Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Nothing wrong with another cup, baby



Hello lady and gent, and welcome to another episode of Wednesdays With Andrew. This week has already brought more news of the loss of decent people...Carrie Fisher, George Michael. Seriously, go the fuck away already 2016. 

Welp nothing to do but turn the week around with some good punk rock. So pour yerself a glass of your favorite beverage and enjoy some tunes from the likes of Less Than Jake, White Fang, Green Day and more.


Annnnd the web player link is here: https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/25D3uxthhplVDWyB8fkC3o


Less Than Jake – Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts

Let’s start the day with my absolute favorite tune from ska punk bosses Less Than Jake. Aptly titled, Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts is off their 1996 full-length Losing Streak, which marked their first release through a major label (Capitol Records). This version is actually a re-recording of the song, which along with Jen Doesn’t Like Me Anymore, originally appeared on their debut album Pezcore. Less Than Jake, congealed out of the swampy, primordial ooze of Gainseville, Florida in 1992, quickly became one of the biggest names in the 3rd wave ska movement, blending catchy melodies with an aggressively punk rhythm section and upbeat horn riffs.

The Dopamines – Cincinnati Harmony

OK well this segues quite nicely into our next sing-along, Cincinnati Harmony. This track is featured on The Dopamines’ sophomore record, Expect The Worst, which was released through Less Than Jake founding member Vinnie Fiorello’s record label Paper + Plastick. Hailing from, uh-huh, SINcinnati, this trio has been pumping out pop-fueled punk rock since 2006. The perfect response to any conversation at any high school reunion, Cincinnati Harmony embraces sugary sweet melodies, coupled with throaty vocals, wailin’ guitar and aggressive backbeats. What do you think of this write up? Yea, I’ll ask you in 45 minutes when you’re drunk off your ass.

White Fang – Wrecked

Up next is a bong rip of a song from White Fang, off their 2015 album Chunks. Self-labeled as “the stupidest band on the planet,” White Fang has been delivering dope tunes and doing weird shit since 2006, back when they were just high school kids skipping class and making exuberantly dumb music. As a critical cog in the Portland (the one on the west coast, bruv) DIY machine, White Fang actually started their own label Gnar Tapes to print their music; Gnar Tapes has since blown up and relocated to LA, with an impressive artist roster. Wrecked takes us through a straightforward, hazy garage rock journey before capitulating to a bubblegum glazed nay-nay ending. Good stuff.

She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart

Tear You Apart is a skin-crawlingly catchy number from dark electro-pop duo She Wants Revenge. Formed in the San Fernando Valley in 2004 by the brain collective of Justin Warfield and Adam Bravin, She Wants Revenge set out to re-imagine the sound and feel of some of their biggest 80s idols, like Bauhaus, The Cure and Depeche Mode, while blazing new sonic paths for the next generation. Originally released in 2006 as the first single off their debut self-titled album, Tear You Apart saw a resurgence of popularity after being featured in American Horror Story: Hotel last year. Fun Fact 1 – everyone’s favorite beardo Joaquin Phoenix directed the music video for this song! Fun Fact 2 – Adam Brevin is, according to Wikipedia, President Obama’s personal DJ. Fun Fact 3 – Obama has a fucking personal DJ.

Green Day – Don’t Leave Me

Before achieving global fame and fortune, courtesy of their breakout major label release Dookie, Green Day was putzing around the 924 Gilman Street Club with Bay Area punk contemporaries; bands like Rancid/Op Ivy, Screw 32 and AFI. Don’t Leave Me was the second track off their debut full-length, 39/Smooth, released in 1990 through Berkley indie label Lookout! Records. Written and recorded before the advent of Tre Cool, 39/Smooth was the only Green Day album to feature original drummer John Kiffmeyer; kinda feels like he may be the Pete Best of punk rock. Side note – has anyone listened to Green Day’s new record? I haven’t checked it out yet, but I am (surprisingly) really digging that Bang Bang song.


Charly Bliss - Turd

Turd is the latest song from Brooklyn bubble-grunge act Charly Bliss. These scruffy rockers broke out on the scene in style a few years ago with the release of their critically acclaimed 3-song EP, Soft Serve. Turd features the squeak-tinged vocals, fuzzed-out guitar tones and overall 90s-ish sound we’ve come to expect and love from Charly Bliss. Leading lady Eva Hendricks wrote this track after being harassed on the streets of New York by some pathetic, gross motherfuckers, a sadly common occurrence for our female friends. Go buy this track on bandcamp: all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood!

Adrenalized – The Prophets and The Wise

This speedy anthem comes from Basque country punk rockers Adrenalized. Headquartered in sunny San Sebastien, Spain, Adrenalized embodies the breakneck speeds and thrashy melodies of the current mood of European melodic hardcore. True to form, this track is built around blazing guitar runs, tribal drum breakdowns and aggressive harmonies. The Prophets and The Wise is off el grupo’s 2013 album, Tales From the Last Generation, which is a delightful listen for a cold blustery December day…go check it out!

The God Awfuls – N.R.A.

Next up we have The God Awfuls and their street punk machine gun anthem N.R.A. Chugging power chords, fast drums and “oi!” choruses are at the center of this sing-along that derides the banality of evil that is the National Rifle Association. N.R.A. is off the Awfuls’ 2004 release, Next Stop Armageddon, published through Kung Fu Records. “9 years too late” alert! – the band had a rechristening in 2008, changing their name to Brand New War. As someone in a band that has changed its name a few times, I get the need for a clean slate…but I gotta say, I like the name The God Awfuls a helluva lot more.

Kyuss – El Rodeo

Ahhhhh, Kyuss. These guys are the quintessential 90s stoner rock band. Sludgey, doomy, heavy, dark and, well, just really goddam good, Kyuss was born in the Mad Maxian wastelands of California in 1987, helmed by lead guitarist Josh Homme and vocalist John Garcia. El Rodeo comes off their fourth and final studio album, …And The Circus Leaves Town, which was released just a few months before they broke up in 1995. ‘And out of the ash rises the phoenix’…this break-up would lead to the beginning of Josh Homme’s pet project, Queens of the Stone Age. I saw Kyuss Lives! (all the original members minus Homme) a couple years back, and those guys still drum up a mean performance. To be honest, it was a more memorable set than seeing QoTSA (which is one of my favorite bands) soon after.

Sahara Hotnights - No Big Deal

No Big Deal comes to us all the way from Sweden, courtesy of grrrls-only quartet Sahara Hotnights. This song was part of their second album Jennie Bomb, which was released in 2001 through RCA, and named after lead guitarist Jennie Asplund. Stylistically orbiting the worlds of power pop and garage rock, Sahara Hotnights deliver powerful, hook-driven punches, and No Big Deal is no big exception.

The Skatalites – Rough and Tough
We’ll end the playlist with some soothing sounds from pioneering ska band The Skatalites. A supergroup of talented Kingston musicians, the ten founding members started playing together in the mid-50s before officially becoming a band and touring in the early 60s. Rough and Tough features the rich horn sounds of Jamaican greats like Tommy McCook, Rolando Alphonso and Don Drummond, over a rocksteady calypso-influenced rhythm section. Enjoy ‘mon.


OK guys, that's it for this week. Keep tunin' in on Wednesdays for more puke rock. Follow on facebook for more treats, and keep sending in good tunes to check out!




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