Art for Spastics v. 104

.
Download AFS v. 104

...or stream it

STRIP MALL SEIZURES // Songbird // Self-Titled LP // True Panther Sounds *new
THE WRISTS // Final Few // Freak of Natures 7" // Die Stasi *new

THE NORMALS W/ JEFF CLARK // School = Shame // The Street of Your Heart 7" // Yakisakana *new
CHEB SAMIR & THE BLACK SOULS OF LEVIATHAN // Just Do It [Cheater Slicks] // Don´t Like Girls 7" // Yakisakana *new
LADIES NIGHT // Nazi Tomb // split 7" w/ No Feeling // Seeing Eye *new
THE LAMPS // Now That I´m Dead // v/a: Zine:White square 8" // Borox 2005
THE CHEERAKS // Cheeraks Are N°1 + No Mercy // Cheeraks Are N°1 7" // Yakisakana *new
THE MAGNETIX // Missing Joker // Horror Chalet 7" // Yakisakana *new
HOMOSTUPIDS // Tapeing the Worm // The Brutal Birthday E.P. 7" // Richie *new

HOMOSTUPIDS // Finger
LIVE FAST DIE // Bang It´s War // split 7" w/ VCR // Daggerman *new
LIVE FAST DIE // Lovedogs in Space

VELVEETA HEARTBREAK // I Shot the Invisible Man // I Shot The Invisible Man 7" // Semper Lo-Fi *new
IMAGINARY ICONS // Fade // Eye-Cons 7" // Daggerman *new
OSCURO LUGAR // Alguien Muere // Alguien Muere 7" // Darbouka *new
PINK REASON // New Violence // 3-song 7" // Savage Quality 2006 (2 copies simultaneously outta phase)
AFTER THE SNOW // Oktober // v/a: Electronic Renaissance // Enfant Terrible *new
ECHO WEST // Luck to Come // v/a: Electronic Renaissance
THIS SONG IS A MESS BUT SO AM I // Deaf Ears // Marble Mouth EP // Acuarela *new
THIS SONG IS A MESS BUT SO AM I // untitled
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY // Swoosh! // split LP w/ Quem Quaeritis // Not Not Fun *new
CHANNELS 3 & 4 // Plastic // Christian Girls 12" // Summer Lovers Unlimited *new

MICROWAVES // House of Regurgitation // split 7" w/ Made in Mexico // Rampage *new
[RETARDS] // Will Drum for Food // Kicking Against the Micks 7" // Rimbaud *new
WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE SON, GOD? // track 2 // Out of Body Diva // KDVS Recordings *forthcoming
THE CRAINIUM // You Pretend that You Depend, but Now You Are, Are You, Visible? // A New Music for a New Kitchen // Slowdime 1998
LE CHEVALIER DE RINCHY // La Ballade en Vélo // Mes Plus Belles Chansons D'Amour 7" // Le Vilain Chien *new
THE PUNKS // This Right Here Is Considered a Banger // Unanimous Bangers // 5RC *new
THE PUNKS // Poppin´ My Collar (+band commentary) // Unanimous Bangers (test press edition w/ bonus commentary CDR) *new
PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH // More Paranoia // Self-Titled LP // Homestead 1986 *request
PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH // The Whaling Ultimate // Valley of the Gwangi 7" // Homestead 1986 *request
PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH // Barracuda [Heart] // Power-Toy // Homestead 1988 *request
LIVE GIRLS // Blanks // split 7" w/ Nons // Grotesque Modern *new
SO SO MANY WHITE WHITE TIGERS // Menswear // The Greatest Hits of Acid // No Label *new
BIPOLAR BEAR // Smoking in the Secret Garden // Man Mountain // Deleted Art *new
GOLIATH BIRDEATER // Mongol Hammer // Blood Venus // Not Not Fun *new
GERRITT // Cali Mega // v/a: California 10xLP boxed set // Troniks/Groundfault/RRRecords *new

Over the last couple of years, the Strip Mall Seizures have grown into one of the most cherished DIY bands among East Bay youth, mostly through the local buzz surrounding their energetic live shows. Now, it’s been years since I was part of the 924 Gilman roll call, and in the years since, I’ve been blinded by the ubiquitous Grimple (and other overrated bands) patches adorning the freight-rider-chic punkpants and backpacks of Berkeley punk kids. It’s like these kids have been frozen in time since 1993, only if they were actually frozen, they wouldn’t smell so bad, right? So even as I heard of their burgeoning rep as a great live act, I willfully ignored the Strip Mall Seizures. What a mistake? I finally did see them in June at Ghost Town Gallery playing in support of Coughs and Dynasty, and they were pretty fantastic. They brought a lot of their young fans there, and they really freaked for them. And it was then that I learned that East Bay kids weren’t only digging on crustpunk and pop-punk. The kids are alright again.

