I didn’t know how much I and the rest of the world needed queercore punk in this day and age until I heard Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks‘ debut full-length album Cockeyed.
Launching out of the gate with wild punk riffs on “Why Won’t You Hate Me?” Ms. Rage and her bandmates thrown down the gauntlet to any other punk band thinking of releasing a record in 2018. “Mouth” is a fast, funny takedown of a lying lover whose lame excuses and dumb alibis become enjoyable farce. It’s appropriate that the follow-up is the thirty-second “Don’t Know Shit.”
“Short Shorts” and “Limp Wrist” are each under two minutes and still pack more punk squalor into them than an entire Ataris album. “Limp Wrist” is one of the best punk tracks of 2018.
A gay friend of mine heard “Bitter Old Queen” and declared it his “new theme song.” I think he meant it for past lovers, as Ms. Rage does because both of them are too busy having fun to be bitter. Ms. Rage’s former beau does nothing but complain and no longer wants to hit the town (“I want to go out for a walk, but that is too fucking hard…”), tempting her to push her man off a bridge and end the relentless bitching.
Mission accomplished on “Someone New,” in which Ms. Rage proudly declares she’s moved onto to someone better. Unfortunately, her new man is already looking for the “Next Best Thing” (hint: He won’t find it, judging by the angry guitar chords and wild rhythm section chaos this tune has in it.).
“I’m Having a Tryst with a Narcissist” is so damn clever that you can’t stop grinning throughout it. Ms. Rage is a witty lyricist, so be sure to pay attention to the words behind the distortion, bass thumps, and mosh pit beats. “Waffle House” is another great example of her storytelling, as Ms. Rage tells of falling asleep at a Waffle House and having a naughty dream about the waiter. The album ends with “Looking,” another verbal / musical smackdown / high heel boot stomp of a lover who can’t or won’t take the Nestea Plunge with Bev Rage.
This is one of the best punk albums I’ve heard all year. It’s full of squalling guitars, rough-edge drums, fuzzed-out bass, and more anger and sass than the green room at a Parisian fashion show. Don’t miss out on it.
“A curve ball…A barely contained explosion of rock n’ roll riffs and potential, shaking off bonds that lay at the base of why rock n’ roll is so good.” — Heavy Blog Is Heavy
Seattle, WA quartet Constant Lovers premiere the first track from their forthcoming sophomore album, Pangs today via Heavy Blog is Heavy. Hear and share “You Are Dinner” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud and Bandcamp.)
It’s like we’ve all forgotten what a great rock ‘n’ roll band should sound like. Everything’s been subdivided into narrower and narrower genres. The idea of a loud, fun, sometimes heavy, other times chaotic, brash and unfettered rock band seems completely alien today. Constant Lovers is one of those – like how the MC5 sounded completely different on every album, yet always unparalleled in rhythmic, propulsive force.
Considering that Constant Lovers is a coterie of Seattle musicians from a mixed musical background, their collision of styles makes perfect sense. Drummer Ben Verellen plays guitar and sings in celebrated crunchers Helms Alee (Sargent House), guitarist Eric Fisher played with Sub Pop songwriter Damien Jurado, guitarist/vocalist Joel Cuplin played in Murder City Devils offshoot Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death and bassist/vocalist Gavin Tull-Esterbrook in murder balladeers Suffering and The Hideous Thieves. The entire band’s members have generally vacillated across the board of musical convention over the years.
Hearkening to the late-60s/early-70s boundary pushing of proto-punk, Constant Lovers have added saxophone and the use of improvisation in both recording and their live shows. Some tunes are as taut and wiry as Television, others are heavy as modern doom metal, most of them are just loud and fun and less than serious — aside from delivering the goods to the good people. Of course, more modern comparisons are equally fitting, like early aughts chameleons and fellow Seattleites The Blood Brothers, rock iconoclasts Cloud Nothings, and a more playful amalgam of the band members’ other outfits.
