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!!!Get Certified!!!!
Certified PR Releases
Last Sons of Krypton
"Teenage Trash" LP
"Certified PR Records is doing us all an immense public service by releasing upon the world this twenty track raging slab of explosive garage punk hits. I had forgotten how great this band was, and I was lucky enough to see them up close and personal living in Wisconsin. The first time I booked them at the Concert Cafe in Green Bay, Wisconsin I immediately was convinced this band was on to something. Their music was a youthful (unpretentious), garage-y punk rock attack, like Angry Samoans and Black Flag mixed with early Devo. Last Sons of Krypton, a band of young teenagers growing up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a town that had a rich punk rock history that they tapped into, went about things their own way. Not really quite an attitude, but they didn't mind ruffling a few punk rock feathers (mine included) along the way. Listening to this record instantly flashes me back to an era of rock and roll that no longer exists, when we had rock animals roaming the world such as SuperCharger, Teengenerate, and of course last but not least, The Rip Offs. That's pretty rarified garage punk rock air to be associated with, but I honestly believe Last Sons of Krypton is definitely within spitting distance of hanging with that crew. The first six tracks are from their first demo cassette, highlights of those are "Meteorite," and "I Want Action." Track seven, "I Want" is from the out of print, various artist compilation Sawmill. Tracks 8 through 10 are previously unreleased. Track eleven is an alternate version from a previously released seven inch. Tracks twelve through seventeen are unreleased demos. Tracks eighteen through twenty are from The Smuts first demo tape, a band the Last Sons of Krypton had morphed to in '99. This record is an excellent way to discover a lost gem of Wisconsin's punk rock music history, and that's the bottom line because Time Bomb Tom said so." - Tom Smith (Anti-Lunatic Squad Productions)
Release Date: April 1, 2015
Rev. Norb & The Onions
"Sometimes you want your punk, and you want it served up stupid. Maybe stupid ain't the right word. You don't need it overly smart. Screw all the political hubbub and messages deep. Serve up a punk that's willing to just get drunk, shred some leads and allow you to throttle about, pogo-ing till those brainmeat start to dribble out of your ears like blue raspberry residue under a Slushy lid. Rock n' rollers and outta' controllers. The Onions deliver this sorta tough, dunderheaded fun that we all need from time to time. A remedy to help scrub away the the multitude of shitty news stories about drive by shootings, police brutality and over imaginative bath salt incidents. Pound away those troubles in a case of Old Milwaukee and plop this fucker on the Hi-Fi. After all has been said, you still need to know that The Onions aren't a dumb band. They kid around, true - but they are most definitely not a joke. Manitowoc, WI scene player Brad Daugs has been honing his beefy chops since he was just a tender lumpling in Last Sons Of Krypton, 300 B.C. After heavy digestion of KBD comps and all sorts of other things leather jacketed and full o' fury, Brad and Co. found kinship in another "sconie pep-punk weirdo, The Reverend Norb (Boris The Sprinkler). Stitched together, they wear a heap of influences on their sleeves, clotting up like green globs of snot. The Onions deliver bruised yet catchy riffs with thick chunks of 'tude and just the proper ratio of snark. There's the street tough pound of "Thoughtcrime" and tear away surf break in "Let's Get Ripped". There's the screwball organ grind of "Oddy Knocky" and the Dwarves-esque punch to "Bore Me". I'm pretty sure there are nods to The Pack, early Queers and even a smidge of the Mentally Ill hidden within these tracks as well - but you'll have to seek them out for yourself. When they wrap it all during "Where Zombies Chill" you better be wearing a plastic BBQ bib to catch all the excessive guitar splatter. They unleash a full frontal dual lead guitar attack - TWICE. If captured live in a setting, one could assume that this night of punk bliss would leave you scurrying to the ladies room, dodging bar stools like Pac Man ghosts trying to catch that lower lipped vomit trickle in a beer koozie. Rev. Norb & The Onions have taken your pain away. Scrubbed free of fear and frustrations - at least until the hangover tomorrow. With this record, the world is truly a better place. Bath salts be damned."
- Rob Fletcher - 1-2-3-4- Go! Records
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Ramma Lamma
"Ice Cream" LP
"Work sucks. The school I work at is having a real tough time. Seismologists told us that nearly half of the campus was built on a fault line. Now that portion of the school, which includes a dozen classrooms, is off-limits. On top of that, the after-school program's budget got slashed to practically nil. As a result, I've been heading home partially deflated, embittered. Today, I slump into my chair and see Ramma Lamma's Ice Creamon my desk. It beckons me with its garish, crude cover art, like an animation cell from The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat. I give it a spin and, god almighty, it's just what I need. I'm talking pure id power pop, mining the brains most impulsive (repulsive?) regions, and kick-starting serotonin production. These are the type of songs that just might make you blush: "Baby I'm a monster, come from outer space. If the girls don't like it they can sit on my face." Ramma Lamma is therapeutic. They extinguish my frustrations with whip cream. After a handful of songs, I'm completely decompressed. This is the type of record that reminds you that there's still stupid fun to be had in the world."
- Sean Arenas (Razorcake)
Rocketing forth from the neon-Blatz-sign jungle of Milwaukee with the power of a trillion Pinky Tuscaderos, RAMMA LAMMA adds several dozen gratuitous exclamation points to your summer with the release of their debut long-player, Ice Cream! Transporting you via guitar to a magical universe full of round lightbulbs where the boys wear stripes, the girls wear Creem Boy Howdy t-shirts, and pretty much nobody wears pants, RAMMA LAMMA turn it the fuck up and blitz through a ten-pack of fast-paced rock 'n' roll anthems that will jar awake the ACTION! centers in the reptilian forebrains of even the most droopy-lidded rock codgers! Drawing strength and impurity from a wide swath of Rock's Glorious Pantheon – 90's garage ruckus like the BOBBYTEENS meets 70's era Chapman/Chinn junkshop meets the REZILLOS and BUZZCOCKS and everybody gets drunk, stoned and laid ((in a half hour, yet!)) – RAMMA LAMMA haul you by the belt loops ((see, you shouldn'tve been wearing pants!)) into a jellybean-colored world of fine-lookin' women eating ice cream, fine-lookin' boys performing unmentionable acts of depravity at a high skill level, wet denim, wet denim, w-w-w-w-w-wet denim, and -- not at all surprisingly -- rock 'n' roll. It's a land where the NERVOUS EATERS teach grade school! A land where GIRLSCHOOL are the police force! A land of perpetual horniness where GRAND FUNK and the GUESS WHO once settled their differences with a Bat-Fight! Party poopers are thrown swiftly and unceremoniously from RAMMA LAMMA's speeding Durango 95 of rock 'n' roll; the worthy are in for the ride of their lives. Ice Cream: One of the few works of human genius that actually leaves the listener about twenty IQ points dumber for having experienced it! Lick it before it licks you back!"
- Rev. Norb Rozek
"I've been sitting around my shitty apartment for weeks with no new local music to listen to. Sure, there's been records coming out like the new Bright Kind album or the Jay Joslyn record. But I'm talking about GOOD new Milwaukee music. Not lackluster pop pandering. Thank God for Ramma Lamma. I was just moments away from googling "how to tie a noose." This Glam-punk four piece have been around for a few years, led by husband and wife duo Ryan King and Wendy Norton. Since their inception, they've been pretty strict about their output consisting solely of the single/EP format, based on an interview I read from 2011. But, they've FINALLY put out a full-length album that DEFINITELY lives up to the strength of their previous singles. Without a doubt, Bonnie's a fan. It's loud, fast, sexy and stupid...it's rock n' roll, son. With songs like "Sit on my Face," "Wet Denim" and "Hot Stuff" this Milwaukee trio keeps the groin throbbing and the sweat pouring. It's sure to make you juicy. From the pornographic Atari game album cover right down to the liner notes, "RAMMA LAMMA turn it the fuck up and blitz through a ten-pack of fast-paced rock 'n' roll anthems that will jar awake the ACTION!" Ice Cream is a winner. Listen to it. Don't waste anymore time. It'll definitely tide you over until that Platinum Boys album finally drops. Man, now I'm feelin' ice cream so hard..."
- Bonnie No How (No How Music Blogspot)
Release Date: July 3, 2014
Brimstome Howl
"Magic Hour" LP
"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for DC Comics zombie super villain Solomon Grundy to tap into his ((surely)) ample record collection for the sonic manna that will aid him in making it through another rough day of shambling, trudging, and smashing the shit out of Green Lantern, I'm pretty sure the first record he slaps on his Slaughter Swamp turntable is BRIMSTONE HOWL's Magic Hour. Recorded in 2009 with percussion/production/Facebook Scrabble legend Jim Diamond at the helm, Magic Hour is the sound of a thermonuclear cadre of doomed Nebraskans trying to fry humanity with one last blast of Soul Radiation In The Dead Of Night before they end it all by throwing themselves bodily into the swamp, only to find that all the good Kryptonite is in Kansas and the closest thing to a swamp they have is Council Bluffs, Iowa. Every song on Magic Hour is a tense, desperate, full-blast marvel ((oops, wrong comic book company)); like the REIGNING SOUND's hulking ((oops, wrong company again)) younger brother, like "Born To Run" for zombie supervillains, like the EXPLODING HEARTS dragged behind a pickup truck through four hundred miles of cornfields and Cenex station parking lots. Every song – whether it involve feral cats or copping feels on Ferris wheels – comes with the built-in supposition that the main character will die by the end of the song; even when it's not explicitly stated that this is the case ((it never actually is)), it's almost impossible to imagine that each song's character doesn't die, off-screen, a minute or two after the song's conclusion. COP THOSE FEELS QUICKLY, KID; THE APOCALYPSE IS GONNA BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. Magic Hour is an album so desperate and vital that the liner notes are printed on the front cover as a customer service, lest slavering, duck-billed mutants rend the potential buyer asunder before they have the chance to glance at the back cover. To be clear, Magic Hour will not save your life. It will, however, allow you to live out your remaining time on this earth with a modicum of dignity.
NONE CAN ASK FAIRER THAN THAT!" - Rev. Norb Rozek
"It's no coincidence the liner notes on the front cover end with the stage direction 'exeunt': this is a posthumous release, Brimstone Howl - a truly great band from Omaha/Nebraska – is no longer among us. 'Why did they not get more attention on MyFace,' the author asks. The answer: this world is a bad & unjust place. But hey, that's what makes 'Magic Hour' even more important . A lot of the songs here are missing some of the compact power & punch the tracks on their Dan Auerbach produced debut 'Guts of Steel' had. But during the recording sessions in Detroit, Jim Diamond gave the band something else instead: a more radio friendly sound - we're talking about the kind of radio format you'll only ever hear in a good & just world."
- German ROLLING STONE
"This here is some more kinda noisy, garage-y stuff from this fairly long running Nebraska band. Not as noisy as Lost Sounds or the Hunches and with a tuneful element that makes them stand out, Brimstone Howl really seem to have a lock on what they are doing. Anyone who picks up the majority of In The Red Records releases will probably love this band and this record."
- Mike Frame (Razorcake)
Release Date: December 18, 2013
Bruiser Queen
"In Your Room" b/w "Ms. Everything" 7"
"Bursting forth from St. Louis with the force of a thousand toasted ravioli, BRUISER QUEEN blends 21st Century garage-punk stomp with 60's girl-group shimmy to create a sound raw enough to blow your speakers, yet sophisticated enough to blow your mind. "In Your Room," the A-side of their latest whiz-bang offering on Certified PR Records, melds kitschy, SHANNON & THE CLAMS-like sixties-isms with the earnest, straight-ahead she-rock of modern troopers like THE ETTES, delivering a determined rocker that manages to be hammering without coming off as unskilled, and clever without appearing overly cute.
