Beezewax - South Of Boredom LP

Boss Tuneage / Sellout! (2019, Reissue)

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this Beezewax record finally coming out on vinyl twenty years after its initial release.  I'm thrilled that it's available and I'm happy that labels that I love like Boss Tuneage and Sellout! are the ones who released it.  But, there is a part of me that's a little sad that this isn't on PopKid.  The original CD came out on PopKid records back in 1999, but we just never figured out a good way to do a vinyl version.  It's super cool to have this record in my collection.  I'm just a bit jealous that it's not in my collection as a PopKid records release.

Still, that's a just a weirdo thing for me to work through.  Everyone else should rejoice that one of my favorite records of all time is finally available on vinyl.  I remember when @alanrappa first played me the band's debut album A Dozen Summits.  They had sent it to PopKid HQ along with some other tunes.  I remember liking it right away, but Alan was the one who really loved it and knew they were the perfect fit for PopKid.  Alan & I both did radio shows at my old college station back in the 90s.  It was there where Beezewax finally sunk in and I understood it like Alan did.  He would play the song "In The Stands" on his show before we had the CDs actually pressed.  Or as I referred to it as "THE HIT."  That's the song that really made me fall for the band.

It's still my favorite song on the album, but South Of Boredom is a virtually perfect record front to back.  All of the songs are now "THE HIT" in my mind and it's been something I've been playing constantly for the past twenty years.  For the uninitiated, Beezewax play melodic guitar pop, not too dissimilar from the very, very best of The Posies.  But they also have their own way of structuring songs that in my minds, make them even better than The Posies.  I would put the first three Beezewax albums up against just about any three album run.  They're all so perfect.  I hope that those ones are next on the Sellout/Boss Tuneage agenda.  Vinyl versions of A Dozen Summits and Oh Tahoe would look pretty great on my record shelf next to South of Boredom.

Conflict of interest time.  I have a few copies of this record available on the PopKid website.  Seriously, just a few - single digits.  If you want to pick up a copy, grab it quick:

http://popkid.limitedrun.com/products/656755-beezewax-south-of-boredom-lp

For those in the UK, Boss Tuneage is the place to go.  For Norway, Sellout! is your source.  And in Japan, Waterslide has some in their distro as well.  No matter where you get it from, you'll be a better person with this record in your collection.

Beezewax - South Of Boredom:
https://popkid.bandcamp.com/album/beezewax-south-of-boredom

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage LP Box Set

Fat Beats / Duck Down / Wreck Records (2017)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for 25+ years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Enta Da Stage by Black Moon was one of the last handful of hip hop records that really resonated with me back in the 90s.  The album is another one that I don't really remember how I discovered, but I imagine Yo MTV Raps or The Source were probably behind it.  What I do remember is that the gnarly rumbling bassline of "Powaful Impak!" was just about one of my favorite beats in the world in that era.  Not to mention the lyric "Get on my skateboard and do a motherfucking drive by" is also one of the best lines of the 90s.  That said, I didn't really know anyone else who listened to these guys and I always sort of felt that they were a forgotten band that didn't get their due.

I certainly didn't think they were the sort of band that would end up getting a six LP box set dedicated to their debut record.  As it turns out, Black Moon are beloved and fondly remembered and that makes me really happy.  I don't know that I personally needed a six LP box set for the record, but it appears to be the only way to get every song from the original CD I had on vinyl.  If you buy just the LP separately, a few tracks are cut out of the vinyl version.  This box seems to be the only way to get everything on vinyl.  So be it.

I still love the main LP.  The beats are jazzy and soulful, but are really hard edged and have more in common with DJ Premier type production, even though the source elements are the sort of thing you'd expect to hear on a Tribe Called Quest track.  Lyrically, Buckshot Shorty is on fire for the entire album.  He's telling tales and battle rapping and generally coming off as the sort of MC that you want to follow down whatever path he feels like leading you on.  It's a true classic release.