At once a celebration of the heavier sounds featured in their last album, Experience Feelings, Pangs also signals a turn towards a more exploratory nature. Pangs opens with a slow fade in to the propulsive skree of “The Wound Up Get Down” reminiscent of The Birthday Party. “You Are Dinner” repeats an urgent, chirping guitar line before erupting in a heavy, slinking riff. “Meow Meow Meow” takes a rock’n’roll swagger, chopped into jagged slashes of guitar over syncopated drums. Elsewhere, “Bone Shard Fashion” and “Lullabye” serve up low end fury and frantic vocals. Throughout, while it’s an aggressive and wild ride, Pangs never abandons melody for the sake of crunch.
Pangs will be available on LP and download on October 26th, 2018. Preorders are available HERE.
FAT POSSUM RECORDS TO RELEASE REMASTERED X ALBUMS IN 2018
‘LOS ANGELES’
‘WILD GIFT’
‘UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN’
‘MORE FUN IN THE NEW WORLD’
Photo: Gary Leonard
Fat Possum Records and X are teaming up. Effective immediately, Fat Possum Records will begin distributing for the world four classic X albums; ‘Los Angeles’ (1980), ‘Wild Gift’ (1981), ‘Under The Big Black Sun’ (1982), and ‘More Fun In The New World’ (1983). There are plans to release remastered versions of all four albums by the end of 2018. More details to come.
Formed in 1977, Xquickly established themselves as one of the best bands in the first wave of LA’s flourishing punk scene; becoming legendary leaders of a punk generation. Featuring vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebrake, their debut 45 was released on the seminal Dangerhouse label in 1978, followed by seven studio albums released from 1980-1993. Over the years, the band has released several critically acclaimed albums, topped the musical charts with regularity and performed their iconic hits on top television shows such as Letterman and American Bandstand. X’s first two studio albums, Los Angeles and Wild Gift are ranked by Rolling Stone among the top 500 greatest albums of all time. The band continues to tour with the original line-up fully intact. In 2017, the band celebrated their 40th year anniversary in music with a Grammy Museum exhibit opening, a Proclamation from the City of Los Angeles and being honored at a Los Angeles Dodgers game where Exene threw out the first pitch and John Doe sang the National Anthem. The band continues to tour with the original line-up and are currently on the road, including select dates with The Psychedelic Furs.
X Tour Itinerary:
July 25 SOMO Village Event Center – Rohnert Park, CA (w/The Psychedelic Furs)
July 27 Oregon Zoo Summer Concerts – Portland, OR (w/The Psychedelic Furs)
July 29 Woodland Park Zoo – Seattle, CA (w/The Psychedelic Furs)
July 31 The Rockwell/The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT (w/The Psychedelic Furs, The FIXX)
Aug 2 The Ogden – Denver, CO (w/The Psychedelic Furs)
Aug 17 The Cave – Big Bear, CA
Aug 18 Burton Chase Park – Marina Del Rey, CA
Aug 19 North Park – San Diego, CA
Aug 22 Marty’s -Tustin, CA
Aug 23 Marty’s – Tustin, CA
Aug 24 Weins Family Winery- Temecula, CA
Aug 31 Del Mar Hall – St. Louis, MO
Sept 2 Muddy Roots Music Festival – Cookeville, TN
Chicago noise-punk outfit Melkbelly are playing one of the earliest sets (1:45pm on Friday) at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival in their hometown, and it would be well worth leaving work early to see them. Their fierce rock has an edge to it that will slap you out of your doldrums and fire you up for the rest of the festival. Their 2017 album Nothing Valleywas one of the best of the year, and I’ve heard their live performances are game-changing. Don’t miss them.
Keep your mind open.
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Let’s face it, not all punk rock ages well. This isn’t the case with the Damned, however (and most classic punk bands, actually.). Their newest album, Evil Spirits, is a fine return for them with tracks written by multiple members of the band.