The flip side, "Ms. Everything," is a bittersweet and even catchier excursion down the same path, with Morgan Nusbaum's dynamite vocals acting as some manner of magnetic attention beacon over the top of Jason Potter's waves of miscellaneous crunchings -- the type of song that one'd imagine could be a big mainstream hit if it ever fell into the hands of blander practitioners ((at least in a happy, imaginary world where the earning of big mainstream hits is at least rudimentarily merit-based)). Bruisers and queens alike will dig the six-and-a-quarter minutes of genius contained herein, as BRUISER QUEEN manage to strike the perfect balance between "bruiser" and "queen" whilst never once sounding sonically reminiscent of Dick Afflis putting a hammerlock on Freddy Mercury!"
- Rev. Norb Rozek
"Credit the sheen of dingy reverb, the reedy combo organ squeaking in the background or the genre-appropriate seven-inch vinyl format, but garage-rock duo Bruiser Queen sounds righteously ragged on this single. It's not that last year's Swears full-length sounds clean or polished; it's more that the band embraced a flubs-and-all looseness on these recordings that favors economy and grit. Morgan Nusbaum's guitar is rangy and reverberant throughout, giving her vocals more to push against. That means her voice — which has shown remarkable range and control on her solo project — simply pile-drives through these songs. For "In Your Room," double-tracked vocals allow Nusbaum to go primal on the lead vocals and coo along in the background as her own girl-group choir... ... The seven-inch comes with a download card for the two vinyl cuts as well as three more songs, making this a pretty nice hybrid vinyl/digital EP. "Hooked on Sympathy" has a bit more spunk in its portrayal of a punk-rock, Pixies-showgoing cad. The coo-coo-ed opening of "Alien" sets up the program's most musically robust piece, especially for a band content to bash it out with three chords. The chord progression is both sinister and entrancing, and the organ notes add an eerie counterpoint. The more open structure gives drummer Jason Potter a chance to cut loose throughout — he's a great engine driver, but the fills here help the track bloom. The bonus tracks end with "Black Coats White Fear," originally by Memphis band Lost Sounds (which featured a young Jay Reatard and River City Tanlines' Alicja Trout). Potter and Nusbaum share lead (shouted) vocals here, closing out the set with requisite bark and furor."
- Christian Schaeffer (Riverfront Times)
"There's a uniqueness to the female vocals of this male-backed power pop band. They're kind of crazy and wavering but melodic and pretty at the same time.
It has a nice nineties indie pop feel to it, bringing to mind The Muffs and The Breeders. Not bad."
- Craven Rock (Razorcake)
"Garage pop rock n roll duo Bruiser Queen hail from St. Louis, MO and feature the powerful Corin Tucker-like vocals of singer/guitarist Morgan Nusbaum and the dance-rattle drumming of Jason Potter. The Midwest tour-hounds' Certified PR Records "In Your Room" single was a winner on the 2013 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Singles chart. Bruiser Queen is a dare that went too far. Bursting forth from St. Louis with the force of a thousand toasted ravioli, Bruiser Queen blends 21st Century garage punk stomp with 60's girl group shimmy to create a sound raw enough to blow your speakers, yet sophisticated enough to blow your mind. Striking the perfect balance between Bruiser and Queen, this duo formed in 2010 and features Morgan Nusbaum on guitar and vocals and Jason Potter on drums. With every lyrical twist and turn, Morgan's voice launches a marriage of Corin Tucker and Kristin Hersh, howling her way through songs with assertiveness and control. Having played bass through her formative years, Morgan plays through a guitar and bass amp to create their characteristic wall of sound. Morgan's dynamic vocals and unique guitar style are paired with Jason's signature dance rattle drumming. His garage stomp crunchings coupled with their irreverent stage banter provide an end result similar in feel to The Muffs, Shannon and the Clams, and The Ettes. After a pair of self-released EP's, Bruiser Queen made its proper debut in the Spring of 2012 with Swears; a ten song album full of sing-along, shoulder shimmying tracks. To accompany the album's release, the duo kicked out a video for "I'm Yours" showcasing their quirky sensibilities alongside their song crafting prowess. Later in 2012, the pair embarked on Memphis's 5 and Dime Studios to record a 2 song 7" EP and 5 song CD/EP. Released on St. Petersburg, Florida's Certified PR records, the "In Your Room" b/w "Ms Everything" EP joins a rich release history from the label that features the likes of Sugar Stems, Alicja Trout, Brimstone Howl and The Hussy. The accompanying video for "In Your Room" once again features both their eclectic personalities and ability to move an entire room to dance. These releases have garnered Bruiser Queen notoriety both locally and nationally. The strength of Swears landed the duo on 88.1 KDHX Top Album Spins of 2012 Chart at #36, earned singer/guitarist Morgan Nusbaum the title of "Best Vocalist" by the River Front Times, and the band also graced its cover in December 2013 as one of "St. Louis's Ten Bands That Should Be Famous Now". Additionally, Bruiser Queen has enjoyed reviews from Razorcake and Maximum Rock and Roll. Their regional success has secured them spots opening for national touring bands like Best Coast, Corin Tucker Band, Screaming Females, Those Darlins, Pujol, Living Things and Mr. Gnome. Since the band's inception, Morgan and Jason have amassed an insatiable appetite for the road. Making their way through 10 states in 2013 alone, Bruiser Queen looks forward to an East Coast tour in 2014 in support of their soon to be released self titled album. The duo will again visit Memphis to record a full length album due out in the Spring of 2014. Fans can expect their signature melodies and sharp execution, while hearing new material that expands on the band's earlier primitive leanings, resulting in a sound that's emotionally raw and musically textured yet unexpectedly refined."
- Online, taken from the Abbey Pub (Chicago) website
RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2013
The Hussy
"Turn It Three" b/w "Firelung" 7"
"Madison's stonedest genius, Bobby Hussy, returns with partner-in-crime Heather to continue refutation of the projected demise of that whole two-piece band thang! It's not dead yet! It's getting better! Utilizing a standard guitar/mouths/drums setup, but making use of enough cunning tambourinery to flummox the listener into suspecting the band is secretly augmented with Betty Cooper of the ARCHIES, "Turn It Three" sounds like what "We Are Gonna Be Friends" by the WHITE STRIPES might have sounded like if it were written by BBQ with his dick out and NOBUNNY standing on his head pouring Old Style down his throat. The lyrics deal with either the mathematics of the human condition or the grade school space-time continuum ((or possibly something even weirder and dirtier)), which clearly underscores the must-have-ness of this life-affirming slab o' wax. Meanwhile, the potboiling "Firelung" sounds as if someone cross-bred the first DONNAS 7-inch with an UNDERTONES B-side for the express purpose of creating songwriting demos for the first RED CROSS ep. Which is, now that my lighter works and i can think clearly once again, exactly what happened."
- Rev. Norb Rozek (Razorcake)
"Two garage-pop surf-influenced songs. Like they found a middle ground between The Barbaras and Ty Segall and set up shop. I appreciate the brevity of the songs, and that's not a backhanded compliment. They don't waste time and the song structuring isn't self indulgent. They hit you with what they got, then they're out. It's formulaic but it's kind catchy."
- Paul Lucich (Maximum Rocknroll)
"Huh. Two-piece from Madison, Wisconsin that gives us a pair of quick, frenetic, somewhat punkish-sounding songs with heavy nods to '60s pop. I doubt the totality of this record pushes the three-minute mark, and the energy level seems kinda thin. Reminds me of stuff like The Cynics and other bands on Get Hip way back when, but ultimately falls pretty flat in regards to making much of an impact."
- Keith Rosson (Razorcake)
"Honestly I can't remember going to a better live show than the few I've attended from The Hussy. Bobby and Heather, from Madison, WI are also the nicest damn people I've had the chance to talk to a hundred years ago and have watched them go from split singles to massive colored vinyl full lengths on Southpaw and Tic Tac Totally Records. I'll admit it, I'm completely biased and going to love the hell out of this one before it even hits the turntable. A-Side's "Turn it Three" has the duo taking it down to a see saw teetering rhythm. Who knows how they keep coming up with these caveman stomp beats that can stay this fresh. There's no formula to their impressive output; as much as they are consistently driving towards this garage punchy brief track, I couldn't see them pulling a fast one and getting the London philharmonic for their next record. The punky trash sound has been there from the beginning and the story of this band is as much about plowing through every possible permutation of guitar and drums as it is about how these two remain friends for this amount of time through the incessant touring and the crazy highs and lows that come with the intensity of being that close with these huge stakes. Not only have they managed to come up with these catchy power punk tunes for years but they show no signs of letting up anytime soon. I predict every label you know and love will someday put out a Hussy release. Bobby and Heather make friends wherever they go and don't seem to ever have a drought of material. This one is a sing song number with Bobby's patented snarl that seems to end in a question. They really compliment each other in sass and like any good duo, attempting to overwhelm the audience (like the one in question on the back of this sleeve) before the smell blood. These two will blow you jaded bastards away. The B-Side "Firelung" reminds me of Adam Widener's punk pop stuff just dripping with reverb, they can stretch those jangly electric sounds into heights of hiss. This one has Heather being the snotty protagonist like all of the ladies of Midnight Snaxxx at once, in leather jackets and switchblades, a nightmare coven from the Outsiders. Plenty of backup harmonies that remind me of why these two have to sing together, they can go full Hunx at points caramelizing sweet layers of sugar just before barfing in your mouth. So quick and you won't find either of these on anything else. Pick it up on dark purpley vinyl from Certified PR Records, recorded and mixed by Bobby himself. Just yesterday in fact I got a single from Fire Reatarded, also out of Madsion and lo and behold it was also recorded and mixed by Bobby Hussy - a real triple threat."
- Jason (7 Inches Blogspot)
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2013
Holly And The Nice Lions
"Nom de Plume" b/w "No Future"
Just as many now reasonably well-adjusted high school misfits agonize over how few wrong turns their lives would have needed to have taken over the years in order to have sent them skidding down the vocational path of a psycho school shooter, one can't help but lose sleep imagining a nightmarish alternate existence where, by virtue of a handful of unfortunate events, Holly Trasti wound up as a cute and forgettable singer-songwriter type instead of her current role as Queen of the Green Bay Scene. Dodging that particular bullet like nobody's business, the NICE LIONS lunge out of the starting gate like the three happiest dogs in a rock'n'roll greyhound race, with the aforementioned Ms. Trasti's geek-girl brilliance and hot nerd guitar nipping at the mechanical rabbit's heels at the paddock turn. On "Nom de Plume" – an upbeat ditty that would have sounded not unwelcome on the first PRETENDERS album -- Holly's insouciant voice flickers from semi-sultry grade-school-girl-playing-dress-up soul to chirpy balloon squeakiness and back again, whilst the rhythm section of Nick Marcantonio and Preston Ely dapperly hammers away like Foxton and Buckler circa the fourth or fifth JAM album. The flip side, "No Future," is a jangling three-chord pounder that has me dancing the same fresh moves i like to lay down during "The Clap-Pat Song" by SHIRLEY ELLIS, but minus all the clapping and patting. And, for this, society should be most grateful."
- Rev. Norb Rozek (Razorcake)
"The jangly style combined with the sort of affected vocals makes me think of the Pretenders, but the band doesn't sound like the Pretenders. I can't figure out whether or not I like this and every time I look at the record, I keep seeing Holly and the Italians. These guys are starting to bug me. Anyway, like I said, it's sort of jangly and mid-tempo, and it's definitely catchy. Honestly, she's got kind of a pretty voice, but I feel like she's trying too hard and the vocals are mixed way too high on the recording."
- Kenny Kaos (Maximum Rocknroll)
"Fun, light-hearted songs that sound like they could accompany a children's book. Think neo-garage revival along the lines of a less stylized Love Me Nots or a less sex-dripping Detroit Cobras, sort of like the vocal accompaniment to Where the Wild Things Are. Straight out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Songs for families. They're not called "Holly…And The Motherfucking Lions" for a reason."
