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Record Reviews1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 | 0-9| A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M | | N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| < Prev Section | Next Section >  RSS Feed
COBRA SKULLS:
Agitations: CD
The Cobra Skulls have become one of the dependable go-tos for catchy political pop punk. Much like Bad Religion, there’s a certain musical consistency they possess while still having a sound that is uniquely them, thanks largely to singer Devin Peralta’s distinct voice (and if you’ve seen them live, his hair). Maybe it’s because this is the band’s first full length on Fat Wreck, but it seems like they turned down the Against Me! and turned up the NOFX/ ‘90s Fat sound. The song “All Drive,” for instance, has a bass intro and main riff that easily could of come from Punk in Drublic. Also, the song “On & On” has backing vocals that brings to mind Lagwagon. While this band has always been defiantly left wing, the lyrics this time around may be their most plain spoken and strident yet. And good for them. “The Mockery” is a favorite, but the band pretty much cannibalized the main riff from their own earlier song, “Rebel Fate.” This band really shines when they stray from their standard sound (like the couple of songs they do in Spanish on their earlier releases) and in this case, the pseudo-acoustic “Believe” that ends the album is the high point. Cobra Skulls are a strong band and this is a good release over all, but songs like “Believe” really showcase the potential this band has at putting out something really next-level-amazing someday.
–Adrian Salas (Fat)
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COBRA SKULLS:
Agitations: CD
Loud and shiny rock, quickly paced with vocals that have just a hint of a growl that’s been mostly buffed over. Too much polish, not enough scruff for me.
–Candice Tobin (Fat Wreck)
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COBRA SKULLS:
Eagle Eyes: 7”
There are three songs here. They are all mid-tempo rockers. “Eagle Eyes” is on Side A. On Side B, “Internal War” leads into “Walk Away.” Definitely a nice pick up for fans of the band. As a bonus, this record was mastered in Stockholm, Sweden. Interesting.
–Nighthawk (Fat)
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COBRETTI:
Violation Guaranteed: CD
Think Henry Rollins fronting a Swedish rock band and you’re on the right track.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Cobretti)
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COBWEBBS, THE:
The Cola Sessions: CD-R
The music’s not bad in a KXLU/college alternative stuff kinda way, but the singin’ is so lousy you can’t help but admire their chutzpah. It takes some serious huevos to be this unabashedly bad.
–Jimmy Alvarado (http://myspace.com/thecobwebbsmusic)
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COBWEBBS, THE:
Diabeetus Educate: CD
I was lamenting the sorry state of my current batch of review material to my roommate, Matt, today. I mean, there are only so many ways to say “This sucks,” you know? Matt asked me how many reviews I had to finish. I said that I had three more. He replied “This sucks, this blows, this blows more. There, you’re done. Let’s go get a burrito.” The Cobwebbs blow more. I’m done, let’s all go get a burrito!
–Ryan Horky (Mannie Kid, myspace.com/thecobwebbsmusic)
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COCAINE PIÑATA: : CD:
Rock That Shocks the Town: CD
Loud, chaotic punk rock that’s hard to compare to anyone, not because they don’t sound like anyone, but because no one has heard of all the bands they sound like. Hell, I’ll give it a try anyway. Imagine Even Worse on amphetamines – tough ass female vocals and everything sped up to the point that it’s sloppy as hell. Folks who remember and love Tucson’s The Blacks would be well-advised to check out Cocaine Piñata.
–Sean Carswell (Cocaine Piñata)
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COCK SAY COCK DUNG:
Kronik Kronism: CD
Malaysian punk rock from a band that comes off pretty much like one you’d come across in any backyard. I figure they sing most of the songs in English to reach the widest audience possible, but it probably would’ve been a good idea to stick to their primary language to make their points about the things that piss them off and then translate them later. Opting to sing in one’s native tongue often adds a little extra something to the delivery and avoids interesting song titles like “Drugs Are Suck.”
–Jimmy Alvarado (nizangmosh@gmail.com)
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COCK SPARRER:
England Belongs to Me: CD
A compendium of their early singles, this release also serves as an interesting document of the evolution of this long-running band. The earlier tracks owe more than a little to the pub rock sound that was prevalent when the band started back in the '70s and, as the disc progresses, you can hear the development of the hard, yet very poppy sound for which they are known. Toward the end, the listener is also treated to a lesson that plagued many English punk bands (Adicts, SLF, Angelic Upstarts) during the '80s: overproduction can ruin even the best song. Still, this is more than worth the price of admission just to hear early versions of classics like "Running Riot," "Argy Bargy," "Working," and a great live cover of the Clash's "White Riot."
