Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Best British Pop You've Never Heard... from America?!??


"Vanity" by Luxury

The sun and the air loved her best, so buried at sea,
we couldn't take the mirrors, there were too many.

Drown like you mean it,
I said, drown like you mean it,
I said, drown like you mean it,
It's vanity.

That's vanity.

Can you see her floating?

That's vanity.

Can you see her floating?

I closed up the bottle with a note to read,
said, "Who is there that you would love to see?"

Drown like you mean it,
I said, drown like you mean it,
I said, this time with some feeling,
I said, this time with some feeling,
I said, drown like you mean it,
I said, drown, drown, drown, drown, drown.

It's vanity.

Can you see her floating?

That's vanity.

Can you see her floating?

I bet you can,
I bet you can,
I bet you can,
I know you can,
I bet you can,
I bet you can,
I bet you can, 'cause you're a foxy man.



Luxury, from Toccoa, Georgia was on Tooth and Nail Records in the mid-to-late 90's.  This was during the early days of the label, when they were releasing good, relevant music (mewithoutYou and Starflyer 59 were a couple of the only good bands to have survived that period).  They played a style of British Pop influenced by The Smiths and 70's glam-rock.  Virtually everything they've written (as well as their side projects) is timeless.  A number of their releases, including this, their debut album, are available for FREE on a Bandcamp site that their lead singer runs.  He and his brother, who is also a member, has a side project up there, too.

While they started out as Evangelical Christians, the brothers Bozeman ended up converting to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and became priests.  For those of you who aren't aware, Orthodox priests are allowed to marry.  Which both of them did before going to school and taking their vows.  This is obviously a much healthier stance than the one that their counterparts, the Roman Catholics, took during the Middle Ages (and unfortunately have continued with today...).  I cannot recommend this band enough and I URGE you to at least give them a listen.

Rank/Xerox (San Francisco Post-Punk)



Official Site:
http://rnkxrx.tumblr.com

Free Downloads and Streaming Audio:

http://soundcloud.com/ros-records

Here's a review of their recently-released self-titled LP (on Make a Mess) from Maximum Rock’N’Roll

An urgent, desolate sound that evokes collapsing modernist architecture, awkward photographs and polyester trousers. Post-punk nausea for those that would rather reach for Soma Holiday than anything out of Leeds in 1982. This is my favorite local band. Their music is constantly moving, a million parts in action creating a picture that’s stark and powerful, and there’re only three people in this band - one Australian accent and two American ones. Former members of HC acts BURNING SENSATION and JUMP OFF A BUILDING now making out of place music for desperate times. They are excellent live, propulsive energy and power to flatten all dispassionate audiences. I’ve heard people compare them to ZOUNDS, I think they are more in like with the PROLETARIAT with some MIDDLE CLASS aggro snot injections. At any rate, this LP is a totality of nervous energy and dark movement, it sort of makes me think of the KEBAB song "We Live In A System", that paranoid force. It’s hard to write about a band you love sometimes, it’s easier to dismiss things than to explain what the secret ingredient is that makes something rule…Listening to this on headphones in a dark review corridor it feels like a transportation device. Lyrics are incisive surgical cuts, evocative and nightmarish constructions. It’s stark, dark music with underlying currents, PETER HOOK-ish basslines and scratched out guitars and the drums are like a more organized PALMOLIVE! For real, if you like skating around town with WARSAW on your headphones, this is your sound. (LG)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

WARNING/WARNING (French "Raw Punk")



November 14, 2011Witler House
4114 Witler St
Cincinnati, OH
45223


WARNING//WARNING (Bordeaux, France; ex-Gasmask Terror)
Noisy hardcore Japanese style a la Confuse, Frigora, GAI, Framtid
http://punkislove.free.fr [Site currently down]

GREY HOST
Local stoner/doom
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grey-Host/115821031812813

SILO
Ohio raw punks

+ more sick ragers TBA

ALL AGES
8:30 pm. $5.
BYOB (and the door money)

Friday, November 4, 2011

Mokoka (Basque Punk from France)




Egin zazu zure lana
Mokoka | Myspace Music Videos


http://www.myspace.com/mokoka

Via Google Translate...

"The sound of Mokoka revolves around a punk-rock-core direct where the melodies are as catchy as the choruses heady! .. And if singing in Euskara, the Basque language, is already is a commitment, do not forget all his companions. The group then turned into association to help families of Basque political prisoners and meet their financial needs. .. The Euskara, therefore, to denounce the repression in Franco-Spanish Euskal Herria. Words and melodies to carry the fight beyond the artificial boundaries of politics. .. Also, if etymologically means Mokoka Barney, the group is also the symbol of the claims he wants to get in his texts. In addition to the Basque cause, more generally Mokoka tackles the problems of society today (unemployment, individualism, illiteracy ...). .. But the group does not lose sight of the sense of fun and knows how to combine text with thoughtful and serious themes lighter, always punctuated with music and pogotante. Their concerts are all tense moment, shooting stretched as time of derision and humor. Their recovery, in Breton in the text, Tri Martelod is an example !.... Mokoka occurred in nearly one hundred and fifty concerts in Paris (Fahrenheit, Euskal Etxea, Reflex-CICP, Guinguette Pirate, Dial Omnibus, Vendémiaire and bars), in Britain, Iparralde (Baiona, Itxassou, Senpere, Baigorri) and Hegoalde (Irun, Gernika, Bilbao, Gasteiz), the festival Euskal Herria Zuzenean 98 ... .. And played with Fermin Muguruza, La Polla, Etsaiak, Anestesia, Betagarri, Skunk, Ten Little Indians, Kargol's, The Sheriff, Brigada Flores Magon, Rude Boy System, P4 to Attack ....... .. The group was arrested in 2000. But the struggle continues ....."

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Doktor Bitch/Billy Crystal Meth - split CDr




Live footage of DOKTOR BITCH (ex-Sockeye, Schnauzer, Minch, Boulder, Breathilizor, The Lettuce Vultures, Poopy Dys, The Snack Food Association, etc) can be viewed HERE.

You can hear a BILLY CRYSTAL METH song off of this on youtube HERE.  The split is available on BCM's webpage and probably elsewhere.  I don't care enough to look further, though, because I just ate an entire bag of Swedish Fish.  Oh man, be right back...