- Adrian Chi (Razorcake)
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2013
Various Artists
"Certified PR Records Fest Sampler" CD-R
RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2013
Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones
"Bearing On The Moor" b/w "Pant And Heave" 7"
"The pride and joy of Algoma, Wisconsin, Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones provide the soundtrack for those who feel that it's their destiny to bury at least one body in a swamp someday, except the only thing resembling a swamp in their neighborhood is a beach full of twigs and dead alewives, crushing their spirit utterly. It's the music that asks – then answers – the eternal question of "what if the Dirtbombs were ten years younger, and hailed from some remote fishing town in Northeastern Wisconsin rife with unbridled Caucasian-ness?" It's music for people who want to slip in and out of the shadows with drizzle building on their glasses on a foggy night, with their heads in some unmentionable vortex of substance abuse and depravity, except they've got two drummers and therefore make too much fucking noise to sneak up on anybody, so they might as well just let everyone know what they're thinking right up front. Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones produce too violent a racket to be the Dream Syndicate, run too tight a ship to be Flipper, and are from way too far up north to be the Gun Club. Their dense-packed sonic soup is the kind of music that keeps parking lots dangerous and substance abuse interesting.
How's your parking lot looking?"
- Rev. Norb Rozek
"Shambolic garage scat, like fuzz pedal white jazz played by people who listened to too much Fall and Pere Ubu (or just the right amount). The music is enhanced/obscured by noise and static that feels like a Midwestern dive bar where the ashtrays are stuck to the tables with the grime of layers of old beer. I Like."
- Allan McNaughton (Maximum Rocknroll)
50 MIXED COLORED VINYL with LIMITED EDITION 1" BUTTON
RELEASE DATE: October 31, 2012
Midwest Beat
"Apology Accepted" b/w "Appaloosa" 7"
"Sweethearts of the Milwaukee Rodeo, The Midwest Beat rides again with two more saddlebags full of smashy twang-pop, "Apology Accepted" b/w "Appaloosa." Sidestepping the perils inherent in being a gaggle of Upper Midwestern plaid-shirt-wearers with an ear cocked towards the Americana side of the spectrum ((i.e., sidestepping BoDean-esque limpness at all costs)), the Midwest Beat manage to fuse the disparate elements of punk, twang, power pop and Bakersfield-esque country-rock into a cohesive attack that evokes the spirit of smart Brit chaps like Graham Parker as often as it does Graham Nash or Gram Parsons. "Apology Accepted" is a Loud Pop classic and wouldn'tve sounded out of place on a Bomp! Records 45 from three decades ago ((or, for that matter, a Trashmen Play Hollies album from a late 60's musical hallucination come to life)); "Appaloosa" gallops more to the country end of things and has lyrics about women and a mountainside and that sorta thing. Save yourself the apology; buy the damn thing."
- Rev. Norb Rozek
"Listening to the Midwest Beat is a bit like riding with the Joad family: The band is crowded with personalities and conflicting tendencies, and it's liable to shed members -- most recently bassist Logan Kayne, who's carried on nicely with the New Villains. And sometimes this Madison garage-pop group deliberately risks piling too much into its vehicle of choice: a fevered beat, twangy guitars and teetering layers of vocal harmonies. On its albums At the Gates and Gone Not Lost, the Beat's songwriting instincts keep the potential excess in check, to giddy effect. The new single "Apology Accepted" is the first time I've heard the band truly embrace their messy side. The track begins with a congenial guitar figure that wouldn't be out of place on a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, but soon it concludes in a splatter of angry guitars, smashed cymbals and a high-pitched sound that's either feedback or mindless whistling. Usually, the Beat's potential for chaos is contained within the song. For an example, listen to "Color Radio" from At the Gates, which speeds ahead coherently in spite of its madly chattering vocal harmonies and spinning-speaker organ. On "Apology Accepted," the band brings a bit of that chaos and leaves restraint behind, if only for a minute. Before that surprising conclusion, though, "Apology Accepted" shows off singer-guitarist Matt Joyce's knack for writing sweet-sounding tunes about unhappy moments. Amid the song's bouncy drums and thick vocal harmonies, he's dealing with a real hard case: "I can't tell you what you should do/It's not my job to get through to you," he sings. Since the recipient of this qualified fuck-you will never hear let him "hear [himself] say 'apology accepted,'" perhaps he's entitled to finish the song with a noisy freak-out. Though the Beat has plenty of bittersweet songs, I've never thought of their music as cathartic. "Apology Accepted" offers something like catharsis, especially as Joyce's guitar solo leads it from the final chorus into its noisy end. Released on a 7-inch single from Certified PR Records. This Florida label has reached into Wisconsin before to release a 7-inch from Milwaukee's great Sugar Stems. I'm still not sure how I feel about the single's other side, "Appaloosa," written by guitarist Kyle Denton, who joined the band after former member Ryan Adams left to spend more time with Milwaukee's Goodnight Loving and Jaill. Denton's lead vocals are dramatic and gravelly in a way that throws the band's sound off balance. As I implied above, the Midwest Beat explores many different kinds of sounds, including the jangly country leanings of Denton's material.
But a little tenderness would make this song a much better fit for their repertoire."
- Scott Gordon (The Daily Page)
"The Florida based Certified PR Records is no stranger to the sounds of Wisconsin. They've released 7″s by a slew of Wisconsin and Kind Turkey Approved bands such as Sugar Stems, The Onions, and Ramma Lamma. This time they've selected one of our favorites, The Midwest Beat, and released a brand new 7″ entitled "Apology Accepted". It's a garagey stomper that brings together the raw energy and feeling of CCR and the Beatles pop charm. Incredibly catchy."
- Bobby Hussy (Kind Turkey)
RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2012
Sugar Stems
"Greatest Pretender" b/w "Like I Do" 7"
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2012
Sugar Stems
"Like I Do" b/w "Never Been In Love" 7"
"Scattering your record collection's other 45s like a well-hooked bowling ball made of pure pop careening down a lane oiled with pure harmony, the SUGAR STEMS return ((after a what, two month absence?)) with "Like I Do" b/w "Never Been In Love," their most finely crafted effort to date! On the A-side, the sharp power chords that kick off "Like I Do" add another data point to the curve already plotted through the graph points containing "Can't Explain" by the WHO, "The Hard Way" by the KINKS, "Capital Radio" by the CLASH and "What's With Terry?" by the UNDERTONES, extrapolating and extending said power chord trajectory from rock'n'roll's checkered past into the screaming magenta NOW in which the Stems operate. Setting the SUGAR STEMS apart from miscellaneous brigades of the past who've come up with nothing of lasting merit whilst attempting to play the same four chords as the KINKS/WHO/CLASH/UNDERTONES is hooky and impeccable songwriting, plus ((at the risk of grave understatement)) singer Betsy's dynamite 80's pop voice – which sounds as if someone had boiled off all the overproduced 80's dross from a Belinda Carlisle record, leaving only the voice intact, then boldly putting said voice in front of a band that was actually, you know, GOOD. Lyrics about waking up by the ocean and blackbirds flying in slow motion while the rest of the band is doing some kind of weird Quadrophrenia mod dance on your face insures YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHAT HIT YOU, even though I just told you what was about to hit you. Take better notes next time! On the flip side, the band kicks the hell out of an old Dave Edmunds/Rockpile number, with guitar ace Drew tagging in for lead vocal duties, and Betsy taking the harmonies. The resultant twangy concoction is reminiscent of what the Everly Brothers would have sounded like if Don Everly was a girl, and therefore Phil's high part became the new low part, and girl-Don sang a new high part above Phil's new low part, which is now the new high part, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR THIS, hear it for yourself. All the SUGAR STEMS are offering you is, you know, the truth. And, uh, candy. A COMPLETE ROCK EDUCATION IN FIVE MINUTES AND TWENTY-TWO SECONDS! None can ask fairer than that."
- Rev. Norb Rozek (Razorcake)
"It's only been a month since Wisconsin power-pop sensations the Sugar Stems released a 7" on Certified PR, but they're set to release another one by the end of April. If you're unfamiliar with the band, they crank out bubblegummy 90s punk-pop that wouldn't sound out of place on the Clueless soundtrack, featuring members of other Wisconsin bands like The Flips and Jetty Boys.
Here's the B-side
to that upcoming release, a cover of the vintage Dave Edmunds' track "Never Been In Love," penned by his Rockpile band mate Nick Lowe. As an extra added bonus,
check out the video of "If You Want Me To",
from their debut LP The Sweet Sounds Of The Sugar Stems (
Dusty Medical
, 2010). Yep, they're playing inside of a giant mouth."
- Zach Braun (Get Bent)
Each side of this record presents rudimentary pop songs played and recorded with total clarity, at a tempo that's just quick enough to make it reviewable in this publication. The clarity in their tones and fidelity is essential to bring out the pleasant, melodious vocals that are obviously intended as the focal point of the band. The vocalists can sing very well, contorting their lines into miniature vocal aerobic exercises with a very slight southern twang. The issue with this record is that every pleasant hook sounds annoyingly like something you've heard countless times before, all without - character (in italics) - to substantiate them. There is no character; in the recording, their tones, their performance or in the very competent singing."
- Sam Lefebvre (Maximum Rock N Roll)
"A week later the same label released "Like to Do" another issue round squared sounds and rhythms and vocals backed by guitar games without too many pretensions, one of these future power pop gems that everyone will want to have in your collection. While on the face b grasp the "Never Been In Love" by Nick Lowe when he was part of the eternal Rockpile, running in a more than worthy recovering the fun you could feel when, now and forever, you click the eternal record of the Britons."
- Oscarkotj (Kick Out The Jams blogsite)
100 PINK VINYL (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2012
Sugar Stems
"Greatest Pretender" b/w "Did You Ever" 7"
"I've given up profanity for Lent, so I'll just say holy fudge triple cream cupcakes! The new Sugar Stems single is so mega-crazy super-duper good! Good gravy, this is the stuff! Kids, do you like the POP? The Sugar Stems have got something special for you! Betsy, Drew, and the gang are set to start work on a new album, but in the meantime a brand new single on Certified PR Records drops next week. A-side cut "Greatest Pretender" is another bright, upbeat sugar-bomb from a band that specializes in exactly that. Very Shivvers-esque! I just played it seven times in a row, and I am still craving a repeat. The reason to release singles is because you can write songs this good! Perfection. On the flip, "Did You Ever" is a bouncy, feel-good number that rocks just a little too hard to be called "twee". Love it! The band that made Milwaukee famous is at it again. You can still download their incredibly awesome LP at their
bandcamp site
, and by all means check out www.certifiedprrecords.com for the skinny on how to score yourself ten copies or more of "Greatest Pretender"!"
- Faster And Louder Blog
"Drawing inspiration from many but owing allegiance to none, the SUGAR STEMS' latest single, "Greatest Pretender" b/w "Did You Ever," reinforces their position as Earth's most credible co-ed viscounts of jet-propelled pure pop ((in the unlikely event that you felt said status was in need of reinforcement today)). Blazing out of the starting gate with a relentlessness generally reserved for artists of sterner countenance, the key to the sugar that stems from the quartet is classic pop songwriting and an engaging, polished front end. Band fulcrum Betsy possesses a timeless AM pop voice that resonates not only with traditionalist 60's kitsch, but could also go toe-to-toe with 80's MTV she-rockers like Cyndi Lauper or someone ((if, uh, that was what they were into)) ((which, I assure you, they're not)) ((are they?)). On the guitar front, fretmeister Drew's technique veers from understatedly insistent to slickly proficient, making sure that no listener gets cuffed in the ear until they actually need it. On the back end, the band is retracted from any conceivable vestige of potential overslickness by the spring-wound pummeling of drummer Jon, whose approach to his craft is an acceptable-enough simulation of the repeated destruction of a misbehaving trash can lid to ensure the band remain attractive and tasty to those whose ears are more cocked to the underground than not. Rounding out the foursome is the capable bass playing of Steph, whose candy apple red Fender Mustang always looks so nice on stage that I actually always forget to listen to it while I'm ogling it. "Greatest Pretender" is classic SUGAR STEMS – clever lyrics, smart melodies, guy/girl vocal harmonies that don't sound like Exene and John Doe, a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it tempo, and, of course, the unrelenting drive that comes from beating the hell out of a bunch of trash cans to keep everybody honest. The flipside, "Did You Ever," is a full-steam-ahead cover of an old HULLABALLOOS number ((the HULLABALLOOS being above average BEATLES clones who realized, with a certain degree of correctness, that it might be a wiser idea to just swipe the Fab Four's haircuts and rip them off by ripping off BUDDY HOLLY instead)) ((they also dyed their hair blonde, which, presumably, lowered their IQ just enough to dent the US market in 1965)) which fits perfectly into the band's groove/oeuvre/bag. Make no mistake about it: Although two new songs from the SUGAR STEMS aren't enough to ruin anyone's dinner quite yet, when this band tells you they're the Greatest Pretender, you'd better believe they're the real thing."
