[engl] Static Me hailing from Cologne, Germany and feat. various members from various bands. Static play dark female fronted post punk that some remind me as a mix between, HANS-A-PLAST meets KLEENEX meets X MAL DEUTSCHLAND. A reminiscent sound w/ great catchy vocals.

[engl] ”Black Arcs Rising” is the third studio album by Swedish rock trio Statues. Recorded at Svenska grammofonstudion in Gothenburg, this 12 track full-length release brings back the imperishable soundscapes of 90’s alternative rock while showcasing Statues’ melodic, direct, and intense approach to songwriting.

[engl] Debut album from this consistently brilliant punk rock super-group! Featuring members of The Leif Ericsson and The Great St. Louis, Stay Clean Jolene's pedigree speaks for itself. It should therefore come as no surprise to learn that their debut, self-titled, album is a masterclass in how to pen perfect, anthemic, heart-on-sleeve punk-rock in 2014. While many bands of this ilk are more concerned with what's going on across the pond at the latest Fest than with the rich legacy of homegrown legends like Leatherface and Snuff, SCJ play homage to the UKs finest while building on the incredible foundation of their previous bands output to produce an album greater than the sum of it's parts. From the stomping opener, "Concrete Block" to the already classic "Record" (a song featured on the bands' debut 7" but re-recorded here), this is an album that rushes headlong, beginning to end, with a sense of confidence you seldom here these days. These 4 lads know exactly what they're doing and Stay Clean Jolene is the breathtaking result. At the end of the day, it's an album so good that labels like Dead Broke, Drunken Sailor, Eager Beaver (all releasing the vinyl version) and co-releasers of the CD, Just Say No To Government Music, jumped on board without a moments hesitation.

[engl] Two punk inspired pop nuggets about having a good time. Track A inspired by the pandemic and track B inspired by Jonathan Richman. New Nashville punk outfit led by Dublin-born songwriter Stefan Murphy who toured extensively & released records under the monkier The Mighty Stef. The Sleeveens are comprised of Ryan Sweeney (Cheap Time / Hans Condor / Sweet Time Records) on drums, Eli Steele of Sweet Knives on guitar, and Jamie Mechan on bass. Mechan also produced & engineered the record at his 302 Sounds studio in Mt Juliet, TN.

[engl] Debut 12? from this hardcore band out of Oakland. I say that Sterile Mind are a hardcore band because their music is really, really fast and their singer yells, but at the same time I feel like Lift the Mask is pushing forward into something that’s not quite hardcore. In a word, it’s much more sophisticated than most of what gets called hardcore nowadays… it has a lot more in common with 90s bands like Talk Is Poison, Deathreat, Artimus Pyle… these were all bands that clearly had a foot firmly planted in the traditions and aesthetics of early 80s hardcore, but didn’t sound like a rehash in any way, shape or form. They felt like they were pushing both themselves as bands and the scene as a whole forward into new and exciting territory. I don’t want to overstate my case about Lift the Mask and say that it’s revolutionizing hardcore or anything like that, but at the same time listening to this record makes you clearly see how much bands today tend to look backwards rather than forwards. The problem is that to describe that progressive spirit I’m apt to reach for comparisons to older bands like I did above (and, indeed, the closing two-track blast of “Transmission” and “Laid to Rest” recalls even more genre-bending hardcore bands like Born Against and Rorschach), but it’s just as important to note that Sterile Mind don’t sound like a band trying to play in the style of 90s Partners in Crime Records-type bands… they just sound like a band that share a similar world view and set of influences. So, if that sounds like your steez I think you will find quite a lot to like here.

[engl] Funny to think there was a time not so long ago when Stiff Richards was a name that required explanation - but not to you, of course, o punk connoisseur. This is your territory, after all. Music is your oxygen and the sound of the underground is your clarion call. You can explain the distinction between ‘Know Your Product’ and ‘No, You’re Product’. Hey, you’re probably pretty good-looking too. You know your shit, either way. So no wonder you’re drawn to this relative holy grail of modern garage rock - the 2017 self-titled debut album by the aforementioned Stiff Richards. Originally released on their own Stiff Records (and again by Legless in 2020), it lays down all the elements that made last year’s mighty ‘State of Mind’ LP such an instant classic. OK, we’ve established you know the drill, but let’s recap: scintillating Aus-punk that recalls the heroic high-speed riffs of their countrymen The Saints and Radio Birdman. It sounds like Royal Headache covering Motörhead, or maybe the other way around. It’s a full-on riot in 30 minutes - the rawest of rock’n’roll bleeding into the grimiest of power chords with hooks for days. You already know you’re gonna love it. Whether going full-throttle and aiming straight for the nerve receptors that get your head a-nodding and your toes a-tapping - like on sub-three-minute highlight ‘Strung Out’ - or sludgin’ their way through groovier cuts like ‘Bustin’ Out’, they’re never less than a treat that’s guaranteed to get your serotonin flowing and your speakers up to 11 (or beyond). As a certain similarly-named record label once said, if it ain’t Stiff, it ain’t worth a fuck. Frightfully rude, but that’s rock music for you, I suppose. Get it in your ears.

