Dirtnap Rock & Indie 26 Artikel

Texas and Japan team up for a trans-pacific, two-man summertime pop explosion! Lost Balloons are Jeff Burke (Radioactivity, Marked Men, etc.) and Yusuke Okada of Japan’s incredible Suspicious Beasts. Hey Summer is their second album, following 2015’s self titled debut on Germany’s Alien Snatch Records. The two play all the instruments (although there is a live lineup as well) and split singing / songwriting duties. It works fantastically well as an album, meant to be listened to from start-to-finish. Wistful, sun-shiny ’60s-inspired pop with a bit of ’80s college rock jangle and even a little modern garage / Americana twang, this album represents a pretty big departure from a normal Jeff Burke project (and although it’s sonically a little closer to Okada’s Suspicious Beasts, it veers farther afield of his normal songwriting comfort zone as well). Burke says that this album is probably the least “punk” record he’s ever done. It confirms what everyone has long suspected: these two can master any genre they tackle, and make it fully their own.

Bad Sports return with a jaw-dropping new 12-inch! While the band hasn’t released anything in a couple of years, the individual members have been anything but idle during that time. Orville Neely continues his slow takeover of the world with rock juggernauts Obn IIIs, while Daniel Fried and Gregory Rutherford’S band Video got signed to Jack White’s label Third Man Records, and has been touring ever since. The pair have also been touring a ton as one half of Radioactivity, who released the stunning Silent Kill on Dirtnap last year. Originally conceived as a series of three singles, the band and label realized that the individual seven songs worked as one piece. Living With Secrets is another step forward for Bad Sports—moving away from both the ebullient punk/power pop of 2011’s Kings Of The Weekend and the anything-goes grimy punk of 2014’s Bras, this EP is their darkest, most powerful, and weirdest. The lyrics are bleak and desperate, but the music is more dangerously catchy than ever.

5th album from these uber-prolific Dirtnap mainstays, featuring guest appearances from Colleen Green & Mike Krol.

The latest in 1970s-styled power pop rocking from Portland, Oregon rave-ups Exploding Hearts. Blending the songwriting charm and guitars of early Brit pop bands like the Undertones and The Jam, the romance of pop legends like Nick Lowe, the energy and attitude of power pop/punk bands like Buzzcocks and the Boys, and the beat and soul of the early Motown and Stax combos, the band gives-it-up with foot-stomping beats, great songwriting, and killer Rickenbacker guitar riffs.

Jim And The French Vanilla is the solo project of Jim Blaha from The Blind Shake. This is his third album under this moniker,but the first to be made widely available — the first two came out on CDR-only and limited-to-100 vinyl, respectively. The first two albums were acoustic, one-man-band affairs, but on Afraid Of The House Jim (along with his brother/bandmate in Blind Shake Mike Blaha) expands to a full band sound, to astonishing effect. The basic songwriting retains the incredibly distinctive mystical, other-worldly atmosphere of The Blind Shake, but the instrumentation and sound are both stripped down to their essence, dialing way back on the loud-psych stamp of his main band. Raw, feral, but incredibly catchy, this album covers a wider sonic pallet than one might pick up on at first. From poppy to heavy, from atmospheric to wild, it reflects a wide range of ideas and emotion, while maintaining surprising consistence throughout.

Drakulas present Raw Wave, a collection of songs told from the different points of view of various characters in a fictional metropolis in the not-too-distant past. A bustling city center not unlike Times Square in the ’70s filled with sin and sex is the backdrop where gangs, street preachers, sex addicts, pimps, prostitutes and pornographers live and work. People of this world describe the time period of these songs as the Raw Wave—a wave of new analog technology that hit the city, wiping away many of the mores and pretense of the past. Drakulas are from Austin, TX, and feature members of Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against, amongst others. This is their debut LP, following a 7-inch on Red Scare. They pretty much nail the sound for which the Texas branch of the extended Dirtnap family is infamous—vibrant, high energy, and dangerously catchy. Raw Wave is tailor-made for fans of The Marked Men, The Dickies, and vintage-era Riverboat Gamblers / High Tension Wires. And then there are the lyrics: high-concept / low-brow weirdness that could only have come from the twisted mind of Gamblers frontman MIKE WIEBE. Call it a super-group if you must, but don’t call it a side-project. Comes with digital download.

Second album of scrappy, moody garage-punk. Includes download

2nd LP from these power punk rippers fronted by Jeff Burke (Marked Men), backed by 2/3rds of Bad Sports & Mark Ryan (Marked Men). Provides garage punk pleasure at all costs.

