Neon Piss

For a really nice slice of gloomy punk, check out Portland quartet Neon Piss‘ two-song sampler taken from their upcoming self-titled debut 12″ EP release. A nice blend of classic punk rock, early New Wave and a dark feel similar to their fellow compatriots The Wipers, they manage to offer up some really nice hooks amid the desperation without sounding the least bit commercial or pretentious.

Perfectly executed, the band is tight and their songwriting skills hold a really high level making me pretty damn sure these guys are gonna make some big waves in the future. Vinyl versions will be released in the US (Deranged Records) and Europe (Cut The Cord That…) soon and right now you can download a total of six tracks for free so check them out!

Sample track: 

Bandcamp: http://neonpiss.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://neonpiss.blogspot.se/

The Jimmy C (update!)

Well, I already wrote about this Australian musician back in January (you can read about it here), and recently had the fortune of interviewing him for the upcoming issue of German music magazine  CRKO (where you’ll find this blog in a column format from now on), and not only is he a talented multi-instrumentalist but such a sweet, down-to-earth kinda guy I’m making an extra effort to promote him (arrogant rockstar wannabees take note!) With about 30 new songs written and recorded – you wanna talk ‘prolific’? – there’s a 5-track rough-mix sample available on his Bandcamp starting today.

Being a big fan of his previous album Glamour & Fame (if you’re looking for great-sounding 60s styled pop make sure you check it out) I was pleasantly surprised to see his songwriting and arranging skills having matured, and as a fellow musician it was great to see him move away from genre and instead focusing on songs – style be damned. In it’s rough format this is still a great collection of tracks and it’s obvious Jamie has found his voice. Now all we can do is sit back and just enjoy the fruits of his labor. The songs are free to download so what are you waiting for?

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://thejimmyc.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.thejimmyc.com/

The Ganaschz

More garage duo action is served up by Australian outfit The Ganaschz on their self-titled EP released in the summer of 2011. Primitive no-filler punk in the same vein as Red Aunts, the band has a great femme screecher delivering the vocals that really makes ’em stand out. Add a production that’s noisy without ever resorting to being lo-fi, punchy delivery and a general sense of fun bringing to mind early The Donnas and you got yourself a winner!

Four songs in total of noisy swamp blues-influenced garage punk with a nice quality recording made to be cranked up loud. On the final track they even manage to get a slight bit of AC/DC thing going! Three EP’s so far, check ’em out!

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://theganaschz.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.facebook.com/TheGanaschz

Donald Thompson

For a slice of great punk rock ‘n’ roll in the same vein as Electric Frankenstein, check out Donald Thompson‘s promotional material on Bandcamp! Unfortunately kinda light in the bio department – the only thing I could make out is he’s apparently living in Italy – his music is pretty basic rock and roll injected with a healthy dose of punk energy.

Two records was released in November 2011; the promotional EP Promo Tracks 2011, and (my fave) the song Bite My Ass. Cool, short burst of “action rock”, great production and really sweet artwork courtesy Coop himself. Three free downloads in total so check him out!

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://donaldthompson.bandcamp.com/
Website: N/A

The Protons

Well, there’s no beating around the bush on this one, Portland outfit The Protons serve up tons of cool modern garage rock/surf instrumentals in the same vein as Man or Astro Man?, and even got the odd band member aliases down. Still they manage to steer clear of being outright copy-cats and the songs they offer up are pretty damn good. Add some nice  production – minus the samples MoAM? always used – and you got yourself a pretty good collection of tunes!

Great, sci-fi themed instrumental music – with a definitive slant on robots – showing off some great musicianship and cool  song ideas. There’s  eleven tracks – no album! – available on their Bandcamp as of now, but I gotta say it’s pretty annoying having each song as a separate release instead of collecting ’em all in one place. Let’s hope there’s an album coming soon!

