RAZORBLADE: Days Of Glory: CD

Since 2000 RAZORBLADE has released six full-length albums on CD and LP, two compilation albums, a CD single, five 7” records, and contributed songs to numerous samplers and are therefore probably one of the most productive Oi!/streetpunk bands from the Netherlands.

You get eleven hard-hitting songs that drip with anger, power and energy that will definitely get you up off of your ass and bouncing off of the walls. The album is packed with anthemic chants and melodies, brutal power combined with singalongs, lyrics dripping with words about life and a message of survival and persistence. “Long Road Ahead” is a personal song Wouter wrote for his newborn son that I’m sure he will appreciate when he gets older. They throw in a great BADLANDS cover “Back In History” and just pummel you with a fantastic album that just gets better the more that you listen to it.

A great album that gives you the chance to hear a band playing at the top of their game and blowing away any and all pretenders to the throne. This shit is the real deal…buy it!!!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRazorblade  https://www.facebook.com/rebellionrecords

http://www.rebellionrecords.nl/

PASSION PUPPETS: Beyond The Pale: CD

PASSION PUPPETS were a synth/guitar pop band signed to the legendary Stiff Records, whose only album was issued in 1984. In 1983, the London band scored a memorable radio hit with their Spaghetti Western-influenced single “Like Dust,” which was  hugely popular both in the UK and in Canada. The album is remastered from the original tapes with eight bonus tracks, including singles “Like Dust,” “Voices” and “Beyond The Pale,” many of them debuting on CD. Original members of PASSION PUPPETS helped out with this long-overdue reissue, contributing rare photos and pictures for the booklet as well as being involved with the sleeve-notes.

The band nearly explode on “Like Dust,” the most well-known song from them. The song bursts with unrestrained energy, jagged riffs, pounding drums, and gripping bass-lines which make the song crackle like a bolt of electricity. With its jittery beat and western-movie twang that give you cinematic images, this is the song that started them on their climb up the charts, sadly it also was their only real hit song. The album has other great tracks, “Overland,” “Terminal Culture,” “In Your Eyes,” and “Voices” all of which are songs that should have propelled them into the consciousness of the masses. The treat is the wealth of bonus songs that give you a more well-rounded idea of the talent that this band had.

The clear, clean sound and the insight from the band members on the booklet really made this a treat to hear and after having the original vinyl, it is great to have this on CD and be able to enjoy it in the car. This is great driving music with the expansiveness of their sound.

https://www.facebook.com/CherryRedRecords  http://www.cherryred.co.uk/

BLUE ZOO: 2 By 2: CD

The first CD reissue of this seminal album that was originally released in 1983 on Magnet Records. This expanded version contains nine of the original album tracks plus 10 essential bonus tracks and has been mastered from the original production masters. The bonus material includes the single versions of “Love Moves In Strange Ways,” “Loved One’s An Angel” and “Somewhere In The World There Is A Cowboy Smiling”. Other tracks include the B-sides “Fate,” “Off To Market,” “These Days,” “Shine,” “Don’t Walk Away” and “Chameleon Waves.” The album was originally produced by Tim Friese-Greene of TALK TALK. The CD booklet features many of the original sleeves and a full UK discography. The sleeve notes have been written by singer/writer/front man Andy O.

Formed in 1980, their original band name was Modern Jazz, and they released two singles entitled “In My Sleep (I Shoot Sheep)” and “Ivory Towers” in 1981. After changing their name to BLUE ZOO they had three hit singles which charted in the UK. “I’m Your Man” reached #55 in June 1982 and in October 1982, “Cry Boy Cry” reached the Top 20, peaking at #13, becoming the band’s biggest hit. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart’s Top 40 for eight weeks. “(I Just Can’t) Forgive And Forget” reached #60 in May 1983. Although failing to chart, the much acclaimed single, “Love Moves In Strange Ways” was a single of the week in the NME. This remaster has sweeping vocals, awkward vocals and edgy vocals all coming from singer Andy O and it creates a diverse album that has all of the terrific new wave/synth-pop sounds that I hold close to my heart and sounds so exciting today. Being in Canada, not the UK, I had never heard most of these songs and was too cheap to buy the import album so I’m glad that I now have the opportunity to hear these fantastic songs and enjoy a band that didn’t write a bad song. You get all of the “hits” and more and the singles are every bit as thrilling as they were in the ’80s and really make me miss the days of turning on the radio and hearing something new and fresh every time.