Received a 7.5 rating from Pitchfork. Solo pop explorations from Mark Ryan of The Marked Men. Around the time Denton, TX legends Marked Men were entering into their current state of semi- hibernation, co-singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Mark Ryan decided he wanted to go in a slightly different direction for his next project, with recordings handled mostly by himself, and a fluid lineup of musicians to back him live. After an extremely well received 7-inch on Dirtnap (released before the live version of the band had played a single show), Mind Spiders follow it up with a full-length that doesn't disappoint. Intelligent, highly crafted songwriting with lots of twists and turns, meticulously recorded at home with Mark himself playing most of the instruments. Live version of the band features members of Bad Sports, High Tension Wires, Uptown Bums, Marked Men, and others. Includes a download.

20 song collection that comps singles, compillation appearances, a few covers, & one track from deep in the vaults making its vinyl debut.

Alternating bursts of caffeinated punk-pop with mid-tempo jangly numbers, all served up raw & catchy as hell.

Ottawa's Steve Adamyk Band returns with their 4th LP (released barely a year since the last one), Dial Tone, and it's their best yet! For this release, SAB travelled to Oakland, CA to record with MATTHEW MELTON of Warm Soda/Bare Wires fame. Melton grew up in Memphis and that influence definitely shows on Dial Tone. While still plenty fast and catchy, Dial Tone shows the band dialing (ha!) back a little on the break-neck punk/pop tempos of previous releases, with increasing nods to classic rock n' roll form. If 2011's Forever Won't Wait was their "pop" album, and 2013's Third was their "punk" album, let's call this one their "garage" rock masterpiece! Features guest appearances from Matthew Melton and the Primitive Hearts' Danielle Agnew.

Mixes together songs dark, bright, short, & long, this release finds the band coming into its own & claiming a niche within the contemporarypop/ punk pantheon.

Radioactivity Is A Continuation Of The Novice, Jeff Burke's Band While Living In Japan. Jeff Has Since Moved Back To Texas, And Out Of Respect To The Japanese Lineup Of The Band, Has Changed The Name To Radioactivity. Some Of These Songs Are Re-purposed Novice Tracks, While Others Are Brand New. Jeff Is One Of The Most Distinctive Songwriters In The Punk Rock Underground, And These Songs Will Sound Instantly Familiar To Any Fans Of The Marked Men Or Potential Johns. Band Members Include Jeff Burke, Mark Ryan And Gregory Rutherford, Whose Credits Read Like An All-star Lineup Of Texas Punk And Garage Rock Royalty, Including Members Of The Marked Men, Mind Spiders, Bad Sports, Wax Museums, The Reds, Video And The Novice.

YOUTHBITCH is a four piece based out of Portland, OR, but made up of transplants from Illinois, St Louis, and Idaho. Their second LP, Don't Fuck This Up, came out on Jonny Cat Records in August 2012. The Willamette Week called it 'the best local document of such a sound since the Exploding Hearts' Guitar Romantic, and it deserves a vaunted spot next to Gentleman Jesse's self-titled debut in taxonomies of contemporary classics. Now they're back with 3 of their best songs yet, a heterosexuality-affirming hit on the A-side, backed with 2 of their trademark wired-up geeky garage/pop jams on the flip!

It happens very rarely (like a couple of times over the course of 120 releases) that we here at Dirtnap get a random CDR demo in the mail, pop it in, listen to it a couple of times, and then slap our fist down on the counter and say 'fuck it, we'll put that out!' And that's just what happened in the case of Kalamzoo, MI's LEGENDARY WINGS. Unsolicited demos are largely a lousy way to round up new bands for the label, but once in a blue moon you get one that's just THAT good. Musically, the apple that is Legendary Wings doesn't fall TOO far from the tree that is Dirtnap Records, (think caffeiniated, raw, fast pop), but they are also unmistakably, instantly identifiable as originating from the Midwest. Potential Johns meets Gaunt? Scared Of Chaka if they were from Minneapolis? Denton with jangle? Their mix of caffeinated instrumentation, and overly sensitive lyrics will make you melt if the mood is right.

The second album (first for Dirtnap) of sexy, sleazy, reverb'd out slime from Guantanamo Baywatch. Guantanamo Baywatch was started by Jason Powell and Chevelle Wiseman in Portland about 4 years ago to an immediately enthusiastic reception, released a very well received and now out-of-print LP on Portland's awesome Hovercraft Records, as well as a couple of EP's/tapes. The band really came into it's own, though, in late 2010, with the addition of Chris Michael (also in BOOM!) on drums. Technically they joined the Dirtnap roster in June 2011, but they took their time recording their debut for the label, done mostly at home by the band themselves. Chest Crawl sees the band working more vocal numbers into the mix, incorporating the usual surf/garage suspects (Cramps, Trashmen), more obscure '50s rock n' roll/RNB wildmen, as well as slightly heavier nods toward the young-oldies sound being popularized today by bands such as Hunx, Shannon And The Clams, Nobunny, etc. Wildly popular in Portland, and not afraid to tour, Guantanamo Baywatch are gonna be all over the place in 2012, starting with a two week tour with frequent bill-mates The Mean Jeans in March, followed by a solid summer of touring following the release of Chest Crawl.