- Rev. Norb Rozek
"A brand new slab by Milwaukee's premier female-fronted power pop combo, out on the Certified PR Label (A Florida based label that has a huge love affair with the lovely state of Wisconsin and the many talented and great musicians living in it!). Sugar Stems features members of countless great Milwaukee bands from the past decade. Seasoned pros at this point. And "Greatest Pretender" is by far my favorite Sugar Stems single to date. Probably my favorite Betsy song ever! Even beats out the insanely catchy "Beat Beat Beat" single that Bachelor put out a little while back. Like their previous output it's still the same sound: upbeat power-pop with slight country and punk inflections...usually fronted by the powerful voice of Betsy with backups by Drew. On their debut LP for Dusty Medical the band proved they had their countrified midwestern power pop sound down to a science. This band is completely comfortable in the way they sound, and they definitely work that fact. Why fix/change/fuck with what's not broken, right? To be bluntly honest...this is the best I've heard Betsy belt it out. I like the quickness in the lyrical delivery. I like the melody and it's a beast all it's own that fills out the verse riff extremely well. This is a really tight pop package that leans on a lot of bands you already know and love...so there's no reason you won't love this!"
- Bobby Hussy (Kind Turkey)
"Some super catchy, sweet ass pop from Milwaukee's Sugar Stems that I came across while doing my regular read of Kind Turkey's blog. The band recently released a 7" for 'Greatest Pretender' (
) on Certified PR Records while they work on their second LP. It's hard to not let this tune just sweep you up and get totally taken in by its perfectly crafted pop goodness. They take the ideal recipe for an indie pop song and don't bother messing with it one bit. It's some highly recommended listening if you enjoy being happy. 'I Don't Want To Be Around You' is off their 2010 debut LP, Sweet Sounds of the..., which you can pick up over at
their Bandcamp
- Chromewaves Radio
"GET BENT staffer Joey Genovese recently reviewed the new Wrong Words 7" and made a great point: power pop bands and fans don't get any respect. Ain't that the truth?! Sunny outlooks, big hooks and fun just aren't cool, and clean, boldly melodic music will never be taken seriously. Remember the Muffs lighting up "Kids in America" on the Clueless soundtrack, or Letters to Cleo on the rooftop at the end of 10 Things I Hate About You? Remember how GOOD it made you feel? The Sugar Stems are all about capturing that feeling on this single, the first release from the Milwaukee-based band since their 2010 debut LP on Dusty Medical, The Sweet Sounds of the Sugar Stems. "Greatest Pretender" is basically a punk rock song, stripped of all the sneering, fuzz, and gunk, driven by firecracker guitar leads and the slight Midwestern twang of vocalist Betsy. Total students of the power pop genre, on the B-side "Did You Ever" they borrow equally from 50s rock 'n' roll, new wave skinny-tie nerdery, and the glossy, dayglo 90s stuff. The slightly snarky, lovelorn lyrics add a bit of edge to temper the sweetness throughout, like a piece of bubblegum with a sour center. The Sugar Stems are just like every great power pop band: endearingly dorky, smart, and probably having a lot more fun than the cool kids.
The first press of Greatest Pretender is sold out from Certified PR (a second is in the works), but it's still available from distros like Midheaven. Pre-orders are up for a follow-up due in late May."
- Zach Braun (Get Bent)
"Ha, this 45 comes with a blue "Drink Mix Card", depicting a cocktail glass with the words Drink, Ingredients, Stir, Serve, beneath which is all the info on the band and release. Subsequently, what comes from the speakers when the needle hits the wax is spot on what I thought it would be: carefree, catchy pop that aims to tease and please. It brings to mind some '60s girl group moments, like the SHANGRI-LAS or the RONETTES, but with a very modern (too modern?) feel to it. "I am whatever you want me to be, I am the greatest pretender." The B-side "Did You Ever" continues in the same bubblegum pop fashion, with teenage lyrics, sprung from teen worries, sung over teen melodies. I think Tim Yo (the creator of this zine 30 years ago) just might be rolling in his grave as we review this, but if you like middle-of-the-road pop, this might be your thing. As for me, I'm wondering what this band would sound like if they were all broken-hearted and drunk..."
- Lydia Phelps (Maximum Rock N Roll)
"It's been two years since this band we are glad life with this LP "Sweet Sounds of ..." and finally, after over a year without news of this quartet are released and delivered two singles so far in 2012 to Certified PR Florida seal, which is welcome, while allowing your mind to reach questions direct question ... do not you be preparing a new album?, but either way the case is that the band is in the form and four vitamin-pop pildorazos not disappoint. "Greatest Pretender" have been published in the 80's would be good part of compilations of pop, so does "Did you ever", pop in abundance with carat melodies full of freshness that have made this album to be reissued with different cover disappear after the first printing of 600 copies."
- Oscarkotj (Kick Out The Jams blogsite)
100 BLUE VINYL (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2012
The Onions
"Alien Astronaut" b/w "Till The End Of The Night" 7"
"Another Wisconsin band has a new Certified PR releases out: THE ONIONS, a Manitowoc four-piece led by longtime garage punk scenester Brad X, late of Last Sons Of Krypton, The Tantrums and other bands. It's no surprise that the pair of songs on the single are straight up rock 'n roll, growled by the rough shout of Mr. X. As a bonus, some copies of the single come with a CD-R bearing another 20 tracks, serving as a sort of a representation of the group's live show.
The disc is about half originals, half covers by groups such as 999, Flamin' Groovies, The Boys and others."
- Bob Koch (The Daily Page)
"…I like head onion/onion head Brad X ((you might remember him from such movies as Last Sons of Krypton and The Smuts)). He's kind of an abrasive fuck, but he lives his life solely for purposes of getting wasted and creating rock 'n' roll, and that is a noble state of being, as far as i can tell. "Alien Astronaut" sounds like Crime doing a post-first-two-albums UK Subs cover; "Till the End of the Night" is a smashy cock-rock number about how Brad likes to drink beer, smoke weed, and drink shots. Nice sleeve. I think I'll wear it on Halloween and scare the neighbor kids.
BEST SONG: "Alien Astronaut"
BEST SONG TITLE: "Alien Astronaut"
FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: This record is on colored vinyl, but i would be hard-pressed to state what exactly color it is.
- Rev. Norb's vinyl review (
Razorcake issue #66, January 2012
"I like the Onions and all, but if you get this CD, you'd better REALLY like Onions, because it's like eighteen songs and over fifty minutes long. Eight originals and ten covers ((Fun Things, 999, Hüsker Dü, Boys, La Peste, Flamin' Groovies, Blue Cheer, etc.)), unless you count the Last Sons Of Krypton cover as a cover, then the ratio is 7:11, and there's probably a song in there somewhere. This release kindly supplies the listener with live-ish sounding recordings of not only older, more direct punk stuff like "Left My Baby at the Laundromat" and "Unsustainable Lifestyle," but their newer, more hairy material like "Alien Astronaut" and "Till the End of the Night" as well. It's kinda handy that they put what one'd imagine is pretty much every song they know on one convenient aluminum wafer, but, fifty minutes into it, you might be ready to hold the Onions for a while.
BEST SONG: This is kind of cheesy to say, but I think it might be "Left My Baby at the Laundromat." I like "40 Below," too.
BEST SONG TITLE: "Oh Baby Yeah Baby"
FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: Contains the 45 versions of "Alien Astronaut" and "Till the End of the Night" as hidden bonus tracks."
- Rev. Norb's bonus cd-r review (Razorcake issue #66)
"Solid 7". As the name implies, "Alien Astronaut" has a science fiction feel to it. The track's heavily-phased guitar and subject matter leads me to believe The Onions are big fans of the Necessary Evils. "Alien Astronaut" has a really fucking vicious vocal delivery - not quite Tomata du Plenty heavy (what is?) but not too far off either. B side is chockfull of Johnny Thunders riffs and is nearly as the A side. Added bonus: cover art by Bob Scott (Mongrel Zine rules). Recommended."
- Ryan Leach (Razorcake)
"Debut single from Wisconsin's ONIONS, featuring a couple of the tortured teens from LAST SONS OF KRYPTON. It's different and far more capable affair with The Onions though. The inept and offensive BS has given way to "hi-octane" guitar-driven punk. This record would fit alongside any late-90's "Punk'n'Roll" release on the Scooch Pooch or Junk imprints, so yes, there's an emphasis on rocking. Hard, even. A surprising and fun debut."
- Mitch Cardwell (Maximum Rock N Roll)
50 MIXED COLORED VINYL with bonus cd-r (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2011
Ramma Lamma
"Gimmie Gimmie Gimmi
e Gim
mie" b/w "Rock N Roll Lady" 7"
"Milwaukee's glam-gum trio returns... making four 7 inch releases in about a year. For some bands this would seems excessive, but Ramma Lamma has the goods to keep up with this sort of frantic (by modern standards, at least) release schedule. "Gimmie Gimmie..." includes a pair of Christmas songs packaged in a hilariously disturbing sleeve.
Limited release, so those who are interested had best jump quickly."
- Bob Koch (The Daily Page)
"…Ramma Lamma are my favorite Wisconsin band right now, although that could be a matter of damning them with faint praise at this juncture. They answer the age old ((okay, day old)) question of what it would be like if a less-annoying Suzi Quatro fronted a three-piece version of Slade and played Mud covers, or Cichlids covers, or something deep like that, as well as the question of what would happen if someone spelled "Rama Lama" with extra M's. They continue their jaunty strut to bang-shang-a-lang-gri-la by creating that rarest of fowls, a Christmas 45 THAT DOESN'T SUCK. Unless you bothered listening closely to the lyrics, as so many young people do, you wouldn't really know it was a Christmas 45, and that's the kind of sugar cookies Santa likes. The A-side chorus of "Christmas time is a time for givin', so give me everything you got / don't bother givin' me nothin' baby, unless you're gonna spend the night" manages to completely fit the whole "Christmas" bit into Ramma Lamma's standard agenda of Rockin', and…and Lovin', and…and…Rockin' some more, instead of the other way around—fitting the Rock Agenda into the Christmas paradigm—and that is exactly As It Should Be. The synth interlude is properly unexpected, and the real or imagined sleigh bells add a respectful dollop of surrendering without giving oneself away. The b-side is a little more heavy-handed in its Christmassyness, but they have the good sense to steal the riff to "Gudbuy T'Jane" so it's all good. Throw in a sugarplum fairy or two and we'll call it a deal!
BEST SONG: "Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme"
BEST SONG TITLE: "Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme"
FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: I recorded one Christmas song about twenty years ago, which was called "Gimme Stuff." In light of recent events, i should have called it "Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme Stuff.""
