"Independent records. No mushrock."
Rock · Pop · Punk
Releases
Better playing, better singing, better songwriting — and a feel that actually breathes next to the super-processed stuff on most indie labels.
"I've got to say, this kicks the ass of so much acclaimed shit that I've heard. Absolutely trounces it. The playing is better, the singing is better, you know the songwriting is better, and the feel and attitude is so refreshing next to the super-processed mushrock that we get fed from the indie labels."
Culty spearheads of the 90's Philly pop-punk scene, the Zonics return, kicking off a tour with a collection of unreleased gems recorded whenever and wherever they could, including after-hours in a restaurant. This collection bristles with frenetic energy, pop sensibility, heavy guitars and anthemic vocals that will thrill old and new fans alike.
When Hilly Kristal, owner of the legendary rock club CBGB, was asked in an interview who his favorite band was, he named one act without hesitation: Cement Head. Adding equal parts power-pop, NYC grit, and 80's Minneapolis-style punk, this prolific, stalwart trio have delivered their unique arrangements, complex chords, and catchy melodies to audiences for well over a decade.
"Cementhead's fifth full-length provides an excellent reason why you should know them, with powerful, melodic songs, infectious vocal harmonies, uplifting lyrics, and a sound that's part spirited garage-punk and the fuzz-pop of R.E.M."
Grass Records alumni (and former members of Unrest, Mercury Rev, and Mother's Day) finally get their due after their best album became their lost album. Lovingly transferred from its original analog sources by Steve Albini, this previously unreleased record is a deep dive into JBD's creeping mid-tempo beats and wirey arpeggios that lead to explosive walls of distortion, reminiscent of Slint, Fugazi, and grunge-era indie bands from the heartland.
"I'm way too deep down the rabbit hole to engage with an album like this normally; to me, the post-grunge Minutemen punk of 'In a Dark Room' and the Quarterstick Records-like 'My Heart & the Real World' are potential hit singles, the explosive, ugly 'How to Destroy Art' is the fiery rock and roll mission statement, the burnt-out slow swayers 'Gimme Some Time' and 'Carl C. Reep' are gorgeous power ballads." — Pressing Concerns, Rosy Overdrive
Cassette Releases
Half avant-garde, half blues/jazz, and punctuated by his own "street rap," all that we have from the multitalented Mr. Goodman is on this E.P., its brevity tempered by the variety contained herein. Recorded to four-track in a friend's living room, Steve Goodman shows off his guitar, trumpet, and saxophone chops as well as a compositional prowess and absurdist sense of humor. See-through blue cassette.
"Ned Clark has always compared his musical experience on this earth to being compressed into a scanning machine. 'It can get very gruesome,' he says. 'It's a snapshot of you at that exact point in time and space. Sometimes it's ugly, sometimes it's so majestic that you can barely hold on. But ultimately, between the gizmos and the gadgets, it's really revealing. To people, to God, and yourself.'"
"We had a masochistic deal with a virtually nonexistent label who insisted we take any show within a few hours of the city. One such gig was a New Jersey college radio show, where we were told only the week of that we'd be playing in what was essentially a broom closet. Scaling down, Jesse played some electronic toy drum pads and the rest of us went direct into the station's console, distortion pedals and all. There was no time for a soundcheck, and when we hit the airwaves everything but the vocals slammed into the red, completely overloading the poor system and broadcasting a brick-wall of crunchy, square-wave noise accompanying our nice, clean harmonies. It was too late to turn back, so we did the Heavy E.P. in its sequenced entirety. You should have seen the look on the DJ's face."