2020: 25 EPs/Demos/Singles/Live Recordings/etc. That Got Me Through
DON'T GIVE UP. The prevailing motto of 2020 but also this exercise of writing out my best of 2020 lists. Here we are in mid-July and I've still got a few more to do after this one. I can't wait to put the worst year of our lifetimes behind me, but there's more music to be shared. The people (all 4-5 of you) demand it! Thankfully the rest of these will be short but for this one, grab your favorite adult psychoactive medication(s), settle in, and smash these play buttons.
Billiam - Billiam's Synth Explosion!
Young Aussie punkster William Twyford is a little ball of creative energy, whether he's producing his amazing Magnetic Visions zine, co-running a record label, jamming in lo-fi trash punk band Disco Junk, or releasing tunes in heaps of other scuzzy projects. With his Billiam solo project, he fucks around with a Korg Monologue Synth and finds out that he's pretty good at this eggy synth punk thing.
CB Radio Gorgeous - EP
Sharing members with Negative Scanner, CCTV and Forced Into Femininity, Chicago's CB Radio Gorgeous are back with their second release and first on the thrilling Thrilling Living label. These four frenetic and infectious punky blasts are all rippers but I'm particularly fond of opening track Mid Fit because vocalist Anna Kinderman's "woo ooh oohs" sound just like Shannon's on I Miss Her Beer. If it turns out that someone in the band is a fan of Cows, well, that would be Terrifique!
Civic - Radiant Eye b/w Making Time
No rock n roll is NOT dead, and as proof listen no further than Civic. Featuring a whose who of Australia's underground hardcore and punk scenes (members of Cuntz, The Snakes, Leather Lickers, Drug Sweat and Whipper) so you know they're loud and super cool. Radiant Eye is a hard-charging ripper with heaps of riffage and some saxophone thrown in for shits and giggles. The B-side takes The Creation's Making Time and turns it into a noisier, fuzzier blast that sounds like it could've ended up on the Foo Fighters debut album (you know, the good one).
The Cool Greenhouse - Alexa! b/w End of the World
My love for this band is well documented on this ol' blog. The Cool Greenhouse's latest release features the hilarious and interactive Alexa!, one my favorite songs of 2020. The B-side is a reworked version of my favorite older song that's now beefier and noisier. Fitting that Tom Greenhouse chose to dig up and dust off a song named The End of the World as we were staring it right in the eyes.
The Cowboys - Lovers in Marble
2020 was a lot of things, including the year The Cowboys got weird. They've always been a bit zany and unconventional, especially vocally, but last year they really started exploring darker and more psychedelic sounds. This EP starts off innocently enough with the sweet and catchy Song for the Girls, a style they've mastered over the years. Then things go off the rails with Saintlike Said, with its evil and brooding vocal effects. The last 3 tracks touch on various styles of psychedelia, from whimsical-era Beatles to British psych pop to '60s lo-fi garage. Where do the Cowboys go from here? I'm sure they'll fuck around and find out.
Drahla - Live in LA
Here's a great-sounding set of dark post-punk and art-rock by British band Drahla recorded live in, you guessed it, LA. Six tracks mostly taken from their 2019 debut LP Useless Coordinates, with one off their 2017 EP Third Article, plus one previously unreleased. I saw them live on this tour and I don't remember it being nearly this good!
Garbage Disposal Union / REVV - Split Tape
The Great Cassette Tape Revival marches on whether you care or not. On this split tape, two lo-fi garage punk bands from Australia duke it out for your entertainment. One man gang John Smith is Garbage Disposal Union has been lovingly described as a "thin streak of bird shit on the windscreen of rock and roll". On Egg vs Chain, Smith takes on the heavily debated battle of the punk sub-genres, but my favorite jam here is the menacing, post-punky Cog. REVV also rolls solo and brings a couple of hard-charging garage punk blasts to the fight, but his secret weapon here is the groovy Routine, a song about his rather dull daily routine. I can relate!
Gee Tee - Atomic
In a sea of spazzy, scuzzy, Australian garage punk bands, Gee Tee is the snot that rises to the top. These 4 lo-fi, blown out tracks are chock full of revved-up riffs and body-shaking grooves. Kel Mason is the brain child behind the project and he writes and records everything at home on his own, 'cause he's a control freak. And a bit of a regular freak too. If you dig this, check out the heaps of other Aussie Devo-core bands like Set-Top Box, Research Reactor Corp, Mainframe, Tee Vee Repairmann, Satanic Togas, Draggs and Rubber Room.
