Mastering Jákup Eli “Konufólkapanikk/Spyr meg ikki hví” on Tutl Records.
“There you have it folks! The first Faroese 7″ single in almost 30 years! That means it’s the first one this century. Well actually, it’s even the first one this millennia!”
Mastering The Hipshakes “Sounds We Found” on SMF Records.
“Yes, here’s the long-lost second album by garage punk hit-machines The Hipshakes! Just over six years after it was recorded, finally a full release for Sounds We Found. It’s the Hipshakes first attempt to record in actual Medium Fidelity. Played at super speed with their usual ultra-excellent song writing ability on show, life, death and how to party are all dissected, usually in under two minutes. Former teen sensations from small market town, civil parish, capital of the Peak District and home of the Pudding – Bakewell – The Hipshakes have been friends since before they can remember. They bought instruments at 15 and have been playing together ever since. Early efforts were snotty-nosed and short, brilliant and bratty. With advancing years their noses may have dried up but the hits haven’t. Formed in 2001, their first slew of records and tours of Europe and America were unleashed between 2005 and 2008, calling in at South By Southwest and Gonerfest. 2014 unbelievably saw them tour the UK for the first time. On this record, they are a classic three piece combo of guitar, drums and bass: everyone writes songs and everyone sings them. They have travelled the world, played hundreds of gigs, released dozens of records and been cheered and jeered in roughly equal measure. Live, they are a ferociously exhilarating, mega-mondo smash-hit pop-fountain. They’ve shared the stage with the cream of the garage punk crop of the last ten years. The band are fans of the Soft Boys, Jay Reatard, Kinks, Black Lips, Wreckless Eric, Love Triangle, Swell Maps, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wire, Red Cords, Nerves, Fuzz and MC5, so if you can dig those bands you might like the Hipshakes too.”
Buy it here!
Mastering The Hipshakes “Sounds We Found” on SMF Records.
“Yes, here’s the long-lost second album by garage punk hit-machines The Hipshakes! Just over six years after it was recorded, finally a full release for Sounds We Found. It’s the Hipshakes first attempt to record in actual Medium Fidelity. Played at super speed with their usual ultra-excellent song writing ability on show, life, death and how to party are all dissected, usually in under two minutes. Former teen sensations from small market town, civil parish, capital of the Peak District and home of the Pudding – Bakewell – The Hipshakes have been friends since before they can remember. They bought instruments at 15 and have been playing together ever since. Early efforts were snotty-nosed and short, brilliant and bratty. With advancing years their noses may have dried up but the hits haven’t. Formed in 2001, their first slew of records and tours of Europe and America were unleashed between 2005 and 2008, calling in at South By Southwest and Gonerfest. 2014 unbelievably saw them tour the UK for the first time. On this record, they are a classic three piece combo of guitar, drums and bass: everyone writes songs and everyone sings them. They have travelled the world, played hundreds of gigs, released dozens of records and been cheered and jeered in roughly equal measure. Live, they are a ferociously exhilarating, mega-mondo smash-hit pop-fountain. They’ve shared the stage with the cream of the garage punk crop of the last ten years. The band are fans of the Soft Boys, Jay Reatard, Kinks, Black Lips, Wreckless Eric, Love Triangle, Swell Maps, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wire, Red Cords, Nerves, Fuzz and MC5, so if you can dig those bands you might like the Hipshakes too.”
Buy it here!
Mastering Onmacht “S/T” on Tadpole, Opiate, and Toztizok Zoundz.
“Dark and bleak, yet driving and energetic; Onmacht assault you with thumping rhythms, jarring guitars and venom spitting, throat searing vocals. In these times of austerity and inequality, punks should be releasing records like this; angry, uncompromising and not afraid to be outspoken; this is punk fucking rock in all its pissed off, raging glory. As well as all that, this is a DIY co-operative release between several international labels. You need this record.”
Mastering Onmacht “S/T” on Tadpole, Opiate, and Toztizok Zoundz.
“Dark and bleak, yet driving and energetic; Onmacht assault you with thumping rhythms, jarring guitars and venom spitting, throat searing vocals. In these times of austerity and inequality, punks should be releasing records like this; angry, uncompromising and not afraid to be outspoken; this is punk fucking rock in all its pissed off, raging glory. As well as all that, this is a DIY co-operative release between several international labels. You need this record.”
Mastering SPELLS “At Sea/Land Locked” on Snappy Little Numbers Records.
Taken from I Buy Way Too Many Records:
“I was pleased to open up a package from Snappy Little Numbers containing a couple of their new releases. Readers may recognize that label from the stellar Hooper record that came out a couple of years ago or the equally great Friends Of Cesar Romero 7” they released last year. It’s a label putting out some killer records and Spells fit in with the group nicely.
I’m not sure exactly how to describe Spells without raising your expectations too high. They have a party rock style that in places sound like a more garage-y Rocket From The Crypt. Now, don’t let the RFTC comparison set you up expecting Spells to be the best band in the world, that’s the domain of Rocket exclusively. Spells do share the same penchant for crafting songs with something of an attitude to them. I haven’t seen them play live, but I definitely get the impression that they probably know how to work a crowd.
Loud guitars, catchy hooks, driving drums; all of the ingredients I like in a band are there. Spells are really tight and show a ton of promise for a group with just a handful of singles under their belt so far. I’ll be keeping my eye on them and absolutely encourage Snappy Little Numbers to keep sending hits like this my way.”