Song after song just comes out of your speakers making for a dance party that will get you old fogies out of your chairs and kicking up your heels like in the old days, but you may need to use the pause button to catch your breath. Fantastic sound and a great package, what more could you ask for?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Zoo/142532685791097  http://www.bluezoo.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/CherryRedRecords  http://www.cherryred.co.uk/

ROBERT PALMER: Clues: CD

Palmer’s 1980 album Clues reflects his rock and new wave tendencies, with rippling synthesizers and driving guitars. Two popular singles from the album, Looking for Clues and Johnny and Mary helped establish the singer as a significant hit-maker.

At the time Clues was recorded, Palmer was playing on the TALKING HEAD’s Remain In Light sessions and was heavily influenced by GARY NUMAN, and all of them wind up playing on the tracks here. “Looking for Clues,” is a clever slice of new wave pop that surprises the listener with an unexpected xylophone solo, and “Johnny and Mary,” a moody synth-driven ballad with perceptive lyrics about a doomed romantic relationship both are the highlights on this fantastic album. There is also an impressive cover of GARY NUMAN’s “I Dream of Wires” that not only retains the chilly electronic grandeur of the original it also features a new rhythm arrangement that makes the song dance-friendly and gives it his own touch. Some other great songs are “Sulky Girl,” “What Do You Care,” “Woke Up Laughing” and a cover of THE BEATLES “Not A Second Time.” The sound on this remaster is crisp and clear, and you can hear the subtle sounds that were missing on the original tracks. The very cool packaging makes this album into a small version of how it looked originally on vinyl and really is a treat.

The end result is a bit short (it clocks in at barely over thirty minutes), but it remains one of his strongest and most consistent albums. This album is a must for Robert Palmer fans and worth a spin for anyone into new wave.

http://www.robertpalmer.com/  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culture-Factory-USA/161614307253980

http://www.culturefactoryusa.com/

THE FABULOUS MISS WENDY: No One Can Stop Me: CD

Wendy Jacobson (AKA – The Fabulous Miss Wendy) newest ten song effort was recorded in Hollywood with legendary producer Kim Fowley (THE RUNAWAYS).

You can hear the touches of Fowley here and there on this album, but Wendy’s the one in charge on this album. Her sweet, but tough vocals shine, the tight and crunchy guitar playing is front and center and the right amount of pop sheen to take the songs into your ears and get stuck there for days. The hooks are incredible, but the tough edge is still apparent and that mix really makes for a delicious listen. The songs that get me going are “No One Can Stop Me,” “Silicon Assassin,” “Sex Drugs & Rock N Roll,” “In My Movie,” and “In Miami.”

A great collection of songs that really show off her talent and are pure fun. This put a smile on my face and made me listen to it a bunch of times and now I need more from her!

https://www.facebook.com/thefabulousmisswendyofficial  http://www.reverbnation.com/thefabulousmisswendy

http://www.thefabulousmisswendy.com/index

ROCKETSHIP ROCKETSHIP: Shoot The Moon Demo: CD

San Francisco based power trio ROCKETSHIP ROCKETSHIP play a fantastic mix of punk, rockabilly, and surf that gets the old feet tapping right away.

These five songs are a nice mix of styles and really show off the energy and talent that this trio has, lots of fun and a mix of instrumentals and edgy, but sweet female vocals carry this recording far. Every song has its own feel and vibe that makes you hit the repeat button again and again.

