…and I feel I never will.

 An indie rock stunner from 2014.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Starkicker - Beach Music (1996)

Contrary to what the cover might project, Starkicker, in fact, are not a twee conglomeration, and the music involving the half hour that is Beach Music rarely lives up to it's title's sunny aesthetic. An all male trio with a correspondence address of St. Catherines, ON, Starkicker seemed to have more in tandem with fuzzy, amped-up contemporaries Transistor Sound & Lighting Co., and Australia's often grand and affirming Jebediah and Pollyanna, than say, Sloan or Matthew Sweet. Bittersweet yet hook-savvy notions including "Baby's Comin' Home" and "Careless Driver" will easily allow you to forgive these gents for not delivering on the straight-up power-pop the band's superficial hints (again, the deceptive album sleeve and title) often suggest. A very promising record that sadly didn't receive the push it deserved from the very established Epic Records. Three years on the group tweaked their formula and rechristened themselves as Dunk, monikered after the surnames of frontman Ben Dunk and bassist brother Nick. 

01. Get Up

02. Neil Armstrong

03. Baby's Comin' Home

04. Pitter Patter

05. Merry Go Round

06. Pick Up Truck

07. California's Cool

08. The Letter

09. Careless Driver

10. Going Downtown

11. 360°

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Doughboys - Live (Home Again) 7" ep (1991, Blackbox)

Hard to believe I waited this long to share this one, considering it's been in my collection since I started this whole shindig. The Doughboys, one of Canada's finest proponents of melodic punk-pop released this live ep via the European Blackbox label, featuring two originals and two covers (Cheap Trick and Kiss). Presumably tracked during their tour supporting Happy Accidents, given the inclusion of "Happy Home." Will try to get something else up for you later today as well, so check back.

01. Happy Home

02. Home Again

03. He's a Whore

04. Stole Your Love

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Only tomorrow the love comes easy.

My apologies for not getting any music up this past week. It was a busy one, but will try to rectify that soon.  As for Mystery Monday, is this really the album we were holding out 22 years for?  Definitely some flourishes of brilliance in the first half, but the concluding tracks are outright grating. Enjoy (or not).

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Why don’t you say goodbye to me?

An archival collection featuring two dozen+ timeless recordings from a singer/songwriter who passed away last week. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Acid Casualties - Panic Station (1982, Rhino)

I suppose the main draw here (besides the surreal, Dali-esque album sleeve) was the Acid Casualties reworking of the obscure-ish Pink Floyd chestnut, "Point Me at the Sky." The tune in question (which fascinated me to no end) was released in 1968 as a stand-alone single, shortly after Syd Barrett's ouster from the group, and sounds deceptively written by him, but in fact was penned by Gilmour and Waters.  And the Casualties do it justice, despite mouthpiece Mark Avnet striking me as a tad too throaty when he manhandles the chorus.  

Elsewhere on Panic Station, it's a bit of a challenge determining where this apparently one-off combo was truly angling. Certainly not new wave or punk (though Trouser Press went to the trouble of critiquing it). The band did partake of Robbie Krieger's guest guitar finagling on no less than three songs here. And this album is home to yet another cover, a T. Rex deep cut circa 1972, "Fist Heart Might Dawn Dart."  Yet all in all, the Casualties don't sound obviously prodigious of the Doors or Bolan, though there is an unmistakable classic-rock, prog-lite tincture to many of side one's numbers with some discernable BÖC-isms wafting about, not to mention a few well placed Roger Waters style guitar fills.  Additionally, the finale, "Floating" sports swell Utopian-harmonies that would do Rundgren proud.  Writ large, Panic Station is a pleasure to listen to with nary any major hiccups, even if it is a bit of an anomaly for what I tend to share. 

01. Point Me at the Sky

02. Shadow Street

03. Canyons of Your Mind

04. Solid Sound

05. Armies of the Sun/The Battle

06. Fist Heart Might Dawn Dart (Funny How The Day Comes)

07. She's a Lost Soul

08. Floating

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Can't stop the press!

