANG RANG RANG!” will be slamming it’s way inside your skull for weeks after you hear this song. From the very first seconds of this song you realize that The Shitty Limits song writing team is still there and you sing along all night. There are parts of this song that feel a little more Reatard than Motown, which is fine with me.
The flip side is a mid-paced cover of “Quick Joey Small” (a song I thought was just called “Run Joey Run”). It’s a fine song, and I’m glad that someone made it slightly punker, but I’d have preferred a original for the backside of this wonderful single.


bonus trivia: what other punk band covered this song (bonus because I can't remember and don't feel like looking it up).

Academy Annex Dollar Bin Ripper Purge

Spent my surprisingly beautiful Sunday afternoon digging through records.  The sale that's been going at Academy is getting downright insane - thousands of LP's are 2 for $5, all punk 7"s are a buck, all 45's are a quarter.

It made my little dollar bin ripping heart swell up.

New Yorkers beware - Academy Annex and Record Grouch were both having huge sales today,  then the brooklyn flea record fair is in a few, followed almost immediately by the WFMU.

Snake Apartment - "Paint The Walls" - (Parts Unknown)

Snake Apartment – “Paint The Walls” – (Parts Unknown)
Snake Apartment were a breath of fresh air when I first heard their split with Landed. The riffs that this band produced would make Gregg Ginn blush. Unapologetic “My War”-B-side-worship. They are a band that wrote seemingly perfect SST or Sub Pop records sounding songs and managed to not meander into hardcore territory, but they were still clearly a punk band. There’s actually a point during the intro to the title track when they hold the “Slip It In” guitar chord.
When this record ventures out of Kira sounds, there are parts that feel like more upbeat Tad songs and a few King Buzzo sounding songs. This isn’t to say this whole record is riff-lifted or that it’s just a tribute album, it actually holds it’s own as a pretty awesome bunch of songs. For reference in where this chronologically lays, Parts Unknown released this album around the same time as Pissed Jeans "Shallow" and Billy Bao's (criminally underrated) "Dialectics Of Shit." I’m bummed that Snake Apartment is gone, but I’m glad the people involved with Snake Apartment are helping make Brainbombs records come out again, so there’s that.



I’m not sure I want to live in a world where Black Flag is a band, but Snake Apartment isn’t.

Acid Reflux - "EP" - (No Way Records)

Acid Reflux – “EP” – (No Way)

I love Albany, New York. I’ve only been there once, but I had a blast (thank you Neutron Rats) and it was less than 10 degrees so I can only imagine how fun it is when you aren’t wearing two pairs of pants and losing feeling in your extremities. Ignoring that fabulous night, the first Acid Reflux EP is my favorite thing about Albany. It’s fast, it’s punchy, the art is great, and the lyrics are just dumb enough to have me singing, “I don’t wanna go to work today, I don’t wanna go no no no no no no no no!” The two records that came after this are both rippers, but neither of them grabbed me the way this one did. The slow song is good enough to have me listen through it, and the fast songs are top-notch early 80’s sounding hardcore. The song “I’m No Soldier” is another new-classic hardcore punk song. The vocal delivery is great and it makes up for any other complaints you could possibly have (if you have any you’re a dick).



Even more good news: This band is now pre-Gas Rag. Culo fans everywhere rejoice, as you can now love this record without shame that it might not fit in with the rest of your glue-huffing memorabilia!

Rank/Xerox - "Basement Furniture" - (Mongo Bongo)

Rank/Xerox – “Basement Furniture” (Mongo Bongo)
I used to compulsively download the MRR radio playlists and then passively listen and it all kind of blended together. Everything except this single. The first time I heard Rank/Xerox I was floored. Super simple post-punk that feels almost like a garage band accidentally stumbled into Roger Miller recording session. While it’s not nearly as dense sounding as any of the Burma records, the back and forth vocals are there and so is the rapid changing drumbeat. It’s a little bit more British (or even Australian?) sounding than Bostonian, but I can definitely hear it in the first cut on this record. The other two songs sound entirely different.
The song “In A Hole” sounds almost like members of The Intelligence decided to revisit some Factory Records box sets but recorded them with Dan Armstrongs. And then to make these abstract band comparisons even more off, “Masking/Confessions” is eerily similar to “Spectra Sonic Sound”, except with keyboard sounds.
It’s hard to pin down anything with this record, other than the fact they clearly like slightly off-kilter bands, and possibly aren’t actually from San Francisco. If every band figured out a way to end their record as wonderfully as Rank/Xerox, then we’d have many more Dollar Bin Rippers. Until then, go pick this up and look through the new bins for copies of their very good long player.