[engl] First things first - you don’t need me to tell you about the significance of Australia in the history of punk. I mean, what am I, Jon Savage? Google it yourself, FFS. Instead, let’s just agree that the speedy, feral racket thrown together by the likes of The Saints, Radio Birdman and The Scientists in the mid-late ‘70s is AT LEAST as deliriously entertaining as anything concocted by their UK/US counterparts, sowing the seeds for seemingly endless garage-inflected noisemakers in the land down under. No one likes using words like ‘tradition’ or ‘heritage’ here - the punk rock clusterbomb is far too messy for any of that business - but also emerging from Australian rock’s primordial soup is the addictive sneer of Stiff Richards. Like their predecessors, the band are a gleefully wracked mess of full throttle energy and barrelling power chords, with songs like ‘Kids Out On The Grass’ and ‘Point of You’ proving at least the equal of ‘(I’m) Stranded’ or ‘Aloha Steve And Danno’. Nine tracks in less than 30 minutes, all winners and all determined to leave you flipping over couches and smashing your TV set. And let’s face it, you may as well; there’s nothing good on. It all builds towards frantic closer ‘Fill In The Blanks’, which rattles around your speakers like the UK Subs trying to play Ed Kuepper riffs at the centre of an earthquake, before grinding to a halt as a voice says, “That’s the one.” Does it sound self-satisfied? Hey, it’s got good reason to - this is the best no-frills garage rock party since Gino & The Goons’ ‘Do The Get Around’, and the only appropriate response is to declare yourself betrothed to Stiff Richards because you can’t imagine your life without ‘em. Don’t believe me? Sort out your ears and get ‘State Of Mind’ in ‘em. Rock’n’roll as it’s supposed to be played.

[engl] First EU release of this classic record. Originally released 1995 on Vinyl Dog Records.

[engl] The first 16 seconds of "Sixteen" are everything you need to know about the Stitches. Mike Lohrman counts off, sounding oddly alone, the room echoing behind him. The song lurches: raw, ragged, as low and slow as a B-17 bomber. But before you can finish the thought, theyve jumped a beat ahead. "Sixteen" revs up and then doubles over itself. Its all those months of speed and strangling boredom; its a band fucked up on meth and boozeas they were every session, Lohrman saysjust pushing everything out as fast and hard as they can because for all they know, its going to disappear again into a black hole of white noise, just like the last time they tried to record. There isnt a shred of calculation or restraint in the entire song. Its nothing but instinctsoon to be a Stitches trademark. And when Lohrman counts off againdouble timehes got the entire band behind him, punching every syllable through the back wall. Johnny Sleepers crash cymbals bleed into every other instrument. Its not like hearing the Sex Pistols for the first time. Its like hearing the Germs "No God" for the first time. The same initial fake-out, the same lunge for the jugular, the same chaotic potential energy and the same subconscious implicationsit makes everything else sound sluggish and obsolete. That was 1994. Now, it´s 2013 and Wanda Records is proud to present you the holy grail of the Stitches: all rare and out of print 7inches on one record!!!

[engl] We’re all familiar with Seven Minutes in Heaven, right? It’s some sort of weird kissing game that cinema informs me was played by the cool kids at parties. You know, the sort of normie party you weren’t invited to, leaving you to sit at home, listening to the Misfits and scrawling Dead Kennedys logos over any and every available surface. Where are those kids now? Dunno, doing some boring job, I guess. Whatever. ‘Seven minutes in heaven’ is also a pretty apt description of the new EP by Detroit punx The Stools - the four songs that make up ‘Feelin’ Fine’ are over before you’ve had chance to blink, but hot damn, they’re good. They call themselves a ‘bluesy punk trio’, and fair enough - like their hometown forebears the MC5, they take the raw tools of rock’n’roll and dial up the speed, the intensity and the fury, resulting in a record that commands your attention, your adrenaline and your utter devotion. Like their 2018 album ‘Q-Nails’, ‘Feelin’ Fine’ sashays in with a loose-hipped swagger and an audible commitment to getting your feet flying every which way, but this time they’ve had a relatively hi-fi makeover - opener ‘Can’t Feel Good’ is yer classic show-opener, going from a flurry of chords and cymbal wash into an ear-catching riff and bone-crunching rhythm section. Like X’s ‘Los Angeles’ as played by speed-addled 20-stone wrestlers, it mesmerises as much as it pulverises, while the joyously dumb ‘Rockpile’ might well be the most aggressive tribute to Nick Lowe’s old band. Or maybe not; it’s hard to make out the lyrics while I’m bouncing off the walls. Punkest use of slide guitar since The Gun Club? Sure, why not? It slays, I can tell you that much. All you really need to know is that The Stools rule, and you need this record.