From 2010.  A deliriously tweaked kaleidoscope of hypnagogic pop. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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What is This - Squeezed ep (1984, San Andreas)

Forever a footnote to history, L.A.'s What is This are generally known for being the band the late Hillel Slovak retreated to in the mid-80s when he decided to take a break from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (whom he'd rejoin in time for their 1985 LP, Freaky Styley).  Though WiT's modus operand wasn't funk rock/punk, the Squeezed ep coincidentally manages to commence with the decidedly groove-laden and feedback squall-ish "I Am a House."  In a nutshell, The Peppers, or even Gang of Four, What is This were clearly not, but even from the get go they exuded some smarter ideas on post-wavy salvos like "My Mind Still Have I," and Squeezed's finest moment, the Roxy Music endowed "Days of Reflection," which I damn near love.  Their subsequent self-titled album, arriving in 1985, was produced by Todd Rundgren, who strikes me as a logical choice based on what I'm occasionally able to glean from this ep.  

01. I Am a House

02. My Mind Still Have I

03. Squeezed

04. My Head is a Drum

05. Days of Reflection

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It's a deadly art to take yourself apart.

A well-above average reunion album from 2009.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Bad Religion - Against the Grain demos (198?)

When southern-Cali hardcore legends Bad Religion reconvened in the late '80s not only did their new material supersede anything (and quite frankly everything) they put their name on in the first half of the decade, it put to shame anything their punk cohorts were responsible for around the same era. Their initial blush of reunion records - Suffer (1988), No Control (1989) and Against the Grain in 1990 were so consistently gratifying and vital, the band's newfound formula of erudite lyrics, heightened melodic acumen, and breakneck speed, was one that was imitated the world over, but never improved upon.  In fact, this trifecta was so astonishing I can't think of a trio of consecutive albums by any artist (maybe aside from Cheap Trick) that could really hold a candle to Bad Religion in the post-Reagan era. 

As is the case with many if not most bands, BR were no strangers to cutting a demo reel before sealing the deal in a proper studio. Hearing the embryonic stages of songs you come to know and love is always a curious endeavor, and seeking out prototypes by Greg Graffin and the boys proved to be worth the effort, given that there are easily discernable differences between them and the finished product.  So far as Against the Grain is concerned it's not clear how far in advance the nine songs I'm presenting here were cut, nor is it even clear who's playing on them. Drum machines are employed, and obviously Graffin is on the mic, yet it's not evident whose handling guitar and/or keyboard duties. In my estimation axe wielder Brett Gurewitz was the most likely perpetrator.  Nonetheless, what's so revealing about these tracks is how minimal the arrangements were in their nascent form, plus the fact that about half of them were originally written on synthesizers. Amazingly, classic album cuts like "Quality of Quantity," and the title track translate effectively in both analogue and digital contexts, and are delivered with the same breathless pace regardless of what instruments they're conveyed with. Absolutely fascinating insight for any Bad Religion diehards that might be in the audience. Enjoy.

01. Operation Rescue

02. Modern Man

03. Walk Away

04. God Song

05. 21st Century (Digital Boy)

06. Quality of Quantity

07. Faith Alone

08. Against the Grain

09. Get Off

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The Cripples - Unfaithful Legends (1987, Dr. Dream)

Roughly five years ago when I shared The Cripples What's in a Name ep I assumed the gentleman on the album sleeve (frontman Shawn O'Brien) was festooned with a pair of crutches to help tie into his band's moniker. Turns out O'Brien had cerebral palsy, and the crutches weren't props after all. In fact, he relied on them during performances. That being said, his predicament is only loosely addressed in one song here, "I'm Your Cripple," and it along with the remainder of the record is a veritable exercise in uplift, not wallowing. As mentioned in my prior Cripples critique, these L.A. area denizens had a very party-up vibe going, a la Buster Poindexter, but they did make advances in terms of maturity on Unfaithful Legends, driving some relatively poignant sentiments home on side two's "Real to Real," which flirts with some discernable ballad-esque tendencies.  