I know that supposedly this ep is worth "money" now, but I picked a second copy out of the cheap bin in Charlotte, North Carolina over the summer. Maybe the cover makes shop owners price it down, but e-punks are starting to buy these up so go scour some used bins before everyone figures out what a gem this is.

.fuckingcom - ".fuckingcom" - (Prank)

.fuckingcom – “.fuckingcom” – (Prank)
South Carolina is a weird state for punk and hardcore. Antischism, Guyana Punchline, Thank God, and Initial State (kind of) are all from the there and all share a handful of common members. Kevin and Lyz started doing .fuckingcom after Antischism/Initial State and managed to put out just one record before disappearing. I loved Antischism, and loved GPL (smashism!), but for a long time I had no idea about what Kevin had done between the two: this record. I heard it before I knew who was in it, and I was convinced it was a lost Antischism track. It’s not as heavy, it’s a little more chaotic, and it’s a good bit less polished, but it’s still very much a band that fits in with the others from this group of South Carolina punks.



I still don’t know the proper timeline of this record (was it before they moved or after?) and I’m not sure who else was in the band, but the record is a must buy if you are into this style of 90’s hardcore.

Madonna - "Into The Groove" b/w "Everybody & Shoo-Bee-Doo" 12" (Sire)

Madonna - "Into the Groove b/w Everybody & Shoo-Bee-Doo 12" single" (Sire)
Price: $2.00
Hey folks. My name is Adam and I'm here to break the monotony of punk records that Rob writes about. Seriously, punk is boring and if you're going to scour the dollar bins for real rippers, you gotta look for the stuff I'm going to be writing about.
One of the most dependable types of records of the dollar bin is 80s pop (the best pop) and Madonna, being the Queen of Pop, is going to set you free. You can find most of her classic-era LPs for $5 in good shape and her 12" singles grace (or litter) dollar bins around the world. Of course, Madonna has some of the best singles in the history of recorded music. "Into the Groove" happens to be (along with "Crazy For You") her best non-album single and hands-down one of her best songs. Even the spikiest of punk has danced their ass off to this song in their stepsister's room while they're away at college.
This 12" single release of this song is a total ripper in that you have her classic track from the Desperately Seeking Susan OST, but two great, yet disparate B-side tracks. Madonna has some confused singles with some not-so-great b-sides at times, as well none of her singles being consistent in whether they want to act as a traditional single and sound amazing at 45rpm or if they want to be a DJ single at 33rpm, but fortunately, this 12" has two great B-side songs and the record itself is cut at 45rpm, so you can really feel the pulse. "Everybody" is notable for being Madonna's first single. The original version of that record is one of the few to NOT feature a photo of Madonna and happens to run for $20+ on the reg. It's one of her dance club classics and is a total polar opposite of the other B-side song, "Shoo-Bee-Doo." That tracks was featured on the second half of her sophomore album, Like a Virgin. Some don't really like this ballad, but I think it's one of her best songs. Try not to wet yourself when she says "come to me, baby" before a sexy sax solo. Yes, please!
Between the legendary cuts on this track and the absolutely awesome cover (it's nice to have a break from Madonna sexy cover shots and instead have a sick photo of her and Patricia Arquette looking badass), you just can't go wrong with this non-album classic of Ms. Ciccone.

Cassette Tape Tuesday: Dee Dee King - "Standing In The Spotlight" - (Sire)

Dee Dee King – “Standing In The Spotlight” (Sire)
Price: $.50
Oh, I know what you’re saying. You’re saying, “That weird Johnny Ramone album before he died was weird, with that “Wonderful World” cover.” But what I’m saying is, you haven’t heard weird Ramones side project until you’ve experienced the power that is DEE DEE KING!
“It’s time to rock
It’s time to rap
It’s time for the
Mashed potato attack!”
And
“I’m ready for a match with the Russian Bear
Gonna pile drive him gonna pull his hair
I might have a foreign object in my trunks
I might have to use on that punk!”
Genius.