Hank Wood and The Hammerheads - Use Me
On their latest release, Henry Wood and his band of Hammerheaders maintain their swampy soul punk swagger while they push their evolution even further into more melodic territory. Old 'heads may turn down their nose at the new direction but even as they approach a decade of being a band, there's no denying that they're still hardcore punk AF (even if their amazing s/t LP is now streaming on Spotify).
ISS - Spikes
Yes, this cassette tape may come in a box adorned with punk rock spikes but there's more to it than that. One listen to the title track and it's clear that it's in reference to different spikes, as in the number of COVID cases at the time of release (December 2020). Notorious for their witty, comical lyrics and punk song sampling, this release sees the noisy punk band from North Carolina becoming a little more socially-aware. Don't get me wrong, they're still snotty and sneering and witty and comical, just a little more topical. Case in point, Track 4, their PSA on the benefits of face coverings ("You need a facemask on! It not only helps stop the spread of communicable viruses and diseases but it also helps stop the spread of your ugly fucking mug to the rest of us!").
Lily Konigsberg - It's Just Like All the Clouds
As one-third of NYC band Palberta, Lily Konigsberg has been bangin out experimental art punk for nearly a decade. And while that band has tapped into their pop sensibility on recent albums, her solo work is where Lily gets to go full-on pop star, and she's got the voice for it! On this EP we get a varied set, ranging from garage pop to disco pop to indie pop to jangly guitar pop. Apparently once you pop, you can't stop!TM
M.A.Z.E. - Live at Archer Ballroom
This live set from wild Japanese egg punk band M.A.Z.E. was recorded at one of my favorite diy spaces in Chicago. Featuring 11 politically and socially-charged rippers played with such freneticism that leaves Eriko gasping for air in-between songs, and capped off with a nice "MAZE! MAZE! MAZE!" chant at the end. A fitting and well-deserved send-off for the end of the tour. I only wish this set was captured on video since I spent half the time waiting in the long ass bathroom line.
mclusky - Gateway Band
Here we have two live sets from Welsh post-hardcore legends mclusky*1 recorded late 2019 in Cardiff and London. You get all the hits (except She Will Only Bring You Happiness2), guitarist/vocalist Falco's signature witty and hilarious banter err, chatter3, and a new song! mclusky was an opinionated band that never took itself too seriously but deserved more notoriety, because they're really fucking good. Having blown my chance to see them4 right before they broke up in the mid-2000s, the fact that the band, at least in some form, is still playing gigs and may tour the States again someday (if Falco's back holds up5) gives me/you/us something to look forward to.
1Falco added the asterisk to differentiate between the current iteration and the band's heyday lineup, due to an estranged bassist.
2They forgot how to play it.
3He hates the word "banter."
4Because I was too lazy that night. Woof.
5He's got sciatica from running/jogging.
Mr. Teenage - Automatic Love
Not happy about the apparent demise of one of my favorite Australian bands, Tyrannamen. But vocalist Nic Imfeld has fired up a new one with his brother, his housemate, and Nadine Muller, daughter of Cosmic Psychos drummer Dean Muller! Automatic is their debut release and features 4 super catchy power pop/garage tunes that will stick in your craw, much like Tyrannamen songs do.
Neutrals - Personal Computing b/w In the Future
I'm old enough to remember when being a computer nerd was grounds for ridicule and solitude. The latest Neutrals single is a light-hearted, poppy post-punk track that professes it's unabashed appreciation for all things computing, back before being a geeky gamer was cool. The B-side is a noisy post-punk romp with a thumping bassline and imagines the care-free and utopian world we were promised but never did get. Because we don't deserve nice things.
Nutrition - No
A 6 song, 9 minute whiplash of fast and furious punky hardcore straight outta British Columbia. It's got the herky-jerkiness of The Shitty Limits and a vocal style somewhere between Hank Wood and Roger Daltrey. Who? Nutrition, that's who.
Parsnip - Adding Up
I can't say I've ever eaten a parsnip but I hear it's pretty sweet, much like the songs contained within the latest release by the four Aussie wonder women that make up Parsnip. Featuring members of School Damage, Hierophants, ex-Chook Race, P.P. Rebel, Bananagun, Smarts and more, theirs is a modern, punky take on '60s-influenced garage pop and psychedelia. The EP format suits them well and is the ideal bite-sized serving for something so sweet. Anything more makes my teeth hurt.
Porno Glows - 4 traXXX
Chicago 3-piece underground stalwarts Porno Glows (no longer The Pornography Glows, apparently) are back with more lo-fi eggy trash punk. All 4 traxxx slap but the standout for me is On and On because it sounds like an old Eddy Current Suppression Ring demo. Side note: I just discovered that this and their 2019 debut EP are both on Spotify, which is at once thrilling and shocking.