Post-Cripples, O'Brien became an advocate for the disabled, voting rights, and naturally, where the two intersected. His endeavors included running for public office and authoring a book.

01. I'm Your Cripple

02. Our Time Will Come

03. Easy Access

04. Female Christ

05. One Night Stand

06. Unfaithful Legends

07. Die Young

08. Real to Real

09. Heart Like a Boxer

10. Little Affections

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Preconceived in half allegiance.

From 2002.  A project conceived by a duo who fronted separate, seminal indie rock conglomerates in the 1990s. Even when the finished product isn't quite as incendiary or even as memorable as you might expect, it's an experiment that many of us were grateful that was conducted at all.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Whinging for perfection...

Yep, by the end of the 80s it was confirmed.  I was NOT a fan of Hunters & Collectors. I hadn't purchased any of their records but I gave them a chance. Videos on MTV. Radio singles. Even heard the better parts of albums like Cut and Ghost Nation. Alas, I enthusiastically stamped this band with the great big NO.  Their cred as Aussie alterna-Wunderkinds and all the critical acclaim in the world did nothing for me, and I was convinced they would never lodge my proverbial needle. Why you might ask?  The band's horn section was way to prominent, and I simply didn't gravitate to any of their tunes.  My mind was made up.  Or was it?

Fast forward three decades and some change. I knew full well the band had a larger catalog than I was initially exposed to, but I dared not investigate it, at least on my own volition. Then this record made it's way into my browsing fingers a few months ago at a bargain-bin asking price. Copyrighted 1983. Surveyed the artwork - interesting, even appealing. Ditto for the abstract song titles. What I assumed was the band's debut album (also self titled) was actually a hodge podge of early ep and albums cuts, designed to bait a potential North American audience. I was intrigued. Could there have actually been something in the H&C realm that was remotely enticing after all?  I took the plunge and soon found out. The seven cuts presented here were not the glossy, or even brassy product of the band that made my sensibilities bristle all those years ago, rather the work of inventive, borderline avant-collective who were tapping into a serious post-punk vein, informed by the likes of Public Image Ltd, Japan, and even the earliest endeavors of home-country mates Midnight Oil. And they had plenty of wholly original maneuvers up their sleeves as well. Maybe not out-and-out catchy (often dissonant in fact) but surely competent, edgy and alluring. Am beyond chuffed that I gave this band a second chance. Since most of their catalog is available in one guise or another this will likely be the first (and last) post regarding H&C, but if your initial experience was anything like mine, try to be more open minded than I was. 

01. Tow Truck
02. Droptank
03. Mouthtrap
04. Lumps of Lead
05. Talking to a Stranger
06. Scream Who
07. Run Run Run

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I've got love smeared all over my face...

A self-titled debut from 1981. Technically hard rock fare, but with strong pop angularities in spots. Renown record critic Chuck Eddy ranks this one in his top favorite albums of all time. 

My apologies for not getting to any new music this week. I intend to rectify that very soon.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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I want my cherry flavored, tropical punch over ice.

A Don Flemming-production from 1995. 

**Please do not reveal artist name.**

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Where is Mystery Monday?

Folks, I'm on vacation, so a new installment of Mystery Monday will be live early Tuesday morning. Thanks for your patience. 

VA - Every One a Classic!!! Vol. 3

Before I head out for a brief vacation, I thought I'd set you up with the third volume in the Every One a Classic!!! compilation series. I presented the first two installments a little over a month ago and there are six in total. In a nutshell, and invisible force of some sort across the pond had the good sense to compile a bunch of immensely scarce, not to mention expensive UK powerpop and punk singles spanning 1977-81. The emphasis here is a little more on the punk side of the aisle, but I wouldn't expect any hardcore. For the most part, the fifteen bands involved are fully capable of carrying something resembling a tune, and about three songs in we're treated to one of the sharpest and most indelible songs of this era bar-none, The Letter's riveting "Nobody Loves Me" circa 1980. The Really 3rds brandish a dab of Brit Invasion persuasion, I'd swear Anorexia's "Pets" was born in CBGB's, and Joe 9T and The Buzz's "Insanity" is a sassy slammer with energy and hooks to spare. Have at it.

