You've been good, so it's time for another installment of Shake Appeal, Evan Minsker's garage/punk/psychedelic/etc. music round-up.
The "great" records in recent months have been huge productions—music about a tumultuous sociopolitical climate and police violence. That stuff's obviously important, but what about the records that don't have lofty arrangements, long run-times, or dense lyric sheets (I'm talking to YOU, Bono)? Sometimes, the best record is the one that puts a big dumb smile on your face—something rudimentary and hamfisted that cuts out by the 90-second mark. With that rubric in mind, please direct your attention to the collected recordings of Northwestern Indiana's the Coneheads.
The German label Erste Theke Tonträger (who previously released the collected singles of Lumpy and the Dumpers) have collected the band's first two tapes Canadian Cone and Total Conetrol on L.P.1., which features some of the punchiest, most fun punk tunes in recent memory. Devo comparisons have been made; Devo comparisons are appropriate. It's even acknowledged in the full title: L.P.1. aka "14 Year Old High School PC-Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $$$ from Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P."
As a member of the Midwestern internet peoplepunk community, the Cones can definitely have my money, though it's not "extortion," exactly. With a record that's got a run of songs as strong as the one from "Big City Baby" to their cover of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", they've definitely earned a couple bucks. It might not have an orchestra or string section or whatever, but L.P.1. is great.
Oh, and heads up: They just released a third tape, too. NWI STRONG.
Of course, Indiana has a deep and storied punk history that dates back a couple decades before the Cones were born. If you need a primer on that history, Magnetic South/Time Change have you covered with the cassette Crazy Al's: Indiana Punk & New Wave 76-83. It's got tracks by Gizmos ("Mean Screen") and Zero Boys ("I'm Absent"), but there are also gems like Joint Chiefs of Staff's "I Hate Pretty Girls" and Video Kids' "Born Too Late". There are 23 bands represented—a real portable party starter. And if this isn't enough archival Indiana punk for you, there's an expanded Crazy Al'stwo-CD set. Apparently, a few of these bands are only just now getting a release via this compilation—learn more about it here.
Another essential compilation comes courtesy of Dirtnap, though this material is from a band of contemporary cult heroes—Portland's Mean Jeans. Singles features 20 A-sides, compilation cuts, and rarities. If you're unfamiliar with the band, this is a fantastic entry point. They've got gleeful "ba ba ba" melodies on "Stoned 2 the Bone" and they're scumbags in their speed punk tune "Total Creep". They cover Sparks ("Forever Young") and White Wires ("I Remember How"). Their theme song for Gonerfest is charmingly cruddy. The biggest draw of the comp? It features their bummed out sci-fi anthem "I Miss Outer Space." Don't we all?! This band's brand of rock'n'roll is exactly as goofy and catchy as the cartoon slugs on the album cover imply.
While we're on the subject of dumb, muscular rock'n'roll, let's talk about Milwaukee's Platinum Boys. (Their very awesome single "Candy" recently appeared in Windian Records' latest 7" box set.) If you've been looking for a solid get-wasted soundtrack, look no further than Future Hits. They're really similar to Liquor Store—dudes relying on electric guitar solos and shouted gang vocals. The intro of "Later Girl" owes a huge spiritual debt to the intro of Def Leppard's "Photograph" (though the rest of the song reads more like a Connections tune). Focused almost solely on the road ("Cruisin' USA", "Ride Free") and how cool they are ("Cool Like That"), they're a caricature of grease-stained 1970s rock'n'roll archetypes. Like Diarrhea Planet before them, these dudes are probably a blast to see live.
The Chicago power pop band MAMA made a strong first impression with their very good Speed Trap EP late last year. To quote the power pop hero King Louie Bankston, the songs on their Automatic Recordings double 7" Night Shoot definitely point at the rafters. They start off strong with "Dream Babe", wherein they offer their worship of a woman over a full throttle chug. They throw in a couple "OOH YEAH"s for good measure. When they slow down, like on "I'm Shot", they continue to invoke radio-ready power pop forebears like Cheap Trick. Between this and some of those Platinum Boys and Mean Jeans tracks, looks like there are a few strong contenders for your next "drive too fast with all the windows down" soundtrack.
Last year, Aquarian Blood—the husband-and-wife duo of J.B. Horrell (Ex-Cult) and Laurel Ferdon (ex-Nots, Moving Finger)—released a self-titled tape on ZAP Cassettes featuring 15 goofy synthesizer-strewn punk tunes. Now, the label have issued another 15 tracks from the Horrell and Ferdon. II is equally enigmatic and it definitely packs some laughs. They point out the vomit in your hair on "Call the Uncle"; "Knock Yourself Out" dissolves into a series of literal maniacal laughs. Definitely keep an eye out for this band's Record Store Day 7" on Goner, and when you get a copy of this tape, skip ahead to "Everybody Likes It".
II isn't the only recent highlight on ZAP: Nate & the Nightmares' self-titled tape is completely impressive. They deliver the sort of bluesy garage punk nuggets that aren't usually this good on this side of the '60s. They're from Athens, Georgia, and you should keep an eye out for their future recordings. They're talented musicians with an ear for what makes rock'n'roll fun, which makes sense—frontman Nate Mitchell apparently works at the great Athens record store Wuxtry.
The Ar-Kaics are going to have one hell of a singles compilation on their hands someday soon. They've been on a roll since late 2013. Their stuff is always catchy, their guitar work always impressive, and their drum sound is enormous. "Always the Same" on the UK label Market Square Recordings is another major success from the Richmond, Va. band.
When you burn through that platter, do yourself a favor and check out another band featuring Ar-Kaics' Patty Conway. Christi deliver swooning 1960s girl group hooks on their debut 7" (on Feel It Records), but their raspy vocals give the songs an edge. It's powerful stuff for fans of Shannon & the Clams and the other apostles of bubblegum.
Fresh off this year's Total Fuck Off fest in Orlando, Total Punk have yet another ripper on their hands with this 7" by Atlanta's Slugga. On a pair of 90-second tracks that follow up their 2014 demo, Slugga belong in the same approximate camp as Lumpy & the Dumpers—breakneck songs delivered with a grotesque bark. Pretty much any band in this lane could put over a vicious punk tune with the central words "I'm a parasite", but the pacing of this particular song is masterful. The grunted "UHH" that comes in the cracks between the guitar barrage on "Parasite" alone is worth the five bucks.
More hits:
01 The self-titled EP from Delaware's Grace Vonderkuhn. (Shouts to Pitchfork contributor and all-around buddy Martin Douglas for pointing this one out.)
02 Empty Heads, the debut album from the Prettys—a glammy power pop outfit from Vancouver.
03 It's been out for a while, but New York bubblegum punks NANCY have a pretty great 7" that just got reissued on Erste Theke Tonträger.
04 Ile De Rêve, the new album from Montreal's Les Marinellis. (Last time this band showed up in Shake Appeal, they got a comparison to the Black Lips' Let It Bloom. This one's similar, though it probably leans a little closer to the first Davila 666 record.)