Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy LP

Granary / BMG (2025)

If you were to give an award out for the most consistent rock and roller over the past 30 years or so, one could make a really strong argument to give that award to Bob Mould.  Plain and simple, he's a guy that pretty much always puts out good records.  Sure there were some that weren't quite as great as others and the less said about his forays into electronic music, the better - but, as a whole, he's got quite the catalog.

Here We Go Crazy is his latest album and it follows his string of upbeat, aggressive rock records that he's been consistently releasing since 2012's The Silver Age.  It's just as good as any of them.  Lot's of great songs, with poignant lyrics.  Bob's definitely got a lot to say about the state of the world these days, though he does it in a way that doesn't beat you over the head with a hammer about it.  It's still a record that's enjoyable to listen to and isn't designed to bum you out so much as to maybe give you a bit of hope that we'll get through it.

If there's a negative here, it's that this record is just as good as any of the other records he's put out recently.  Again, they are all really good, but I find that most of them end up sitting on my record shelf after that initial flurry of listens because it's a new release.  I think part of the problem is that if I'm really in the mood to listen to Bob Mould, I'll probably grab on of the Sugar records or The Silver Age.  Those are the records that really connect with me.  Here We Go Crazy isn't quite at the level of those, so I have a feeling I'll probably grab it if I want to listen to Bob Mould, but for whatever reason don't feel like listening to one of my favorites.

Comparisons to other Bob Mould records aside, Here We Go Crazy is a great listen.  It's got everything I'm looking for in a Bob Mould record with no disappointments.  I'd be shocked if it didn't end up being one of my favorites of the year.  Maybe he just needs to put out a few intentionally bad records to make me appreciate how good records like this one is.  

Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy:
https://bobmould.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-go-crazy-3

Zephr - Past Lives LP

Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Zephr is back with Past Lives, a follow up to their debut LP from 2020.  It seems inconceivable to me that was nearly five years ago already, but time does fly.  I was glad to see Zephr made a second album.  I liked their debu well enought, but more than anything I thought it showed a lot of potential for a band that may have still been coming into their own.  Particularly given when that record came out.

The last time I wrote about Zephr I mentioned that, for me, they fit in nicely with the Dear Landlords and Off With Their Heads of the world.  They bring similar things to the table: Aggressive vocals, dynamic guitar work and these folks definitely know their way around a hook.  I did want to touch on the vocals in particular.  I had made a comment about their debut that I didn't like one of the vocalists as much because his singing sounded a little strained to me.  I don't feel that way at all about this new album.  Both singers to a great job of carrying the melodies, while still maintaining that gravel-y roughness that works so well for this sort of thing.

In general, I think this record is an improvement from their debut.  The songs feel a little more put together this time, and everything comes across tighter as a result.  I like some ramshackle rock and roll as much as the next guy, but Zephr has just the right amount of polish that makes their record sound really big, but never falling victim to an artificial gloss.  That's mostly just a dumb way for me to write that I think this record sounds really good.

Zephr - Past Lives:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/past-lives

Legion Of D.U.M.E. – '94 D.U.M.E. EP

Dope Folks (2011, reissue)

On Wednesdays, 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 twenty-five 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.

One of the things that I've been doing over the last couple of years has been buying old issues of The Source, a magazine that was essentially my bible when I got into hip hop in the early 90s.  I've been able to acquire all of the issues from 1990-1994 (those pre-1990 issues are impossible to find) and I've been reading them in order.  I've been paying extra close attention to the Unsigned Hype columns as I go through them, doing some internet sluthing to see if anything got released by any of the ones that didn't know of.

And that's how I found Legion Of D.U.M.E., who were featured in an Unsigned Hype column in 1992.  From digging around it looks like the group had self released a two song single in 1994 and then couple of the guys splintered off into a group called Darc Mind that had a few releases.  The only thing that really surfaced from Legion Of D.U.M.E. is this eight song 12" released by Dope Folks in 2011.  It's an eight song, 40 minute long 12" so while I guess it's technically an EP, it's a much more satisfying listen to me than a lot of those 4-6 songs ones that never feel like they settle into a groove before they end.  

Legion Of D.U.M.E. is a multi MC crew rapping over the perfect sort of beats that I love from this era.  Thick bass lines, cuts in the hooks and hard hitting snare drum cracks.  Perfect.  The lyrics that these guys are throwing around are also quite nice.  I think that if they had gotten a break back then, they'd be more fondly remembered by fans of the era.  I know that had I heard this in 1994, I would have absolutely loved it.  I love it now too and just wish there was more of it.

These songs make up a 1994 demo, but I can't help but wonder what songs were given to The Source in 1992?  There most be more unreleased songs out there or different versions at the very least because the article references two song names that aren't on this 12".  I for one would really like to get my hands on those and hope that someone out there can cobble together another Legion Of D.U.M.E. release.

Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard - Give 'Em The Finger

Rarebreed (2025, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, 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 twenty-five 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.

Give 'Em The Finger is one of those records that I've been after for quite a while.  It's another one of those albums I stumbled across on a 'forgotten hip hop of the 90s' type list.  When it was originally released, it came out on a no artwork, promo LP.  I'm not a huge fan of those, but sometimes that's the only way you can get something on vinyl.  I just could never find a good deal on a copy.  Luckily we finally get a reissue.

Rarebreed, who reissued the Saafir record last year, are back with a full artwork, remastered version of Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard's debut album.  I was surprised it wasn't a double LP like most of the better hip hop reissues of late.  But while there are 14 tracks on here, the whole album is only 15 minutes long, so it's not an egregious amount of music to try to fit on a single disc.

As far as the music goes, it's a ver solid Golden Era record.  It originally came out in 1993, though the production doesn't feel like what was cutting edge in '93.  The bulk of the album was produced by Trackmasters, who worked with Chubb Rock and The A.T.E.E.M. record I wrote about a couple weeks ago.  These songs have a similar feel in that they maybe sound a little more like they could have come out in 1991 or early '92.  I know that probably seems silly when you read it, but you can't forget how quickly the sound of hip hop was changing and growing during that time period.  Still, I love many albums from 91 and 92 just as much as anything from 93 or 94, so it's kind of splitting hairs.  

No matter the year, Give 'Em The Finger is still a great listen.  Pudgee reminds me a bit of K-Solo and he sounds good throughout the record.  He even holds is own on a track with Kool G Rap, and there are plenty of MCs in that era that weren't able to do that.  This is worth giving a listen to if it floated under your radar.

Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard - Give 'Em The Finger:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mYKSZb30ykNkD6nl72wREuLDr9Ty1QEqY

Minutes - Minutes LP

Michigan Independents Network (2012)

When I stumbled across Minutes' sophomore release, Roland, I was blown away by their scrappy take on jangly indie rock.  Pretty much from that moment I started looking for their sold out, self titled debut album.  I looked and looked and looked and added it to my Discogs want list and just waited.  And waited.  And waited.  That stupid record never showed up for a decade.  Then one day, there it was on Discogs for $20.  I couldn't have bought it any faster.

Much like their album Roland, Minutes attack their songs with a reckless energy that reminds me a lot of Boat, with similarly successful results.  At it's core, it's a Pavement leaning sound, but with a little more punk enthusiasm that keeps everything trucking along.  I've had this record for a few months now, and while I certainly haven't listened to it as many times as I have Roland, I have listened to it enough times to proclaim it to be just as good.  It's a tricky find, for sure, but I really recommend trying to track down both records if you can.

Minutes stopped putting out records after releasing Roland, but several members went on to release a couple of records under the similarly unsearchable name, Out.  I can't say I dug those quite as much as Minutes, but all of them are worth checking out if you want to hear some 90s style indie rock.

Minutes - Minutes:
https://minutes.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-lp

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024, Reissue)

On Wednesdays, 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 twenty-five 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.

Abandoned In Da Streets was originally released on CD and cassette on a label called Noir.  A quick peruse of Discogs shows that this album and an accompanying 12" single may have been the only releases that the label ever put out.  The same can be said for this group.  I certainly never heard of Da Homlez back in 1995, when this was originally released.  I imagine they didn't make a lot of noise being on a new, independent label.   And to be honest even if they had gotten a sniff of exposure on Yo! MTV Raps or the Source, I wouldn't have heard anything about it in 1995 as I had moved on from those.

What I can say is that if I had heard Da Homlez back then, there is almost no way I wouldn't have immediately loved it.  Even though I am pretty sure I only bought one hip hip album in 1995, that one was the second Souls of Mischief CD.  Even as I had started losing interest in the hip hop I had access to, I was still taken in by Souls and Hieroglyphics.  And that's the niche that Da Homlez kind of slides right into.  Maybe they are not quite as left of center as Hiero, but they are mining a similar west coast vibe, particularly when it comes to production.  Another kindred spirit definitely being the first Pharcyde record.

Over strong, jazzy beats, the multi-MC crew trades killer lyrics back and forth.  For a lot of the forgotten classics of the golden era that I have come across in later years, I have often said that the production is great and the vocals are good, or fine, or don't get in the way.  That isn't the case with Da Homlez.  These guys are great and if anything their skill only elevates the beats even higher.

As usual, 90s Tapes does a flawless job with this reissue.  Everything looks amazing and sounds even better.  There's more than one reason they are my favorite reissue label.  There's the quality of the packaging and vinyl, of course, but they have done an incredible job of finding these hidden gems and making them available.  I am pretty confident I would have never heard of Da Homlez if not for 90s Tapes, and man is my record collection better off having heard it.  Highest recommendation if you can find a copy.

Da Homlez – Abandoned In Da Streetz:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/abandoned-in-da-streetz