Reviews

Almost Ready

Ben Edge and the Electric Pencils Ben Edge and the Electric Pencils LP

I’m not even sure what an electric pencil is, but I feel like I owe it to these guys to find out. They start off strong with a catchy power pop number, heavy on the pop. Musically it’s solid, but also fairly straightforward. The focus is definitely on the catchy melodies and the vocals. The record continues this way. It’s mid-tempo and infectious throughout. Ben’s got a solid voice that sometimes borders on pretty. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a pretty pop record, it’s a power pop record with vocals that are solid. I’d go out of my way to find this one.

Liquor Store Scumbag / We Buy Gold 7″

Since I do study the record sleeve while listening to the music, I got a good laugh. “© 2020,” hahaha. Since it’s only 2019, I suppose that means this music is freely available all year for all your projects, films, and commercials. Go crazy. LIQUOR STORE have a laid back, decadent rock’n’roll vibe. The music is stretched out and catchy. The lyrics are not that brilliant: “Swimming with the fishes / Never wash the dishes,” from the A-side. The two songs go on a bit too long, but are still enjoyable.

Ravi Shavi Blackout Deluxe LP

Third album from this Providence garage pop band. The music is jangly and upbeat, the songs are catchy and bright, and the vocals remind me of BBQ or KING KHAN: kind of crooning, with moments of vulnerability and desperation. It’s their best record yet.

Sneaky Pinks Sneaky Pinks LP

Man. This brings me back. The first SNEAKY PINKS EP was on like non-stop rotation on my turntable for almost a year. Well, you get that classic and more on this new compilation LP. While none of the rest quite lives up to that EP for me, this is still a raging example of super trashy, non-wimpy, ultra-bratty garage punk. Think greats like PANTY RAID, BABY JAIL, the SPITS, and HUNX AND HIS PUNX. I think you get all their recorded output including some great and not-so-great covers here. You’ll be dancing it up in your padded confinement cell for sure. Ring the bell. It’s Jello time. It should be noted that Justin “Nobunny” Champlin has contributed to this band. While I have known and enjoyed his company in the past, sexual predation is unforgivable, hurtful, and deeply traumatizing on so many levels.  It is seriously fucked up and is in no way condoned here.

Editor’s note: After Justin posted and then deleted his statement, at least two survivors came forward about their experiences with him, which are available to read at the @lured_by_burger_records Instagram account (heavy trigger warning for sexual assault and for grooming of underage kids), and which do not seem to be adequately encapsulated in Justin’s supposed admission. Goner has pulled the two Nobunny records they released, and it is disappointing that Almost Ready has not done the same with this LP.

The Hunches Same New Thing LP

Well, here’s another wrong made right: part three in Almost Ready’s vault plundering of the late and oh-so-great HUNCHES. Same New Thing dusts off a recording session that predates their infamous debut—serving as a demo then, but offering a really cool glimpse into their (pretty stunning) process now, seventeen years (!) later. Anyone familiar with their debut album will recall the noise that coats each tune, but Same New Thing casts so many of those heart-wrenching moments as leaner and sometimes meaner than the more widely-heard versions. Formative takes on tunes like “Lisa Told Me” and “Explosion” really drive home just how smartly and furiously the HUNCHES crafted their songs. Tunes as fuckin’ great as those would sound good underwater, yes, but they’re magic here all the same. Related, there are serious kicks to be heard with their collective fandom shining through here: copious Cle-punk and Dee-Troit channeling, broken blues and glass-smash punky damage, firing all at once. No fuckin’ wonder I was so smitten with them. Still am, it seems. One of the few true 21st century killers. Highly recommended!

The Mentally Ill Gacy’s Place (Starbeat Session) LP

Does the phrase “total Killed By Death destruction” mean anything to you? “Gacy’s Place,” the defining ’79 anthem from Illinois’ MENTALLY ILL, ranks among the most disgusting and drool-inducing jams of the genre—a life-ruining classic for sure. This 12” includes that fabled debut 45 and the other cuts from the same session, all wretched, painfully scuzzy punk. Alternative Tentacles unearthed this crapola at the turn of the century, but Almost Ready has thankfully trimmed all the fat from the rancid USDA KBD beef here, resulting in a frightening slab of fuck sure to poison the mind of any listener. Hard to beat.

Tin Foil Two LP

TIN FOIL produces some quality Midwestern post-punk. It feels one part PROTOMARTYR and another part DEVO. There are points where I wish this record was a little heavier, but overall there’s a nice mix of psychedelic jangle and punk rock intensity. Across the runtime this LP doesn’t get stale for a minute. It’s a ton of fun so don’t skip it!