THIN LIZZY- JAILBREAK

I'm tired and I won't go into any detail about this. All I'll say is that this record is probably better than you think it is. If you don't like guitars and feeling good then don't even bother.

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TEXAS IS THE REASON- DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?

A melodic, 90's emo band named after a Misfits lyric... based on that sentence alone I guess you'll know if you're interested in this or not. These guys sound like Sunny Day Real Estate and are from the same era. They were kind of a next-big-thing band but as they were poised to start working on their first major-label album, they realized they just didn't want to be a band anymore. Too bad but hey, if the 90's had a surplus of anything, it was great emo bands. They also have a self-titled EP that's worth checking out

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THE RAYMOND BRAKE- PILES OF DIRTY WINTERS

Man. This is one of those records perfect for the days when it gets dark at 4:30. The Raymond Brake inhabited that wonderful North Carolina scene in the early 90's but never really achieved any of the notoriety bestowed upon Archers of Loaf or Polvo... or even other southeast acts such as Grifters, which is a damn shame. This is a fine record of alternate tunings, nice singing, varied songwriting and that perfect mix of depression and the boredom of geographic isolation. Musically these guys are basically a mix between the more melodic passages of Polvo and the anthemic qualities of Archers although there is enough variation in these songs that you never feel like they were just ripping off their buddies. Sadly, no one ever gave a shit and they called it quits. Their singer now plays indie-folk in San Francisco's Vetiver with dudes who wear fedoras... they are signed to the eternal source of new and exciting American music, Sub Pop... People change, I guess...

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BASTARD- WIND OF PAIN

This is one of the best hardcore records you will ever hear and in my opinion, the best one to ever come from Japan... Very Negative Approach styled vocals, super fast, great riffs and also decent production... because they didn't need to mask their generic songs and shitty singing with layers of static. I'm sure this record is old news to hardcore nerds but most people do not fall into that category.

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SPECIAL AGENT DALE COOPER- "DIANNE..." THE TWIN PEAKS TAPES

There is no music on this. This is completely as advertised. 40 tracks of Kyle MacLachlan's character from David Lynch's Twin Peaks recording case-updates for his FBI secretary Dianne. These are of no value to those who haven't seen the show or who don't enjoy these asides within the episodes but as the show's primary source of comic relief, they are great to have here, isolated like this. Coffee, traveling, existential philosophy, character observations, all delivered with that unmistakable Dale Cooper enthusiasm. Really, just a fun listen, nothing more.

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN- THE RIVER

I feel like this is not commonly mentioned alongside Born in The USA, Born to Run, Nebraska, Darkness, etc... A shame really, because this double LP boasts everything fantastic about the Boss and if you want an intro that strays from his more recognizable songs, which can sometimes cloud an attempt to discover an artist, this is perfect. Rockers, pop songs, ballads, story telling... this is classic Bruce and from 1980 so you know he was basically on top of his game when this was cut.

Now, I understand there may be a certain stigma among people who have yet to understand the Boss' appeal. Contributing factors could be;

-too much cheese (cheese is subjective but fair enough)

-very commercial (yes, this shit is catchy as hell)

-boomers worship this guy (two of the most vapid, consumer-zombie fifty-somethings I've ever met loved the Boss as well)

-hipsters, particularly the cutesy, beck-listening, marcel-dzama-loving, catcher-in-the-rye-reading variety, loooove the Boss (because they fetishize artistic authenticity and when it comes to discussion of Springsteen, that seems to be the subject of choice)

thus, the question is surely asked by the dude in the Cult Ritual shirt, with stick and pokes, skinny jeans, a septum piercing and an extensive knowledge of Death In June "Why the fuck do I want to listen to some cheesy ass, MOR bullshit, boomer, ironic-hipster loved dickhead who sings about cars, girls and small towns?"

Because this dickhead understands your emotions better than you ever will.

p.s. He wrote a song for the Ramones! Unfortunately, his label wouldn't let him give it to them because it was too good but hey, now you can't say Springsteen didn't get punk(s)

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GO BACK SNOWBALL- CALLING ZERO

Short and sweet: This is a side project featuring the joint songwriting of Bob Pollard and Mac McCaughan. 90's wet-dream much? Surprisingly, not really. The music here sounds very subdued for McCaughan and very polished for Pollard. Apparently they wrote the songs by mailing bits and pieces of the songs to each other until they were satisfied with the results. A cool concept and a nice record for this time of year but given the names associated, it could be a disappointment to those expecting anything that sounds like either of their band's music. The best indication I can give is that the cover art definitely suits this one.

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BLINK 182- CHESHIRE CAT

Pretentious fucks and ironic _____ers suck in equal measure. I may be both on some days but I still hold this band near and dear. It irks me to no end when either of the aforementioned types dismiss or 'love' this record and the band's early work. Go listen GISM or Girls you turds

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LOW THREAT PROFILE- S/T 7"

Powerviolence rules, ok? ok, now that we're clear on that, on to this hot little item. Featuring former members of Infest(!) No Comment(!) and Lack of Interest(!) So, if those names mean nothing to you then I would check out all those bands. Why? because they rip and dip like few can. If you're familiar with those acts then you are already salivating and thinking that this is too good to be true. Honestly, I think it's a fucking great record that adds a little bit of spit-shine in the production department that powerviolence usually lacks, which puts it on par with some of my favourite Infest recordings.

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SUGAR- COPPER BLUE

I'm officially on a Bob Mould kick, so here is some more from the master. Sugar formed a few years after Husker Du broke up, likely because Bob still wanted the band experience and had some amazing songs kicking around that didn't suit his 12-string acoustic. So, we get Copper Blue. This is so 90's, so poppy, so glossy and fuck me, so perfect. I love this album like few others. Awesome guitar playing and the drums are recorded to really punch through it all. To some this will definitely sound like just another 90's record but if you're into later Husker Du, this is just a more focused set of songs that sees Bob freed from the idea of writing songs that fit that band's mold and trying out some bigger hooks. Pop bliss

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