This man is a god and you can get two of these for a dollar, which makes this a DOUBLE DOLLAR BIN RIPPER. Buy one for yourself, then buy one for your friend because you’re going to be singing along to “I WANT WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT IT” in no time.

The Imposter - "Pills And Soap" (Imp Records)

The Imposter – “Pills and Soap” (IMP Records)
Price: £1
This is far from my favorite Elvis Costello single, but is perfect for a blog about cheap records because of how completely overlooked it has been. “Pills And Soap” was the first single Mr. Costello released under his alter ego “The Imposter”(the second contains the criminally underrated cut “Withered and Died”), and in 1983, it was hardly early in his career. The single came out around the same time as “Punch The Clock” but is more overtly political than anything on the album. The anti-Thatcher tone in this song is beautiful and worth the purchase price alone. Honestly the music is closer to Bacharach-era Costello than it is to “This Year’s Model” (my favorite album); but with lines like “You think your country needs you but you know it never will” and “Don’t dilly dally boys rally round the flag,” maybe the sparse instrumentation was a reflection of the conditions of the time.

As this picture suggests, I actually bought this in a pound bin, not a dollar bin, but same idea. And isn’t it more fitting that I buy it on Notting Hill Gate?
-RD

Doom Town - "Walking Through Walls" (New Dark Age)

Doom Town – “Walking Through Walls EP”

I was in Celebrated Summer when Dave Michaud grabbed me and said, “You have to hear this, it’s like Masshysteri, but from the Midwest!” I’m a sucker for any punk band from Sweden, and I like girl/guy vocals a lot, so buying this record was a no brainer. Dave was right, it totally does sound more American than any of the Swede stuff, but the Vicious/Masshysteri semi-raw punk vibe is there too. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say this band has heard Gorilla Angreb or yelled made-up lyrics to the aforementioned Umea super group. All four of the songs on here have hooks that I get stuck in my head for days after listening. The first time I put this on, I remember flipping the record back and forth enough times that I swore off buying 7”s. The guitars on this record are clean and dry, the vocals are spoke-sung enough that you want to sing along, and the record sounds like this band should have put out twice as many records.



I’ve heard from two different people that there is a Doom Town LP in the works, which would be a great break from the European-import-splits that have been (finally) coming out over the last few months. Splits are for bands you only care about hearing one song from, and I want to hear an entire record.

Anti-Pasti - "Let Them Free" - (Rondelet)

Anti-Pasti – “Let Them Free” – (Rondelet)
Confession:  One of the reasons this record is a dollar-bin-ripper is because the cover is kind of thrashed. However, this is a total budget bin find in many stores and almost all Anti-Pasti singles are cheap, especially considering the era they came out. Anti-Pasti is a notoriously overlooked chapter in English punk history. Maybe it’s because they weren’t on a cool label (Rondelet) or because they were only around for a few years, but I still manage to love this band’s output. Anti-Pasti played somewhat typical 1980 3rd wave punk. While they might not fit in perfectly with Discharge or Vice Squad, they do find a nice niche for themselves in anthem inspiring British punk that isn’t oi! The band had moderate success in the UK when they were around but I hardly ever hear anyone talk about them now. I guess they’ve done a couple reunions since their breakup, but I just can’t show any interest in 50-year-old men playing songs they wrote as teenagers. These are songs that make you pump your fist in the air, but in a kind of passive “I like this record” kind of way.

Anti-Pasti's whole output is pretty stellar, but the first few singles are really where they shine. They hadn't quite refined their sound yet, and once they finally did, it's almost like listening to those later Angelic Upstarts records: They're okay, they're punk, but they just pale in comparison to when they started. Track down everything through "Caution In The Wind" and call it a day, or continue and find some pretty good songs that just aren't quite as powerful.