01. Future Bodies - Terrorist
02. Beez - Do the Suicide
03. The Letters - Nobody Loves Me
04. Really 3rds - Everday, Everyway
05. G Squad - In My Mind
06. Dansette Damage - NME
07. Cybermen - Where's the New Wave
08. Blitzkrieg Bop - UFO
09. Buzzards - We Make Noise
10. A.V.O. 8 - Gone Wrong
11. Push - Cartridge Stamp
12. Private Sector - Just Wanna Stay FRee
13. Valves - It Don't Mean Nothing at All
14. The K9's - Idi Amin
15. Joe 9t & the Thunderbirds - Joe 9t Theme

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Arizona's airport is called Sky Harbor. I wonder if that's what the last song on Clarity's about?

I have four eps for you this week.  Boogie 'til ya puke ya'll.

**Please do not reveal artists in comments!** 

Durnago 95 - Dreams & Trains (1986, Stonegarden)

Another slim week for new content, I know, so apologies in advance.  What can I tell you?  Whether I was even going to share this one or not what highly debatable, given the status of this record itself. My used and somewhat abused copy of Durango 95's Dreams & Trains is at the very least somewhat above "beater" status, but there are some surface noise issues and flaws (namely a skip midway in "When You Looked Away") that I'm going to have to address in the future. 

There were numerous Durango 95s in existence, both simultaneous to, and post the one I'm referring to here. This one was a quartet whose lone LP was produced by Earle Mankey.  The Durango's modus operandi generally slotted into power pop, not far removed from the Plimsouls formula (check out the devastatingly hot "Great Buildings" and "First Dreams in Color"), but elsewhere there are abundant and twangy Americana fixations these boys were wont to excise (e.g. "Better Than That," makes for a tight three minute hoedown). Talented for sure, but sadly there wasn't much more where this came from. At it's height Dreams & Trains resembles a lost Mitch Easter or Don Dixon production. One of the staffers at Goldmine magazine was such a fan he did a fairly lengthy piece on Durango's frontman Frank Barajas just a few months ago.

01. Runaway Train
02. Dreams & Trains
03. When You Looked Away
04. Better Than That
05. Great Buildings
06. First Dreams in Color
07. Durango 95 (Strangers Theme)

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Reviews you can use: Chris Church, Popular Creeps, Jeremy Porter and the Tucos, The Black Watch, the Well Wishers.

I've been on a review hiatus for quite a few months now, which I apologize for. To whomever has sent me music in late '22 to the present thanks for your patience.  Here are a few words on a handful of titles that have made an impression or two. 

I've been guilty as the next guy of ignoring the most recent release(s) from a prolific artist, namely one who has say, ten+ albums to their credit. From Robert Pollard to Neil Young to Motorhead, I've quite literally taken all of these institutions for granted simply because I have so much from them already. I may not be as familiar with Chris Church's quickly accumulating catalog as the aforementioned, but I'm conscious of the fact that just about every time I turn around I learn he's got a new CD under his belt. I'm glad I opted not to sleep on Radio Transient, because it's one of his most inspired and inventive in recent memory. Church has always been a deft power pop craftsman, yet there's something different about this album's commencing tune, the brash, multilayered "GCRT," that grabs you by the collar with it's mix of lush instrumentation, technical finesse and frantic vocals. Although the going on the remainder of RT isn't always as urgent, it's an embarrassment of riches, much in league with what Tommy Keene, Marshall Crenshaw, and even Todd Rundgren were supplying us with in the mid/late '80s. Yes, there's a certain slickness to the arrangements here that could seemingly pass for major label-budget muster, say three decades ago, but every iota of this disc is thoroughly heartfelt and delivers a spate of stunning high water marks, like "Going Til We Go," and "Over and Out." Radio Transient is already a contender for one of 2023's best albums, and has me scurrying to see what else I've recently missed from Chris Church. It's available now straight from Big Stir Records. 

