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Bis is not the type of band I typically listen to, but their techno/dance pop with the occasional punk edge is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Music For A Stranger World, their latest release (a six song EP), takes a step closer to the techno side of things and away from the guitar use found on their last album, Social Dancing. It opens strong with "Dead Wrestlers", and "I Want It All" highlights Manda Rin's cartoony vocals well (and might be the first time a voice pitch changer was used in a non-annoying way). "Beats At The Office" sounds like a video game soundtrack and the lyrics are kinda weak, but it ends strong with the return of Bis' guitars in "Punk Rock Points".
Hailing from Boston, The Explosion is definitely not your typical Jade Tree band. Modernized late 70's-era Brit punk — this is what I'm talkin' about! Sure, it's derivative: it was done 20 years ago by The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, and again more recently by Swingin' Utters and Rancid. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for this style of rock, and this shit's good. And though it may not be groundbreaking, The Explosion succeed where so many other bands fail: making punk fun to listen to. I'm too old to be a change-the-world optimist or an anarchist jumping in the pit, but Flash Flash Flash still makes me want to throw my fist in the air and yell along with the song. Fourteen songs, all but three are around or under the 2-minute mark — that ain't bad. For me, The Explosion plays music that reminds me why I started listening to punk in the first place.
As far as I could tell, Horace Pinker had dropped off the face of the earth after releasing a couple good pop/emo/punk albums. Now I find out that last year they had two releases: a full-length a couple years in the making (Pop Culture Failure), and an EP, Copper Regret. The 5-song Copper Regret is a damn fine collection that would sit comfortably next to your Samiam and Jawbreaker CDs: fast/uptempo rock-punk with more power than your regular emo band. (I'm sure the Jawbreaker comparisons will continue now that Chris Bauermeister has joined the band on bass.) If you're familiar with Horace Pinker, picture the high points of Power Tools and you've got this EP. "Clearer", "South Stanley Place", and "Skipping Stones" are some of the best songs I've heard recently.
The Smoking Popes: Live
Well, the Smoking Popes have left us — singer/songwriter Josh Caterer found Jesus and the sort of ironically-named Popes come to an end. This CD is a recording of a 1998 show, and it's got a lot of their best songs spanning their entire career: "Not That Kind Of Girlfriend", "Brand New Hairstyle", "You Spoke To Me", "Off My Mind", "Need You Around" — 22 songs in all. There's a pretty moving version of "Pretty Pathetic", and "I Know You Love Me" takes on a new meaning when Josh explains that the song is about Jesus. And while the Popes' songs are a good as ever (in their wonderfully cheesy way), there's something missing from Live. Despite the obvious enthusiasm of the crowd, the energy just doesn't seem to be there for Josh; he must've already decided to leave the band, and his heart just doesn't seem to be in it.
I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I knew I was in trouble when I saw the picture of this band on the CD. They've got a progressive rock sound, though the website described it as "alternafunk" — none of it sounds good to me. The album's production is good, but it was difficult for me to get through this thing...
Punk rock veterans Swingin' Utters are back with a new album. Sometimes bands get caught in a rut when they start getting up around their fifth full-length release; it gets to the point where there's nothing new and you've felt like you've heard it before ("Oh, another Queers record?"). But the Utters have grown over the years, incorporating different styles and instruments to remain relavent (whether they mean to or not).
Past albums have taken some tips from the Pogues' playbook, adding mandolins and adding a little pub rock to the mix. Swingin' Utters continues moving forward and includes stand-up bass and mandolin ("Watching the Wayfarers"), acoustic guitar and organ ("My Glass House"), accordion, and even slide guitar ("The Green Glass", "Another Day"). The latter adds a country twang which you wouldn't expect to sound this good here, but it fits right in. Of course, there's still plenty of Clash-inspired punk here, with standouts "Second Skin", "Little Creeps", and "Teen Idol Eyes". But for me, the non-typical Utters' songs are the ones that really make this album interesting.
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