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://theprotons.bandcamp.com
Website: http://www.facebook.com/TheProtons

Fidlar

Well, drunk punk is nothing new, but every now and then it’s really fun to play loud – if nothing else to celebrate hedonism. Los Angeles outfit Fidlar offers up pretty classic sounding songs blending the hardcore of FEAR and Gang Green with 90’s trashy garage a’la The Mummies/The Spider Babies on their second offering – the 4-track EP DIYDUI.

Loud fun delivered with a healthy amount of speed and noisy production, nice sing-a-longs and pretty funny lyrics, the opening track Wake Bake Skate is a future classic that instantly grabbed me and had me humming along by the second listen. The debut song Chinese Weed is available as a free download and there’s a vinyl version of the EP for us record collector nerds available too. Make sure you check out their video as well!

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://fidlar.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.myspace.com/fidlar

Fear of Lipstick

Canadian quartet Fear of Lipstick serves up a take on Pop Punk that’s very refreshing on their latest album Seasons. Nice staccato guitars, singalong choruses and tons of hooks bringing to mind the classic ’77 sounds of Buzzcocks and a bit of Generation X – without ever trying to ape the bigger names of the 90’s Pop Punk explosion (a common problem in that scene I gotta say). Add a great production steering clear of the lo-fi camp and good vocal delivery and you got a nice little gem on your hands!

You get fourteen high-energy pop blasts on the album that’s available as a free download (yay!), and the vinyl version will be released later on this year by German label P Trash Records.

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://fearoflipstick.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.facebook.com/fearoflipstick

Twin Crystals

I gotta admit, I’m a big sucker for The Wipers and Vancouver trio The Twin Crystals manage to blend the melancholic sounds of that legendary Portland group with some nice New Wave and general arty noise. On their ten-song demo collection Child Life they offer up a nice blend of songs;  some pure garage/punk tracks with a slight Nirvana feel, and some occasional “artsy” oddities – all from their forthcoming second album.

This is just great. If you are or were a fan of Greg Sage‘s previous outfit you just gotta give these guys a listen! There’s tons of vinyl records available, and four digital releases on Bandcamp. Check ’em out!

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://twincrystals.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TWIN-CRYSTALS/95838036465

Burger Records Sampler

If you’re looking for a contemporary garage rock fix or maybe just curious about the label, US label Burger Records recently released their Burger Records Sampler on Bandcamp. Unfortunately not available as a download, you still get 35 tracks ranging from noisy lo-fi punk to sweet Beatles-esque pop sounds with artists and bands including everybody from Devon Williams and Ty Segall to Nobunny and Personal and The Pizzas.

Starting out as a record store in Fullerton California, the label is making waves in the underground community with a great stable of artists and releasing albums on cool formats like limited-edition cassettes. This release is bound to have something for every garage fan out there so check it out.

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://burgerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/burger-records-sampler
Website: http://www.burgerrecords.org/

The Cry

Well, if we ignore there’s a Swedish garage outfit with the same name that’s been active for 20+ years, Portland quartet The Cry is a fairly new band made up of pretty young guys delivering perfectly executed Power Pop. I gotta admit I was initially freaked out hearing these guys on account of their eerily similar sound to that other great Portland pop outfit The Exploding Hearts (especially considering their heartbreakingly tragic end in 2003), but these guys make it no secret they’re an influence and they manage to pull it off incredibly good!

Twelve tracks are served up on their self-titled debut album and it pretty much sounds like a greatest hits compilation from a veteran band with twenty years under the belt (and these guys are in their teens!). We’re talking massive song writing talent mixing up the classic sounds of 70’s Power Pop with nice 50’s harmonies, completely drenched in hooks – fodder for some heavy radio rotation, I kid you not. Keep a lookout in March when the vinyl version is released in Japan (on S-P Records) and Europe (by Taken By Surprise Records).

Sample track:

Bandcamp: http://thecry1.bandcamp.com/
Website: http://www.thecrypdx.com/