The Pretty Flowers - Police Me Flexi

Self Released (2024)

You may have noticed that The Pretty Flowers put out my favorite record of last year.  If you did notice that, I'm sure you're not surprised at all that I immediately got my hands on the band's new flexi 7" the moment it was made available.  While I'm generally not a huge fan of flexis or lathe cuts due to their fragility and lower fidelity vs. a traditional 7" record, I will always still collect and support them when it's a band I dig.  I understand the costs of putting out vinyl and am totally fine with other ways to get music out there.  Especially when it's not on cassette!

There's just the one song on this flexi, "Police Me."  Unsurprisingly it's a fantastic song and could have easily been a part of either Pretty Flowers album.  It's got that vague Built To Spill sort of pop sound, but with warmer, crunchier guitars and less ostentatious guitar soloing.  It's a quick song that maybe wraps up a little faster than I would have liked, but if my major complaint is that I wish there was more of the song I'm listening to, you get the idea that this one's a keeper.

The flexi itself sounds pretty good for what it is.  Not as good as a vinyl 7", but we've come a long way with flexi technology since the McDonald's Menu Song one came out.  When's someone going to cover that song?

The Pretty Flowers - "Police Me":
https://theprettyflowers.bandcamp.com/track/police-me

Eric B. & Rakim – Don't Sweat The Technique 2xLP - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, 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 thirty plus 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.

For the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this Eric B & Rakim box set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

Don't Sweat The Technique is the Eric B. & Rakim record I have always been the most familiar with as it's the one that came out in my hip hop heyday.  It's also the only one I had on vinyl prior to picking up this box set, so it's a bit of a double dip as I've already written about it before on this site.  But I'm happy to talk a bit more about it again.  I've mentioned before that "Know The Ledge" from the Juice soundtrack was my first introduction to Eric B. & Rakim.  To this day that's still my favorite song.  It was also the song that taught me to not buy hip hop soundtracks as those songs ALWAYS ended up on the next full length album of whatever group or rapper contributed it.

Weirdly, the opening track, "What's On Your Mind?," is pretty awful.  The production is sappy and smooth in an R&B influenced way that feels like a reach towards crossing over.  It first showed up on the House Party II soundtrack, and it really could have stayed there in my opinion.  But after that rare misstep, the rest of the album is flawless.

The production holds up so well and is on par with any golden era release that came out in 1992.  For me, it's the one that sounds current and modern, or at least whatever was current and modern in 1992, a year that I was just devouring any hip hop I could get my hands on.  Every song is incredible and Rakim once again showed why he was just next level in that era.  This was the last Eric B. & Rakim record and the last time we'd hear from Rakim for five years, but it was a hell of a way to go out.

Eric B. & Rakim – Don't Sweat The Technique:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l-GjbNZ7R2ORynPapp800gTpmXuLxTl98

The Foreign Correspondents - Lovin' You Ain't Easy 7" - Brown Vinyl

Outer Battery (2024)

The Foreign Correspondents are a group made up of various indie rock luminaries.  We've got Ted Leo from Chisel and /Pharmacists, Brendan Canty from Fugazi, Michael Hampton from Fake Names and Sohrab Habibion from The Obits.  They got together to cover a couple of songs from Michel Pagliaro, an artist that I'm not familiar with, but was primarily active during the 70s.  They released this 7" with four different covers on four different colors of vinyl and in another time of my life I would have absolutely bought all four.  These days, I'm trying to be better about that sort of thing, so I just picked out the one I liked best.

I have no real context for the original versions of these songs and how the two covers on this 7" compare, but I can tell you that I really like both songs.  Ted Leo takes vocals on both of them and we start off with the A side, "Lovin' You Ain't Easy."This song has a decidedly Pharmacists feel to it, with shimmering, jangly guitar work, upbeat bass lines and a catchy chorus with singalong backing vocals.

On the B side we have "We're Dancin' 'Til It Blows Over."  This one has a bit more of a glammy feel to it, with fuzzy, 70s style guitar riffs.  I can't say I like it quite as much as the A side, but it's still a solid song and it takes advantage of Ted's vocal range.  It's definitely a fun 7" overall and I think my lack of familiarity with the source material actually makes it more enjoyable for me.  For me, it's just two news songs put together by artists with a real track record for putting out good stuff.

The Foreign Correspondents - Lovin' You Ain't Easy:
https://theforeigncorrespondentsdc.bandcamp.com/album/lovin-you-aint-easy

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words 2xLP - Purple Vinyl & Green Vinyl

Beihai Park (2024, Reissue)

While it's still not quite at the level I would like it to be at, the fact that we're starting to see a lot of 90s era CD only releases finally coming out on vinyl is one of the best trends of the last few years.  There are still so many I would like to see that aren't out yet, but when something as wonderful as this Overwhelming Colorfast album gets released, it gives me hope that other favorites may be in the future as well.