Starting with the slightly creepy “Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow,” lead singer David Vanian (whose voice only seems to have improved with age) pleads with “this dystopian generation” to fix things for future generations before it’s too late for them. Guitarist Captain Sensible‘s riffs blend into the sound of passing fighter jets by the end of it. “Devil in Disguise” has a bass heavy groove and barely disguised lyrics (again, masterfully sung by Vanian) about current political leaders (i.e., “Don’t understate the state we’re in. Don’t misconstrue my sideways grin, ‘cos you’re the one that let me in.” / “As you build your walls and empires fall, it seems the truth doesn’t matter anymore.”). “We’re So Nice,” written by the Captain, is a punk anthem with a slick beat by Pinch and lyrics about being careful not to fall into complacency.
In case you were doubting the Damned have opinions on the current political landscape, look no further than “Look Left.” It’s almost a gothic ballad as Vanian sings, “Subterfuge and fantasy played only to ignite. While everybody’s looking left, what the hell is happening right?” Keyboardist Monty Oxymoron‘s work on the track is subtle but crucial. “Evil Spirits” is the kind of song Kaiser Chiefs want to write on that crushing rock album in the back of their heads. Capt. Sensible shreds on it and his lyrics convey a bit of “Meet the old boss, same as the new boss” aesthetic. Oxymoron also gets to go wonderfully bonkers by the end of it.
It’s easy to forget that the Damned started as a goth-punk band, but “Shadow Evocation” will remind you of their roots. Vanian sings about ghosts, lurking in the night, and the devil chasing him towards death. Capt. Sensible dives into the realm of conspiracy theory with “Sonar Deceit” as Vanian sings Sensible’s lyrics about sea fish swimming into fresh water rivers, whales dying on shores, dolphins going mad, and submarines doing nefarious things. “Procrastination” encourages all of us to achieve our dreams while we still have time (“I’d like to see the pyramids at this time of the year, but never quite get round to it and end up staying here.”).
“The Daily Liar” is a plea for truth in news and for someone, anyone to cut through the “smoke and mirrors” of the 24-hour news cycle. “I’m drowning in a raging sea of words,” Vanian sings. Aren’t we all? The closer, “I Don’t Care,” is a great companion to “The Daily Liar,” as Vanian admits all the white noise of mass media and political mudslinging has left him apathetic about all of it. It starts with sad piano by Oxymoron and almost fades out before the whole band rushes in to shake you awake.
It’s a good return from these legends, who are still fiery live as well. It’s a wake-up call, and a welcome one.
Keep your mind open.
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Heralded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and certainly one of the greatest political statement records of all time, it’s amazing that I’ve never owned a copy of Sandinista! by the Clash or even heard it in its entirety until now. As the story goes, this triple album was released as even a protest against their label at the time (CBS) when they weren’t allowed to release London Calling as a double album but CBS released a double Bruce Springsteen record the same year. The Clash even took less royalties from Sandinista! so they could release it at an affordable price to fans. They decided to explore their love of reggae, dub, gospel, rap (which was still new at the time), and dancehall, and they pay full homage to those genres on Sandinista!.
Opening with the (as Joe Strummer puts it) “fucking long” hit “The Magnificent Seven” (which is fewer than six minutes), the Clash let everyone know right away that Sandinista! wasn’t a typical Clash record. The opening track is a rap about being a working stiff (“Working for a rise, better my station, take my baby to sophistication. She’s seen the ads, she thinks it’s nice. Better work hard, I’ve seen the price.”) with hip hop and dub beats. “Hitsville U.K.” slaps down the U.K. music industry and Clash fans’ expectations with a pop beat and Mick Jones‘ girlfriend at the time, Ellen Foley, sharing lead vocals with him. “Junco Partner” is a dub cover of a classic James Waynes blues cut.
