‘Three-Four’ is a collection
of three ep’s that have been released by the Shipping News over the past year
and a half or so. They are all out of print now, so they are thankfully
collected here along with three new songs. The intent of the ep’s was to have
each member of the three piece Louisville band write and record their own songs
independent of the other members and see what came of it. Free of the full band
constrictions each member indulges in a fair amount of experimentation. There
are a couple of ambient electronic numbers and some attempts at the
singer-songwriter thing. Some of them work, others don’t. The Shipping News
has been moving steadily away from the math-rock roots that they helped plant
for awhile now. Anyone who expects them to sound anything like Rodan or June of
‘44 will likely be disappointed by their last couple of efforts. The band has
become more interested in poetic meditations and quieter compositions. They
will occasionally rock out as on the instrumental tracks “Cock a Doodle Doo” and
“Wax Museum” penned by drummer Kyle Crabtree. For die hard Shipping News Fans,
there are some good tracks here and it’s probably a worthwhile purchase.
Newcomers to the band should pick up their last studio album “Very Soon, and in
Pleasant Company” instead. (Dave Ignizio)
I
usually don’t like to describe a band by just saying that they sound like so and
so, but when I listen to the Thermals I just can’t help but think of Guided by
Voices. And lord knows there is no shortage of Guided by Voices material out
there, so is this really necessary? Well, probably not, but for fans of the
lo-fi rock genre you may wanna pick this up. The recording quality is about on
par with that of a Guitar Wolf record, which means it was probably recorded
straight into a boom box on a Mr. Microphone. The four songs are pretty good
though, with the exception of the last track “Everything Thermals” which proves
my theory that bands should never write songs that have their own band name in
the title. Except for Minor Threat of course. (Dave Ignizio)
Praise Jesus, Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival’s got the
devil on the run. Hailing form Lakewood, Ohio, these boys ain’t playing no
slick commercialized Christian rock. This is gritty raw music brought about
through divine inspiration. Brother Ed (drums, vocals) and Brother Ant
(guitar, vocals) are here to lead all you sinners down the path to
righteousness, and who better than a couple of guys who apparently have done
more than their own share of sinning? They relate the tales of
their wicked ways on songs like “I Banged a Sinner” and “Back Door Man (No
More)” so that you can avoid making the same mistakes they have, and they shout
their lyrics through a megaphone to make sure you hear every word. Now I’m
not saying every single number on here is good enough to earn a place in your
hymnal, but overall ‘Kickin the Devil in the Balls’ is a pretty decent slab of
garage rock. There’s only 7 songs listed but be sure to stick around for
the hidden track, a stirring cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain”. (Bob Ignizio)
Various
– ‘Let’s Get Killed: A Cockpunch Records Comp’
Talk about lo-fi. The fi
doesn’t get any lower than on some of these tracks. ‘Let’s Get Killed’ is a
compilation on Kent
record label Cockpunch. It features twelve bands from the Kent and Akron area. Some have been around for
awhile like CD Truth and Kill the Hippies. Others like the Pirates Who Carve
Out Your Eyes and Piss in Your Eye Sockets, for example, are newer to the
scene. Most of the stuff on here has a real 70’s early punk rock feel. A lot
of it (C.D. Truth, Nowhere Squares and Sexual Tension for instance) reminded me
strongly of the old Clone records stuff from Akron’s heyday. I guess the apple
doesn’t fall far from the tree. Other notable contributions include songs from
Radar Secret Service and Zero Crag. There’s something on here for everybody, so
get off your lazy ass and support some local music for a change. Send $8 to:
Cock Punch Records, 614 ½ N. Mantua St., Kent, OH 44240. (Dave Ignizio)
‘Three-Four’ is a collection
of three ep’s that have been released by the Shipping News over the past year
and a half or so. They are all out of print now, so they are thankfully
collected here along with three new songs. The intent of the ep’s was to have
each member of the three piece Louisville band write and record their own songs
independent of the other members and see what came of it. Free of the full band
constrictions each member indulges in a fair amount of experimentation. There
are a couple of ambient electronic numbers and some attempts at the
singer-songwriter thing. Some of them work, others don’t. The Shipping News
has been moving steadily away from the math-rock roots that they helped plant
for awhile now. Anyone who expects them to sound anything like Rodan or June of
‘44 will likely be disappointed by their last couple of efforts. The band has
become more interested in poetic meditations and quieter compositions. They
will occasionally rock out as on the instrumental tracks “Cock a Doodle Doo” and
“Wax Museum” penned by drummer Kyle Crabtree. For die hard Shipping News Fans,
there are some good tracks here and it’s probably a worthwhile purchase.
Newcomers to the band should pick up their last studio album “Very Soon, and in
Pleasant Company” instead. (Dave Ignizio)
I
usually don’t like to describe a band by just saying that they sound like so and
so, but when I listen to the Thermals I just can’t help but think of Guided by
Voices. And lord knows there is no shortage of Guided by Voices material out
there, so is this really necessary? Well, probably not, but for fans of the
lo-fi rock genre you may wanna pick this up. The recording quality is about on
par with that of a Guitar Wolf record, which means it was probably recorded
straight into a boom box on a Mr. Microphone. The four songs are pretty good
though, with the exception of the last track “Everything Thermals” which proves
my theory that bands should never write songs that have their own band name in
the title. Except for Minor Threat of course. (Dave Ignizio)
Praise Jesus, Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival’s got the
devil on the run. Hailing form Lakewood, Ohio, these boys ain’t playing no
slick commercialized Christian rock. This is gritty raw music brought about
through divine inspiration. Brother Ed (drums, vocals) and Brother Ant
(guitar, vocals) are here to lead all you sinners down the path to
righteousness, and who better than a couple of guys who apparently have done
more than their own share of sinning? They relate the tales of
their wicked ways on songs like “I Banged a Sinner” and “Back Door Man (No
More)” so that you can avoid making the same mistakes they have, and they shout
their lyrics through a megaphone to make sure you hear every word. Now I’m
not saying every single number on here is good enough to earn a place in your
hymnal, but overall ‘Kickin the Devil in the Balls’ is a pretty decent slab of
garage rock. There’s only 7 songs listed but be sure to stick around for
the hidden track, a stirring cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain”. (Bob Ignizio)
Talk about lo-fi. The fi
doesn’t get any lower than on some of these tracks. ‘Let’s Get Killed’ is a
compilation on 