Dream Punk

Already a fan of his long-running Rocket Science blog, I was pleased to read curator Dave G’s involvement in the promotion of local record label Killing Horse Records. Himself the once-owner of a DIY indie label defunct for nearly two decades, Killing Horse launched in 2010 and focused primarily on northern NJ bands (half of which the guys were friends with). One of the earliest records Dave G reviewed was 2012’s self-titled debut by NJ’s Wreaths, a refreshing genre-spanning album which quickly brought to mind flashes of Ween and the Flaming Lips. At a time when Ween had just broken up (and, to be honest, I never found La Cucaracha terribly satisfying) this was exactly what the doctor had ordered. Clear Quebec influences aside (shit, half the songs have a weird "Chocolate Town" groove to 'em), Wreaths exudes a wonderfully trippy vibe that gives the record an almost ethereal quality (and makes you want to instantly drink/smoke yourself into a stupor just to immerse yourself in it). The opener, "Coke Straw" would make the Boognish proud, a cosmic pounder that is probably my favorite track, although nearly every song stands out on its own. Heavy use of the reverb pedal here folks, nearly every rhythm chord is stretched for maximum sustain - a space rock sludgey-ness which really sounds cool. The latter half of the record is more akin to an alien instrumental space dirge spanning one track to the other - "Love Me, Dark Wizard" reminds me of something the Black Keys have done and is a fitting close to the LP, a looping feedback overdub spanning the stereo channels to wrap up the 50-minute acid rock trip. The band has a few other releases floating around out there, your best start is with Discogs, Soundcloud and their Facebook (oh, and buy the record here). Good stuff for sure. Enjoy.

In case you’re interested (or an incredibly esoteric vinyl collector), info on Dave G’s circa-90’s Rocket Science Records can be found here. Killing Horse Records is still actively releasing records and you can check out their bandcamp page here. Lastly (for those who are not tired of links), while Dave G’s blog isn’t really updated anymore you can still noodle around the pretty cool archives here.

Leaves On The Leaves

Central Jersey Sludge

Very little out there on this sludgecore three-piece other than they seemed to be active around 2012 and even got a gig at the sadly defunct New Brunswick, NJ Alamo club. Which was dutifully recorded by someone no less! And here it is. Blasting a wall of lo-fi shit-Peavey-amp feedback-laden nonsense at the surely confused barflys, Thorn wallow through twenty minutes of respectable sludgecore. Lotsa screaming and shrieking and there are times it almost sounds like blur. I've also included the bands' three-song demo, recorded a month earlier sans vocals and lead guitar (possibly as show prep?) which show the guys as committed musicians who gave a shit about what was going on at the time. Three years later I'm sure the band has long since dissipated but hey, they accomplished more in a few short months than some idiots achieve over years.

I II III IV

Sans-zig

While Jerry Only continues to drag the Misfits trademark through the dirt, ex-guitarist Doyle quietly released his surprisingly solid debut LP in mid 2013. For those who crave the sound of the American Psycho-era 'fits, look no farther. Seriously tired of Only's current (and sadly lethargic) version of the Misfits, Doyle's eponymous band is a breath of fresh horror punk air. Recruiting ex-Misfit drummer Dr. CHUD (who is pretty awesome in his own right) and Danzig-esque vocalist Alex Story, Doyle focuses on the blistering fast downstroked power chord progressions that made him famous. Some of the tunes fall a bit short but at least they are not all based on a fucking movie (Misfits' "The Black Hole"? Puke). The bluesy "Love Like Murder" echoes shades of Soundgarden's "Outshined" while my guiltiest pleasure on the record has got to be the oddly Pantera-ish "Cemeterysexxx". Don't be fooled, Doyle's vastly superior version of "Land Of The Dead" is in title only, the songs are totally different; but if I were Jerry I'd be nice to his younger brother this Thanksgiving. Maybe he'll get an audition.

Learn To Bleed

Green Ball Crew

One of the cooler experiences I've had in my rather dull life is knowing the guys in the Bouncing Souls - all the while my dumb ass had absolutely no idea they were in the the aforementioned seminal funky punk band. Until it was too late that is and they had hit 287 South to the bright township lights of New Brunswick. Most of the guys were two grades ahead of me and I knew of them fleetingly until I snagged a job at a local pizza shop where Brian (bass) put in work making extra cash on the side. Pete (guitarist) was one year ahead of me in school and we shared some classes - he was always a nice ass guy - I only wish I had had the slightest inkling that he played guitar. Once the above EP hit Cheap Thrills Records I had my "no shit.... really?" moment - and I never saw any of the guys again. I kept up with the band through a few of my coworkers who stayed in touch and was really into a few of their earlier CDs. I actually used to have a copy of their '89 demo as well... long gone though or I would have uploaded that. While I haven't been back to NJ or bought a new Souls album in years I am happy to hear the boys are still doing their thing. Enjoy.