“Ivan Meets G.I. Joe,” a song about the U.S.-Soviet conflicts of the time, brings in a bit of disco (along with what sounds like vintage video game sound bytes) and lead vocals by drummer Topper Headon. “The Leader” takes a swing at the cult of personality and appeasement of the masses (“The people must have something good to read on a Sunday.”). “Something About England” has weird jazz piano licks as Mick Jones and Joe Strummer takedown people who remember the past through rose-colored glasses. “Rebel Waltz” follows a similar theme and “Look Here” is jazz written by the legendary Mose Allison no less. Bassist Paul Simonon sings lead on “The Crooked Beat,” and it’s no surprise is has heavy dub undertones. Simonon learned a lot of his bass licks by listening to dub and reggae records. “Somebody Got Murdered” is about Mick Jones learning of a murder that resulted from a robbery not far from where he lived. “One More Time” has Jones sharing vocals with another legend – reggae / dub musician and producer Mikey Dred. The song’s about the struggles As if it weren’t dub enough, the following instrumental track is “One More Dub.”
“Lightning Strikes (Not Once but Twice)” is a reprise of “The Magnificent Seven,” but with different lyrics, a fat bass by Simonon, and even better rapping by Strummer. “Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)” is Jones’ smackdown on the proliferation of cheaply constructed, crime-ridden towers of London flats (“Fear is just another commodity here. They sell us peeping holes to peek when we hear a bang on the door resoundingly clear. Who would really want to move in here?”). “Corner Soul” blends gospel and reggae, while “Let’s Go Crazy” blends calypso and reggae (and sounds like the beginnings of Jones’ future band Big Audio Dynamite). “If Music Could Talk” splits the vocals between left and right channels while mixing lounge jazz with reggae beats. It’s weird, and it works. They bring back the gospel on “The Sound of Sinners,” with Strummer singing, “After all this time to believe in Jesus, after all those drugs I thought I was him. After all my lying and a-crying and my suffering, I ain’t good enough, I ain’t clean enough to be him.” at one point.
Their cover of the Equals‘ “Police on My Back” reminds you that, despite all the dub, reggae, and gospel that’s come before it, the Clash were still a punk rock band. “Midnight Log” is about temptation and the Devil (both literal and metaphorical), and “The Equaliser” is a trippy bit of dub calling for economic equality. The draft wasn’t around in 1980, but Selective Service was just initiated and that might’ve been the inspiration for “The Call Up” – a strong denouncement of both. The wicked “Washington Bullets” (one of the Clash’s greatest songs) exposes American and British-funded combat missions in China, Afghanistan, and Chile. “Broadway” blends dub with smoky dive bar music.
“Lose This Skin,” with vocals and violin by Tymon Dogg (who would later go on to join Joe Strummer’s Mescaleros), seems to be about racial disparity. “Charlie Don’t Surf” sums up the band’s belief that the U.S. military loves to turn other countries into little Americas at the expense of their native cultures. After the instrumental “Mensforth Hill,” we get to the trippy track “Junkie Slip.” Strummer’s vocals are hardly discernible. The beats take precedence instead. “Kingston Advice” blends heavy dub (Strummer’s vocals echo all over the place) and punk guitars. It blends well into “The Street Parade.” They almost feel like one long track.
“Version City” brings back disco bass and jazz piano and adds blues harmonica as Strummer and Jones sing about their love of classic blues (“Is that the train that you speak of, the one I heard in my younger days? All the great bluesmen have rode her. I’m jumping up, gonna ride that train.”). The album just gets weirder from here. “Living in Fame” is psychedelic dub, “Silicone on Sapphire” is a dub remix / re-edit / reboot of “Washington Bullets,” “Version Pardner” is a dub remix of “Version Partner,” “Career Opportunities” is a version of the Clash’s classic hit sung by children, and “Shepherds Delight” is an instrumental mind trip.
Sandinista! isn’t a typical Clash record, but that was the point. They were already atypical and became even more so after this release. They had drawn lines in the political sand before, but on Sandinista! they draw those lines with a bulldozer instead of a bayonet.
Deeper are sharing the latest single, “Feels,” from their forthcoming self-titled debut album (out May 25th on Fire Talk Records). “‘Feels’ was one of those happy coincidence songs. We just set up one day and it came together after about three runs,” explains the band. “We wanted to make a punk song that was more dynamic than most, so the process for this one was different than most of our songwriting. Typically we flesh out ideas until we exhaust where each part could go, but ‘Feels; came together quickly and very naturally. The beauty of how we wrote ‘Feels’ is we never get sick of playing it live.”
