Reviews

Venti3

20 Minutes Sucks LP

A dozen buzzing garage gut-punches here from the picturesque city of Domodossola. 20 MINUTES continues the lineage of stone-cold rock’n’roll that can be traced all the way back to the STOOGES, in the vein of its re-emergence with a fresh coat of paint in the ’90s. Injecting a bit of delicious pop into the formula, the band achieves a sharp and barreling sound that falls somewhere between Germany’s (excellent) KÜKEN and fellow Italian punkers the DICK DASTARDLYS. The resulting record rips, with tunes like “You Die” and “Payment” that would fit perfectly in a mix with the finest of golden-era bangers like TV KILLERS and the SPLASH 4. Ace shit.

Chow Eternal Lopez 12″

This is a bouncy, garage-flavored, danceable rock album from Bologna, Italy with a workmanlike approach to songwriting and performance. There’s something a little stiff here at first, a lack of flexibility and hooks that leaves me a bit cold even at its most anthemic. My ears do perk up, however, as the band starts to resemble HÜSKER DÜ at the midpoint of the record. While this outing might be frontloaded with weaker material, it starts to feel more lived-in and frayed, slowly revealing a band that is confident and does have an ear for melody. I’m a sucker for a band that mines the ’80s boom of Midwest college rock for ideas and presents them in a contemporary landscape. On a track like “Remember the Valentines,” you can hear a distinct John Reis influence both in the guitar and vocals, and I’ll always go to bat for that. I’m not as sold on the dreamier, spaced-out “Calling on the Altar Boys,” and think overall this 12” is a mixed bag, but there are high bright points to be sure.

Chubby & the Twerks One Second With… 7″

Lovely little handful of some bittersweet power pop bangers. Catchy hooks prominent in both the vocals and the guitar leads; really embraces that classic ’70s pub rock sound. The title is apt—this really does feel like only a couple seconds. It goes by fast! Just means you gotta keep flipping it from now ’til eternity. This is a fantastic two-song slab and will go great on anyone’s summer playlist.

Spectre Twisted Views LP

Como, Italy’s SPECTRE does god’s (or perhaps, satan’s) work by bringing deathrock back to the table with their second album, Twisted Views. It’s a deranged cabaret of gloom and doom where the gothic atmosphere is masterfully blended with the explosiveness of punk rock. Tastefully tribal drums and rock-solid bass are responsible for the ritualistic feel of this record. On top of this unbreakable backbone, guitars soaking with various effects supply abrasive textures amidst waves of feedback. And the cherry on top is, of course, extremely expressive and proportionally dramatic vocals that just work perfectly with this style. It might sound like I’m exaggerating, but I believe that if this record had been released at the prime of the genre, we would be calling it an essential classic. Absolutely a must-hear record.