Check these guys out, they really have the chops and a lot of raw talent that deserves to be heard by the masses. Totally fun and it made me smile…can’t get better than that!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RocketShip-Rocketship/253462681330815

http://www.reverbnation.com/rocketshiprocketship

BULLET TREATMENT: Ex-Breathers: CD

This album is eight songs and clocks in at about nine and a half minutes. This is furious, fast, loud punk rock at its best. Orange County, California’s BULLET TREATMENT is one of one punk rock’s most unique bands, featuring a revolving door membership, with the only constant member being mastermind Chuck Dietrich.

The overall tone of the album is pretty much angry and aggressive, which made for a very exciting listen. With six songs clocking in at just under six minutes of angry, fast hardcore punk and lyrically tackling topics such as broken loyalties, life in a police state and even abuses by the catholic church, this was a whirlwind of an album, luckily they threw in two bonus tracks that gave me more of their intense and devastating power.

This is what punk rock is supposed to be: raw, angry and fast. “Ex-Breathers” is well worth your money and devotion.

https://www.facebook.com/bullettreatment  http://bullettreatment.bandcamp.com/album/ex-breathers

https://www.facebook.com/basementrecords  http://www.basementrecords.com/

STIGMA: For Love & Glory: CD

“The Godfather of Hardcore”, AGNOSTIC FRONT guitarist Vinnie Stigma has another great record with his solo project STIGMA, which also features Mike Gallo of AGNOSTIC FRONT on bass, Larry Nieroda and Josh Tilotta on guitars and Luke Rota on drums. The new album delivers thirteen hard-hitting punk rock anthems that will kick your ass.

Old school traditional
tracks like “Don’t Lose Faith,” “The Spirit Remains,” “Free Your Mind” or “Average Man” are mostly performed in a mid-tempo style with singalongs, and some upbeat melodic hardcore punk with some oi influences are also on this great album.

A collection of tight-played songs that just keep getting better every time that you play it and you will be playing this one a lot…trust me, this is a fantastic album that restores my faith that punk rock can be played right and not from an over-hyped crappy band, but true pioneers that feel the love for their music flowing through their veins.

https://www.facebook.com/stigmanyc  https://soundcloud.com/durtymickrecords

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Durty-Mick-Records/122718051078979

http://www.durtymickrecords.com/

THE FAKE BOYS: This Is Where Our Songs Live: CD

This trio from Lowell, MA play poppy, upbeat, melodic punk rock that will get stuck in your head and try as you might to beat it out of you, you’re stuck with it for life.

Short fast songs that hit you one after another and don’t give yo a chance to catch your breath. The vocals are sincere, with clever and catchy lyrics that will have you singing along within the first listen. Song after song of high-energy and tight playing makes this stand out of the pack of other bands that mine this area, these guys are the real deal.

You will find your favorite song on here and possibly your new favorite bad as well, so go out and grab a copy and have a party courtesy of these talented guys.

https://www.facebook.com/thefakeboys  http://thefakeboys.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-where-our-songs-live

http://arrestrecordsnh.com/site/  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arrest-Records/117569018270903

KEN mode: Entrench: CD

Winnipeg’s KEN mode new release is actually their fifth album, which marks a decade since the release of their first. This album could fool you into thinking that they were new with the urgent and relentless, and angry sounds emanating from them.

This is an aggressive album, and the bludgeoning weight of post-hardcore features heavily with the guitars saw-toothed and gouging in parts, and highly technical in others. The band really rip through this album as though they were a force of nature and are coming to devastate your town. You get song after song of pure energy and power that grabs you and the anger is so strong that you can feel it hitting you from the speakers.

After five albums, these guys show no sign of slowing down or becoming wimpy, instead it sounds as if they got their second wind and really are making their move into bigger and better areas.

https://www.facebook.com/kenmode  http://www.ken-mode.com/

http://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/entrench  https://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial

http://www.season-of-mist.com/