Hailing from Detroit but distinctly conjuring up a musical reference due west in Minneapolis, Popular Creeps swiped their moniker from a Chris Mars solo cut. Truthfully, there aren't exactly 180 degrees of separation between this quartet and the Mats, but the Creeps rough-hewn stripe of warm, reverby rock n roll eschews any semblance of filler or pretense. Frontman Lenny Grassa previously made a name for himself in a wonderful, like-minded outfit dubbed The Leonards in the latter increments of the twentieth century and hearing him again on the mic is a welcome surprise. Both of his bands seemed to be tilting in the vicinity of early Figgs, not to mention bygone southern aggregations like Snatches of Pink and Finger. Given the low visibility of these names however, my observation might amount to nothing more than sheer coincidence. Their second album (and first for Big Stir) All of This Will End in Tears wields some serious pent up aggression in the guise of the absolutely cranking "Tear Me Apart" and "From the Past," both of which embrace pure punk, or at the very least the biting power chords thereof. Overall these guys tend to function at a less strenuous pace on Tears, just don't hold out for any ballads lurking on this record. It's 2023 kids, and this is about as earnest as it's going to get.                                                                                                                                                                   

I've got even more Detroit tuneage to enlighten you about, namely Jeremy Porter and the Tucos, a combo who've been in business for about a decade or so who are touting their most recent album, 2021's Candy Coated Cannonball. Nothing too unusual here - singer-songwriter fronting a sharp, guitarsy three-piece whose plaintive confessions usually hit the mark and occasionally yield something gnarly, like the indelible "Dead Ringer," which strikes me as the best slice of power pop Wilco forgot to come up with on A.M.  In fact, there are shades of '90s indie rock cropping up delightfully all over ...Cannonball, and when these guys really nail the bullseye on the power chord enhanced "Girls Named Erica" and the looser "What Could Be in That Box" Jeremy and the Tucos impact along the same lines as the Lemonheads. I discovered more than a few interesting ideas here.  Smash the hyperlink above and set yourself up with a copy of Cannonball on CD, digital, or even clear wax. 

And now we're up to the Black Watch's difficult twenty-second album...or is their twenty-third?  At any rate, John Andrew Frederick and Co. have given us a hell of a lot of music over the years, and seem to up the sophisti-rock ante with virtually every successive release. As for this being a "difficult" album, I say that partly in jest as Frederick strikes me as a bit wearier and perturbed than usual on Future Strangers, albeit not by much. No, this isn't the Black Watch's Disintegration or Unknown Pleasures or really anything uber-cathartic, yet it is divinely moving and contemplative. In fact, any given salvo Frederick utters is likely bejeweled with an advanced quotient of depth. Occasionally the scope of what B/W offer isn't immediate and takes a few listens to unfurl, but Future Strangers offers a bevy of visceral charges in the guise of "Off You Go Redux!," the compelling title track, and "In My Head" which emanates a waft of frosty, post-punk entrails. If this album isn't their masterstroke it's at the very least one of their most poignant and affecting. Atom Records or Bandcamp have you covered should you opt top indulge (and yes, it's available on wax).

Not unlike Bob Mould or Sloan. San Jose's Well Wishers insist on stringent quality control, so much so that even before the laser hits the disk, or you push "play" on your streaming portal of choice, satisfaction is virtually a given.  That's a pretty small pantheon of artists you can pin such a claim on, but prime-Wisher Jeff Shelton has been proving my point over and over on roughly a dozen albums over the course of two decades. And while I haven't shared much in the way of WW music over the years, I've offered plenty of text regarding Shelton's modus operandi - an evenly paced mix of guitarsy crunch and chime, an ace melodic acuity, and an unimpeachable consistency. 2022's Blue Sky Sun, plays to the Well Wisher's strengths to more gratifying effect than practically any other installment in Shelton's catalog I can think of, and he just may have outdone himself on "Idiot Smile" and "Who Lost That Feeling." Tossing in a cover of Guided By Voices' "Game of Pricks" is a swell and even welcome gesture, but given that our protagonist is on something of a streak, I would have easily forgiven him for another original. Blue Sky Sun is yours for purchasing on Amazon and Bandcamp.

