!upstarter Punk Reviews

Andrew Jackson Jihad – People That Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World (c) 2007 Asian Man RecordsI don’t quite know how to spell out how I feel about Andrew Jackson Jihad. I like them in a weird sort of way. Kinda in the same way that everyone has a really bizarre friend (unless you are the bizarre friend) and you like the friend, but sometimes you just aren’t sure why. AJJ is a bit of an amalgamated Dead Milkmen Wally Pleasant and Old 97’s. The songs are certainly very eclectic with off the beaten path lyrics and an overall Bluegrass quality. I am compelled to recommend them highly, but I’m just not quite sure why.–Jerry Actually

Autonomadic – The Missionary (c) 2007 Bleeding Ear Music "The Missionary" is a dirty little EP from Seattle punk rock trio Autonomadic.  Don't let the cover fool ya though.  The disc isn't much at all about a rather phallic missile or the missionary position.  The Missionary contains seven track of socially aware old school punk rock swager.  They rage against complacency, corporations, institutions and assholes all to a four four beat.  I was vaguely familiar with Autonomadic from the Punks and Pints comp.  I'm glad to hear some additional material.  Pretty decent stuff over all, but I would like to see it take it up a notch.  The amount of outrage in the lyrics could be better paired with a bit more musical frenzy.–Jerry Actually 

The Pleasures Of Merely Circulating – S/T (c) 2007 Ettabelle Records Marfa, TX band The Pleasures of Merely Circulating are equal parts precocious  and punk.  Their self-titled debut CD hold 13 tracks of love, loss, pining and rollicking all tinged by their southern rock roots.  The songs are peppy and short and chock full of energy and guts.  The music rings out in that raw yet urgent way that only a finely tuned three-piece can muster.  Fun new material from Texas.  Go on, giver a whirl.–Jerry Actually 

Streets Ahead – The Album (c) 2007 Streets Ahead Like the pull of a mighty vortex, the whirlwind of America siphons away from the edges and drains somewhere towards the center.  In this case we have three musicians from disparate corners of the nation.  The three fell together in Cleveland, Ohio only to be melded together into the punk rock band, Streets Ahead.  "The Album" is full of crunchy hooks and clever and unusual lyrical constructs.  The music is punk, but not in the regurgatative ripoff sense.  Streets Ahead hold some distinctive sounds, but not so far out that they will alienate potential fans.  Think of something like Billy Corgan and TMBG colliding with Seven Seconds.  They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, but they also aren't trying to be the wheel, dig?  Either way, let me reiterate, Cleveland Rocks! and Streets Ahead keeps that rock (bad pun alert!) rolling.–Jerry Actually 

Buck-O-Nine – Sustain (c) 2007 Asian Man Records I got the increasingly rare opportunity to attend a Buck-O-Nine CD release show last Saturday at their, and my newly re-adopted, hometown stomping grounds.  The show was at The Casbah, a downtown San Diego ska friendly staple.  It is a great little venue, perfect for intimate shows with your favorite bands and the 24oz. cans of PBR aren't stupid expensive.  As a bonus for attending the show, every ticket holder received a copy of Sustain, their first new release in seven years.  For fans of Buck-O-Nine, you wont be disappointed.  As far as I'm concerned the disc is an instant ska classic.  The songs are tight.  The horns hit.  They can hold muster to a couple adult beverages and remain dance-able.  The shout along choruses are intact.  If you are new to ska, (wow that cave must have been crazy dark and quiet all these years) dig into their back catalog.  There is more good stuff to be had.  What more can I say about the disc other than it is a great piece of work from one of my favorites and now on one of my favorite labels too.  For those that didn't get to attend the show.  Buck-O-Nine was opened by another local ska act, The Lifters.  They too put on a great show.  Check 'em out if you have a chance.–Jerry Actually