Two Words was the second Overwhelming Colorfast album and it originally came out in 1994 on Relativity records (also home to the mighty Alligator Gun).  Even though the first, self titled Overwhelming Colorfast album was truly great, they stepped things up big time on Two Words.  The production is gigantic, with huge, warm guitar sounds and perfectly mixed vocals.  It also pulls off the incredible trick of sounding slick, without losing the energy and 'rough-around-the-edges' feel that I love so much from albums of that era.  You can still feel the punk energy, but in a way where you can hear everything that's going on with a clarity that you might not get on other albums.

Additionally, this LP contains the four songs from the promo only Bender EP that haven't been released previously.  I remember trying to find a copy of that elusive CD and it was Davey Tiltwheel that ended up giving me his copy for my collection in the late 90s.  These songs fit in perfectly with the ones from Two Words and having everything in a double LP package is the best.

I could not be happier with this stellar release from Beihai Park, who are really stepping up and helping to get vinyl versions of some incredible albums into the world.  I've already preordered their Tanner reissue they've got going right now and can only hope that the third, and my favorite, Overwhelming Colorfast album, Moonlight & Castenets, ends up on their release schedule one of these days.

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nMRJwy7MgTL4A3P0b64qHavGAVbTY8stc

Eric B. & Rakim – Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em 2xLP - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, 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 thirty plus 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.

For the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this Eric B & Rakim box set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

Eric B. & Rakim's third album, Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em, came out in 1990, two years after Follow The Leader.  A lot changed in hip hop over those tho years, but I feel like we were still probably a year away from a real explosion of innovation that was lurking around the corner in 1991.  As such, this album's production does feel a little bit dated with today's ears, but when you compare it to other records that came out in 1990 or earlier, it's pretty cream of the crop stuff.

It's a big leap forward from Follow The Leader, which in itself was a gargantuan step up from Paid In Full on the production side of things.  The bass is fuller, the beats are more complex and it's enjoyable the same way a lot of the early Boogie Down Production records are.  For someone my age, it's stuff that happened slightly before my time, but the impact of records like this cannot be understated.

Lyrically, Rakim once again just uncorks insane rhyme after insane rhyme.  He had so few peers during this early run and it's really understandable why he is so revered for what he brought to the table on all of these albums.  He's a natural story teller that is just as comfortable weaving complex narratives as he is just battling.  Again, I would like have more nostalgia for Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em had I had it in the early 90s, but there is no denying just how great this record is.

Eric B. & Rakim – Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lbyoTa-vRaviQtMPp7DMyZ8G_8EYCST9E

The Hamiltones - In Space LP (& Moon People 7")

Big Neck / Swimming Faith (2024)

I have been lucky enough to have been listening to The Hamiltones since their first tape release on More Power Tapes back in 2015.  Since then, they've graced my turntable with some new tunes every few years and 2024 is the year for their new full length, In Space.

In Space is another twist on The Hamiltones brand of sci fi surf music.  You can certainly draw a pretty straight line from Man or Astro-man to these guys and the soundscapes created by The Hamiltones evoke the same sort of drive-in movie vibes.  In Space is a film soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist, but listening to this, I kind of wish it did.  You can really feel the authenticity of those 50s and 60s sounds, but always pepped up and never sounding dated.  Along with Swami John Reis & The Blind Shakes, the Hamiltones records have been the surf tunes that I tend to play the most often.

Included with this LP is a bonus 7" by the Moon People.  It comes in a sealed envelope and is shrouded in mystery.  Who could have created these tunes.  My guess would be some entities that have a similar musical experience as The Hamiltones, but access to lots of synth-y gear.  I can't say for sure there's no guitar on the 7", but the vibe of the 7" fits in well with the soundtrack theme of the overall LP.  The Packaging and stories for a Hamiltones album has been top notch in the past and In Space is no exception.  A great band that I always get excited to hear more from.

The Hamiltones - In Space:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/in-space

Superchunk - Everybody Dies 7"

Merge (2024)

If there's one thing I'm going to do, it's buy a new Superchunk 7" when it is released.  I have a whole pile of them and I have no intention of stopping that collection as long as the band keeps putting them out.  I will continue to do that despite the bands uneven output the last few years, which this 7" is another example of.

The A side is a new original song called "Everybody Dies."  It's certainly louder than most of the songs from Superchunk's last full length, and that's a good thing.  It's built off of a noisy guitar riff in the verse, which blasts off into the traditional super-catchy, Superchunk chorus.  It's a great song and if it's any indication of what the next Superchunk full length might sound like, sign me up for that.