Devour - "Devour" LP (Sorry State)

Devour - “Devour” (Sorry State Records)

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Devour were supposed to be the “new Cross Laws band” but this record is a whole different beast than anything the now-classic Cross Laws released. The man, the myth, the legend Daniel Lupton (Logic Problem, Cross Laws, Sorry State, etc) plays guitar in this band and the cover is a great shot of him with a not-so-subtle nod to Double Negative. This record is definitely more metal than anything else this group of punks generated, but it’s not any less punk. It drives the thin line between being a tad too Japanese, while still managing to not sound like they WANT to be Japanese. “Wasted Dream” or possibly “Wind of Pain” were probably on when these songs were being written, but it doesn’t sound like they were trying to mimic or even pay homage to the classic hardcore of the East. Is it a crossover record ala “Animosity” or is it just another bunch of punks writing hardcore with the occasional bent chord?
All of the pussyfooting about what this record sounds like aside it really is a ripper. The brief moment of reprise you get on the second side during the ‘quirky’ filler song is shattered when the album’s finest song, “Useless Ruin” blazes through your speakers. The guitars on this song are particularly interesting in how much they remind me of stuff Sean Livingston did in Pollution and Shoxx. If you could find a sound that reminded me the most of punching holes in the ceiling during a GSS house show, it would be the last song on this record.




This is a must buy for anyone that wants a little bit of metal in their punk, but doesn’t want to buy a metal album. Plus, the 7” that followed up this LP is great as well! True dollar-bin-ripper.
-rd

Leyton Buzzards - "Saturday Night (Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees)" - (Chrysalis)

Leyton Buzzards – “Saturday Night (Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees)” c/w “Through With You” (Chrysalis)
Price:  $1.75
Leyton Buzzards put out one of my top 20 favorite UK singles with their first release, “19 And Mad”-on the venerable SMALL WONDER records. This record only came out one year later, but the time did not do the band any favors. Do sophomore slumps exist when a band only does singles? The song “Saturday Night…” is mediocre white British punks playing reggae. It’s worse than The Ruts, but it also has a Zeppelin-esque guitar solo.
However… The flip side is great! “Through With You” is less raw than anything on Small Wonder, but the song is a rager. The spit-fast vocals are delivered in a style that would make Mark E Smith jealous. Even with the campy guitar bridge, the song still feels punk. “Now I can do anything I wanna do!” repeated ad nauseum carrying over the chorus-pedal driven guitars feels much more like a dollar bin ripper than the Flock of Seagulls-haircut boys probably intended for it to be.

If you don’t have the cash to toss into the ring for some of the UK heavier hitters from this era (Carpettes, Cravats, etc) then this is a perfect single for you. An actual Dollar Bin Ripper! I gotta say, the cover is really really bad.

-RD

Loser Life - "I Have Ghosts And I Have Ghosts" (Magic Bullet Records)

Loser Life – “I Have Ghosts and I Have Ghosts” – Magic Bullet Records
Magic Bullet apparently made a million of this record (they didn’t), because even though this band was from Bakersfield, it floats around in every distro and “used punk” bin on the East Coast. I was lucky enough to see Loser Life in their “prime” (with Steven playing drums and the first bass player), on the tour supporting this LP. Listening back to this record after not listening for a few years, it struck me as how strange and completely different the two vocalists were for Loser Life. One could very well have fit in with Revolution Summer while the other seems much less comfortable with a foot in that arena. The songs don’t shy away from the aforementioned couple of years in DC, but they also don’t really sound like any specific band. It wouldn’t to be hard for Loser Life to be compared to Rites of Spring, but it also wouldn’t really be right.
What’s even stranger is that I had to listen to the first song (the one about hating Bakersfield) more than once to figure out if they were playing the Crazy Spirit Beat (aka the King Of The Hill beat). So I guess the weight lifter himself is the one that actually popularized cowboy punk even though we’ve all been crediting the New Yorkers?
My complaint about this record is pretty simple: the production isn’t right. It’s not really bad, it’s not really good, but some of the parts when the bass should be cutting are missing and the vocals are completely unleveled from each other (possibly intentionally, but it doesn’t work). The drums do sound really good, and obviously the songs are there, I just wish they had rerecorded this album instead of doing any of their other stuff. This LP really is the gem of Loser Life’s output.

Shit talking aside, Halal-era Loser Life was also pretty awesome. No hate. This record will fit in a collection nicely with Drive Like Jehu fans, 80’s Dischord fiends, but also people that showed up for More Than Music Fest. It’s a strange record from a very strange period of time, from an even stranger city. Biggest problem with this record: CD insert in an LP sleeve. Bullshit!
-RD