- Rev. Norb (
Razorcake issue #66, January 2012
"How to review a garage rock Christmas 45? Should it be judged based on the amount of holiday cheer it imparts? How guilty it makes me feel about my lackluster gift giving? How depressed it makes me over spending Christmas morning alone? Ought I compare it's enduring novelty to the "Merry Crassmas" 45? The songs are the sort of catchy garage stompers that any rock 'n' roll group should be able to churn out on command, with Christmas lyrics subverted on each side by a boy and a girl. Along with the album art, the whole affair evokes all the glorious cliches of punk rock Christmas debauchery. 40 ouncers in stockings, peeing on the Christmas tree and leaving cocaine out for Santa are probably among the events which inspired Ramma Lamma, and I'm glad they ran with it."
- Sam Lefebvre (Maximum Rock'n' Roll)
100 GREEN VINYL (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2011
"I Play The Fool" b/w "Water Death" 7"
"The A-side is great, it sounds like what would happen if you took a Holly & The Nice Lions song, gave it to Jem & The Holograms, and told them to play it in a way that would make Muppets slam dance. The b-side, with its predominant cheap drum machine, sounds a little bit more like Helen Love's depressed little sister. Altogether, i was always curious to know what would happen if the Thing's blind girlfriend married Iggy, so this record does me right fine. BEST SONG: "I Play the Fool" BEST SONG TITLE: "Water Death" FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: Cover art depicts the most flowers, pineapples, and magic potions of any Certified PR release to date."
- Rev. Norb (Razorcake online review)
"Incredible 7" from legendary Memphian Alicja Trout. Alicja-Pop is her power-pop outlet—sort of removed from her darker Lost Sounds/Black Sunday work. "I Play the Fool" has hints of the Rich Kids and The Breeders. B side, "Water Death," is amazing. Alicja's vocals and Ramones-inspired rhythm and lead guitar lines (Walter Lure) are supported by a great drum machine track and Theremin-sounding synth. Alicja continues to put out the greatest records with regularity. I've heard Billy Childish referred to as a "cultural treasure" of Great Britain. If that's true, Alicja's likely our best response. Recommended!"
- Ryan Leach (Razorcake issue #66, January 2012)
"My exposure to Ms. Pop's endeavors outside of her work with Lost Sounds is severely limited, so I can't really speak to where this rests in her body of work.
What I can say, though, is that both songs have a minimalist, almost demo-like quality, with what sounds like a drum machine and guitars that are sans big studio trickery.
Of the two songs here, "I Play the Fool" is the most immediately catchy, with some nice drony guitar to anchor the tasty hooks that fly by.
"Water Death" is a bit more sophisticated, deftly hiding its buried treasures for those willing to visit 'n' dig a bit more to find 'em."
- Jimmy Alvarado (Razorcake issue #67, March 2012)
"This is Alicja Trout of RIVER CITY TANLINES fame. This is, presumably, her outlet for being a little lighter, more poppy and less trashy/heavy. On it's own it is an awesome slice of poppy goodness. Taken in the context of some of the other things she's done, like River City Tanlines, it becomes even a little more impressive. The first Alicja Pop record, or at least the first (and only) one I am aware of, I remember being much lighter and poppier. You can really hear the River City Tanlines. particularly in the guitar riff in the title track. Still, it's got that ethereal pop thing going on. Brilliant."
- Kenny Kaos (Maximum Rock'n' Roll)
50 GLOW-IN-THE-DARK VINYL (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: September 5, 2011
John Wesley Coleman III
"Lincoln Nebraska Sessions" cassette
150 copies on used cassettes with bonus cd-r
50 copies on "sony" tapes
RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2011
The Fuckin' Boneshakers
"MCMXCV Masterbation Sessions" 12"
"Jesus. The Fuckin' Boneshakers make The Mummies sound like they studied at Julliard. To call this album lo-fi would be polite; this thing's a sloppy, trebly mess - there might be a bass in there, but if so I can't hear it. If Bradley from Almighty Do Me A Favor filled up a pair of Hasil Adkins's boots with moonshine and drank 'em both, decided to play a set one-handed, and someone recorded it with a Strawberry Shortcake tapedeck down the street, it'd sound pretty similar to this. It's rough, to say the least—not even mentioning the fact that there are apparently three people in this band. To their credit, there's a certain authenticity to this album as well—there seems to be very little posturing here. The recording's in the red and bright as hell, and yes, they sound like the Cramps trying to do "Surfing Bird" with their hands glued to their pelvises, but I'll freely admit they also sound like they're having a fucking blast."
- Kurt Morris (Razorcake)
"A tape from the band that spawned Vee Dee, Daily Void, and Nobunny... In 1995, three disaffected teenagers living in the suburbs of the North Shore - Justin Champlin, Chris Erickson, and Dan Lang - started a band inspired by the Ramones, the Gories, and Teengenerate. That summer they recorded ten songs in the basement of Erickson's mother's house in Deerfield, using a two-track and one microphone, which they'd covered with a cardboard box to muffle the excessive noise. They played out once, at a south-side punk show, and then broke up. The name of the band was the Fuckin' Boneshakers, and earlier this month Florida label Certified PR released that 16-year-old basement tape on vinyl as MCMXCV Masterbation Sessions. This might seem like an inexplicable decision, unless you know that the Boneshakers' three members went on to develop twisted interpretations of garage punk in bands that are or were scene mainstays in Chicago (and in some cases far beyond). Lang, the bassist, played in the Brides and is still in Vee Dee. Erickson, the guitarist, was in the Functional Blackouts and Daily Void. Champlin, the drummer, has since been a member of bands like the Sneaky Pinks (who covered the Fuckin' Boneshakers' delightfully stupid stomper "Kill Kill Kill") and the Okmoniks, and he's earned a devoted international fan base as Nobunny. When I sit down with Erickson and Lang for pizza, beer, and reminiscing at the Boiler Room in Logan Square, ironically enough 90s pop punk is playing in an endless loop. Champlin, who now lives in Oakland, is in town preparing for a Canadian tour, but he gets hung up looking for drums to borrow and doesn't make it. "It was great meeting Justin and Chris when I did," Lang says, "as we started liking the same bands - bands I still listen to - and I was learning a lot." "But we were pretty bad," he adds, laughing as he points to Erickson, "especially with this guy playing guitar." "Dan used to yell at me about tempo," Erickson says. "I couldn't really keep time." "If he didn't write the song, he couldn't play it," Lang says. The Fuckin' Boneshakers' recordings, if not exactly "seminal," are an interesting and entertaining source document - a raw, rollicking 15 and a half minutes of adolescent braying, with song titles like "I Wanna Puke," "Pussycat Burglers," and "Hey Girl You Make Me So Sick." Subtle it ain't, but you can hear the roots of the musical madness these three would later perpetrate."
- Brian Costello (Chicago Reader)
200 PEE YELLOW COLORED VINYL (CPR Mailorder Edition)
RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2011
Red Mass
"Suicide" b/w "Crawl Space" 7"
"Some sorta dark, moody stuff here, featuring members of CPC Gangbangs. Reminds me a bit of the Starvations, which is to say there are Jeffrey Lee and Nick Cave vibes aplenty. Dueling typewriter breakdown in the middle of "Suicide." Noisy, vaguely punky stuff that fans of Big Neck Records would probably like a whole lot."
- Mike Frame (Razorcake)
"The latest in 7-inch action from RED MASS, who create dark, driving, and repetitive apocalypse-punk that's unique to Montreal, especially considering that this band features members of now-defunct CPC GANGBANGS. Their dissonant and disjointed dark-wave eventually erupts into hypnotic noise. The sound and vocals range from the low preach of Bad Seeds-era Nick Cave to the severe rants of Fear's Lee Ving, all bound and gagged with acidic guitar solos revived from long-dead Eddie Hazel."
- Revolver USA
50 MIXED COLOR VINYL with alt. sleese (CPR Mailorder Edition)
250 MIXED COLOR VINYL with regular sleeves
100 MIXED COLOR VINYL with half back sleeves
RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2011
"2011 Tour CD" CD-R
RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2011
Ramma Lamma
"Tiger" 7" EP
"Reminiscent of glammy Bowie with a dash of Cheap Time and some sprinkles of the best 70s powerpop, Ramma Lamma's debut 7" is the culmination of the intense creative collaboration between husband and wife duo Wendy Norton and Ryan King (Kill-a-watt). Joel Kopp sits as ...their drummer and is a monster live. The A-Side opener, "Tiger Don't Change Its Stripes" has a multitude of great guitar solos. It's a guitar players dream, complete with some jagged chord changes, a breakdown and dual vocals that shine. The guitar playing is impeccable (and it's not just straight chordin' yo!). I like how it sorta gets heavy after the choruses, but it doesn't really stay in that territory too long. "Good Tyme Johnny" is more of a 50's tune with some great keyboard lines and funky drum rhythms. It's more rollicking than punk. Those keyboard lines are pure '65 Paul McCartney piano. EXCELLENT. Sorta like "Lady Madonna" and "Hey Bulldog" mixed together in a vat of Pabst and high grade Mescaline. It's a quick burn and is over before you notice. "Truthin'" is more 50's love like the A-Side closer. Really good track worth being an A-Side in and of itself. Probably why it ended up starting off the B-Side. Stock riff, but steps it up with really classy dual vocal delivery. "Kiss You" starts really menacing, then kicks in with another great glam riff upswing. Drums space it out nicely with pertinent and completely on fills. Ryan's vocals are a bit harsher than Wendy's, and they definitely fit in with the more punky/attacky approach of "Kiss You". It's still sweet and poppy, but it's definitely more blasting and in your face. Overall Ramma Lamma's debut 7" is a nice EP with some great art touches. First off, the mixed vinyl is a plus…but the real piece of art is the great sleeve art designed by the one and only Ben Lyon! It's hot! Watch out for their brand new follow-up single on FDH!"
- Kind Turkey
"While The Flips may be inactive, Wendy Norton has already resurfaced in both The Spectras and Ramma Lamma, which has a brand new four-track EP out. Ramma Lamma also includes Norton's Plexi 3/Monitors bandmate Ryan King, and the EP includes a side of songs by each. This is straight-up driving rock 'n roll, sort of like Flamingo-era Flamin' Groovies with a bit more of a bubble-glam edge. Norton and King have been behind a ton of entertaining bands over the past decade-plus (and many 7-inches), and they're not slowing down; Ramma Lamma already has another single just out on FDH Records which I haven't tracked down yet."
- Bob Koch (The Daily Page)
"The pic sleeve for this record fits just perfectly, with the cartoons giving it a Hanna-Barbera feel. Ramma Lamma plays catchy pop punk music with a '60s pop feel that is catchy and easy to listen to. And while it is definintely pop punk, it's NOT watered down pop punk made for the masses. And like the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, these guys are fun and don't take themselves too seriously."
- Kenny Kaos (Maximum Rock 'n Roll)
Ding dong! Moo-pow-pow! As fun as Otis Day made te toga party in Animal House, Ramma Lamma takes '70's teen arena fun pop, unzips the listeners' skull, sccops brains out like ice cream with sugary, sprinkles crunchy candy bits on top, and dances around like kids let out of school for the summer. Think David Cassidymania dreaminess, prior to that London concert where a fourteen-year-old got stampeded to death at the gate; an event that haunted David until his death. No haunting here, just repeated listens!"
- Todd Taylor (Razorcake)
Latest project from Sir Snacks-A-Lot and his old lady. Continuing in the power-pop/glam worship direction they were heading towards on the later Plexi-3 records, you get four songs here with guy/gal trade-off vox, moptop haircuts, vintage clothing and undeniably slick guitar playing. A couple cuts have a Fifties rock'n'roll vibe in a Dollsy way but with more of a swing than a strut. "Good Tyme Johnny" has a a funky piano part, and I imagine this one gets the gals shaking some booty. If you're digging this fetishized retro stuff that abounds in Wisconsin these days, you can't really go wrong with the Norton/King songwriting axis, as they have all the right chops and they look right...