–Jimmy Alvarado (Taang, 706 Pismo Ct., San Diego, CA 92109)
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COCK SPARRER:
Live: Runnin' Riot Across the USA: CD
You can't really say that Cock Sparrer is breaking any new ground these days. This is a recording of their show in San Francisco last February. They played most of their hits: "Runnin' Riot," "Where Are They Now?" "Riot Squad," "Argy Bargy," "England Belongs to Me," and so on. The recording quality is high. It sounds great, and the songs are really good songs. The only problem I have is that I've heard them all so many times now that I wish they'd write some new fucking songs. They also have kind of a rock star way of putting on a show: they say the name of the city the same way Spinal Tap would, they tell the crowd that they're great audience, they encourage you to sing along with the hits, etc. So if you're a Cock Sparrer nut (no pun intended), if you want to relive the last time you saw Cock Sparrer, or if you've never heard them, this would be a great album. Otherwise, well, you've heard it.
–Sean Carswell (TKO, 4104 24th St. #103, SF, CA 94114)
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COCK SPARRER:
England Belongs to Me: CD
A compendium of their early singles, this release also serves as an interesting document of the evolution of this long‑running band. The earlier tracks owe more than a little to the pub rock sound that was prevalent when the band started back in the '70s and, as the disc progresses, you can hear the development of the hard, yet very poppy sound for which they are known. Toward the end, the listener is also treated to a lesson that plagued many English punk bands (Adicts, SLF, Angelic Upstarts) during the '80s: overproduction can ruin even the best song. Still, this is more than worth the price of admission just to hear early versions of classics like "Running Riot," "Argy Bargy," "Working," and a great live cover of the Clash's "White Riot."
–Jimmy Alvarado (Taang)
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COCK SPARRER:
Live: Runnin: CD
You can't really say that Cock Sparrer is breaking any new ground these days. This is a recording of their show in San Francisco last February. They played most of their hits: "Runnin' Riot," "Where Are They Now?" "Riot Squad," "Argy Bargy," "England Belongs to Me," and so on. The recording quality is high. It sounds great, and the songs are really good songs. The only problem I have is that I've heard them all so many times now that I wish they'd write some new fucking songs. They also have kind of a rock star way of putting on a show: they say the name of the city the same way Spinal Tap would, they tell the crowd that they're great audience, they encourage you to sing along with the hits, etc. So if you're a Cock Sparrer nut (no pun intended), if you want to relive the last time you saw Cock Sparrer, or if you've never heard them, this would be a great album. Otherwise, well, you've heard it.
–Sean Carswell (TKO)
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COCKNEY REJECTS:
Greatest Hits Vol. 3: CD
The third of their "classic" original releases, this one features the band playing a live set in front of a crowd of invited guests. Although swell as a live document of a band poised to take that great leap into bad metal land, and the sound is impeccable, I've always found it to be a bit lackluster in the performance department. Still, personal preferences aside, it doesn't suck; many of their hits are represented here, and the completists will be pleased as punch to have this available again, especially considering that the fine folks at Captain Oi have seen fit to include a couple of unreleased cuts from the same show as an added bonus, including a nice version of "In the Underworld."
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKNEY REJECTS:
Greatest Hits Vol. 1: CD
Back when I was a kid, there was a record shop, Roadhouse Records, next to the youth center my dad ran in Montebello. Whenever my brother and I would go with my father to work, we’d pop over to Roadhouse to peruse the shelves and stock up on punk badges and copies of Flipside. Because the owner of said record shop was a friend of my father’s, we managed to make a deal with him that if no one came in and bought the punk LPs he occasionally stocked within a month or so, he’d sell ‘em to us for two or three bucks. It worked out swell for all involved because he’d clear a room for the lame metal records that were popular at the time and we got brand new albums for a song. To make a long story short, this was one o’ those records. I remember rushing home, plopping it on the record player and being blown outta the room by what I still consider to be the UK’s answer to Black Flag. Songs like “They’re Gonna Put Me Away,” “Fighting in the Streets,” and “Police Car” easily rival that band’s best work in terms of intensity, and, like Black Flag, the Reject’s efforts helped spawn a whole new subgenre of punk rock, in their case what became known as “oi.” Twenty-plus years on, the tracks here still hold up and still generate that same sense of immediacy they did so long ago. In addition to the original album’s tracks, Captain Oi serves up the Flares and Slippers EP and some BBC sessions to sweeten the deal. In the grand pantheon of English punk rock records, this puppy ranks in the top fuggin’ three and as far as Rejects albums themselves, this is, hands down THEE BEST of the lot.