Instrumentals haven't really ever been a big thing for me, but I am starting to gain more of an appreciation for them lately.  So, it's cool to have those are part of this set.  The remixes are something that I've never heard before.  I assume most are from 12" singles and B sides, but the liner notes don't really source them, so I'm not sure.  I did think it was weird that there was no remix for my favorite song on the album, the aforementioned "Powaful Impak," but there are some interesting variations on most of the album's songs.  I'll probably always be partial to the album versions that I've been listening to for twenty five plus years, but it's still cool to hear something new.

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (Full Album YouTube Stream):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae3WZAH_2uM&list=PLrbFUdbfepXVlVL8nJLOBxI5BVebYc7BQ

Laika's Orbit - Chosen No Ones LP - Clear Vinyl (/100)

Dead Broke (2019)

No Matter What It Takes, the 2016 album by Laika's Orbit knocked me on my ass when I first heard it.  I've been anxiously waiting for their follow up and I'm happy to say it's finally here.  Chosen No Ones picks up where the last LP left off, with hook-filled guitar pop songs and a bouncy energy that fills the room.

The first comparison that always comes to mind when I listen to Laika's Orbit is with the band Title Tracks.  Vocally, I think both bands are very similar and both singers have a knack for writing earworm melodies that rattle around in my head for weeks at a time.  Both bands also lean towards the jangly guitar power-pop spectrum of rock music and share similarities with a band like The White Wires on one song and Tom Petty on the next.  In fact, there's something about the song "Lucky Ones" that really puts my brain in Damn The Torpedoes mode.  This song feels like a kindred spirit with "Even The Losers."

The whole album is a fun listen.  I tend to listen to a lot of vinyl on Sunday mornings and there's something about throwing on this Laika's Orbit record that really fits the mood.  No Matter What It Takes had the advantage of coming out of nowhere to impress me.  With Chosen No Ones, I came in with high expectations, but Laika's Orbit had no problem at all living up to the bar that I had set for them in my mind.  It's a really great record.

Laika's Orbit - Chosen No Ones:
https://laikasorbit.bandcamp.com/album/chosen-no-ones

State Drugs - Takings & Leavings LP - Blue Vinyl

Snappy Little Numbers / Toxic Pop (2019)

This isn't the first time I have heard State Drugs.  I really liked their contributions to a split cassette that they were a part of that I heard a few months ago.  That said, I ended up liking this LP even more than I thought I would.  This album collects a bunch of EPs and demos that State Drugs put out over the last few years.  I don't have any of these (the songs from the aforementioned split cassette are not part of this release), so for me, this is essentially like getting a new full length album to listen to for the first time.

What's really striking to me is how cohesive this sounds as a full record despite culling the recordings from several different sessions with different band members.  If you didn't tell me that up front, I don't think I would have realized that this wasn't meant to be a full album all along.  Anyway, This is rootsy indie rock that has one foot in Tom Petty and the other in The Replacements (there's even a cover of "Left of Dial" to really drive that home).  If you are into bands like Nude Beach, or to a lesser extent Unwelcome Guests, you should probably check out Takings & Leavings.

State Drugs - Takings & Leavings:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/takings-leavings

Das EFX - Dead Serious LP

Music On Vinyl (2017, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for 25+ years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Das EFX was something of a revelation when I first heard them.  This was a band that was spitting out lyrics that were almost ninety percent pop culture references, mixed in with a little creative jibberish and the occasional story telling plot point.  I had never heard anything like it prior to its release in 1992.  The first Del record was probably my first experience with a hip hop record that was light and comical, without being a joke, but Das EFX took the silliness to a higher level while keeping the music grimy and tough.

As part of the EPMD led Hit Squad, Das EFX instantly had cred, but it's the quality of the ten songs on this record that make it a bonafide classic twenty seven years later.  The beats are sludgy, but still punch in a way where it's impossible to not nod your head along.  Album opener "Mic Checka" sets the stage for what's to come, highlighting Das EFX's "diggedy" style flow and name dropping The Captain and Tenille for no real reason.  It's hard hitting, but ridiculous and I just love it.