Scum stats: 500 on garbage vinyl .... "
- Dick Kroneiss (Terminal Bordeom)
100 MIXED COLOR VINYL with half back sleeve
RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2010
Brimstone Howl - Hell Shovel
"split" 7"
"I'm a big Jeff Clarke fan; best known for fronting The Demon's Claws. Hell Shovel is his lesser-known group. Hell Shovel is rounded out by Bloodshot Bill (solo artist and occasional Ding Dong) and Dale from Chocolat. Fans of Demon's Claws will dig their contribution, "Stealing Candy." It sounds like a lo-fi, stripped-down version of a standout Demon's Claws song. Brimstone Howl is pretty awesome. Got one of their CDs to review a while back and dug it. This outing is better because the medium is superior (pay attention, labels). Fans of The Head Shop will be into their track. Keep up the good work, Certified PR."
- Ryan Leach (Razorcake)
"Brimstone Howl, a heady, fuzzed-out, tuned-in, high-quality garage/punk outfit from Omaha. Hell Shovel, a weird, psychedelic bad trip from Canada."
- Jessica Thiringer (Razorcake online)
100 MIXED COLOR VINYL with half back sleeve
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2010
(split label release with FDH Records)
Derek Lyn Plastic
"Life And Death" 7" EP
"All the label had to say about this release was that we probably already had an opinion about Derek Lyn Plastic. Call us out-of-the-loop, but we hadn't previously heard of him. However, when we heard the cuts from this EP, we immediately decided that we liked Derek Lyn Plastic. He sounds like what we originally expected Mac Blackout of the Daily Void's solo stuff to sound like. While Mac's stuff is generally poppier than Daily Void, Derek Lyn Plastic sounds like a Daily Void solo side project with way more grit, distortion, and hate - almost "Gacy's Place" style. The songs are actually pretty catchy, but the production is straight shit-fi. We consider that a good thing. Fans of Daily Void, Human Eye, and Mentally Ill will totally dig this EP, especially if they haven't already formed an opinion about Derek Lyn Plastic - but if they have, they oughta give this 7" a listen before they wrongly pre-judge it. Limited to 250 copies!"
- Permanent Records
"It seems like it's been a long time since we've heard from Mr. Plastic and this is certainly worth the wait. 300 copies only..."
- Underground Medicine
"Another release from this prolific one-man new wave/sleaze band. For obvious reasons I like this band more and more over time. I think there was a point where his songs sounded more punk rock and less sleaze-core. Now, I don't know. Maybe it's just that I've haven't heard enough - but everything I have listened to is ALL super awesome! Really, his songs are starting to sound more killer with every release. I think, if anything, it's an argument for releasing every song you've ever written (or close to it, perhaps)." If I wasn't a lesbian I would bang this dude."
- Maddy (Razorcake online)
"Top-notch 45. Loud and noisy - a lot like the Demon's Claws and some of Jay Reatard's solo stuff. Certified PR has been putting out some quality vinyl. This is no exception"
- Ryan Leach (Razorcake)
50 BLACK VINYL w/ BLUE INK SCREENPRINTED on BLACK PAPER (CPR Mailorder edition)
250 BLACK VINYL with BLACK INK SCREENPRINTED on WHITE PAPER
100 BLACK VINYL with RED INK SCREENPRINTED on WHITE PAPER
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2010
"Shining Apple" b/w "Walking The Cow" 7"
"Don't look for the fierce Alicja here. A-side is atmospheric synth-pop perhaps somewhat similar to Mazzy Star or Lush. B-side is keyboard driven again, but this time more upbeat pop on this Daniel Johnston cover (I've never heard the original, but I can't imagine it's anywhere near as good as this).
This woman can do no wrong."
- Underground Medicine
"I just have been exploring all the offshoots of Jay Reatards career ever since it ended, including the Lost Sounds era that Alicja was a part of. Lost Sounds included a lot of electronics, and seemed to be both Jay's and Alicja's Metal Machine Music / Trans period, where you try to apply where you've been going as an artist to a completely different genre. Its exciting as an artist I'm sure, just to push those boundaries and not know what you're doing anymore. To be able to push through that period where you start to get disappointed as songs don't come as easy anymore. But that was the thing about Jay, he wasn't 19, and nothing he was about to do was a fluke...he had been playing around with all these styles and ended up where he was, and it was perfect. I couldn't wait to hear album after album. But these side projects and the Reatards are getting me to work backwards and hear what kinds of things led to Watch me Fall....Ah Fuck! Did you have to use that title! The two of them, Alicja and Jay split guitar/vocals and synth and made real electronic-punk...I get all excited about SIDS and Black Bug and the Units, but here was this collaboration in my own backyard with the stuff I've been listening to practically and it took me this long to get there. There should be a rerelease of this....maybe Matador can put something together now. This one sounded like it started out as a contribution to a children's album compilation and then there was a Daniel Johnston cover done for something else...and Certified PR would be damned if this never saw the light of day. It's a no brainer."
- Jason (7 Inches Blogspot)
"If you haven't listened to "I'm Your Negative" by the River City Tanlines at least 1,000 times, I highly encourage you to track down a copy and indulge in the brilliance that is that full-length. Within that album you are exposed to a vast array of tempos and variances of hostility. From the most seemingly mellow to the most completely unchecked, unhinged, borderline psychotic aggressiveness. Moral of the story; Alicja Trout (songsmith of the River City Tanlines and the 7" at hand) has this ability to write these incredibly diverse songs that ooze of passion and complexity while always being completely and undeniably hers. So when a 7" single comes through that's Alicja Trout recording two nonchalant synthy slow jams, it's very easy for me to exit my world of angry, hostile, prejudices against stuff of the sort, and enter her world of tried and true songwriting, hence, me enjoying these songs for what they are. And they are awesome. (Certified PR)"
–Daryl Gussin (Razorcake online)
"Alicja Trout has done "pop" before. To name off a bit of her musical background there's the Lost Sounds, Mouserocket and the River City Tanlines for starters. Sure, the "pop" elements may have been disguised in those projects from time to time but she's always known her way around writing something that sticks and really isn't that the basis of all good "pop" music anyway? On this record the "POP!" on a side one's "Shining Apple" is 80's DIY pop such as the Young Marble Giants equipped with a better tape machine so they can layer some girl group harmonies while getting sidetracked by some motorik hypnotics. Some years ago I recall reading an interview with Daniel Johnston where he was asked what his influences were and how he would describe his music to someone who may not have heard it before. His reply mentions some a contemporary bands at the time as well as him discussing his love for the Beach Boys. One thing I've learned by knowing quite a few real deal outsider musician's like him is that in their heads that is what they hear but it usually takes someone else to cover a song wrote by them to bring those kind of sounds to the forefront. Here, on the b-side's cover of Johnston's "Walking The Cow", Alicja brings them out with a 60's sunshine feel rubbing shoulders with melodic beep-beep-boop synth bits."
- Dale Merrill (Smashing Transistors)
"Truth in advertising, this is Alicja Trout (River City Tanlines, Mouserocket, Lost Sounds) playing straight-up, '60s-inspired pop by way of Oranges and Lemons XTC with gentle keyboard caresses. One original, one Daniel Johnston cover. It's extremely pretty, full of innocence, and very far afield from what I normally listen to… but goddamn it if Alicja Trout can't hold my hand far into a scary land that I'm fearful of—"indie rock I don't understand made by members of once-frenetic punk bands"—and show me something, well, something that's beautiful."
- Todd Taylor (Razorcake)
"I was very excited when I saw this. (No, I was not that excited.) Given the spelling of ALICJA and the fact that this is from Memphis, this is clearly Alicja of River City Tanlines fame. I love me some River City Tanlines! Others probably know her from the The Lost Sounds. This is very mellow, pretty, quiet, synth-driven pop music that showcases her voice. The only thing that it has in common with her River City Tanlines stuff is that both are extremely catchy. It reminds me of the great pop band From Bubblegum To Sky. Great record."
- Kenny Kaos (Maximum Rock N Roll)
"Any Alicja Trout record is instantly welcome in my home. She's made a ton of them and I like 'em all. This one offers up sweet homemade synth-pop. It hearkens back to The Clears, Trout's band back in the late 90s. The spare, twinkly A-side lets nothing get in the way of its pretty melody. On the flip, she covers one of the best pop songs of all-time, Daniel Johnston's "Walking the Cow". Nobody can top Johnston's own version, but Trout's take has plenty of charm riding along its bouncy new wave/power pop arrangement."
- Jason Hernandez
"So here's something for the Dr. Spock parental set out there. Rumor has it Alicja Trout was set to work on a children's album, and this is what came of it. Being a new mom, I assume she's been pretty busy. But 2010 is the year she comes up out of the diaper trenches and starts to do some record releasing and touring again. Welcome back! As for the A-Pop recordings, it's what they is: sweet and catchy tunes that shimmer about like rnr lullabies. I'm getting an Oly-vibe off of it for some reason. Imagine if Mouserocket or Lost Sounds had to perform for a day care back in 2002. This is possibly what would come forth. Synth and indie goodness for the wholesome youth. The B-Side is Daniel Johnston's' Walking The Cow…faithful? Probably better. Amped up a little bit over the A-side for maximum playpen/tire swing enjoyment. Maybe I'm getting soft & old, but this is CUTE. I said it. And I don't even like kids. Well, most kids. A friend of mine dresses his two year old in Misfits onesies…she's pretty rad. Same goes for Stella Hayes (Daughter of Tim: Fallout Records). She has a finger painting series based on Cramps songs. That's so cool. And with a mom like Alicja, I bet a fiery little red head named Valentine is gonna' be A-OK as well. Pick one up while yer shopping for Yo Gabba Gabba DVD's."
- Terminal Boredom
Kind Turkey "Best Tracks of 2010": Alicja Pop! "Walking The Cow".
"Obvious choice here cuz it rules. Nuff said. Catchy and super well produced, but all the way good. Reminds me of what the Smith Westerns are trying to sound like these days. This is better. Keyboard lines are perfect too."
- Bobby Hussy
100 BLACK VINYL - WHITE INK, SCREENPRINTED BLACK PAPER (CPR Mailorder Edition)
400 BLACK VINYL with BLACK INK SCREENPRINTED on WHITE PAPER
100 BLACK VINYL with RED INK SCREENPRINTED on WHITE PAPER
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2010
(split label release with FDH Records)
Tokyo Electron
"Four years after its self-titled debut album on Jay Reatard's Shattered Records, Phoenix's Tokyo Electron has finally returned with its much-anticipated sophomore, full-length "AZ-238." A co-release from FDH Records and Certified PR Records, the album is the fuzzed-out brainchild of Ryan Rousseau, on lead vocals and guitar with help from guitarist Steve Sleeze, bassist Daniel Ricardo and drummer Kyle Cunningham. More textured, introspective and sinuous than the first record, "AZ-238" finds the fearless Arizonans laying down 10 tracks of blistering garage rock 'n' roll that move nimbly from lithe psychedelic behemoths like "Don't Need You," with its reflective and delicate opening, to full-frontal garage rock attacks like "You Can't Save Me" and "You Don't Remember" (which has a distinct Billy Childish influence). "I'll Be Back," with its rolling, almost country and western rhythms and haunting lead guitar riff, is also a standout. Rousseau's wounded vocals and the band's brash instrumentation conspire to create an atmosphere of musical malaise and disenchantment that carry the album forward and aloft like desert thunderclouds threatening to douse the dry ground below. The band's live shows have grown sparse with Rousseau devoting more time to his other act, Earthmen and Strangers, and drummer Cunningham leaving Phoenix, making it quite likely that this will be Tokyo Electron's final release. It's only fitting, then, that the album is named for a desolate dead-end 20-mile country highway in Arizona's Maricopa County that terminates at the junction with State Route 347. 3 stars (out of four)."
