Buster Poindexter And His Banshees of Blue – “Hot Hot Hot” 12” – RCA

I couldn't think of a better way to end 2013 than with Buster Poindexter.
Oh you like the New York Dolls? Have you ever heard the stuff that David Johansen did afterwards? You mean when he played in the Saturday Night Live Band? No… You mean the string of somewhat mediocre solo records? No… You mean when the Dolls reformed recently to put out a shitty non-Thunders album? No… I mean the most fabulous post-dolls performance ensemble: Buster Poindexter!
Is “Hot Hot Hot” one of the greatest 80’s pop club songs that makes you want to kill yourself? Almost certainly. This 12” however features not just one version of the Caribbean cruise-destined single, but FOUR! First on here, you have the extended club mix that will have you dancing for a very long five and a half minutes. After you’ve finished grinding your hips to the dance mix, is of course the radio edit that was also released as a 7” (which is probably a better buy because it has the song “Cannibal” along with one version of “Hot Hot Hot”).
The second side of this DJ single is of course, the “Caliente Dub Mix”. If you wanted more slap-back-reverb soaked Johansen screaming and an almost PiL level rhythm section along with sampled headache-inducing Hot Hot Hot chants, then you have to hear the Caliente Dub Mix. It’s kind of unbelievable that they thought this version needed to exist along with the last cut, the “Spanish Club Mix”, but we are all lucky to have them both at our palms for basically pennies.  It's kind of amazing Mr. Johansen managed to pull of this character so successfully.  More power to him, and given that he's currently playing shows every few months in New York, maybe I'll get a chance to see him do this jammer.

The Shitty Limits – “Here Are The Limits” ep – Sorry State

I didn’t hear this ep until after I’d worn a hole through my copy of The Shitty Limits first and only LP, “Beware The Limits”. I was already singing along to modern punk classics like “Television” and “Your Limits Are My Limits” and I knew that I needed to track down the four 7”s that preceded the LP.
“Here Are The Limits” emits the same upbeat punk vibes that their LP does, and all the songs could have stood alone as singles. I’m actually shocked that the title track of this ep didn’t chart in the UK, but with a name like The Shitty Limits, I guess making it probably wasn’t ever an option. The first two songs on this ep bleed together and create a feeling that the whole first side was recorded live. “I’m A Square” is the poppiest of the three tracks on this, while “All The Rage” finishes out the A side with a song that’s probably the most similar to US hardcore that this band would ever be.
The flip side is another three tracks of catchy UK punk. The songs on this side seem longer and more thought out than the previous, but that might be because the first song is such a stomper. Instead of relying on the single slow riff, this songs switches back into another racing punk song that owes at least a little bit to the LA band with circle tattoos. “In Your Shoes” is another song that given the right circumstances, could have been a huge hit. Honestly, if the vocals on this record hadn’t been recorded through a megaphone then this could have been used during a beachside Coca-a-Cola add. “Leave Me Alone” closes out this ep with a real blitzkrieg speed pair of riffs that will have even the most hardened punk bobbing their head or pogoing in their living rooms.
I’m sad that this band is no more. I was lucky enough to see them a few times and they did not disappoint. If you dig this 7”, I encourage you to check out every other record, especially their long player, along with the new Golden Triangle LP on Sorry State.

Crossed Eyes – “Rattled” – Sorry State

Two hardcore punk 7"s in a row!?  It's a Christmas miracle!

Crossed Eyes were the first band I saw Rich Ivey play in where I thought, “Jesus this guy can write songs” (Rich is the mastermind behind the prolific Whatever Brains). I was a fan of thee Sharks, but didn’t really think they were doing anything spectacular beyond being a very very solid local band that brought cool bands to North Carolina. This record was also one of the first records that I remember making me really stoked on Sorry State Records (who are of course now a hardcore powerhouse). I had bought the Direct Control LP that Daniel did as well as the Koro represses, but when a local record of this caliber came out it became very apparent that Mr. Lupton was doing something special, and at least for me, marked the beginning of the North Carolina music domination that culminated in Double Negative being hands-down my favorite hardcore act in the world (I’m aware that -/- and the Eyes existed during the same period).