Deeper is Nic Gohl (singer and guitarist), Mike Clawson (guitarist), Shiraz Bhatti (drummer) and Drew McBride (bassist). The band honed their sound over the course of 2015 and 2016 in basements, lofts and anywhere that would have them. Call it post-punk, call it indie rock, Deeper is a record that steps in and out of boxes filtered through an unmistakable midwestern lens. It’s observational, poetic and influenced by nuance.
Deeper has made their mark supporting like-minded acts Omni, Protomartyr, Chris Cohen and fellow Chicago powerhouses Whitney and NE-HI along with their own sold out headlining shows and official after parties at Pitchfork Festival and Lollapalooza. Starting next week they will tour North America in support of Deeper and play a record release show at Union Pool in Brooklyn on May 25th.
make music that is hard to describe. It lands somewhere between punk, garage rock, and noise rock. It’s full of fury and powerful riffs and their Levitation Austin set (April 27th at Barracuda, starting at 11:30pm) will surely be one of the loudest at the whole festival. I’m glad I have new earplugs.
Art punk Ron Gallowill be playing one of the first time slot at Levitation Austinthis year – 6pm at Stubb’s on April 26th. He’s also playing the next day at 5:30pm on Barracuda, both times in support of Ty Segall. I caught Mr. Gallo and his crew in Fort Wayne a couple years ago and was immediately impressed with his chops on guitar and witty lyrics wrapped in punk attitude. His debut album, Heavy Meta, was one of my top picks of 2017. Check him out while tickets for him are still reasonably priced.
ANNOUNCE SELECT NORTHWEST DATES IN JULY AFTER BURGER BOOGALOO
US TOUR THIS FALL (DETAILS FORTHCOMING)
Following a hugely successful UK tour which saw British punk legends The Damned rev up 2018 by playing to thousands of rabid fans, including two back-to-back sold-out London shows, the band returned last month with a double A-side single culled from their forthcoming ‘Evil Spirits’ album, released April 13th via Search And Destroy/Spinefarm Records. The single featured the tracks ‘Look Left’and ‘Devil In Disguise’,, two songs that perfectly represent the album’s many shifting moods and styles.
Recorded by legendary producer Tony Visconti, ‘Evil Spirits’ is the result of a frantic, high-energy burst of creativity at Atomic Sound studios in Brooklyn in October of 2017, with ‘Black Album’ and ‘Strawberries’-era bassist Paul Gray back in the fold.
Select shows in the Northwest have just been added, following their headline slot at Burger Boogaloo in Oakland July 1st. A US tour will be announced at a later date (details forthcoming).
Up-to-the-minute garage psychedelia that gallops like Scott Walker’s ‘The Seventh Seal’, amid ominous ‘dies irae’ chorale and mucho post-millennial frustration. Vanian: “An optimistic song even though it is about a dark subject. In a world obsessed by ‘self’, this is a cry for humanity to recognize its humanity, before it’s too late. There is a strong influence of Joe Meek here: ‘Telstar’ was a glorious song about the opportunities of the future. I’d like to think that ‘SOTEOT’ reflects a similar sentiment.”
Another energetic garage-punk monster, replete with Monty Oxy Moron’s era-specific Farfisa organ. Pinch: “People gravitate towards blaming individuals rather than the systems they are part of. Figureheads are only puppets. It’s the puppet masters we should be concerned about. The enemy of our enemy is our friend, apparently.”
‘We’re So Nice’
“Where there’s dispute you’ll find us there…” Sensible’s broadside against Anglo-American imperialist meddling around the world bops along gleefully on a Motown beat amid a deluge of melodic excellence. Sensible: “With all that we know about the Iraq war, and its consequences, does anyone still think we were the ‘heroes’?”
