The Uber Rock Singles Club – December 2013 (Part 2)
Written by Johnny H
Sunday, 08 December 2013 04:00
So with Dom getting in early doors to snaffle up all the finest vinyl fayre that the URHQ PO Box has brought us this most festive of months, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all that would be left for yours truly to plough through would be the audiophiles version of turkey curry and a warm can of Albright.
Fear not though vinyl lovers because pressing plants worldwide must have gone into overdrive for Crimbo 2013 and what better way to start this second part of our December Singles Club than with the ultimate Anti-Xmas party band SSS, who have a new 3 track black vinyl single out right now on Prosthetic Records (the band’s new label) going under the title of ‘Manipulated Living’.
I’d been waiting for something new from Uber Rock’s fave skatecore mob since seeing them rip Hellfest a new one back in June, and I must admit if it hadn’t been for some social networking magic occurring one evening last week I probably would still be none the wiser as to this release. The A side ‘For Your Own Good’ is certainly a more complex affair than anything the Merseyside moshers have ever done before, more in tune with the likes of Fucked Up than any of the usual crossover crews SSS have toured with. Flip this bugger over though and its more business as usual as ‘The Sleeper Awakes’ is a prime slice of hardcore thrash, all Slayer riffs and brutal vocals, whilst ‘Beige’ could just be the hardcore anthem of 2013. SSS are a band that just keeps on giving great music, you just need to stay switched on enough to find it.
Next up we stay very much on good old fashioned black vinyl for ‘Miss The Strange’ a 4 track 7″ from Spanish garage punk trio CopyCats. Released on the Anti Guays label, this mighty fine slab of buzz guitar fuelled punk owes more to the likes of Richard Hell or The Replacements than anything vaguely related to Espania that’s for sure. ‘Generation Stroll’ and ‘Blood Is The Way’ on the A side feel like outtakes from Max’s Kansas City circa 1977. Whilst ‘Pleasure Beach’ and the EP’s title track on the B side offer up a kind of subtle twist to the trio’s more immediate powerpop formula.
It is credit indeed to Jason on bajo, Pablo on guitarra/voz and Diego on bateria when I say I actually prefer this single to the most recent Cyanide Pills stuff, so no pressure there then lads with your follow up eh!
A band who seem intent on trying to be this year’s Old Firm Casuals when it comes to most mentions in The Uber Rock Singles Club are garage punk rock leg-ends The X- Rays. Seemingly not content with just releasing a mighty fine split 7″ with The Hip Priests. Gary X-Ray and his bunch of reformed punk rock reprobates return via Big Neck Records with a 3 track pink vinyl 7 ” all of their own. ‘Jameson Shot’ kicks things off in fine form too all squealing guitars and overdriven vocals, this is supershitty punk rock to the max make no mistake.
‘Drinking For My Baby’ (I’m noticing a them here are you?) on the B side continues the frenzied attack bringing to mind Gary’s days spent fronting those Hip Hop Priests. Whilst ‘Retaliate Now’ the final track here actually has guitarist G-Man conjuring up images of Wayne Kramer at times proving to be a welcome distraction to the usual nonstop chaos the guys conjure up. The X-Rays are back with a bang with this 7″, but make sure you get your copy before it’s too late.
Just like The X-Rays it just wouldn’t be a Singles Club without something from Wanda Records to review, and this time we have a four track black vinyl split 7″ from German punk rockers Teenage Love Guns and Missrata to get our heads around. Two tracks each and cut at 33 1/3 rpm it is the Teenage Love Guns who get things underway for me, with both ‘Turn Around’ and ‘Looming Disaster’ being up-tempo middle finger in the air type punk rock affairs. It’s also rather ironic that the latter tune ends with a huge explosion, because that’s also the name of the band I was scouring the deepest darkest recesses of my mind trying to work out who they most reminded me of.
Missrata meanwhile are a whole different proposition altogether. Fronted by Kex this four piece take a little while to warm up on ‘Snotty Old Man’ but when the lady out front does finally unleash her vocal talents it lifts the music out of the merely ordinary. Part Brijette West and part ummm Jody Turner the ‘Perfect Romance’ of female vocalists once again drives home the bands second cut, however in truth that is all there is to say positive about Missrata. The rest of the band sounding more suited to playing covers in your local boozer of a weekend.
In the run up to Xmas the usual onslaught of supposed rare 7″ers by the Sex Pistols have been setting me back an arm and a leg in my pursuit to own everything that Rotten, Cook, Jones, Vicious and Matlock have ever released. This time around though in amongst all the usual different versions of ‘God Save The Queen’ and ‘Pretty Vacant’ I’ve picked up like some VTD (vinyl transmitted disease) there’s also the extremely collectable ‘Hello!!! Winterland The Lost 1978 Soundcheck EP’. Pressed, on amongst many other formats, clear vinyl and released in fine picture sleeve, this release covers the four song (‘Bodies’, ‘Pretty Vacant’, ‘Problems’ and ‘No Feelings’) soundcheck the band did before playing their final gig at the Winterland. The quality of the recording is simply stunning even if the band’s playing isn’t, and with all the between song banter left in this really is a must hear for any self-respecting fan of the band.
Of course what happened next is all well documented so I could do without the accompanying ‘Winterland Goodbye’, which contains three songs from that fateful night in January 1978. I still bought it though of course.
To round off this edition of The Uber Rock Singles Club we go off-piste ever so slightly as we crank up the latest 2 track CD single from US punk-a-rollas Mongrel.
Wrapped up in some fantastic cover art that just screams out to be released on vinyl, it isn’t until lead track ‘Snakes’ unfurls its venomous sting that I realise just how deliberate this cover must be…. It’s like Skin from Skunk Anansie has just walked in and joined forces with Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey as the band grind out a huge slab of orgasmatronic heavy rock. The more aggressive punk tones of the band’s previous offerings have certainly been toned down on this release, but in truth Jessica, Adam, Michael and Mike sound all the better for it, with the mix and mastering team of Dave Fortman and Howie Weinberg making the Jim Foster produced Mongrel sound like a band who have truly come of age. Don’t believe me? Well the surprise that awaits you the listener during ‘Oxygen Mask’ the second song contained here is simply off the radar. I can’t get this song out of my head, and I don’t know why exactly, but one thing is for sure, vocalist Jessica Sierra has never sounded better than she does here.
Both these tracks are from a soon to be released EP called ‘Evolution’ due out in early 2014. Released as a result of the band’s recent Kickstarter campaign. So those of you who helped make this happen really are in for a treat because Mongrel are back twice the band they were before, and I know even though that might sound impossible it’s a fact….Trust me on this one.
So there we have it my vinyl loving amigos, it’s time for me to say “goodbye” until 2014 in turn bidding you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and I just hope Santa brings you all the vinyl you can possibly play.