Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This time, Evan Minsker highlights new releases from Chicago's Yolks and Finland's Achtungs, a new video from Las Rosas, and two new tapes featuring Gross Pointe, Durban Poison, and Grosser.
The Yolks: Kings of Awesome [Randy]
Back in 2009, the Yolks released a scrappy and very solid self-titled debut LP. Their recent releases, like their "Two Dollars Out the Door" single on Randy Records, have hinted that they'd continue chasing that sound, but that's not what happens on Kings of Awesome. Instead, they have several tracks that more closely resemble the stripped-down garage pop work of the Memories (who also recently put out a 7" on Randy). They get moon-eyed on "I Want Your Number", and "I'm Going Down" is the perfect companion piece to the Memories' Love Is the Law minute-long sleaze nugget "Go Down on You".
The Achtungs: Full of Hate [Going Underground]
The one problem with Total Punk singles is that they only pack a few minutes of music. (That said, there are two 12" long-players coming in September from Golden Pelicans and Buck Biloxi, so get psyched for those.) But they're consistently great records, which is why I'm deeply excited about this Achtungs LP. Their "Full of Hate" 7" killed, and though their LP named the same thing doesn't feature that song, it's got 10 others that hit just as hard. They rip through a huge guitar solo on "Lies", chug through a menacing riff on "City of Dicks", and by the time you hit "You're Worthless" and "I Don't Want You", you'll be well-versed in their wailing nihilism.
Durban Poison/Grosser: Live at Broken City [Shake!]
It's tempting, sometimes, to stuff this column with records by bands I'm familiar with or have written about before. Maybe the records in question are good, but no matter what, sometimes it feels like a crutch. So I'll level with you: It's releases like this one that make putting Shake Appeal together a legitimately fun experience. I know nothing about Durban Poison or Grosser, other than they're both apparently Canadian—the former from Victoria, the latter from Calgary. What you've got here is a lo-fi tape of trashy, slovenly rock'n'roll with burly riffs performed live. And now, I'll look out for more stuff by these bands, and thus, use them as a crutch to fill out future columns.
Gross Pointe: Gross Pointe [Dumpster Tapes]
Some garage-centric tape labels get all the heat—lookin' at y'all, Burger—but Chicago's Dumpster Tapes have been quietly toiling beneath the radar with some seriously killer rock'n'roll. Take this one by Gross Pointe: five very good tracks by three dudes from Chicago. Yes, of course it's got ripping melodies and muscle, like the unstoppable riff on the two-minute burner "Knockin'". But then there's "To Know Me Is to Love Me", which has the pacing of an old Teardrops ballad, although it features a melody that's emboldened by fuzz and power. When you add this one to recent tapes by Flesh Panthers and Sick Hyenas, Dumpster is having a killer 2014 thus far.
Las Rosas: "Oh Man" [dir. Jim Larson]
Last year, Las Rosas—the band featuring Jose Boyer from Harlem—released a very good cassette. While they're at work on their proper full-length debut, they've shared a video for a track from their tape, "Oh Man". It's a great series of scenes strung together—there's a bearded dude doing a striptease, two cops sharing an intimate moment, some stuffed animals enjoying a conversation over tea, and a fortune teller. Enjoy: