“C’mon, you lazy sods! Bern-based NASTY RUMOURS with their second full length attack, knackin’ 77 Punk Rock Snot rockets topped with bitter-sweet Power Pop brillancy. Ultra-melodic Antisociality, ferocious as f*ck! Think THE VIBRATORS on their mighty Berlin 1977 recordings meets early BUZZCOCKS love bites, a GOOD VIBRATIONS Best of and a huge splash of TOY DOLLS energy. Like dancing razors on the streets of of London in the summer of madness, back in 1977. 12 ticking time bombs for all your bugs-filled brains. Go mental!”
Mastered at NLBF: Swell Maps “Securicore” on Rather Records / Sounds on Paper.
Released February, 2022
“First-ever official biography of Swell Maps, “Swell Maps 1972-1980” penned by band member and co-founder Jowe Head. Swell Maps were formed in Jowe’s home town of Solihull, England with various school friends in 1972.
The group, also featuring the late Nikki Sudden and Nikki’s brother, the late Epic Soundtracks, along with Phones Sportsman, John Cockrill, and Richard Earl emerged in the late 1970s, and are now known as legendary pioneers of what is now referred to as “alternative rock” or “post-punk” with their blend of punk rock mixed with experimental and psychedelic sounds.
Together they released four 7” singles, the first in 1977 on their own Rather Records and two critically acclaimed albums in a brief but dramatic career, that led to them topping the UK independent charts, and influencing bands such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Blur.
After Swell Maps broke up in 1980, Jowe joined the Television Personalities. Ten years with the TVPs saw Jowe making more influential records, touring Europe regularly, and playing in Japan and the USA.
Today he still regularly releases recordings, solo and with multiple groups, and is the steward of the Swell Maps legacy. In this 155-page biography of the band, Jowe takes us to each members’ formative years and reveals what made them experiment with challenging music and eventually come together to form Swell Maps.
Through his own recollections and utilizing interviews with former members, he explores the early days of the band, and details stories that bring the reader into the inner workings of the band as they traveled through the late 70s cultural scene in Europe. The last section of the book updates the whereabouts of all the key players.
The book includes dozens of full-colour images of band memorabilia from the author’s personal collection, including photos, posters, flyers, artwork, original lyrics, and more. Additionally, a 7” vinyl single is included that features tracks never before released anywhere.
“The first Swell Maps single I bought still to this day gives me a soul scorched buzz’n’rush….The Swell Maps had a lot to do with my upbringing.”—Thurston Moore
“Jowe Head spent time in two of the UK’s coolest underground bands: Swell Maps and Television Personalities…a lovably skewed indie-pop tunesmith.” —Time Out New York
·Contains 7” with six exclusive never-before-released tracks culled from the band and solo member archives.
Tracklisting: 1. *Securicore 2. *Come Upstairs and See My Chemistry Set 3. *Harmony In Your Bathroom 4. **Double Dose 5. ***Elegia part 1 6. ****Votive Offering
*These 3 tracks were edited from a 1977 demo session. Two of the songs have never been released before in any form. **Double Dose – is a 1979 radio jingle, the master tape recently rediscovered ***Elegia part 1 – is an out-take from “Jane From Occupied Europe ” studio sessions. ****Votive Offering – is an experimental home-recording”
“Apocalypse Pop, waiting for the apocalypse to…drop…
Suspect Parts is the brainchild of two exiled Americans, one Brit and a German who managed to tame their inner demons with buzzsaw punk/powerpop, a cotton candy-meets-razorblade concoction that goes down surprisingly smooth.
Ex and current members of bands like The Briefs, Clorox Girls, Maniac, Ripchord, Radio Dead Ones and Red Dons – they are Suspect, they come from Suspect Parts.
Combining 60’s pop and bubblegum with late 70’s California beach punk and powerpop, Suspect Parts have something brewing that can’t be ignored. The Seeds, the Kinks, the Knack and the Buzzcocks can be heard, as well as a little Nuggets, a little Star Spangles or Rezillos, a little Protex or Undertones, but with a modern touch. Backward-looking but forward-thinking 60s pop with a punk edge.
Now, their self-titled full-length debut album is finally here. Recorded straight to analog tape in the negative 15 degree cold of a January in east Berlin. Ten songs, 24 minutes, a relentlessly catchy uppercut to the senses.
Apocalypse Pop. When oil runs out a major line is going to be drawn. Which side are you on? Which tribe are you willing to die for? … Pop’s chosen warriors will rule the apocalypse …. Drop, waiting for the apocalypse to…pop…”
Recorded and mixed in Estudios Montealto by Fernando Mejuto and Hugo Santeiro.
“Tres rapaces da Coruneno, con experiencia nesto das bandas. Fan un punk bailable, sonche peña maja e fan boas empanadas. Non se pode pedir muito máis. Acaban de sacar un LP hai dous mesiños de nada. Fabulosísimos.”