–Guest Contributor (Captain Oi)
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COCKNEY REJECTS:
Greatest Hits Vol. 2: CD
Captain Oi has seen fit to reissue album number two from these boys, and we are all the better for it. While not as consistently awe-inspiring as the first album, with Stinky in particular not belting out them vocals like he did on prior efforts, this is still one monster of an album, with classic tunes like “Subculture,” “War on the Terraces,” “Urban Guerrilla” and, of course, “Oi Oi Oi,” the song that gave the movement its name. Also included here are assorted singles tracks and BBC sessions for your listening pleasure. If you have any sense at all, you already own a copy of this.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKNEY REJECTS:
Out of the Gutter: CD
Some bands should just be content to sit and collect the royalties from their early recordings and never revisit music again. This is one such band. If I wanted to listen to bad metal, I’d shell out some dough for the last Metallica album. As a fan of their earliest work, I’m horrified.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKNOOSE:
Badmen, Butchers, and Bleeders: CD
I think this is my new favorite album of the week. This is a re-issue of their debut album from ’94. It’s been completely remastered and they’ve added three bonus tracks (two GG Allin covers.) Bands should take a lesson from them: this was originally recorded for ninety-seven dollars in under three hours. And it blows away a large portion of what’s been recorded since. It’s loud as hell (which should come as no surprise since their bass player created the Confederacy of Scum), full of sleaze, and is just downright nasty. I love it. This is the kind of music your mother worries about you listening to, with good reason.
–Megan Pants (TKO)
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COCKNOOSE:
White Trash Messiahs: CD
Ain’t too hip on the “redneck pride” trip that all o’ these Confederacy of Scum bands are on, but I do like the music on this CD. Loud southern rock‘n’roll with a definite punk edge, sorta Molly Hatchet meets Motorhead, if you will. This disc may not save my life, but it sure as hell is gonna make the walls in my apartment rattle for some time to come.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Steel Cage)
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COCKROACH:
Stay Angry: 7"EP
Spastic hyper-core with a singer who sounds plenty pissed. I’m feelin’ it, gee.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Acme)
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COCKROACHES:
No Boarding and Pop Fodder: CD
Judging from the first song, this Russian band apparently falls in the pop punk pigeonhole. The reason I really can't say for sure is that the disc began skipping midway through that song and I couldn't get it to play any others on the disc. Upon ejecting it, I found that the reason that it wouldn't play is because it looks like someone dragged it face down through a gravel quarry.
Yup, they play pop punk. There's even a fucking ska song. Christ, is there nowhere on this god‑forsaken planet that hasn't been infected with this crap? To call the music here drivel would be to compliment it. This disc, by the way, looked like someone tried to polish it with a piece of coarse sandpaper.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.tarakany.ru)
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COCKSPARRER:
The Decca Yea: CD
Collected here are recordings, fifteen in all, the band made during their short stint at Decca Records circa ‘77/‘78, whereupon they were summarily dropped when their initial singles failed to make a big splash. Listening to this, it becomes painfully obvious what a bunch of ninnies the Decca people were for having neither faith nor patience in the band’s ability to really shine. There are some real winners on here, including many that are now considered anthems (“Runnin’ Riot”), classics (“Sunday Stripper”) and staples of the band’s set nearly three decades later (“Teenage Heart”), and many others that are just as good, which would explain why so much of this has found its way onto assorted comps over the years. Although less “punk” and more “pub” than later work, much of what is on here is strong enough to make anyone not stone deaf pay attention and illustrates that much of what makes the band so special was in evidence even early on.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKSPARRER:
Back Home: CD
All the hits, recorded live
before an enthusiastic hometown crowd. Personally, I would’ve preferred an
album’s worth of new tunes, but a collection of classics performed live is
decidedly better than no Cocksparrer whatsoever, I reckon. Sound quality’s
great, performance is good.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKSPARRER:
Here We Stand: CD
At this point in their career, one that spans four (!) decades, Cocksparrer could probably turn a jingle for roof tarps into an anthem for the ages. Their first studio album in quite a while is no less solid than those that precede it—up to the rafters in solid punk tuneage sick with hooks and delivered like only they know how, managing to sound both informed by years of slogging it out yet totally relevant and fully aware that “it’s much the same/a different generation with a brand new name.” Truly unprecedented it is that a band this long in the tooth has remained so consistently good and continued to write and release batch after batch of bonafide classics. Here’s hoping they carry on with the same quality and chutzpah well into the next decade.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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COCKSPARRER:
True to Yourself: 7”
Two previously released
tracks, the title one from their most recent album and the flip a live version
of “Chip on My Shoulder” from the Runnin’ Riot Across the USA album. Although both tracks are fuggin’
great—c’mon, it’s Cocksparrer we’re talking about—I kinda wonder if it’s worth
the effort to hunt this out if you’ve already got both those discs, unless yer
some kinda collector, or like singles with pictures of punk rockers on the
cover.
–Jimmy Alvarado (TKO)
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COCKSPARRER:
True to Yourself: 7"
I love it when you put a
new record from an old oi band on the turntable and you can tell who it is in
the first dozen revolutions. Doesn’t fall too far from the tree and that’s just
fine with me. Backed with a live version of “Chip on Your Shoulder” recorded in
2000, though the song was originally published back in ’77. Essential for
Cocksparrer completists.
–Jim Ruland (TKO)
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