- Jason Gelt (The Los Angeles Times)
200 BLACK VINYL with ALTERNATE HAND GLUED COVERS
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2009
John Wesley Coleman III
"Steal My Mind" LP
"This thing has subtly become one of my most-listened to LPs of recent vintage somehow. Not sure how it happened. It's a real sidler. A go-to record for when you're just sitting around drinking and smoking cigarettes with a couple pals. It pulls up a chair along with you and takes a nip and a drag and gets comfortable. Sort of what you'd expect from a guy who covers Warren Zevon and Lester Bangs. Boozy and sun-baked rock-n-roll Americano played loose and gutsy. I think "Steal My Mind" is actually stealing a J.Mascis guitar hook. Actually reminds one of the Meat Pups in passages and surprisingly poppy in a rough-n-tumble way. What I wanted Golden Boys to sound like a lot of times. "Bad Lady" is the perfect combo of sax, beer and shitkicking. Country-singed and essentially turkey-free. "Tonight" opens with throbbing style and "Liqour Store" closes the first side with what I can only call completely stoned Seventies pop-rock. Depressing at times, yet upliftingly so in some strange way. I'm going to get a lot of use out of this LP over the summer. I can already smell the warm dusky breeze wafting through the yard, perfumed by the smell of the earlier BBQ and the beginning of a campfire, me, my bros, my dog, a cooler full of beer and the untapped evening waiting to unfold.
Great fucking record, no bullshit."
- Terminal Boredom
"Judging by the cover (dude in Lester Bangs shirt pointing two revolvers at the camera) and song titles ("Lawyers Guns & Money", "Liquor Store", "Threw It Away", etc.), I would have guessed this some Confederacy of Scum-style, "FTW, you PC bastards" slab of "punker than thou" punk rock. No way, not a chance. The "Lawyers Guns & Money" is a Warren Zevon cover and you can hear his influence spread across the album, as well as that of Dylan, Peter Laughner, Richard Hell, and other punk singer-songwriter types. One song in, I get to (thankfully) dismiss the punk posturing of the record cover and settle into a pretty damn good record of "adult" punk rock, something you might hear coming out of the Greater Columbus Senior Center. Side one is so fab that it is over before I want it to be. Side two starts off a bit slow, but picks up by the end, finishing with a Lester Bangs song. And, I am playing this one a few more times. Well, worth seeking out and very much recommended."
- Z Gun Magazine
"Our Golden Boys brother gone off the deep end! Nice mix of rockers and bourbon ballads!!! Perfect music for pizza making! Have you ever had Bourbon Balls? Wesley has! Covers of Lester Bangs and Warren Zevon, plus Wes' fantastic originals.
Tops on the Goner Staff Top 10 Lists for 2009. RECOMMENDED"
- Goner Records
"I don't know why I'm having such a hard time finding the words to express just how good this album is, but for some reason I can't put my finger on exactly what keeps me going back to the turntable to play this fucker again and again. Having heard the Golden Boys and digging them a hell of a lot, I thought that an album by one of them would sound a little different. Like what? I'm not sure, but not like this, and not this good. This record sounds like the Cheater Slicks decided to record with a big time Nashville producer and Bob Dylan's organ player. There's even a little Velvet Underground influence going on on side two. Standout tracks are "Donkey Song," "I Can't Sleep," "Where Did My Friends Go," and "There Goes My Baby." Track this down and play the shit out of it."
- Josh Benke (Razorcake)
100 MIXED COLORED VINYL with LIMITED SXSWES COVER
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2009
The People's Temple
"You Don't Know" 7" EP
"These Lansing via Perry, Michigan (Population 2065-making it the 4th largest town in Shiawassee County) brats first harassed the earholes at Smashin' Transistors about a year ago with their single on the Milk & Herpes label. That record was a loud & brash mash of Brian Jones era Stones worship, Back From The Grave digging and punk rock taking a psychedelic trip. The songs were jammed with abandon and teenage frustration. Hell, at the time they recorded it I believe a couple of them were still in high school. HOW COULD IT NOT BE FUELED WITH ABANDON TEENAGE FRUSTRATION?!?! That is, of course, what rock-n-roll is suppose to be all about, right? At the time we thought "They've really done their homework on how to do it RIGHT. Give them some time to develop at little more and they'll be the successors to the Black Lips crown" or something like that. After all, the Black Lips guys are all over 25 years old now. Heh! Over the hill. Who will be the hope for real ROCK-n-ROLL next young kings until the backlash starts and so on. On these more recent recordings by the brothers Szegedy and brothers Young and other than both bands playing 60's tinged slop and jangle, the Black Lips references go out the window because these guys got their own thing going on. "You Don't Know" has the sound of surf music gone to hit some waves in some sinister part of outerspace all lead by a Rob Tyner pushing the vocals into red testimonial. "Shoot Her Down" is loaded with wailing harp and dirt floor stomp. It's kinda like a tune everyone would like to hear Iggy Pop do for the last 35 years but know he probably wont. The flip is the total bad ass "Raft" where the band shows what they're excelling a super fast clip at. Psychedelic blues bliss all the way through. Guitar lines slither between the serpentine and Spacemen 3 swooshes & splatter while the vocals trade off with all of them sounding like a Saturday night sermon."
- Smashin' Transistors
"Their debut single on MNH showed some promise that I think People's Temple are realizing on their sophomore effort. Title cut is pretty blistering, Sixties moves that hit equally on the punk and psych tips, with a surfy break even. Excellent spaceman guitar action with a hippies-gone-bad feel, and a killer rave-up part with some great echoplex and panned vox parts as well. A truly great song and a weird trip, it makes you wish the Black Lips were still writing 'em this good. "Shoot Her Down" is a decent Brimstone Howl-ish rooter to fill the side. "Raft" fills up the flip with a side-long heavy garage-rock jammer ... A step forward from the last record, they're heading in the right direction it seems and the title cut of this one is real keeper that stands up to repeat listens... I'm gonna stay tuned, I think they could be on to something ..."
- Terminal Boredom
"Two sets of brothers sounds like double the fun right? I didn't think so. So right off the bat I've gotta give The People's Temple props for staying together for 3+ years. But then I've gotta take it right back for un-Google-friendly band name (an homage no doubt to BJM, itself an homage to the Stones). Their name isn't the end of the tribute; "You Don't Know" is a direct reference to said influences. Fortunately this double duo knows better than to be blatant rip-offs, so they take that 60s psychedelic sound and blast it right into space. The title track off of their Certified PR 7" is blown out to the max. And they really manage to pull it off, the surfy guitar riffs stay prominent despite the uber-fuzz and the chant vocals are simple enough to withstand the heavy distortion. This is shit-fi that you can actually listen to without losing that 60s sound and managing to remind me of new garage akin to Moonhearts and Melted-era Ty Segall. We all know life in Michigan ain't easy and TPT is working to keep the Lansing sound alive. But when the blessed light of HoZac shines upon you it does little to keep your ego in the same realm as your humble roots. C'mon guys, if your best piece of press is siphoned from an L.A. Times review of the Woven Bones LP it might be time to update the ole' Wikipedia page (shudder). And if you manage to make it to a show be forewarned: these guys might come off like punk rock protégé, but please keep your beers at a safe distance from their very expensive gear."
- Britta Hussy (Kind Turkey)
"We have a winner! Title song starts off fast enough that I thought 45 must be the wrong speed, then a quick taste of Link Wray/Dick Dale riffing before lurching into a song that recalls the 13th Floor Elevators' "You Don't Know (How Young You Are)" in the classic kids-who-don't-care rewrite fashion. Plus it sounds like the Traditional Fools with some weird guitar sounds and has a nice freak-out at the end. "Shhot Her Down" is a nice shot of garagey R&B and "Raft" is another dip in the garagey end of the psychedelia pool."
- Dr. Dante (Maximum Rock 'n Roll)
50 BLACK VINYL with LIMITED EDITION 2" x 2" MAGNET
Love City
"I Can't Stop" 7" EP and bonus CD
"Love City already passed through here, now date back and reedit the record by the Certified PR Records, strongly influenced by 60's, and interpret a current "garage-psych" that shows approaches to the influences ranging from "punk" to the revival of the "rhythm and blues". This EP contains 4 excellent songs based on disturbing sounds drawn from a organ and haggard rhythms of guitar, revealing immediately the merit of another extraordinary band from the country of Uncle Sam."
- Rock Around The Blog
"Vox driven, punkified ? & the Mysterians/Love, Six-Oh inspired tunes ...
Very very very good!"
– Scott Soriano (SS Records)
"Hailing from Philly, Pa., a town which both holds the distinction of being the called both "The City Of Brotherly Love" and "Hostile City", Love City do the haunting and possibly disturbed garage rock thing in a Lollipop Shoppe/13th Floor Elevators vein. They also lay down a lot of spine chilling organ sound through all 4 songs. They definitely have immersed themselves in the sights and sounds of the era but, thankfully, haven't thrown themselves completely head first into "Music died in '67" purist kind of way. Not restricting themselves to that gutter they end up being reminiscent of something like Love if they came along during the 90's trash rock 7inch explosion...."
- Smashing Transistors
"You've got some rocking, old school reverb-washed pop tunes here. The organ makes the four songs on this EP stand out from all the rehash garage rock music today. The tune, "The Other Side" kicks hard with bashing riffage interplay from both the assaulting guitar and organ. Love City has taken an old, psychedelic-influenced rock sound and made it their own with this 7"."
- N.L. Dewart (Razorcake)
"This is four songs of noisy garage punk with organ from this band, with the same tunes included on a CD. They are from Philadelphia and would likely fit well on a bill with Mondo Topless from the same locale. The organ is very prominent in the mix, leading to a bit of a ? And The Mysterians vibe at times...
It's a good, solid single from Love City."
- Mike Frame (Razorcake)
100 RED VINYL with alt. cover (CPR Mailorder Edition)
500 RANDUMBLY MIXED COLORED VINYL w/ regular edition covers
RELEASE DATE: September, 2009
Plexi 3
"Tides Of Change" CD
"Plexi 3, Milwaukee's finest three-piece band, continues to crank out solid punk and garage-inspired pop with their first full-length "Tides of Change". The band features Wendy Norton on guitar and vocals, Adam Widener on bass and vocals and drummer Ryan King. Together they write two-minute garage-pop songs and play them live and in the studio with all the ferocity of yesterday's punk and today's powerpop bands. The title track is the real gem here, as it is a great example of how the band mixes its influences to create a sound of their own. It features Norton's vocals and nifty guitar playing, both of which are major selling points of the band's first three singles. Another Norton-fronted song, "Stop & Listen," is a quick tour-de-force of punk goodness reminiscent of an earlier Plexi 3 tune, "Stabbing Fantasies." "Timebox," a single the band released early this year on Full Breach Kicks Records and the last track on this LP, featured a nice surprise on its b-side in the Windener penned and sang tune "What Love is For." The Monkees-inspired song was a welcome preview of things to come, as on this LP Norton shares vocal duty with Widener. He sings six of the album's 13 songs, including an Everly Brothers cover and a sing-along with Norton called "Didn't Really Matter." Norton still contributes heavily beyond her guitar playing on the songs fronted by Widener, as she adds surf-pop backup vocals reminiscent of The Beach Boys on "Heart I Had," a song written by King, and plays piano on "'Til It Comes True." Widener's vocal talents are not a surprise this time around, since the band let that cat out of the bag earlier this year. If there is a surprise, it's "Little Vacation," a pretty tune that's mellow in a Joe Jackson or Helen McCookerybook kind of way. Other highlights include "Menial," a brutally honest assessment of the common worker's life ("You'll make enough just to get by/You'll work for us until you die") and "P.O. Box 9847," a genuinely sweet love song ("Some say it's a dying art/Sending mail from the heart"). A quick glance at the liner notes might draw your eyes to a familiar name, as the band thanks Derek Lyn Plastic, a criminally underrated Atlanta songsmith. The band stayed at DLP's place last summer when their vehicle broke down in Atlanta, and they were back at the songsmith's home in May to contribute to a couple of tracks for his upcoming LP. If you like garage rock, oldies or that old "Nuggets" compilation, do yourself a huge favor and pick up this LP/CD, as it is a fresh take on some timeless sounds."