The B-side is "In a Blender," a cover of an Alastair Galbraith that I'm not familiar with.  When the music starts up, it's upbeat with crunchy guitars and I'm pretty into it.  But when Mac starts singing, the song goes off the rails for me.  I'm not sure if it's just an odd vocal melody that he's dealing with or what, but it just sounds so odd and I'll probably not listen to it again.  But hey, the A-side is great, so that's worth it to me.

Superchunk - Everybody Dies:
https://superchunk.bandcamp.com/album/everybody-dies

Eric B. & Rakim – Follow The Leader 2xLP - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, 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 thirty plus 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.

For the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this Eric B & Rakim box set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

Eric B & Rakim's second album, Follow The Leader, came out in 1988.  That's only a year after their debut, but from the very second the opening title track starts up, it's obvious that the production has taken a gigantic leap forward (the horns that creep in throughout the song are just incredible).  Not only that, but the lyrical dexterity that Rakim was revolutionizing hip hop with just a year earlier sounds almost quaint in comparison to the way he's tearing things up on this album.

I hadn't heard too many of these songs when I first got into hip hop.  My introduction to Eric B & Rakim was from the Juice soundtrack in 1991 and at the time, I didn't have the sort of budget to be able to backtrack as much as I would have liked (though I do wonder why I didn't try to get some of their albums when I was scamming CDs from Columbia House and BMG).  It wasn't until my early 20s that I was able to go back and start filling the gaps, and while I love these records now, I think they'd be even more embedded in my brain if I was able to have heard them in '91 or '92.

Can't do anything about that though, I'm just glad I got to them eventually and that they were all put out as part of a lovely vinyl box set.

Eric B. & Rakim – Follow The Leader:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nlDB_Zf5_48EBzNNLQVx5HWMpJchIpZAo

Rocket From The Crypt - Rocket Queen EP 7" - Pink Cover

Speedo's Classics (1995, Bootleg)

I have vivid memories buying my first copy of the Rocket Queen EP back in 1995.  I picked it up along with several other Rocket releases at Flipside records in NJ.  Even though this is a bootleg, I've always loved this release.  It gave me the chance to hear three new-to-me Rocket songs at a time when trying to track down the original, Japanese version of All Systems Go was challenging, to say the least.

Three of the four songs were on the Japanese ASG CD: 10 Forward, Ball Of Fire (Or "Ballot Fire" as it's listed here) and "Call It A Complex."  The fourth song is a live version of the Misfits song "I Turned Into a Martian."  These are very much Rocket From The Crypt songs of their era, which is an era of theirs that I truly love.  Brash, loud and lots of distortion, with a melody just creeping in under the surface.

You may be wondering, if I bought this in 1995, why am I writing about it now?  Well, my friends, that's because it's even complicated to collect Rocket From The Crypt bootlegs.  This 7" was released with two completely different covers and then this Tank Girl cover was released in Multiple colors.  I just finally tacked down this pink version to go along side my white, yellow, blue, dark orange and light orange cover versions.  There's even still another white colored cover that has blue text instead of black texy that I'm still looking for.  The quest never ends.

Rocket From The Crypt - "Ball Of Fire":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yHPGq3CEAA&ab_channel=RocketfromtheCrypt-Topic

Rocket From The Crypt - "10 Forward":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qdg9gBWGFQ&ab_channel=RocketfromtheCrypt-Topic

Fastbacks – Zücker LP - Mint Vinyl (/500)

Sub Pop (2021, Reissue)

Another album that it's taken me forever to spend any time to write about is this reissue of Zücker, the first Sub Pop release from Fastbacks.  I absolutely missed the boat of Fastbacks during the 90s.  I was aware of them, for sure, but I never picked up any of their records.  Even in the years following that it took decades before I finally got it, mostly thanks to seeing a sort-of incarnation of them play at the Seattle Pop Punk Festival in 2018.

I said then that I'd start adding their records to my collection, and while I have not done so with the speed that I would have liked, it's still an intention.  A few years ago, a reissue of Zücker popped up and that sure seemed like a good time to get this one in the collection.  I can't claim to be an expert on any of the Fastbacks records, but so far their high water mark for me is their album Answer The Phone, Dummy.  Comparing Zücker to that, it's pretty darn close to being just as great.

As someone who can certainly get behind a band with poppy songs and big guitars, I am still kind of amazed I didn't hear more Fastbacks songs over the year.  They hit that sweet spot of being energetic and fast, while still maintaining the sort of sugary sweet vocal melodies that really tie things together for me.  Plus, the guitar riffing is next level, never settling for simple three chord progressions.  There's a complexity at play here that tricks you into thinking it's easy, while not realizing just how many changes a lot of these songs really have.  It's such a rewarding listen, especially as you go back multiple times.  And writing about it today is reminding me once again that I really need to grab some more of their records.

