Hot Track Alert

Total Punk is usually a staple for simplicity.  The minimalism of the packaging and artwork of a Total Punk single doesn't always translates into the music on it.  Lost Dog is a fairly simple song though, but I usually find the simplest songs to be the catchiest.  The synth really catches my attention on this song and kind of keeps it.  It holds the main melody of the song to me.  Then every once and while it'll slip and I'll catch some of the vocals during the verse and hear weird things like "I called my friends, I said I've been stabbed, then they told me to just call a cab".  Also a big yes to single note guitar solos. 

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There's something about the titular song on an album.  The band's often just telling you "This is the hit!"  I always have a desire to fight that but usually fail.  I love this whole album, but Cerebros Punk just has so much melody to get behind.  Also that little toy piano (or whatever it is) in the background really does it for me.  I love subtle little things in songs that you might miss on the first listen if you aren't paying attention.  This song is super anthemic and catchy but still has the grit of Pura Mania.  If you liked the 7"s then this LP is a sure bet.  

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I've been on a huge Scientists kick lately. There are so many tracks from this early era of the band (i.e. before they went "swampy" and when they shared a drummer with the great, underrated Victims), but lately I've been kind of fixated on "Larry." The bubbly, Undertones-esque melodies are right up my alley, and the lyrics are great too. There's a consistent theme of escapism in the lyrics on this first Scientists LP (see also, for instance, "High Noon"), but at the moment, at least, "Larry" is my favorite articulation of that theme. 

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Urochromes' debut 7" on Lumpy was killer, but this one is even better. It sounds like the band have really found their sound and grown comfortable with their own voice, and now they're willing to experiment. There are lots of little out-of-the-box touches on the Night Bully EP, but my favorite is the brief little melodic guitar lead that pops up in "My Dickies." More of that please!

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You can sue me for designating a cover tune as a Hot Track if you want -- somehow though, even sounding like a black metal-twinged thrash band, DSS seems to make a W.A.S.P. song fit in. Sure, maybe Deep Space Sorcery doesn't have cover art with a sawblade codpiece, but I can't let this track go unacknowledged.   It's nice to see some metalpunks not taking themselves too seriously, and perhaps even the most kvlt of rockers still need to "Fuck Like A Beast."  I'm sure Tipper Gore would cringe at the sight of this tape.

Suburban Homes is top of the game when it comes to recreating the sound of a lost '77 punk single.  This song could have been tossed on a KBD comp and nobody would have known better.  The sound of the guitar is super thin and tinny and the whole thing comes off sounding like Television Personalities (in my mind it sounds more like The Numbers from Sussex but i think that's a reference that might not hit for a lot of people, but check that band out too because it's one of my favorite 7"s).  I think the subtle whoas in the background make this song one of my favorite.  It was seriously hard to pick one song off this album when they all could be A-Sides on a single.  

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When considering why a band decides on a certain title track for their record, it's funny that upon further listening you realize it often misrepresents the sound of their other material.  When listening to "General Public," you might assume Detergents are a straight up '77-style band, when truly songs like "Catastrophe" are the real rippers.  Maybe it's just that the vocals have the same snotty character, but after hearing the "fock-off" that ends the song, there are some definite Partisans vibes going on with this track.  This sounds like the backdrop for a bunch of young degenerates stomping their boots and fist-pumpin'.  Packaged with a big, catchy riff and comes complete with a just-drums-and-vocals-sing-along chorus.  

Note: "People Falling Over" starts at 2:22

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New EP from this Northwest Indiana phenom, and while everyone is flipping out over his Coneheads-esque herky jerky rhythms, my favorite is the synth-laden pop gem, which plays sort of like a synth version of the theme music to The Love Boat being spit out of a slowed-down, malfunctioning VHS.

It was too hard to pick just one song off of this album so I decided that you get a two for one deal. Gummiquin is the super punk song of the album.  It's the snot and spit rager so it's obviously a SSR favorite. Also even though it has the clearest vocals of the album, I still have no clue what she's saying.

Vacuum Rebuilder is a little bit of a departure from the speed and chaos of the rest of the album and gives us a look into the pop melodies that are hiding under the other songs. It has the pop sensibilities of something like Peach Kelli Pop, seemingly sweet and innocent for a brain worm that will bore its way into your skull.  The little whatever that provides the main melody gets stuck in my head non-stop

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If the Beta Boys' previous release Real Rockers was a joyous, lo-fi celebration during the daytime, then the sun has now set in the west and After Dark has come into this wuhoooorld like a "Puzzled Panther."  There seems to be some early LA punk inspiration going on with the Beta Boys, the repeated nods to Darby Crash being one element, but this opening track is also giving me a "Sounds of Laughter" by TSOL vibe.  Not only do the pounding drums and pulsing, single-note bass introduce the song before the riff kicks in, but also sonically, this is a darker and much more dense recording.  If this is any indication of the band's direction, I'm looking forward to the heavy use of piano on the next record.

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After a thorough barrage of sudden, neck-breaking twists and turns, the intro of this song provides a short breath and a false sense of comfort: a slow and groovy riff just before launching back into chaos.  While listening to this new Omegas record, I notice a physical reaction where I feel my head twitching and my eyes darting back and forth.  It renders a listening experience more like a claustrophobic, drug-induced disarray than just another ripping hardcore record.  As "The Glimpse" weaves in and out of a blazing pace, it also slows down in the middle for a moment bordering on melody.  The song builds back up again, with repeated lyrics craving a "glimpse."  But if there is a glimpse of light at the end of this euphoric tunnel, hopefully there's a few more killer riffs before this song lets you sober up.

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Davidians' debut LP City Trends is far from short on highlights, but on an LP completely packed with gripping, memorable moments my absolute favorite one is the Tom Warrior-esque "OOOH" that happens at the 2:09 mark... the first dozen or so times I listened to the LP that's the moment I was waiting for, when that vocal punctuation cuts through the mix and signals that gnarly bass drop... it feels like you've just crested the hill on a big roller coaster and you immediately feel your stomach push up into your throat.