Crept into the hallway, already at home on the carpet and walls...

A nice, tidy career summation from 2014, that does an apropos job of collecting most of this band's highlights, dating back to 1981. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Form 7" (1985, T/T)

A rather miscellaneous Minneapolis bunch, The Form, appear to only be survived by this single, minted on Twin/Tone Records damn near four decades ago.  No, I don't know if they ever opened for the Replacements or drank from the same water fountain as Mould and Hart, but I enjoy what I'm hearing on this 45. The A-side, "Happens That Way" is a rugged slice of pop punk with nervy playing and attitude to spare. On the flip is a genuinely smart and stimulating punk rock reading of Mott the Hoople's signature piece, "All the Young Dudes."  Frontman Nic Santiago later had a stint in Babylon Pink. Enjoy.

A. Happens That Way
B. All the Young Dudes

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The Veldt - s/t RSD ep (2021)

Another Record Store Day is in the books, and as in years past around the consumer-driven "holiday" I often try to share something I purchased from a previous RSD weekend, especially if it's a release containing exclusive music.  The Veldt aren't an entity I've delved into on this site (save for maybe a past Mystery Monday) but not counting a prolonged stretch of time when they were put to pasture in the aughts, they've actually been in existence since the mid-80s.  Never commercially embraced, the Raleigh, NC combo consisting primarily of brothers/founders Daniel and Danny Chavis, The Veldt's brand of surreal, shoegaze-adjacent rock has benefited from the incorporation of myriad elements ranging from soul to psych. Briefly signed to Mercury in the early/mid-90s, The Veldt's 1994 debut, Afrodisiac had a way of persuading reverb/delay-tactic appreciating types like myself, and captured the hearts and ears of dream-pop aficionados internationally, albeit the band's legion of fans was always humble, as most of their career was spent recording for under-the-radar indie labels. During the peak of their visibility in the '90s they opened for the likes of the Pixies and Cocteau Twins in the States among others.

The Veldt resurfaced nationally roughly two decades later and were responsible for a spate of eps and singles, including the vinyl-only 2021 RSD exclusive ep I'm sharing today, said to have been limited to 250 copies as a benefit for the Winston-Salem based Shalom Project.  Despite the near-three decade gap since Afrodisiac and the preceding 1992 Marigolds ep, "Color Of Love Is Blue" and "Calvary" exude many of the dense, distortion-prone tendencies of their earlier records...and then some.  Elsewhere, "Reverie" traverses into trip-hop terrain, while "The Gattaca Blues" finagles with a downtempo drum and bass motif. 2022 saw the release of their first full length of the twentieth-century, Entropy is the Mainline to God.

01. Color Of Love Is Blue
02. The Gattaca Blues
03. Reverie
04. Calvary
05. The Butcher (Acoustic Paris 06)

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Why when you were happy here with me?

From 2006. Twelve covers of classic power pop songs from an act you've likely never heard of.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Dustdevils - Gutter Light mLP (1988, Rouska)

Time for a mini-LP, this one from the noisome and droney, but altogether great Dustdevils, a New York by way of UK export, whose Rhenyard's Grin album I shared a few years back. Like Sonic Youth they started too late and were too developed to attach themselves to the caboose of New York's no-wave scene, but managed to make some of that aesthetic part and parcel of their modus operandi. Much like their aforementioned '87 debut, Gutter Light is continusouly cresting to new heights of distortion and feedback, while vividly colored with Jaqi Delany eerie, caterwauling vocal parlance (think SST-era Kim Gordon or Live Skull's Thalia Zedek for comparisons).  Any given Dustdevils song may seem relatively devoid of melody, but like fellow Big Apple brethren, Band of Susans their dense song structures are so enveloping there's plenty to latch onto and always make for a fascinating listen. 

01. Ordinary Madness
02. Whim of Iron
03. Whte Temper
04. Losing Ground
05. As I Lay Dying
06. The Freeze Whistle
07. Oyster Catcher

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