MIRANDA FISHER
Achtungs - Full of Hate 7” (Total Punk)
I think that if this were something on a label I’d never heard of, I’d
be pretty pleasantly surprised. But to me, this record isn’t really up
to the usual Total Punk standards. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are
catchy as hell and I fully approve of the subject matter. The overall
effect, however, is a little pop punk. It’s not awful, but it’s far from my
favorite Total Punk release.
Gentlemen - 7” (Jeth-Row)
This is pretty killer. Very negative, very dirty. Musically I think this
band has been compared to the A Frames, which is fair, I suppose,
but this is much, much nastier. Vocals are oddly reminiscent of that
early Reatards style of singing as much through the nose as possible.
Overall, should definitely appeal to fans of, say, Lumpy and the
Dumpers -- which is pretty much everybody, right?
The Ar-Kaics - 7” (Hidden Volume)
This is the first record I’ve heard from this band, though I’ve heard the
name. I thought the name sounded like some boring-ass trad garage
shit, but they keep getting good reviews or whatever, so I figured my
initial impression was wrong. Nope! That is exactly what it is. Look,
man, at this point in my life I really have no interest in modern bands
doing their best Back From the Grave impressions, because guess
what? It’s never going to be as good as actual ‘60s garage bands.
And if for some reason I were inclined to care about that sort of thing,
I live in Austin, so trust me, I’d be sick of it anyway. This record feels
like every night I’ve gone to Hotel Vegas just because I feel antsy and
I want to see who’s there, only to end up watching some shitty, boring
garage rock band and wishing I was at home watching The Good
Wife or something. “I’d rather watch The Good Wife than listen to this
record.” You can put that on your one sheet, Ar-Kaics.
Ghetto Ghouls - Plastic Violence 7” (12XU)
12XU gives us a fantastic Ghetto Ghouls single to accompany the
fantastic Ghetto Ghouls LP on Monofonus that not enough people are
talking about. “Plastic Violence” is fast, almost thrashy, and would fit
in perfectly on the LP. But I think the B side, “Things,” is even better.
It’s slower and more menacing, and the guitar cuts through a little
better. Ghetto Ghouls sound desperate and great here, and I hope
more people outside of Austin pick this one up.
Cretin Stompers - Looking Forward to Being Attacked (HoZac)
When I heard that the latest post-Barbaras project was called the
Cretin Stompers, this is...not what I imagined. I figured it’d be some
kind of shouty, primitive caveman-typ H [