Reviews

Fail Harmonic

Amazing Transparent Man Print is Dead (20th Anniversary Edition) LP

Recorded at Sonic Iguana Studios, which is prolly best known for SCREECHING WEASEL, BOLLWEEVILS, SQUIRTGUN, and so on and on. This is the 20th anniversary edition of this LP, so it just goes to show that someone is still interested. This is a fine record in the vein of BLINK-182 and such. I read on the band’s Bandcamp page that the original CD, released in 2005, was a “North Star for early 2000s pop punk” enthusiasts. I somehow missed it when it came out, but now we all have an opportunity to grab a piece of history or whatever. The CD cover looks like The Catcher in the Rye, whereas this LP (20th Anniversary Edition) doesn’t so much.

Faulty Cognitions Demo 12″

Although they’re from San Antonio TX, FAULTY COGNITIONS have a ’90s(-ish) NorCal pop punk sound and a today(-ish) SoCal pop punk sound blended together—I guess into a Central Texas pop punk sound. Look, I dunno. At its core, this re-released demo tape, now on vinyl, has some memorable, humble, simple, “best pals hanging out in a basement” pop-punk-influenced songs. Undeniably catchy while both silly and heartfelt. And my golly if the final track, “Let the Kids Have the Scene,” doesn’t just hit me between the eyes. This 12” has sensation laced throughout the lyrics, quilting a perfect feeling that isn’t sorrowful or cathartic; maybe wisdom is the word I’m looking for. I could also be full of shit and it’s just a good record. You be the judge.

Girth Control What Got You Stoked in the First Place 10″

I had no idea what to expect from a band calling themselves GIRTH CONTROL, with sleeve art of an over-served radical octopus, and songs like “Girthquake” and “Alright Mom.” To be honest, I had given up on ska punk for the last thirty or so years, until two friends added weight to what I thought was a dead sound. The first was a woman named Sally who lives in Kalamazoo MI. After she explained very plainly and unapologetically the nuances and positive psychological effects that ska punk can have on a person living in the gray, cloudy, Midwest, I was open to giving it another shot. The second was when Aaron P, one of my favorite drummers I’ve had the pleasure of playing with, told me that he’d been doubling his duties in TWO MAN ADVANTAGE and a new ska band he’d been playing with. I mean, if Aaron and Sally are giving it a shot, then who am I to pick something up and put it down in front of progress? I mean ska-gress. However, with no expectations, What Got You Stoked in the First Place has somehow landed exactly where it has to be, where there is no other place it could be. GIRTH CONTROL is exactly the right part of the fun, partying, honest good time, sip-swiggin’ ska punk band they need to be. I love the group vocals, mirroring all the best Rad Girlfriend bands, and the choruses have tunneled into mine brains to now live forever. I think it is important that the one thing that Sally, Aaron, and GIRTH CONTROL proved to me is that although ska punk songs can sound happy, silly, bouncy and so on, they can be much more than that with a reflective sadness, community, and authenticity blended in. Pick this 10” up and put it down on your turntable.

Longfriend Timefriend If Me Dies, Me Dies LP

Melody-driven, jangle-conscious punk songs budding and popping to life all over this South Philly band’s If Me Dies, Me Dies LP. LONGFRIEND TIMEFRIEND fits in perfectly with JEFF ROSENSTOCK, NANA GRIZOL, RADIATOR HOSPITAL, and such. There are several songs on this record that people should hear if only because dealing with parents and bullies that extend into adulthood is a real and valid thing that all too often seems to get shuttered away as obstacles only faced in adolescence. Somewhere since the emo explosion of the ’90s, vague dream journal lyrics became hyper-specific points in time that are identifiable while congruently unknown, eliciting more of an empathy for the moment contrary to appreciating the prose; does that even make sense? Moving on, these seem like songs that would be hard to sing along with live, but I bet it happens due to the raw undercurrent that lets this flow effortlessly from one song to the next. Look, you already know if you’re gonna grab this. Look, also, I have to be honest, I don’t know if this is good or not good, but it feels authentic, thoughtful, and reformative. Now you try.

Mid Rats Enemies Within LP

MID RATS’ opening track “No Kings” sets the stage for the following seven melodic punk and hardcore songs. MID RATS and President James Buchanan, the US’s only bachelor president and who almost had a bunch of elephants delivered to DC to frolic about in the forests near the capitol, both call(ed) Lancaster, PA their home. Tight tunes and politically charged lyrics steer this record perfectly, down a well-balanced path of thoughtful and interesting songs that could easily fall off into the Fat Wreck camp. However, Enemies Within powers through with purpose and conviction. MID RATS have been a band for six years longer than President Buchanan was in office, and although the last song is over five minutes long, it goes more to prove the resolve of the band to assemble something memorable for the right reasons. This MID RATS release is a whirlwind 25 minutes that will be over before you even know it.

The Remote Controls Too Tough CD

I fucking love this record. Pop punk done beyond right with RAMONES riffs as a foundation, building on top of it with Midwestern melody (think NAKED RAYGUN around Jettison), and topping things off with nods to the golden era of Lookout! Records pop punk (SCREECHING WEASEL/the QUEERS’ best moments). Catchy as hell, great raspy vocals, with melodic and tempo changes to keep things interesting through the beefy runtime the fourteen tracks get up to. This is what guitar-driven melodic punk should be shooting for, killer release.