Fastbacks – Zücker:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l6b3ZewGR_0Dfsl9tG_cO8RJORK7b0Q3Q

Eric B. & Rakim – Paid In Full 2xLP - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, 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 thirty plus 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 am trying very hard to tackle some of the records that have been in my 'to write about' pile for an extended period of time.  There's a lot of them, some of which have been hanging around for a few years.  One of those that's been here for a while (a little under two years) is the Eric B & Rakim Box Set.  So, for the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

Paid In Full is a tremendously important record in the history of Hip Hop.  Rakim (and I would also put KRS-One along side of him) really changed the way lyricists in hip hop were viewed and upped the bar on what was expected of an MC.  There's a reason that many refer to Rakim as The God MC™ as he is ground zero for the style that took over the golden era of hip hop.

That influential style is on display throughout Paid In Full.  It's crazy to think about this record coming out in 1987 and flipping an entire genre on its head.  I was only ten in 1987 and was not listening to hip hop to see this change, but I felt the repercussions a few years later as I started getting interested.  Lyrically, the record is still pretty incredible all of these years later, but the production does sound a bit dated.

It took a minute for the production on Eric B & Rakim albums to catch up to the lyrics.  While it's a great record, I tend to find that I listen to it the least amongst their catalog.  If I want to listen to Rakim, I really want to hear him over a production style that's a bit more advanced.  They got there, and the production on Paid In Full helped move people in the right direction, but listening to it with today's ears, if feels more from another era than some of their other albums.  But still, you cannot argue it's importance in the pantheon of classic hip hop albums.

Eric B. & Rakim – Paid In Full:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Uk-i85LbM

Nightfreak - Nightfreak LP - Green Vinyl

Big Neck (2024)

Woof, this is an intense record.  Admittedly, Big Neck Records releases can be hit or miss for me.  There are some that I love, and others that are just not in my wheelhouse.  Those not in said wheelhouse tend to be records with this sort of vibe.  Loud, fast and aggressive with raw-throat vocals.

There's definitely a little bit of a metal vibe that shows itself in the guitar riffs, but predominantly I would say this reminds me of 80s hardcore, but with showier guitar work.  There's a whole lot of shouting going on and I can't help but think the singer probably meeds some Robitussin after shows and recording to get things back to normal again.  There's no denying the bands conviction to these songs, but at times that conviction sounds kind of painful.

Judging the record for what it is, the band is very good at this sound (even if it's not a sound I gravitate towards).  They are tight as hell, obviously stellar musicians and the recording quality really helps the songs stand out from other bands venturing down this path.  If you are into more hardcore leaning albums, this is one to check out.  But for me, it's just a bit much.

Nightfreak - Nightfreak:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/nightfreak

Die Communications - Die Communications LP

Fixing-A-Hole (2021)

I am beyond embarrassed about how long I have had this record in my pile of things to write about.  I can't explain why it took me until now, years after getting it, to finally post something about this incredible record.  I'll mostly just chalk it up to being an idiot and hope that writing a little something about it now might bring some attention to a record that is deserving of so much praise.

There are so many great Japanese punk bands out there, but most of them have albums released on CD primarily.  7"s happen here and there, but full length LPs are definitely the exception, not the rule.  So let me roll out the red carpet for Die Communications, who have a nine song LP on vinyl, courtesy of one of the best record labels on the planet, Fixing-A-Hole.  The songs on here are made of of two previous CD releases.  Six of the songs were originally on The World Is Beautiful Complex EP and the remaining three were on the band's split CD with another favorite of mine, Headsparks.  Having all of these songs on an LP, that's just heaven.

Musically, Die Communications, is playing an aggressive strain of poppy punk rock.  While the songs are dynamic and bursting at the seams with energy, they always have a strong hook and an inherent catchiness that sugarcoats the band's whirlwind of guitar pyrotechnics.  I think of bands like Manifesto Jukebox and Minority Blues Band as the most direct comparisons, but it would be a crime to not mention the Stubbs/Hammond-esque guitar leads that rip through every single one of Die Communications' songs.  There's also vague hints of an angrier Hooton 3 Car that keep coming to my mind when I listen to this.

I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about this album.  If you are a fan of the sort of melodic, but powerful punk rock of the mid to late 90s, or anything that ever came out on Snuffy Smile, you should do whatever you can to get this record into your collection immediately.  It's an absolute beast of an album and I can only hope we hear more from Die Communications.  And if they put out another record, I promise not to bury it in a pile of other records for several years.

Die Communications - The World Is Beautiful Complex EP (6 of the songs are from this):
https://zenmashikarametohgarashi.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-is-beautiful-complex