Argyle

This Is Revenge

Solid debut album from Bergen County, NJ. Don't get these guys confused with the Kalamazoo indie rock trio or roots rock L.A. outfit with the same name, this is straight up screaming fucking deathcore that will make you want to punch yourself or someone else in the face. While there's nothing terribly original here, the record has enough gritty vehemence that will make you forget there are bands like Carnifex and Whitechapel playing the exact same shit. There's even some 7-string Korn-esque licks here and there for the old school losers like myself. The opening of "Panty Sniffer Does Porn" is highlight of the album for me - the blast of riffage is simply awesome. The guys seem to have recently released a long-in-the-works followup EP - check out their shit here.

Break Shit

24 Songs For Teens And Non-Teens Alike!

Waaaay back in 1987 a young 15-year old Aaron Freeman sat in his bedroom and crafted an hour-long acid trip of an album - an amazingly astute precursor to what his alter ego Gene Ween would co-create a few short years later on Ween's epic The Pod. The material for Synthetic Socks' eponymous debut was culled from two cassettes recorded over six months by the New Hope, PA native - the "best of the best" were chosen by Aaron and Teen Beat Records founder Mark Robinson. What you get is a strange amalgam of instrumental odes created on a Korg Poly-800 (my favorite being "Tree"), surprisingly humorous teenage ramblings ("Weenstock"), good ol' garage band noise ("Cops" and "Collectives"), sweet "Birthday Boy"-esque love songs, prank phone calls and KISS. From the liner notes:

"Sprouted out of deep psychological problems and blossomed into a young virgin sound just waiting to be heard. It's all recorded in my bedroom with my tape deck and whatever else I can borrow off people. Synthetic Socks consists of me, and various guest stars. This cassette has been recorded over a span of about 10 years. I'm still in high school and plan to move where the trees live."

The guest stars include future Ween brother "Mike" Melchiondo on guitar (his acoustic untitled ditty to close out Side A is probably my favorite track on the album) and Ken Everett who both played (along with Aaron) in the jam band Pine Sheep. All in all, Synthetic Socks is a welcome addition to the Ween catalog - I sleazed out a copy when Teen Beat reissued a scant 55 cassettes in 1998 and it's been the holy grail of my dusty tape collection ever since.

On a side note, I just picked up a copy of Aaron's new CD Freeman. Twenty-seven years since Synthetic Socks yet there's a strange similarity to both records. It took me a while to get over Ween's breakup (and in that weird non-involved sort of way I was siding with Deaner) but Freeman is a solid forty minutes and is much more reflective of what Ween was morphing into than Deaner's "My Own Bare Hands" type of stuff. Worth a listen.

Proto-Ween

Matt Mark Matt

Straight outta New Brunswick, NJ comes a post-grunge outfit "known for their dungeon master skills and lack of integrity who play rock music in the vein of Lita Ford and Quiet Riot." Well, I don't know all about that, what I do know is that 2011's Psychrockbullshit came out about fifteen years too late. Perfect mid-90's alternative radio indie fodder, the Dinosaur Jr.-esque trio blast through six sweetly melodic songs in sixteen minutes without devolving too much into their hardcore roots. This is the closest thing to "happy" music I've listened to in probably three months and it didn't disappoint. They have a few new-ish songs out there, all for free - check 'em out here. Enjoy.

Guitar Solos For Your Eyes

Somewhere In Jersey

Walk Among Us-era Misfits doing what they did best in the shithole suburb of Passaic, NJ. They had just shitcanned Bobby Steele and were now the lean and mean quartet of Danzig, Only, Doyle and Googy. Before the drugs and creative ownership issues tore the band apart, the devilocked punkers put on a great Christmas show for a drunken redneck crowd at the now-defunct Hitsville on Main. I first heard this show on the significantly shittier-sounding Evil Is As Evil Does 7" bootleg-of-a-bootleg - getting a taste of the whole gig is a real treat. Bobby Steele and the Undead fucking suck...

If You Don't Know This Song...

I Got Somethin' To Say...

Ahh bootlegs, what would music afficionados do without them. For a band that had a fairly limited studio output and nowhere near the number of recorded gigs bands played during the tape-swapping boom years later, the Misfits have amassed an impressive catalog of unofficial releases (at least 131 and counting according to Discogs), all of the expected varying quality, rareness, and listenability that comes with the sorry one-shot bootleg. You gotta love this 1992 release from Spain's Decca label (in no way related to the official classic Decca label of the 50's that supported such acts as Bing Crosby and Patsy Cline), through the broken English and mangled/missing song titles (as well as the strange cut-and-paste band photo on the back) we get a "studio mix" of "Last Caress" (still the Misfits most then-famous song thanks to Metallica) and a couple of token live tracks. Interestingly, the record sleeve claims the live material was "recorded alive D.C. Space 31/2/1983" (sic); fortunately an astute historian has tracked down the real source: an '83 gig from the Michigan Union Ballroom in Ann Arbor, MI. For what it's worth, it all sounds fine, "Last Caress" is exactly like one of the many versions you've already heard and the other stuff is typical late Misfits live recordings - sounding like they were recorded on a shitty Walkman. In other words, enjoy.