Buy it here!
Mastering SPELLS “At Sea/Land Locked” on Snappy Little Numbers Records.
Taken from I Buy Way Too Many Records:
“I was pleased to open up a package from Snappy Little Numbers containing a couple of their new releases. Readers may recognize that label from the stellar Hooper record that came out a couple of years ago or the equally great Friends Of Cesar Romero 7” they released last year. It’s a label putting out some killer records and Spells fit in with the group nicely.
I’m not sure exactly how to describe Spells without raising your expectations too high. They have a party rock style that in places sound like a more garage-y Rocket From The Crypt. Now, don’t let the RFTC comparison set you up expecting Spells to be the best band in the world, that’s the domain of Rocket exclusively. Spells do share the same penchant for crafting songs with something of an attitude to them. I haven’t seen them play live, but I definitely get the impression that they probably know how to work a crowd.
Loud guitars, catchy hooks, driving drums; all of the ingredients I like in a band are there. Spells are really tight and show a ton of promise for a group with just a handful of singles under their belt so far. I’ll be keeping my eye on them and absolutely encourage Snappy Little Numbers to keep sending hits like this my way.”
Buy it here!
Mastering L.A. Drugz “All Burned Down”.
Taken from Faster and Louder:
“I love it when a band surprises me in an entirely delightful way. L.A. Drugz first burst upon the scene with the Outside Place EP – a stone cold power pop gem and my favorite overall release of 2013. Having waited over a year for a follow-up, I would have been completely happy with “more of the same”. But “All Burned Down” is something quite different – and a clear example of a band fully coming into its own sound. L.A. Drugz are a band informed not just by particular influences (’60s garage and pop, late ’70s/early ’80s punk) but also by the rich musical history of Los Angeles. This is an L.A. band through and through, and I think that really comes across on this amazing new single.
“All Burned Down” is a new high point for L.A. Drugz – a stunning re-imagination of late ’60s pop chock full of poignant lyrics and angular, modern guitars. Big, beefy bass lines work in tandem with highly creative guitar work, and that chorus is nothing short of majestic. Of course the hooks are plentiful, and I have to recommend this track to all fans of Justin Maurer’s previous bands. But this is far from a Clorox Girls sound-alike. I can think of no other band right now that’s making music that sounds quite like this.
On the flip, “Runnin'” is something new from L.A. Drugz: fast and furious punk rock. It’s exciting to hear these guys put the pedal to the metal and just freaking rock out! Yet even playing with this kind of speed and urgency, the band doesn’t forget about quality songwriting. The chorus is impossibly catchy, and this is a classic case of a song that’s got way more going on musically than you might first realize. Just because a song is short doesn’t mean it wasn’t brilliantly constructed.
Having recently added Andrew Zappin (guitar) and Sharif Dumani (bass) to its lineup, L.A. Drugz may sound a little different on its next record. But as “All Burned Down” demonstrates, different can be good! I was so stoked to hear new music from this band. And now that the new single is finally here, I can’t imagine it being more perfect.”
Mastering L.A. Drugz “All Burned Down”.
Taken from Faster and Louder:
“I love it when a band surprises me in an entirely delightful way. L.A. Drugz first burst upon the scene with the Outside Place EP – a stone cold power pop gem and my favorite overall release of 2013. Having waited over a year for a follow-up, I would have been completely happy with “more of the same”. But “All Burned Down” is something quite different – and a clear example of a band fully coming into its own sound. L.A. Drugz are a band informed not just by particular influences (’60s garage and pop, late ’70s/early ’80s punk) but also by the rich musical history of Los Angeles. This is an L.A. band through and through, and I think that really comes across on this amazing new single.
“All Burned Down” is a new high point for L.A. Drugz – a stunning re-imagination of late ’60s pop chock full of poignant lyrics and angular, modern guitars. Big, beefy bass lines work in tandem with highly creative guitar work, and that chorus is nothing short of majestic. Of course the hooks are plentiful, and I have to recommend this track to all fans of Justin Maurer’s previous bands. But this is far from a Clorox Girls sound-alike. I can think of no other band right now that’s making music that sounds quite like this.
On the flip, “Runnin'” is something new from L.A. Drugz: fast and furious punk rock. It’s exciting to hear these guys put the pedal to the metal and just freaking rock out! Yet even playing with this kind of speed and urgency, the band doesn’t forget about quality songwriting. The chorus is impossibly catchy, and this is a classic case of a song that’s got way more going on musically than you might first realize. Just because a song is short doesn’t mean it wasn’t brilliantly constructed.
Having recently added Andrew Zappin (guitar) and Sharif Dumani (bass) to its lineup, L.A. Drugz may sound a little different on its next record. But as “All Burned Down” demonstrates, different can be good! I was so stoked to hear new music from this band. And now that the new single is finally here, I can’t imagine it being more perfect.”
Mastering Dry Heaves “Monotony” on Neat Neat Neat Records.
“Latest single from Sheffield’s Dry Heaves. This 7″ was pressed in secret by the guitarist as a surprise to his bandmates, great! If you haven’t heard this band before, think of a combination of Career Suicide and Regulations. Catchy as hell. Members of Obstruct, Skiplickers and Detergents.”