The first side of the Crossed Eyes 7” starts with the title track, “Rattled”, a two minute jammer that I always thought sounded more like Marked Men than anything else. There is actually a moment in the song where it’s almost a 90’s pop-punk sounding jammer, but lets all agree to ignore this fact and focus on the sheer power that this very simple record produced. The end of this song veers into a chanting “Crossed eyes, cracked teeth!” that always has me yelling along at home. This side finishes off with a song that isn’t much different that the one previous except for a British sounding guitar solo that dominates the latter half of the track.
For whatever reason, the second side of this record always reminded me of like Hot Snakes, but after listening to it for the first time in a while it actually makes me think of the Buzzcocks. I think it’s the bass line in the first song that jumps out to me as something Mr. Shelley would have written, though these songs lacks the sing-along ability that most of the British bands it references had. In that way, the first song really is much more akin to some of the hardcore records that I know everyone in Crossed Eyes love. The last song on the record, “Scottish Pop”, is probably my favorite. It’s bouncy and upbeat just enough to suck you in, but it also has some really perfect bleakness to it which is a nice change from the previous three tracks of upbeat punk classics. It’s almost like Ian Curtis started writing songs along with all of the punk bands I already compared this record to, except without being whiney little babies.
The art on this 7” is cool, but there is something to be said for not having your cover reflect your band’s name. The printed inside of the sleeve is beautifully and actually feels a little bit like something Nick would end up doing later in the F≠ world. Something I’ve always appreciated was labels' having a distinct center label for their records (specifically the beautiful Small Wonder Records center labels from the late 70’s and early 80’s) which is obviously something Daniel thought about in the first few years of being a label. If you like this record, you can buy one RIGHT NOW for ONE DOLLAR from Sorry State, along with a few more recent things he’s done that any fan of Crossed Eyes will probably enjoy (The #Ones 7”, Whatever Brains third LP, Love Triangle LP, etc).

Avon Ladies – “Guns and Gold” – Katorga Works

A band with H-100’s members and Pigeon Religion members? Gold foil covers? Gun wielding Grateful Dead bears on the back cover? SOLD!
I remember buying this, listening to it a few times and thinking, “this is good, but man I wish it was better” and after a few years (and finding another copy for a buck a month ago) I kind of feel the same way. The songs on the first side are GREAT, but there is some definite riff salad going on a few times. “Hang Em High” is clearly the standout on this side, and I’m happy to say, the weird-factor doesn’t ever run thin on this record. It really is as out-there as it was supposed to be. The songs are kind of scattered and the Ginn-worshipping is pretty well isolated.
The second side of this 7” starts off with a very Pigeon-vibed song. It’s noisy and punk and much more cohesive of a track. There isn’t any uncomfortable stop-start-stop fastcore going on, which is an improvement over the first side. “Quality Programming” is a real stomper that could very well have been an Amphetamine Reptile single, but because of the sound on this record, ends up sounding much dirtier. The second song, “Power Failure” takes a step away from the AmRep and back into the H-100 realm. It’s a great song, and at parts even sounds like the almighty Double Negative.
This record is a solid piece of wax, and Adam should be proud to have put it out. I just wish this band would grace us with a real full length already!

