Reviews

Private Scandal

Slicks I Broke Player / Cherry Roll 7″

Hailing from Hakata, Japan, SLICKS have been at it since 1989, and this 7” is the latest fruit of their long-standing labors and the first new music they’ve released since their 1990s heyday. “I Broke Player” is a snotty number that wears its SEX PISTOLS influence on its sleeve, and “Cherry Roll” on the B-side is a groovier take on the same sound with a lot of thumpin’ bass to bob along to. This triumphant return comes a couple of years after the General Speech and King’s World labels conspired to bring us the Total Filth Collection compilation of the band’s earlier recordings, and should be just as pleasing for budget rock bros and first-wave freaks alike.

Sore Throat Who Killed Gumby? CD-R

This is the never-before-released, first recording by these bile-inducing, poser-crushing, noise-grind originators. This shit was recorded in 1987, in one of their bedrooms, with the drum-less “drummer” just banging on a desk or something, and a young sibling coming in at the end screaming at them to shut the fuck up. Other than that, it’s all blast and hideous noise, similar to their other early releases. The last track is a ripping live show from the era that features a real drum set and an average recording. This one’s a bad place to start but a fine place to end up. Welcome to shit-grind hell, fuckers!

The Dick Spikie Ultra Punk 4Cycle Vol. 1 EP

Three fantastic Japanese Oi! tracks that will bring you to your feet to pogo with the best of them. Much like the BUSINESS and BLITZ, this trio of D-beat classics are equal parts catchy and rowdy as hell. “Restriction & Freedom” is the cream of this crop, an earworm that led me to spinning the A-side quite a few times. On the B-side, we have a song called “You’re a Bastard” that features some of my favorite lyrics of the year. Here’s a taste: “You’re a bastard / Wipe your arse yourself.” Fair enough. For my money, Japanese Oi! has always sounded the most authentic, and this is no different. Grab this slab today!

The Manks Last New Wave Hero!!!!!! CD

Japan’s the MANKS ran from 1994–2001 as part of the Chiba punk scene, and Last New Wave Hero!!!!!!! collects eight tracks of their extremely lo-fi garage/’77-style punk, pulled from demos and compilation appearances recorded thirty years ago. It’s raw, unvarnished, recorded-in-the-basement rock delivered with a bratty, high-energy sneer. “My Generation” might be the highlight for me, although at 2:52, it’s the longest song on the collection and probably could’ve been trimmed. It all falls into that wonderfully sloppy zone where there’s way more spirit than technical finesse, but I think the potential really shines through. Members later went on to the SPIT, the PLASTERS, and, more recently, SPIT-TN, but this CD captures the scrappy origin point and it’s better than it has any right to be.

The Not This Record Contains Not One Hit Single… + I Do Not Care!!! CD

Off-kilter Japanese punkers NOT existed in the early 2000s, sticking around for just long enough to record the thirteen rough-hewn tracks showcased on this CD. Injecting straightforward ’77 punk in the vein of the KNOCKS with a bit of modern meddle like the BLACK AND WHITE, the band’s sound is ultimately a quirky take on ’90s garage punk style. The opening groove to “I Can’t Get Back to Me” is a straight-up REGISTRATORS swipe, and the winding instrumental “Mituwadai 101” sounds like it could be a GASOLINE jam session captured in uncharacteristically clean fidelity. Tracks one through eight are from the band’s most realized recording, titled This Record Contains Not One Hit Single, and the remaining songs are taken from their 2004 demo (I Do Not Care), bringing you the full NOT experience on one disc. A brief interview with the group’s founder Hidde included in this package alludes to a reunion gig slated for 2026, so keep an eye out if you happen to find yourself in Chiba prefecture this coming year.

Used Damaged Asshole Here Comes the Chaos Again CD

Here’s a short, sharp thrasher out of Chiba, Japan that takes grimy ’80s UK glue-core and plays it at neck-snapping speed. Think DISORDER meets bandana thrash and you get the idea. No lyric sheet, but with song titles like “Smash” and “I Don’t Need,” I’m guessing that they do not give a fuck. Cover art features a Rocky Horror Picture Show motif that seems a little out of place, but whatever, that movie’s kind of punk, I guess. No Bandcamp for this one, so dust off that Discman and get ready to shred.

V/A Bloodstains Across Chiba: 26 Essential Punk Rock Blasts CD

As mysterious as the Osaka and Tokyo punk undergrounds may be to the average MISFITS T-shirt wearer, they might as well be Top 40 radio compared to the little-known 1990s scene of Japan’s Chiba prefecture. Bloodstains Across Chiba unearths recordings from a gaggle of excellent obscure groups from that era, collecting their scarce output in one revelatory package. Unsurprisingly, most of the bands featured were either adjacent to or inspired by local heroes the C&C, who were one of the few Chiba groups to gain notoriety outside of the peanut-producing province (and whose material is also well worth seeking out if you’re so inclined.) Kicking off the festivities, the SHOCK TREATMENT’s lone six-song demo blasts some snotty, SWANKYS-style bangers to get things rolling. Next up is HERRSCHEN, an all-girl garage group with charming stripped-down style and songs that will stick in your head permanently. The VOLUME hits us with tough and riotous rocking in the vein of Osaka’s similarly-named LOUDER who would emerge a couple of decades later. NO-SLIP rips through three no-frills, ’77-inspired tracks that originally appeared on Antique Records’ Dynamite Vaginas compilation alongside the MANKS and others. And lastly, TESTER’s extremely rare demo serves up eight more sharp and simple stompers to end the collection on a high note. From start to finish, it’s a scorcher, giving “flat tire punk” fiends much reason to hunt, obsess, and ultimately celebrate.