Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This time, Evan Minsker digs into four very good records from Obnox, Hank Wood & the Hammerheads, Flesh Wounds, and Ivy.
Obnox: The Juke That Sat By the Door [Chunklet]
There's a lot of talk about prolific artists in these pages, but it's possible that Bim Thomas trounces them all in terms of sheer output. He already put out his great LP Louder Space back in March, and already, he's got a new and very good 12" out via Chunklet. It's called The Juke That Sat by the Door, and like every Obnox record, it's not an easy one to classify. There's a wall of fuzz that obscures Thomas' vocals, which is perfect for a song like "All Hail the Deejay", which is led by a droning, psychedelic melody. There are also these quick 30-second bursts of songs. "Dark Arts" has all the appearance of a song's intro, but it finishes and swiftly moves on. Then there's "Thanks For Yesterday", which is more of a swooning, soulful pop song than you might expect from this dude's noisy reputation. Listen to this record and read Marc Masters on "Sit Yo Ass Down".
Hank Wood and the Hammerheads: Stay Home [Toxic State]
"The best record of the year," reads the product description of Stay Homeon Katorga Works. It sounds like hollow punk rock hyperbole, but damn if Hank and the Hammerheads don't make a strong case for it. This is blistering, badass punk music. And there's nuance here—frenetic percussion and sophisticated guitar work which, on "These Chains", made me think of Television and the Voidoids. This LP is sold out at Katorga Works right now, which sucks, but it's available to download for free. You have absolutely no excuse not to grab this and listen to it really loud all the time.
[download]
Flesh Wounds: Flesh Wounds [Snot Releases]
A couple months back, the Chapel Hill garage punks Flesh Wounds released a 7" on Merge that stands as possibly the most exciting single release that label put out this year. Now, they've got a full-length out. For starters, this is a band who can actually pull off blues rock, which isn't a risky thing for an upstart band to flirt with (given the long shadow the White Stripes left behind). But their version of Arthur Crudup's "I'm Gonna Dig Myself a Hole" is genuinely thrilling stuff. There are too many highlights on this one. It's available in a limited pressing of 300. Track it down.
Ivy: Ivy [Katorga Works]
After self-releasing an impressive, belligerent tape last year, Ivy have a 12" out on Katorga Works. A lot of the best songs from that cassette make an appearance here, and if you can believe it based on what you hear on this record, they've cleaned up the recording a little. Of course, that doesn't mean they've pulled back on ferocity. "Werkhorse", for example, is sped up to the point where it knocks 20 seconds off the original (for a one-minute run-time). Then there's "Antsy", a not-especially-slow track that picks up a ton of speed as it nears the finish. "20' Oh's Willin 2.0" is outright disorienting with its off-kilter percussion, and it makes more immediate tracks like "Arch-Foe" that much more satisfying.
Also Worth Hearing: The new album from Minneapolis glam pop outfit COZY (via Hozac), the latest by Portland stoners White Fang (via Gnar Tapes), a new 7" from Brisbane, Australia's Stink Bugs (via Swashbuckling Hobo), and the new EP from Chicago trio the Holy Motors.