Considering that a lot of the 90s had hip hop acts cramming their CDs full of music to the maximum run time, Dead Serious coming in at a lean forty-ish minutes makes each song more impactful.  Plus there's not much in the way of filler or stupid skits that weigh down a lot of other albums of the era.  In 1992 this was one of my very favorite albums.  In 2019 I still think it's as great as ever.  I also really dig their often slept on sophomore album Straight Up Sewaside, but I haven't picked up the vinyl for that one just yet.

Das EFX - "Mic Checka":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXSBk_ebq-A

Das EFX - "They Want EFX":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF61j4Re2io

Das EFX - "Straight Out The Sewer":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLST66gKEyA

Flashlights - Shadows and Lights LP

Secret Mission (2019)

Over the last couple of years, Secret Mission records has been giving me a real education.  I have often felt that I was reasonably tied in to Japanese punk rock.  At least more so than your average bear here in America.  Yet with release after release, Secret Mission drops a band I have never heard of into my lap.  Flashlights are another great one to add to the list.  This album originally came out in 2016 on Stay Free records in Japan.  That is a label that I know as the band Three Minute Movie put out a couple of records on Stay Free.  But it makes it all the more perplexing that I haven't heard of Flashlights before popping this on the turntable.

Anyway, this is fast and jangly power pop at its very best.  Sonically, I think they are somewhat similar to Ron Ron Clou, though probably leaning a little poppier and less of that punky energy that Ron Ron Clou harnesses so well.  That said, the pop that Flashlights churn out is pretty perfect.  Wonderful harmonies wrap themselves around the band's hooks and really elevate the proceedings.

Top to bottom, Shadows and Lights is a fun listen.  Perfect for a sunny weekend morning while you are kicking around the house, not really wanting to do much other than take in the tunes and relax.

Flashlights - Shadows and Lights:
https://secretmissionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-and-lights

The Wannadies - Be A Girl LP

Music On Vinyl (2019, Reissue)

I adore The Wannadies.  As far as pure pop guitar bands, I'd be hard pressed to think of a band that does it better than they do.  I've had the CD of Be A Girl since the 90s and I also had the import first pressing of the vinyl that I picked up in maybe 2009 or so?  But, recently Music On Vinyl reissued the three Best Wannadies records on 180 gram colored vinyl.  Due to an Amazon snafu, I didn't get the colored vinyl version of Be A Girl.  But the price was nice and this pressing of the record sounds outstanding, so I decided to keep it anyway instead of looking for and paying collector prices for the colored version.  Though I make no promises I won't buy that as well someday.

Be A Girl starts off with their biggest hit, "You and Me Song."  This was a legitimate hit song, featured in some Romeo & Juliet movie I never saw and actually getting radio play in America.  Bizarrely enough, they played this song at the McDonalds in Pennsylvania that I went to a couple of weeks ago making my pilgrimage for a McRib.  As great as that song is (and it's great), it is just a small sample of the incredible songwriting throughout this album.

"Might Be Stars" is probably my favorite song on the record with its forward pushing beat, huge fuzzy guitars and chorus harmonies.  There isn't a bad song on this album.  You could throw a dart at the tracklisting and you're always going to hit a stellar song.  The craziest part is that this isn't even my favorite Wannadies record.  This is definitely a band to revisit if you've never given a whole record of theirs a close listen.  The hooks are undeniable.

The Wannadies - "Might Be Stars":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFdBX_jn9Zg

The Wannadies - "How Does It Feel":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh8GU64gDOg

The Wannadies - "You And Me Song":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_e_45Szprk

The UMC's - Fruits Of Nature LP

Wild Pitch (1991)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for 25+ years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

This album stands out from some of the others that I have written about over the past few weeks.  I didn't have any UMC's records back in the 90s.  I heard them for the first time in the last few years.  Like I've done with many rock and roll bands, I have spend some time going backwards and checking out records and groups that either I never heard during their heyday or that I just didn't like for one reason or another.  In the case of The UMC's, I'm not sure I ever listened to them in the 90s.  I think a lot of that was because of their name.  As I was already a fan of Ultramagnetic MCs, I didn't like that The UMC's name was so similar.  I get that this is a dumb reason, but I was a teenager at the time.

Unfortunately, I was missing out on some excellent records for twenty plus years.  On Fruits of Nature, UMC's are hitting that exact style that I loved back then.  Catchy beats that lean on jazz and soul samples, uptempo rhythms and lyrical flows that are a little left of center.  Whenever a hip hop act of the 90s was taking chances, that's when I tended to jump up and take notice.  Why it took me so many years to finally notice UMC's is something I can't quite explain or rationalize.

I will say this, Fruits of Nature will slide into your record collection very neatly next to your Souls Of Mischief, Tribe Called Quest and Pharcyde records.  If you are into that sort of laid back style, this is an album you need to add to your piles.  I've also picked up the second UMCs record, Unleashed.  It's different from Fruits of Nature, but is also excellent in its own way.  I'll write a bit about that one in the next few months.

The UMC's - "Blue Cheese":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLV_Vl9ttoc

The UMC's - "Swing It To The Area":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1-LgEQ7xxo

Adult Magic - Adult Magic LP

Dead Broke / Specialist Subject (2019)

There are a handful of bands that are sure fire hits for me if you drop their names in a RIYL list.  The most obvious one is Leatherface.  You mention the Sunderland boys and it's a guarantee that I'll give that band a chance.  Also very high on the list are two that were used to describe Adult Magic; Superchunk and Sugar.  As soon as I saw that those two were referenced, I knew I had to add Adult Magic to the collection.

Now I certainly can see touchstones of those two bands.  Adult Magic employs a thick and crunchy guitar tone that is so very much like Bob Mould and other guitar heroes from the 90s.  And the way they are able to wrap their vocal melodies around around the guitar riffage certainly brings to mind moments of Superchunk.  Acknowledging those two bands, Adult Magic isn't a copy of either.  They are forging their own way at times bringing in other influences and sounds.  Sometimes I hear a nod to mellower bands like Silver Scooter, while at other times things get a little punchier not unlike the very best of The Weakerthans.

I'll be honest, that's a lot of comparisons for one paragraph, but ultimately what you need to know is the Adult Magic are creating some really excellent, 90s influenced guitar pop songs.  They've got the hooks where you want them and the melodies where you need them.  Their debut is definitely worth checking out, especially if you dig on the sounds of twenty five years ago as much as I do.

Adult Magic - Adult Magic:
https://adultmagic.bandcamp.com/album/adult-magic-2

Somerset Thrower - Godspeed LP - Gray w/ Splatter Vinyl (/100)

Dead Broke (2018)

So I am definitely late to the party with Somerset Thrower.  This record came out last year, but for whatever reason, I never bought it.  Honestly, I think I probably just forgot about it as 2019 started up it faded in the rear view a bit.  Luckily when perusing the Dead Broke website, I was reminded that I never got this album last year and rectified that oversight.  I'm glad that I did as Godspeed is a strong record with a huge 90s sound that would have made me crazy in 1995 or so.

Somerset Thrower has a way of mixing melodic guitar rock with earnest, scratchy vocals that is something to behold.  I hear some elements of Seaweed when I listen to Godspeed, but I think that Somerset Thrower is taking that sound and dragging it a little more towards a Sunny Day Real Estate vibe.  Though I'll be totally honest, I like this album a lot more than most of the Sunny Day Real Estate I've heard in my life (they're one of those bands that just never clicked for me, despite multiple attempts and relistening to them to try to figure out what I'm missing).

Just about every song on the record is pretty great.  The only one that's not really doing it for me is "Eject."  It's a bit slower than the others and clocking in at six and a half minutes, by about the four minute mark, I'm ready to get back to some catchier songs.  Luckily, the very next song is "Jellyfish Scene," which is probably my favorite on the album.  It has a driving rhythm section, with punchy guitar riffs layered on, forming a foundation for a vocal melody that simultaneously reminds me of Fluf, Knapsack and The Posies somehow.

If, like me, you missed out on this record last year, it is worthwhile to backtrack and check this album out.  If you like the rock and roll sounds of the 90s, there are few bands delivering those sounds as well as Somerset Thrower does.