[engl] The Motor City does it again, folks! From the birthplace of some of the most significant sounds of the past sixty-odd years, the Stools are certainly no exception to Detroit's musical legacy. The trio's self-professed "Nuggets vs. Killed By Death" sound is back in full effect on 'R U Saved?', which could be considered the first proper Stools full length after a slew of EPs and singles. Whether you're just hearing 'em for the first time or have been tuned in through past releases on Drunken Sailor, Goodbye Boozy, Third Man, and Big Neck - the Stools are at the top of their game here in 2023. Twelve songs in twenty-three minutes, a blaze of bluesy punk damage born from a steady diet of the Stooges, Negative Approach, and the Gories with a dash of that far-gone Memphis sound in the mix. The Stools are a fine-tuned unit across 'R U Saved?' - an album chock full of replay value from the raw, unpretentious, and industrious Detroit trio.

[engl] Straitjacket with Freddie Wadling on bass and vocals was one of the first punk bands in Sweden. The first gig took place at a motorcycle club and at a gig shortly afterwards, the band was offered money by the organizer to leave the stage prematurely. The band split in the summer of 1978 and the members continued in bands such as Liket lever, The Leather Nun and Blue for Two. Straitjacket never had time to make an album, but after searching in the members' stashes we are proud to finally release the mythical Gothenburg punks on LP more than 40 years later. The album consists of a collection of demos and a live recording from the last concert at the legendary club Errol's in 1978. Protopunk in a true sense.

[engl] “I somehow missed that the Chicago hardcore punks C.H.E.W. broke up, but if we get Stress Positions out of the deal, I ain't mad about it. Stephanie Brooks now fronts the ex-C.H.E.W. dudes, but it's not a cut and paste job — where C.H.E.W. relied on speed and swagger, Stress Positions wide-screens the pit's psychedelic vista. There's a little more metal riffage and mid-tempo tension to maximize the intensity so that, once the band revs to hallucinatory level, the impact is devastating.” -Lars Gotrich

[engl] Demented and ugly hardcore punk for the deranged recorded by ugly weirdos during the first lockdowns of the pandemic in 2020 - contains voice recordings of actual murder threats made to the band 300 copies on blood splatter vinyl includes 11x17 poster with art by Meat Dog

[engl] Subdued unleash their crushing debut album and not a moment too soon. In these dark and bleak days of 2020 they deliver a perfect album of classic anarcho punk with gothic tinges. impassioned vocals, raging guitar work that ranges from straight ahead to every so tinted flanged sounds mix with a locked in, energetic and relentless rhythm section. Their are moments of quiet and calm, spoken word vocals and metallic edges that just add to the tension and intensity. if someone told you that this was released in 1986 on Mortarhate, you wouldn’t be surprised. This album, along with Bad Breeding are setting the bar for a new golden age of anarcho punk in the UK. This album deserves a place in your collection next to Icons Of Filth, Anti Sect, Vex and Exit Stance.

[engl] The Supersuckers had a string of great cow punk albums to their credit and had managed to keep their line up intact by 1999's 'The Evil Powers Of Rock 'N' Roll'. Their original drummer Dancing Eagle (Dan Seigle) lived in Austin and during this period I saw them about 8 or 9 times between '95 and '00 and they never disappointed. Bassist vocalist Eddie Spaghetti and co-lead guitarists Dan "Thunder" Bolton and Ron "Rontrose" Heathman, had the recipe for raucous rock n roll and spitfire live shows at their disposal. Album opener and title track, 'The Evil Powers Of Rock 'N' Roll' even fades out with a few seconds of Ozzy's 'Believer' riff, and that my friend in my book, is cool. 'Cool Manchu' is a stab at accessibility with a hummable vocal and catchy riff, but we all know having dueling lead guitar all up in your face leads it in another direction. When was the last time the shit flavor of the month pop crap had killer leads on it? Exactly. 'I Want The Drugs' is exactly what real punk is, save the melodic punk for the Target commercials. Featuring call and response gang chorus of "I want the drugs" "drugs, drugs, I want the drugs!" This song, while hardly poetic, amps up the guitar and makes it count. Love this song, pure punk genius featuring scorching lead guitar and humor, which is essential for a song like this. 'Santa Rita High', a mid tempo rocker with the trademark twin Gibson Les Paul gold top leads and 'Dead Meat' the boxing themed punker make way for the ultimate slacker love song, 'Stuff And Nonsense', a very believable story of a twenty-something relationship break up is refreshing in that it isn't sad, it just is, which you never realize until you're older and wiser. 'Dirt Roads, Dead Ends And Dust' is distorted, revved up blues. 'Fisticuffs' is a tale of drunken brawling and being in a band, I know, the layman has no idea what the hell is going on, there's music, a fight, someone is drunk, oh but it gets more complicated. I highly recommend this band and their catalog, but closing this album, billed as "13 new songs about liquor, women, drugs and killing", is in my opinion, the first Supersuckers epic. 'Hot Like The Sun', which I witnessed them do live at the lovely Club Deville in Austin, TX in 1999, is a 2 part, punk/rock n roll odyssey that proves they were miles above many of the wannabes of the '90's. Recommended for fans of kickasserey. - written by James Flores