- Bobby Moore (The West Georgian)
"Plexi-3 from Milwaukee put out this incredible 13 song LP on Austria's Bachelor Records (CD available on Certified PR Records). It will give me goose bumps forever! Highlights for me were the mod "Till It Comes True" that has early Who cherubic harmonizing and the punk nostalgia inducing "Heart's Growing Old" gave me a lump in my throat! I'm reminded of early punk such as The Rezillos at times listening to this maybe because of male/female vocals. Guitarist Wendy Norton and bassist Adam Widener sing the finest punk duets since X. With Ryan King on drums making this three piece a perfect power pop trio. There is also an unusual cover of "Man With Money" by The Everley Brothers. Mastered by Jim Diamond. Look for their single Timebox on Full Breach Kicks and check out Wendy's other band, The Flips.
- Bob Scott (Mongrel Zine)
500 CD COPIES (Certified PR Records)
500 LP COPIES (Bachelor Records)
RELEASE DATE: April, 2009
"Rocks Off" 7" EP
"With CV's that include, for Wendy Norton Plexi 3 and the Flips and for Roy the Evolutions, M.C. Monkey & Ape With Attitude and Kryptonite Records, the Reacharounds were a project they had together at the start of this century. Splitting guitar, vocals and drum duties between the two of them the sound is all about trash-n-blast fed up sped up garage punk of the Nth degree. Wendy sounds like she's chewing gum and spitting on people at the same time in "3 Minute Intervals", "Synthetic Soul" & "Cut Out Bin and turns the tables all around on the Stones "Rocks Off" making it sound like Penetrators backing up a 13 year old Joan Jett fan. Roy sounds like he's bursting veins and busting blood vessels in his eyes whether it's beating up a drum kit or guitar and teeters of giving himself an aneurysm when screaming the words to the Teenage Queers "Slave To Mind (Fuck Power Pop)""
- Smashing Transistors
"Six blasts of Samoanesque p-rock from a turn-of-the-century band of Roy Oden of Last Sons of Krypton and "Human Zoo" fame. Raw, loud, '90s out of the garage style that would have fit fine in that era. 100 pressed."
- Scott Soriano (SS Records)
"You know how it goes, sometimes you find a great record at your local shop, sometimes a friend introduces you to it or you buy it because it's on that oh-so-great-label. With this one, I got a comment from a label on my myspace-page, answered it, got a nice mail back and listened to their releases. They only had two records available, I liked what I heard and bought them. And DAMN! I just can't stop playing that Reacharounds 7"!! What a great a great punk rock record!!! The Reacharounds is Roy Oden (the Evolutions, Kryptonite Records) and Wendy Norton (Plexi 3, the Flips, the Lookers), both play guitar and drums and sing (though Roy only sings on Fuck Power Pop). The songs were recorded in 2000/2001 but never released because they decided to spent their money on something else. I'd say too bad, because this record really kills, but I guess all of you own some of those awesome Kryptonite Records releases ... ;-) Anyway, the Reacharounds play a primitive, lo-fi recorded punk rock with mostly female vocals, the 7" has 6 songs on it, it comes in black or clear vinyl and if that doesn't get you already they did the best fucking Rolling Stones Cover-Version EVER! Hell, I didn't know Mick Jagger was a Punkrocker, but listen to the Reacharounds version of 'Rocks Off'!!"
- Roman D. (GGGG-Go-Action!!!)
"This is some newly unearthed ex-Last Sons of Krypton digs. I don't see a boatload of semblance to that shtuff, caution-to-the-wind wise at least, but it's clear Roy never ceased playing archetypal in-the-red garage – full-throttle, no bullshit (or all bullshit depending on how big/small your brain/balls are) KBD punkitude of that holy saga's more competently galloping tunes, following in the footsteps of the more apt of our beloved fuckhead forefathers. "3 Minute Intervals" is a herky-jerk pogo-waiting-to-happen. "Synthetic Soul" wins the award for finest rendition of that cat-thrown-from-a-pickup scream that entered punk's sonic repertoire with the Petticoats' "Normal" and stuck around. "Rocks Off" throws Jagger down the stairs. A few others with equally dumb lyrics and about as much respect for clean and sheen as a car overflowing with undocumented ranch hands..." Terminal Boredom
"Trashy, no-frills punk rock, plus Stones and Teenage Queers covers.
Don't normally like two-member bands, but they do what they do well." –
100 CLEAR VINYL w/WHITE INK on BLACK SCREENED COVERS (CPR Mailorder Edition)
200 BLACK VINYL with BLACK INK on WHITE SCREENED COVERS
100 BLUE VINYL with BLACK INK on BLUE SCREENED COVERS
100 GREEN VINYL with BLACK INK on GREEN SCREENED COVERS
RELEASE DATE: December, 2008
Plexi 3
50 HAND NUMBERED COPIES with "OFF-WHITE" PAPER COVERS
50 HAND NUMBERED COPIES with VARIOUS COLOR PAPER COVERS
RELEASE DATE: May, 2008
The Blowtops
"64 Teeth" b/w "Megalomonkey" 7"
"Every time the Blowtops put out a record, half the Garage-Punk/Termbo-Nerd community complains about how they miss the OLD Blowtops while the other half realized long ago that straight up garage rock is, well...ahhh…yeah. If you've been a fence-sitter with them before, this'll knock you off in the dirt, guarantee. I can't see universal love anytime soon. I enjoy a good challenge when listening to a record. That said, I'm all for tracks like this here "64 teeth". The kind of tune that if played live (say, at the Double Down in Las Vegas) could instigate a bottle-riot. Shit comes across like Suicide opening for Costello. Head scratching bad vibe & a good time equally. It starts with a simple organ tone. Next comes the robotic-funeral march. This rapidly stumbles into a drum-roll fist fight....and suddenly...disconnect. Sputter. Black Juju. Dialtone. And BLAM!! It comes crashing and yelping back into action...whoah. This is amazing. Vocals are off arguing with themselves somewhere down the hall.
The guitar is sustained wails of strangled singular notes.
Is it doing it again? Hell yes it is. Here it comes. Stop and Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (etc.)
Dead tone again.
How long does this go on for? Long enough to make you check what's in that brownie you just ate. Self-sabotaging rock n'roll. Paranoia via phonograph. Sign me up. This heart needs resuscitation. The flipside offers up "Megalomonkey" which is relatively normal in comparison to what has just happened. Feels like you played the Volt LP with a bad belt-drive. Fucked yet danceable no-wave with a Gothic take on the hardcore "breakdown", all sandwiched between a steady industrial ping. Love the dueling vocals. It's nice to hear Traci's say in this sausage fest. Great stuff as always. Has Thomas Savage heard this yet? Someone really should check on his well being. 500 copies, 200 on red vinyl."
- Terminal Boredom
"Picking up the challenge issued by Terminal Boredom last month and checking out the Blowtops new single. Okay, maybe I never gave their new direction much of a shot. I liked a few songs here and there, but mostly the hard/weird sound turned me off. It's a little bit of the same here but I like how it's actually sounding a lot like their early singles again. Scary and cool. Still don't fall for this stuff wholeheartedly... but this is definitely the best I've heard from them for a good long while." - Thomas Savage (Savage Magazine)
"Imagine a schizophrenic, organ-infused musical jaunt that wails and wallows in nonsensical lyrical tantrums and you'd have what this two song 7" sounds like. It's actually refreshing to step outside the power pop/ pop punk side of things where my ears spend most of their time. "64 Teeth" and "Megalomonkey" both have that post, post punk mad scientist weirdness vibe to them. If you're into Erase Errata or perhaps Black Black Ocean, then this 7" is definitely worth a spin."
- N.L. Dewart
"It took a few listens, but the Blowtops' experimental keyboard weirdness and mentally ill sounding vocals grew on me in much the same way Lili Z's last LP did. "64 Teeth" is a warped stream of consciousness rant that falls completely apart about half way through, the drums galloping into a mess of percussive confusion only to be brought back into some sort of song structure by an eerily held keyboard note. The flip side is more precise musically, but doesn't shake off one bit of the lunatic vibe from side one."
- Josh Benke (Razorcake)
RELEASE DATE: October, 2007
The Krunchies
"Cameltoe Patrol" 7" EP
"Man, who would've though that we'd have not one but two records referencing camel toes this early in the year (Digital Leather's "She Had A Cameltoe"). Crazings. At least the Krunchies don't do an actual song using the camel toe motif though...anyway, The Krunchies, Chicago's great unsung band, as many will tell you. I've always enjoyed them live and on record. On this one they nail three out of four tunes. They really have a weapon in Amanda's voice, and they know how to use it. "Tornado of Stupidity" trades off vocals perfectly and has a neat little guitar line. "Take it All" actually reminds me of a Big Boys tune for some reason (excepting the vox part, you know...), maybe because The Krunchies inhabit that pleasant middle ground betwixt actual hardcore and actual punk rock that the Big Boys seemed to be so comfortable dwelling in. A-side is all aces. On "Attack Attack" I think the rhythm section goes too fast for their own good and they kind of lose it. The "Aaron Cometbus..." tune is a nice and frantic ripper though, with Amanda only on vox in all her cape wearing glory. Nice little record from the little band that could. Scum stats: first press of 300 on black and second press of 200 on clear. Both have same nice-looking sleeves... Hand-numbered."
- Terminal Boredom
"Aaron Cometbus You Ain't" was played on the very first Razorcake Podcast!
25 CLEAR VINYL with LIMITED SXSW 2006 EDITION COVER
RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2006
Dirty Needles
"Justine's A Junkie" 7" EP
"Another installment in the Roy Oden recorded legacy, here teamed up again with his LSOK mate and Ape with Attitude, Mr. Brad X. Two Oden-penned (s)hits, the A-Side being the Ramones-ified trash of "Justine's A Junkie", and the flip containing the more Samoans-like drug addled garbage-punk of "Burned Out", plus an uncredited "mystery cut". A must-have for Evolutions/Last Sons fans, maybe as obnoxiously good as the MC Monkey EP! Scum stats: first pressing was 100 on clear and 200 on black, sold out.
Repress of 100 on red on it's way."
- Rich Kroneiss (Terminal Boredom)
100 CLEAR VINYL (1ST PRESSING) (CPR Mailorder Edition)
100 GOLD VINYL (4th PRESSING)
100 RANDOMLY MIXED VINYL with RANDOM LEFT OVER COVERS
RELEASE DATE: February, 2005
Small Hole Adapters/Suave Motherfuckers
split 8"
"How's this for retarded? Band presses up 75 copies of a square, see-through plexi-like 8" record, via some New Zealand record "plant." It's possible Brad X may have a few left, so I thought I'd mention it, even though the likelihood of this showing up at the local record store is nil. Both bands are Brad X, his wife and Steve Smut (Certified PR Records), on different singplay instruments over differing time periods. The Suave Motherfuckers' side is great trash worthy of members' previous output (Last Sons of Krypton, Evolutions, Smuts, etc.). Three great & catchy trash punk tunes followed by what sounds like the blues-instro track left off the Frantix "My Dad's a Fucking Alcoholic" single. The Small Hole Adapters side is most noteworthy for the first track (recorded a week after the incident) making fun of September 11, and a totally blown-out inepto-version of "Pill Popper" (pts. 1 & 2). "Blackout" steals from Gary Numan's "Cars." Cool record...good luck!"
- Todd Kellner
75 CLEAR VINYL 8" square shaped
RELEASE DATE: April, 2004
Various Artists
"28 Reasons Why We're Better Than You" CD-R
RELEASE DATE: January, 2002
The Smuts
"She Got Me Hot" 7" EP
RELEASE DATE: October, 2001
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