“ULTRASURF es un grupo de A Coruña formado por Lupe, Javi y Moro.Su música es una mezcla de garage, power pop, punk y surf, vibrantes temas de punk garagero llenos de energía, veloces y melódicas canciones de potentes guitarras y explosivas secciones rítmicas, pildorazos de punk con pinceladas de garage y surf que te atrapan con sus envolventes instrumentaciones y estupendas letras, composiciones repletas de pasión y energía que beben del punk y la nueva ola sumergiéndose en el surf para entregarnos acelerados himnos perfectos para luchar contra el tedio diario, dos primeros trabajos que sorprenden por su frescura y que estamos seguros que gustarán a todos los seguidores del punk.Entre sus influencias pueden estar grupos como Wipers, The Boys, The Kids, The Vibrators, Buzzcocks, The Jam, Parálisis Permanente…Las letras nos hablan de ciudades, arrogancia, muerte, valor, asustar, horizonte, tiempo, reglas…“
“Featuring members of Young People With Faces and the Chain Letters, the Aerosol Burns emerge from the garage playing fierce DIY power pop packed with hooks and killer riffs. Fans of the Buzzcocks, Zeros, Distractions and Pointed Sticks will flip out over this.”
“I would be remiss and unequivocally in error if I did not immediately admit my love for any power-pop punk that invokes all that is great about the ’77–’79 sound. Radio Hearts are that and more. Hailing from Long Beach, California, this power-pop quartet are a sight to behold, and more importantly, be heard. They have all the ingredients to make your heart ache and body shake. That should be no surprise though, seeing as they are signed to No Front Teeth. The Tell You EP is perfect to get your blood pumping to some sweet, power-filled grooves. “Tell You” immediately captivates with a sick riff that almost reminds me of Belfast punk legends Rudi’s I-Spy. Like the aforementioned, “Tell You” is an up-tempo, power chord–laced tune that one should jump about to.
“So Low” also carries on with the electrifying ferocity that “Tell You” has, although it has a much more noticeable kick that boasts a high-voltage sound. On the B-side, listeners will discover a slight variation in style. It is still awesome power-pop—it’s just that these tracks don’t quite have the same amount of punch as those on the A-side. “My Heart Has An Obituary” is up-tempo, though a little flat. By this I mean it doesn’t have the same about power as other numbers. The other B-side number, “Who Are You,” reminds me of what I could have gotten from the Nice Boys or even off of an Exploding Hearts record. It’s power pop to the core, but has a more ’70s glam rock n’ roll attitude about it.
The reasons you should check this out really boil down to this: It’s solid, tested and good. Sure, one could be comfortable just spinning a Boys or Buzzcocks record—and you know, after I get through the A and B sides here, I may very well do that—but to hell with that kind of complacency. This EP is the product of something good and nostalgic. Radio Hearts take an established sound, made popular by ’70s power pop and punk, and stretch it to fit on this nice little EP. To be fair, a lot of groups have come out of the woodwork and done similar things, and they’ve all been pretty damn good, particularly the ones mentioned above.
Honestly, if three paragraphs highlighting how cool the Tell You EP is doesn’t inspire you to purchase this record, then please consider the following. First, your volume may be turned down too low. Second, your fingers may be lodged in your ears. Those two are the most probable (and PG) reasons for not being infected by the quality of Radio Hearts. Once rectified, you’ll be a happy little individual with a sweet new record spinning on your turntable. Don’t stop there, though: Make sure that you have your volume up radically high so that you can make some friends with your soon-to-be enthusiastic neighbors. After that, you’ll have great music, new mates and/or will most likely be in jail or evicted, but hey, this is rock n’ roll, and the risks are worth it. Good night and good luck. –Nick Kuzmack”
“CAPITAN MARCO of the London-based punk rock fleet No Front Teeth Records is an unweary demonio for the good punk work and he was the singer of the recently deceased GAGGERS and played in a helluva other bands. He quickly calculated his remaining super-powers: writer of excellent punk poetry + wizard of super catchy melodies = MISCALCULATIONS. That’s simple math. Bam! New band going. Together with drummer SHAUN he already wrote and pounded out two LPs on Dead Beat and Rockstar Rec. and now kills everything with this third LP. Though the Miscalculations know how to add 7+7, and Marco’s gritty and snotty voice screams ’punk singer’ with every syllable he spits out, Miscalculations definitely advanced the punk sound (some may call it Post-Punk). The 12 songs on ’Kill the whole cast’ are a tasteful blend of the sound of Buzzcocks, Wire, The Statues and even some Mind Spiders with the catchy and sharp, yet laconic guitar work and the melancholic and demanding undertone of Wipers, Masshystery or The Vicious, plus some Electro-Synth-NoWave-Punk of The Units or even The Spits. Always intense, always poetic with outstanding cryptic yrics and wrapped up in cool imagery. When this album has passed they killed the whole cast / You will be obsessed when they killed the whole cast!”
“Strongly influenced by Crisis and Buzzcocks, this trio from Sheffield create memorable punk hooks with immediately relatable lyrics. Following on from the demo released earlier in the year, Detergents are back with a new 7″ single. 3 new songs. Same rules apply, UK82 inspired punk.”
“Strongly influenced by Crisis and Buzzcocks, this trio from Sheffield create memorable punk hooks with immediately relatable lyrics. Following on from the demo released earlier in the year, Detergents are back with a new 7″ single. 3 new songs. Same rules apply, UK82 inspired punk.”