100 Anos De Gravaçao Sonora

Weencognito

Here's a random live show that popped on my iPod today bursting with all the quality that you'd expect from late-90's 56kbps mp3's. Ween was at odds with Elektra at the time - the major had just assumed control over a live album Dean had compiled; intended to be the first indie Chocodog release, the label quickly packaged it as Paintin' The Town Brown. In response, Ween "leaked" their quasi-album Craters Of The Sac to the internet as a free mp3 download, much to money-hungry Elektra's chagrin. All of this leads me to assume it didn't take much for the guys to play gigs under a pseudonym, especially on the tried-and-true stomping ground of the New Jersey shore. I'm sure there's a anecdote-laden back story as to who Michael Carbone is - without it, all I am left to say is that the band rips a solid 45-minute (opening?) set packed with lots of stuff forthcoming on White Pepper, a Beatles cover, the cooly obscure "Beacon Light" and everyone's favorite, "The Rainbow." Enjoy.

You Fucked Up

The Real Deal

Growing up 25 minutes from Rahway State Prison (now East Jersey), I was well aware (and oft-threatened) with their Scared Straight program. For those who weren't rebellious teenagers, it was a program started in the 80's where "problem kids" would spend a day in the clink with real convicts trying to do some good behind bars. Say what you like about the concept - just driving by Rahway on Rt. 1 you can tell that place is no fucking joke. In 1991 some of the convicts got together and jumped on the hip-hop bandwagon, releasing a pretty respectable EP and bringing significantly more awareness to their message then the PSA's we had to sit through during Saturday detention. While the record boasts 9 tracks don't be fooled, only 2 are actual songs. In addition you get a couple radio edits, instrumentals, remixes and an acappella by "Crazy" Chris Deluise, entitled "The Nightmare Man" (astute samplers will recognize his quotes from House Of Pain's debut LP). For a prison production the songs are not bad at all, the beats are not particularly original but still bump - and actually have some real bass drops. The MCs show some significant skills and will leave you wondering "what if" they hadn't traveled down their criminal path. "Belly Of The Beast" is my preferred of the two - just a fucking cool song and lyrically sounding like something Rakim would have written. Solid shit. Of course these days it isn't anything you haven't seen or heard before on Oz or "Beyond Scared Straight" but 23 years ago it still packed a quite a punch. The group released a full-length in 1993 which is also worth checking out.

#66064

Hurricane Relief

The few long-time followers of this blog surely know of my affinity for Ween, Moistboyz and pretty much anything Mickey "Dean Ween" Melchiondo has contributed his considerable talents to. In addition, his expertise as a fisherman and undying devotion to his home town and east coast shoreline is nothing short of an already cool musician keeping it totally fucking real. Sadly, friends and family of his were directly affected by the Hurricane Sandy disaster of 2012 (some significantly) and things are still far from fully recovered. Hosting two benefit shows in 2012 and 2013 under the moniker Dean Wean & Friends (mostly local pals from Moistboyz, Ween and Chris Harford's Band Of Changes), Mickey has truly gotten his feet wet and hands dirty trying to help the community which gave so much to him. He can tell you about it better than I can here. He recently released a "best" of live mp3 containing choice cuts from the two shows - you got some Bowie songs, a Dead cover, even The Carpenters as well as "She Fucks Me" and some other Boognish favorites. Enjoy.

Take Me Down

All Hallows' Eve

Absolutely mandatory. Easily the best Misfits record out there - of course it's mostly Glenn overdubbing nearly every instrument but who cares. Every song on this one is a keeper, from the opener "Static Age" the quasi-Elvish "American Nightmares." "TV Casualty" is probably my favorite Misfits song ever. Legendary horror punk from the founders of the genre - doesn't get any better than this for a Halloween soundtrack.

 Come Back

Snackfood

Fucking awesome two-song E.P. from these Chicago sludge metal mainstays. Imagine spinning a brutal death metal 45 at 33 speed and you will kinda get the idea of what absolute bleak dirge to expect. Pounding riffs to mesmerize and rape your soul accompanied by the most pained vocal screams I've heard in a long while. Fucking bleak ass shit. The boys are still hard at it with their present style a chaotic mix of sludge, grind, hardcore and powerviolence. Check 'em out.

Bleed