With that vampy lead keyboard sound and rollicky rhythms, the Strip Mall Seizures inevitably invite comparisons to a great East Bay live act of yesteryear, the Phantom Limbs; but where the Limbs had a debauched druggie vibe, these Strip Mall Seizures are an upbeat, freshfaced, fun party band, and also very intelligent with metaphor-rich lyrics about sociopolitical issues. Distinguishing them even more is the flavor of traditional Russian folk music, unmistakably rendered by a prominent accordion and a junk-encrusted drumkit. What’s that Russian folkdance where the dudes get really low with those gravity-defying, alternating kick-steps? (You’ve seen the Dschingis Khan video for “Moskau,” right? No? Then google it now.) When you hear Strip Mall Seizures’ new LP, you’ll wanna do that dance, seriously. There’s also some cool lofi klingklang noise during between-song interludes. If Alternative Tentacles is smart, they will put out the next SMS album.

Next up is The Wrists, a synthpunk band from Denton, Texas, which seems rather distinctive among synthpunk bands for the very reason that they’d sound so typical of any raw garagepunk band, were they to go back to guitars. Not an ounce of arty pretension here! Four songs on a 45 rpm 7”…quick, fast and dirty!

I picked up the four newest 7” Eps from the French label Yakisakana from the SS Records mail-order, where thankfully it’s convenient enough for me to just walk across the street during my lunch break. They’re all winners. The Normals & Jeff Clark break no new ground with their raw, wild rock ‘n’ roll, but they are positively on fire! Cheb Samir & the Black Souls of Leviathan do justice to a Cheater Slicks original in the damaged bluespunk style. Related personnel-wise to both the Normals and the Black Souls of Leviathan, The Cheeraks throw the sharpest breaking curveball of the bunch, sampling themselves a’la early 80’s electro-hop and running it backwards for an intro to this ace garagey artpunk scorcher. And at last, hear an exquisite instro burner from The Magnetix.

I know I’ve gone outta order here…sorry!

From their brand-new split 7” with fellow canucks No Feeling, Ladies Night from Vancouver (BC) have taken the rhythm from Toxin III’s “I Rock I Ran” and ignited it even more to make “Nazi Tomb” one of the most undeniable cryptic cavestomps on vinyl. Both of the bands on this record take vocal reverb into (and perhaps beyond!) Hospitals or Sexy Prison territory. Ladies Night gave an intense, riotous, and amazing live performance at Delta of Venus Tuesday night which make the whole crowd shake, and they shocked everyone when the two guitarists progressed their playful ribbing to personal attacks and eventually a physical altercation resulting in an instant implosion of their set, guitars clashing like light-sabers, and an amp doing a dangerous belly-flop on-stage. I was sure that the band just broke up right on the spot, but within an hour or so, heads cools and friendships were renewed, and the band was ready to forge ahead with the rest of their tour.

Another from the upper echelon of the beyond-trashed and finely fucked slaughtergaragepunk is The Lamps. This song is from the Zine:White 8” square slab of white wax which comes with a Xeroxed zine in a white envelope which also featured Ladies Night, Tractor Sex Fatality, and Hotel Pistol. There’s still several of these left after more than a year, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t all be gone now. So please do my friend a favor and get your own copy of this very unique future collectible now.

I’ve already gotten a lot of flak via email for playing a band called The Homostupids. Pay attention to the lyrics, people! Since you obviously are very familiar with political correctness and sensitivity, you’re probably also an expert in white guilt, too. Now, unless you are a hapless homostupid, follow this analogy…

“Guilty of Being White” : racism :: The Homostupids : species-ism

We analytical bipedal primates who make better use of tools than any previous species are mammals of the genus Homo. The Homostupids do not mean to offend homosexuals and their friends (whom I totally adore, BTW!); no, they are far less discriminatory. The entire Homo sapiens is fair game, so unless you are too prideful of your species—or genus—you should give this great idiot savant trashed-out thrashpunk a chance. I guess this is their second 7”, and it’s a one-sided affair with about half a dozen quick songs.

More reviews to come later…