Heartbreak Club – Lamecore (c) 2007 Reign Records In spite of my traditionally better judgment, I went ahead and listened to a band with a CD entitled "Lamecore".  Turns out it ain't so bad.  Heartbreak Club wrenches up a five track EP of sugary heartache.  The songs are emo alterna-pop punk with a sacharrin irony in the vein of Weezer Alkaline Trio or Lawrence Arms albeit with a bit more pop than the latter two references.  If you like to rock out while you cry over spilled milk, maybe you should apply for membership in the Heartbreak Club.–Jerry Actually 

Revolution Mother – Glory Bound (c) 2007 Cement Shoes Records Is it metal? Is it hardcore? Is it punk? I guess I don’t know. I’m gonna go ahead and call it rock. Revolution Mother is a hard hitting outfit fronted by skate star Mike Vallely. Their brand new disc, Glory Bound comes on strong with the first two tracks, but seems to suffer from musical premature ejaculation. While it opens strong and fast, by track four, “Bullet”, it begins to plod and chug. The rest of the disc may as well be a tribute to Planet Caravan as far as I’m concerned. If Revolution Mother could have maintained the pace, I would have shown it a bit more love, but tracks like the five minute “Burning from Inside” really just made me want to take a nap. It picks up again later in the disc, but to be honest, I’ve moved on. Just one more thing, holy crap! What is with the freakin’ beards? Scary!–Jerry Actually

Mustard Plug – In Black And White (c) 2007 Hopeless Records I was pretty excited when I heard that there was going to be a brand new Mustard Plug CD.  As soon as I got a chance to give it a listen, I was all over it.  There is an amazing resurgance of the early 90's ska going on right now and to be perfectly honest, I'm a bit surprised that the Plug are one of the ones who made it through.  I'm happy as hell that they did and I admire their tenaciousness in taking the band from silly to serious.  These  seasoned veterans of the third wave have made a glorious return.  It brings me back to a time about 15 years ago when ska was fun and not so many creepy kids wanted to be all emo.  The years and miles have help to shape Mustard Plug's sound, however.  Recorded at the legendary Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Co, In Black and White bursts with an immense amount of energy and talent, but harbors a more cynical overtone than past efforts.  Bill Stevenson helps lend a more aggressive edge to the tracks. Songs like Time To Wake Up even seem downright dark, but don't let the seriousness of the CD bring you down.  It still will put every last one of your brains on ska.–Jerry Actually 

Drowning Pool – Full Circle (c) 2007 Eleven Seven Music Drowning Pool’s new release Full Circle is an amazing celebratory release for the legions of rock festival attendees and mullet-sportin’ heshians around the globe. I have to imagine that an insane amount of meth deals have gone down while Drowning Pool served as a backdrop. Despite the pinnings of being a Hard Rock band from the American South nowadays, these boys have their hearts in the right place. After suffering the tragic loss of their lead singer, the band persevered. After parting ways with their next vocalist, again they kept it on track. Now with a new release and back on top of their game, they are lobbying congress for better treatment of injured US soldiers. I don’t care what your standpoint is on war, the people that have been wounded, both physically and mentally, ought to be given proper medical treatment. So hooray for Drowning Pool to have the wherewithal to stick up for people that legitimately need help. As for the CD, well it ain’t my cup o’ tea. I kinda grew out of my metal phase years ago. Let me put it this way, if you totally can’t wait to go to Ozzfest, then you should totally check out Full Circle by Drowning Pool–Jerry Actually

The Warriors – Genuine Sense of Outrage (c) 2007 Victory RecordsBrand new on shelves today is some solid hardcore on Victory Records. Genuine Sense of Outrage, by Oxnard’s own The Warriors, thankfully brings some guts back to the cadre of Victory releases. Featuring 13 tracks of slightly melodic East Coast style hardcore amply laden with fearsome thrash metal riffs. (albeit from California) Despite the misgivings that some may have against West Coast Hardcore, The Warriors obviously bring it enough to have guest vox from Sick Of It All’s Lou Koller and thee Lemmy Kilmister. The Warriors hold true to the roots of harcore and let the world know that they are fucking pissed, that this ain’t a fashion show and that they can bring some heart back to the scene. –Jerry Actually