Reviews

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Heather the Jerk Not Very Motorcycle cassette

Not Very Motorcycle is an impressive monument to the power of Heather Sawyer’s solo musical wit. With her previous experience in Wisconsinite punk escapades, it is no surprise that her (assumedly) releases under HEATHER THE JERK strike the same satisfying chord. With a charming “bedroom recording” texture to the music, this album classifies a youthful spring break tuneage common with pop punk. This is a very danceable album with echoing, matter-of-fact vocals, wacky digital piano, and fun guitar riffs. The drums are great too, though a bit muffled. I also appreciate her vehement use of her scraggly (and very cute) white dog in her music promotion. My favorite song is “SFGE,” which perfectly encapsulates the peachy, raw, exciting energy surrounding this precious album.

The VanCooths Hello World LP

From the Netherlands (now Belgium), this female-fronted power pop band sounds like it could have been released by the Subway Organization record label that gave us bands like the FLATMATES and the SHOP ASSISTANTS. This has those same soft and pretty voices featured by those bands. The songs are upbeat and to the point, meaning they’re not too long. Fucking great record, even when they find the synthesizer.