R.M.F.C. - Reader b/w Faux Freaks
Buz Clatworthy is his name, and Devo-core is his game. He's also a self-proclaimed "extremely talented, intelligent and famous child prodigy." Funny kid! While his tongue may be firmly in cheek, there's no denying the Australian punkster's got heaps of chops. Reader is a buzzy, lo-fi melodic jam that sees young Buz dabble with synths, while Faux Freaks is a fuzzed-out garage punk ripper. Join the Rock Music Fan Club now before the earth explodes.
Romero - Honey b/w Neopolitan
Here we have the catchy debut single from Melbourne's infectious punky power-pop band Romero! I was fortunate enough to see them at Maggot Fest 10 and they were a refreshing change of pace from all of the aggressive and spazzy stuff (don't get me wrong, I was there for the aggressive and spazzy stuff). Vocalist Alanna Oliver gives off a warm, fun, early-Gwen Stefani vibe, back when Gwen was cool and likeable.
Shintaro Sakamoto - By Swallow Season b/w Don't Tinker With History
A psych rock legend in a previous life, Tokyo native Shintaro Sakamoto has shifted to a solo career of laid-back pop. Sung in Japanese, both of these tracks were written during the pandemic and are deeply influenced by it. By Swallow Season is an ambient disco track with a soprano saxophone (aka The Kenny G) solo and asks the question, will things ever get back to normal again? Don't Tinker With History rails against the spread of revisionist history and "fake news" while settling into a nice funky groove and bouncing happily along, aided by lap steel guitar. H/T to Shitbeard for the tip.
The Shifters - Left Bereft b/w Australia
On their latest single, Left Bereft, psychedelic guitar pop weirdos The Shifters tell us how they really feel about greedy cunts like bankers, warmongers, "pollys" (politicians) and Americans. On the flip side they direct their anger and resentment at their home country, lambasting their slow internet, corrupt pollys, questionable government decisions and reality television. If they're trying to dissuade me from wanting to live there, it's not working!
Snoozers - s/t
The debut release from Brighton UK-based Snoozers is full of lo-fi, stripped-down garage pop and features two major players from the riot grrrl circuit. Jon Slade played guitar in Huggy Bear (as well as Comet Gain) and Steve Dore drummed with Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill) and Christina Billotte (Slant 6) in The Casual Dots. But the real star here is vocalist Nadia Buyse, with her great voice and smart lyrics. The songs here are simple, yet so catchy and well-written, especially Samsung Galaxy and Ethereal. But believe you me, there are no snoozers on this EP!
The Stroppies - Look Alive!
What the hell's a stroppy, you ask? I googled it so you didn't have to. Turns out it's British slang meaning unruly or being a pain in the arse, but this band is anything but(t). Look Alive! is a collection of warm jangly guitar-pop songs with a dash of just enough psychedelia to help them stand out from the heaps of similar Aussie bands. The title track made my top songs list and is probably the best song they've ever written, imo. At 8 tracks it's a little long for an EP but if that's what they want to call it, who am I to argue? Wouldn't want them getting stroppy with me.
Terry - Take the Cellphone b/w Debt and Deficit Disaster
The latest release from Terry, the wonderfully weird Australian couples supergroup (feat. members of Dick Diver, Total Control, Constant Mongrel, UV Race, Primo!, Eastlink, and more), is their entry into Sub Pop's Singles Club. Take the Cellphone is a catchy, oddball post-punk tune while the B-side is a psychedelic, all-instrumental track where the title says all that needs to be said. They were hoping to take over America with this single, but yadda yadda yadda, they haven't done so... yet.
More Lockdown Rockdown
C.H.E.W. - In Due Time
The Cowboy - Feel the Chi Releasing from You
Futuro - Os Segredos Do Espaço e Tempo
Gee Tee - Live & Dangerous II
Ghost Power - Asteroid Witch b/w Inchwork
Isotope Soap - Demos 2020
ISS - Too Punk for Heavy Metal
Jockstrap - Wicked City
M80 - Apathy
Moth - Machine Nation
Neurotic Fiction - Romance
Neutrals - Rent/Your House
Plastics - Plastic World
Powerplant - A Spine / Evidence
Pting - Boo
Punter - Demo
Semana Santa - Estado Inicial
Shepparton Airplane - Sharks Live at the Tote
Snapped Ankles - 21 Metres To Hebden Bridge
Sniffany and the Nits - The Greatest Nits
Soakie - s/t
Viagra Boys - Common Sense
Violent Change - s/t
The Yearners - 2020 EP
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