Sugar coated mind grenade, addressing post-millennial society’s “media-induced coma” Vanian: “The weird thing about Pinch is, he listens to the most obnoxious music a lot of the time – all the real hardcore punk stuff – and he a very loud drummer, too, but then he goes and writes this great big show tune – like a massive ensemble cast coming on to sing at the end of the play!” Pinch: “While everybody’s looking left, what the hell is happening right? Tough subject matter is easier to digest when coated in honey rather than vinegar and the message in this song is so important, I couldn’t risk it being a throw away aggro punk tune that was immediately overlooked. I see it more as a love song to the human race. The future is here, and until you awaken your mind, I’ll wait for you.”
‘Evil Spirits’
Fantastically searching, in the best sense ‘progressive’, rocker, with vague echoes of The Who’s ‘Magic Bus’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’, and some commensurately exploratory soloing from Sensible. An urgently free-spirited riposte to today’s political stasis. Sensible: “Whoever you vote for, nothing changes. Labour or Tory, two cheeks of same bum.” Vanian: “The Who are never far away from The Damned’s sound. We’ve had some big noses in this band, too. I suppose there are some parallels between us, because they were a high-energy band, too, but then Pete started writing his rock-opera stuff, stretching out, looking for different ways of writing. Queen did the same sort of thing as well – we’re one of those bands whose music can cover different genres of music, within one song.”
‘Shadow Evocation’
Quintessential Vanianism, about espousing the night and finding a better way forward than “chasing ghosts of the past”. Features acrobatic backing vocals from American singer-songwriter Kristeen Young. Vanian: ”Kristeen has a remarkable vocal range reminiscent of Yma Sumac [1950’s Peruvian-American soprano]. Her singing at the end of the song was originally played on a Theramin but once Kristeen sang the part, there was no need for the instrument anymore.”
‘Sonar Deceit’
Another garage-psych belter, propelled by a jaunty His Latest Flame-style bassline. “What makes a fish desert the sea?” ponders the Captain in this hard-hitting critique of whales and dolphins being driven insane by bombardment by deafening sonar.
Sensible: “What could it possibly be that drives whales and dolphins to prostrate themselves on beaches around the world?”
‘Procrastination’
Noel Coward-esque study of creative deferral, with more mid-’60s Farfisa from Mr Oxy Moron. Sensible: “One of Monty’s, this one. A bit of self-analysis here: what could be the reason that this band’s last album was recorded back in 2008? It’s good to be able to laugh at yourself – well, at least I think he’s talking about himself there… Isn’t he? Or is it me? Blimey!”
‘Daily Liar’
Co-written by Sensible (tune) and Vanian (lyric), another anger-fuelled barnstormer, with a Kinksian introductory fanfare, a driving beat, and a stirring melodic ascent. All together now: say “no, no, no…no-no” to media misinformation! Sensible: “For his own selfish reasons, Trump started a discussion about ‘fake news’, but it’s one that some might say has been long overdue. Not a pinch of salt required – you need a whole cellar of the stuff these days.”
‘I Don’t Care’
Punk heedlessness rebooted as a triptych of political disaffection, spanning moody piano balladry, Who-y explosiveness, and nocturnal jazz
Vanian: “This should have been a short song, perhaps only a minute long, written on a rainy afternoon in my study. Demoing the song, I almost forgot that there were two more sections, turning it into a three-part epic in about the same amount of minutes, which seems longer because of the differing moods.”
Evil Spirits is available on digital download via Spotify and i-Tunes, on CD and 180g vinyl available to pre-order HERE
Photos: Dod Morrison
LIVE SHOWS:
EUROPE:
May 17 – Frankfurt – Batschkapp May 19 – Lausanne – Les Docks May 20 – Milan – Magnolia May 22 – Munich – Strom May 23 – Berlin – SO36
May 25 – Hamburg – Fabrik May 26 – Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle May 27 – Amsterdam – Melkweg Oude Zaal
I didn’t know how much I and the rest of the world needed queercore punk in this day and age until I heard Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks‘ debut full-length album Cockeyed.