Blues Magoos “Gotta Get Away” b/w “(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet” – Mercury (1966)

And now for something completely different…
As a fan of protopunk, garage, and psych music, seeing a 45 in a cheap bin scrawled with “Garage/psych” is always exciting. When I pulled this out I realized it was the one and only Blues Magoos! Blues Magoos are a band that I had only heard of because of reading old posts on the wonderful Flower Bomb Songs blog. The Brit that does this blog has taught me more about 60’s punk than any other source. He knows his stuff and finding stuff he recommends is always cool.
Once you get past their awful name, Blues Magoos wrote a handful of really catchy singles in the mid-to-late 60’s, and were one of the first bands to use the word “psychedelic” to describe their music. I think it’s kind of funny, because there isn’t a ton of “psych” going on with this single. “Gotta Get Away” is a really great stomping garage song with a blistering chorus and bridge. The guitar solo is actually much punker than most of their contemporaries.
“(We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet” was the Magoos big hit and it’s the reason this record can be score for a buck. It’s a garage rock classic that was probably bought by every fan of the genre in 1966. The bass line, and the mirrored organ riff, are danceable and punchy in the same way that some of the 13th Floor Elevators tracks are. As a band, the Elevators do a much better job with this genre, but Blues Magoos most popular single really does have it all.
The copy I bought was from the new Captured Tracks storefront in Greenpoint and is an old cut-out that’s in pretty good shape. If you see this single (or the earlier one on Verve) it’s definitely worth picking up.

Frumpies – “Babies And Bunnies” – Kill Rock Stars

With the release of the Kathleen Hanna movie, “The Punk Singer”, I’ve been revisiting some of the classics, including the wonderful and often ignored Frumpies. The Frumpies existed at the same time as Hanna’s Bikini Kill, included Billy, Tobi, and Kathi of Bikini Kill, but didn’t feature Hanna. There was a second on this record that I thought I was listening to an Ian Svenonius band, and then I realized that the almighty Michelle Mae plays bass on this record! So this band is members of Bikini Kill, The Make Up, and Bratmobile, came out in 1993, and are on Kill Rock Stars. Do you really need me to tell you what it sounds like?
This record surprisingly sounds much more like a sloppy garage band than it does Bikini Kill. It’s very punk, but the vocals are layered in reverb and aren’t nearly as direct as anything Bikini Kill did. The riffs are just as stripped down, and at points I actually thing I heard a Bratmobile lick. The recording quality is pretty good, sans the vocals that sound like they were recorded straight into a boombox in a cave. I actually really like the songs on this record, especially the very proto-punk sounding “Bo Good”. “What’s His Name Heart’s The Frumpies” is a motor-city rock’n’roll jam that is only grounded by the poor-mix. It could have easily been a song in a Toy Machine video had they not completely botched how high the vocals are in the mix. It’s a shame because this record is still a ripper, I can only imagine how great it would have been had it been produced properly.
I guess that’s the price you pay for being punk?
“Intertube Tomorrow” is the best track on this record. The vocals are relaxed and the songs drips of attitude. It even starts out with the classic lyric “East coast west coast, I think I hate them both…” Solid record, solid band, and a good time to sit down and listen to the Frumpies.

GG King – “Drug Zoo – Rob’s House Records

Mr. King was a member of the almighty Carbonas, and if you only heard his first 7”, “Adult Rock”, you might have assumed he wouldn’t ever stray from the path paved by the last Carbonas LP. “Drug Zoo” is a lot less Carbonas than “Adult Rock”, which is weird because I think the songs on this ep were from the demo that Greg put out before any of the 7”s were released. In fact, if I remember correctly, the 7”s on Rob’s House and Local Cross were just demo songs put onto wax (something that seems to be standard in punk now). Anyway…
This record is great. The title track is a catchy little sing-along that will get every punks’ head bouncing up and down. It actually is a little bit more Australian sounding than I first picked up on. The bass thumps along with the drums and they together really carry the song. According to the back cover, Chris from Carbonas and Bukake Boys played bass on this record, which is good news and totally explains the sick song.
The second side is more upbeat and while I like the song “Witching Hour”, I don’t think it’s nearly as cool as “Drug Zoo”. Other than the moaning background singing, I don’t think there is anything that really catches me about this song. The 7” ends with a great cover of the Box Tops’ classic, “The Letter”. Greg King’s vocals carry this otherwise pretty standard cover. Two of the best people I know in the world are now in GG King, so if you're in Atlanta (or if they ever tour), go see them.


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