Somerset Thrower - Godspeed:
https://somersetthrower.bandcamp.com/album/godspeed

Brand Nubian - One For All 2xLP

Traffic/Elektra (2004, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop.  In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life.  During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music.  As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for 25+ years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I don't exactly remember when or where I heard of Brand Nubian for the first time.  Like so many other artists of the era, I can't fathom it not being from Yo MTV Raps, though it's possible that the legend of the five mic review in The Source was one of the first times I was made aware of them.  I distinctly remember being drawn to singles from each of the groups albums that were released between '90 and '94, but I'm not sure which one I heard first.  I figure it was probably the title track from the first Brand Nubian record One For All, but there is a chance that I originally picked up this CD after the group's second album In God We Trust.

All these years later, I can say with certainty that One For All is my favorite Brand Nubian release.  Although Lord Jamar and Sadat X held down the fort admirably on their next two records, the group was never as potent as they were when Grand Puba was part of the act.  His laid back, nasally flow is a perfect mix with the funk and R&B fueled beats.  However he was never better than when he was able to play off of Jamar and Sadat.  The three MCs together have a chemistry that is undeniable.

Considering that this record came out in 1990, the production feels ahead of its time.  This is one of those albums that really changed the game when it came out and it holds up unbelievably well all of these years later.  The next two Brand Nubian records were really strong and I love Grand Puba's debut solo album, but when everyone was still together on One For All, that's when the magic really happened.

Brand Nubian - "One For All":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6n7ZXxGbio

Brand Nubian - "Concerto In X Minor":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBM2C97Mdhg

Brand Nubian - "Drop The Bomb":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVWWwZ0eyU

Guns n' Wankers - The Complete Recordings LP - Yellow Vinyl (/200)

One Wank/Unless You Try (2019)

I finally picked up the yellow vinyl variant of the Guns n' Wankers compilation LP.  I don't go as wild variant hunting as I did ten or fifteen years ago, but there are still a few bands where I feel that I really need to make sure I have everything.  Snuff and Guns n' Wankers are bands that still fit in that category.  As of now, I am comlpete.  Until Duncan & Co. press it again anyway.

I don't really have much to add to this write u regarding the music that I didn't say when I talked about the other versions of this LP that I bought.  But to quickly summarize, this LP contains some of my very favorite songs of all time.  I highly suggest picking up a copy.

Guns n' Wankers - "Raise Your Glass":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZqqydweYtA

Guns n' Wankers - "Blah Blah Blah":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8KYC1eYbTo

A Giant Dog - Neon Bible LP - Purple Vinyl

Merge (2019)

This record was part of the Merge Records Born Under A Good Sign subscription series.  I've now received everything from the subscription, though I haven't written about everything just yet.  I'm not sure how I feel about it overall, but there have certainly been highs and lows.  Going into things I would have thought that a full album from A Giant Dog would be one of the records I'd be most excited to receive, as I've really enjoyed everything I've heard from them previously.  But, these aren't A Giant Dog songs, they've instead covered the Arcade Fire's album, Neon Bible, in its entirety.

I don't like Arcade Fire.  I don't have any of their records, but I had promoted some during my stint in the music biz in the early 2000s.  Whatever it is that they're selling, I was never buying.  Now that's not to say that their songs, when run through the A Giant Dog filter, couldn't end up being pretty good, but the end result is an album that's uneven at best.  When A Giant Dog takes on a rocker, like album opener "Black Mirror" or other louder songs such as "The Well and the Lighthouse" and "(Antiochrist Television Blues)," it's a huge success.  This is a band that knows how to push the pedal to the floor and blast out some high energy and catch rock.

That said, the majority of this record is mired in slower songs and a bit more keyboard/synth than I typically like.  I think it's probably due to the source material.  I don't like Arcade Fire, so unless the songs really sound like ones from another A Giant Dog album, it's just not for me.  There's a few standouts worth your time, but the record as a whole isn't something I see myself listening to very much.

A Giant Dog - Neon Bible:
https://agiantdog.bandcamp.com/album/neon-bible