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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 | 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
PINK REASON:
Negative Guest List Jukebox Single: 7”
RIP Brendon Annesley. No one should die at twenty-one. If you happen upon a copy of Negative Guest List, pick it up. Brendon was a nasty fucker with razor-slash opinions and that’s a compliment. Pink Reason: modern conceptual art. It’s not just the music, it’s the experience, the entire package. The music’s a pastiche—manipulation, tones, noise. The a-side’s source material is complete re-rendering of The Hussy’s “Wrong/Right.” Think of magnetic tape being crumpled up, Ministry, blips of Digital Leather, and unattended electronics. I’m conflicted because it’s interesting, but it’s also pretentious as all hell. Your mileage will vary, depending on your appreciation of Kitchen’s Floor and the unhinged jaw, aching cartilage of the spun-out Homostupids tracks. The B-side blows. Litigiously. It’s a Guns’n’Roses cover played through ludes and cough syrup. Fuuuuck that. My “favorite” part of the original is that it was faster, thus it ended quicker.
–Todd Taylor (Disordered, no address listed)
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PINK REASON:
“Ache for You” b/w “Darken Daze”: 7”
Ohio and environs—close enough to be far away. Far away enough to be left alone to form a unique identity and not harvested by the microsecond by whatever style is in fancy, almost regardless if the shiny/fancy shit is on the backs of undocumented souls and decades of great work. I’m thinking Sun God, This Moment In Black History, The Chargers Street Gang, wherever the Homostupids are from. There’s a bleak desperation in Kevin DeBroux; a rust-encrusted, poverty-ensnared, life-is-shit, better-play-music vibe in Pink Reason that I really respond to. It’s outsider music for those without a backup plan. To give you a watershed, it’s garage rock without the comfort of a garage. Handgun in the Laundromat.
–Todd Taylor (Savage Quality, savagequalityrecordings.com)
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PINK REASON:
Ache for You: 7” single
Must confess, this is my first time hearing this group. I know, I know, they’ve been around for some time, and I do remember seeing the name in a lot of the zines, blogs, and whatever forms of media the kids are talking about these days. So, without that out of the way... “Darken Daze” on the B-side is the more down feeling of the two. Sounds like a mix of early American punk with some bastardized take on the blues. Then they put a slightly noisy spin on it towards the end. Nothing overbearing; it just creeps in and makes itself known as the song unrolls. The A-side, “Ache for You,” is more upbeat musically, though the lyrics and the way they are delivered give one a sense of desperation and confusion. I like how the guitar is up and has this noisy way about it. The playing is urgent and really pushing things around. The way both guitars come in towards the end and ratchet up the dissonance is great! I like this, but I can’t help but think to really develop an appreciation of this band, one would need to listen to an LP’s worth of music.
–Matt Average (Savage Quality, savagequalityrecordings.com)
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PINK SEXIES, THE:
Rock and Roll Moustache Ride: CD
Were Pere Ubu gay? Because if they weren’t, these guys are the gay them. Poppier, too.
–Cuss Baxter (Wrecked ‘Em)
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PINK SEXIES, THE:
Self-titled: 12"
Label says: “Pink Sexies first 7-song EP originally released in 2001, re-released on pink vinyl with one never released song from The Rock N Roll Moustache Ride sessions in 2003. Limited numbered edition of 150 wreckords.” I say, praise them for reintroducing this to the public. Feels reminiscent of old Black Randy ‘70s punk: soooo desperate, strained vocals, and popping punk hooks. It’s great. But it’s better than just fitting into an old punk sound. They feel like they came upon their anxiety naturally, blowing out frustration with the band. The post-it note says “Knoxville, TN” and that sounds like a great place to feel trapped in, needing to blast out. Cool wreckord you should check out.
–Speedway Randy (Wrecked 'Em)
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PINK SWORDS:
Shut Up & Take It: CD
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no saint and that some—nay, most—of the bands I’ve been in have been, at times, quite un-PC. I am also open-minded enough to say these guys are laying down some pretty solid rock/punk here. That said, I think depicting women’s faces and genitalia as urinals is a bit much. In fact, I think it’s pretty fucked up. I’m in no way in favor of censorship and wholly believe that if the intended message they’re trying to convey is that women are equal in worth to something you piss into, then more power to them; but if that IS their intended message, I hope any women currently involved, or who have the potential to be involved with these guys, make note of this, as it is pretty obvious from the artwork on this that they have some pretty deep seated issues. I would also to venture a guess that the moniker they’ve chosen is more than just a clever name.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Gearhead)
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PINK SWORDS:
One Night High: CD
What do you get when you take
the dirt out of trash rock? This. I don’t know if it’s in the recording,
but it just comes across so clean. There could be something there, but
I lose it in the sterility. This makes me think of office girls going
out for a night on the town and so they trade in their suit-dress for
a mini skirt and a spiked bracelet thinking that they’re so bad. However
they do thank some awesome bands that you should check out if you haven’t
yet: Riverboat Gamblers, The Ends, and the Motards.
–Megan Pants (Mortville)
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PINK TURDS IN SPACE:
The Complete: CD
Honestly, I know fuckall about this band outside that they were from Belfast and they appear to have started out in the mid-’80s and managed to survive into the early ‘90s. What I do know is that they cranked out some serious thrash that seems to carry the DNA of both the U.K. anarcho-punk crowd and U.S. ‘80s hardcore, with a dash of metal guitar to add a little personality. The lyrics are angry yet laced with a bit of sarcasm around the edges; the tunes are fast ‘n’ furious and tight as hell. In addition to what I’m guessing from the title is their entire oeuvre presented on once CD, you get a thick booklet with lyrics, pictures, flyers, and interviews culled from various fanzines and other sources.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Anti-Society, antisocietyrecords@yahoo.co.uk)
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PINKEYE:
Self-titled: 7”EP
It’s Jonah and Damian of Fucked Up’s side project. What’re you expecting? An all-instrumental tribute to Godspell, featuring dueling theramin, glockenspiel, and accordion? It’s hardcore and it’s much better than worthy of your attention solely because it features members of an awesome band: gritty, ADD-laden songs, more tuned to velocity and interested in killing jocks than Fucked Up. But, shit, if it doesn’t just flat-out rip with approved-by-Slayer solos, lyrics that read like laundry list of high school fantasies (highlighted by the aptly titled “In Praise of School Shooters”), and details taking acid while playing Dungeons and Dragons. It’s much better than I thought it’d be. Canada scores again.
–Todd Taylor (Slasher)
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PINKOS, THE:
Self-titled: CD
Political punk that goes far beyond the empty slogans parroted by many. Instead, the Pinkos present their ideas with an informed background, and it shows in the lyrics as they read like stories and conversations. Think of the Dead Kennedys in this aspect. Musically they keep it simple with only two instruments: guitar and drums. They’re catchy, solid, and interesting, as they stay away from the usual stimulus. As you may have gathered, the Pinkos are not your typical punk band. Which works in their favor, and yours, all the more. Have a listen.
–Matt Average (Empty)
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PINKZ, THE:
Something About You b/w Be Mine: 7"
Fuck, this is great girl-strewn power garage pop in the
firing range of Buck and early Muffs. Nice, bubblegummy thick choruses, catchy
lyrics, fuzzed out guitars, and production that’s not too slick and not blown
out (so it sounds human and fun without being clinical). It’s the stuff that
Josie and the Pussycats wished they could have pulled off, if they had daggers
hidden in their Converse and smoked a lot of weed. The Pinkz are kind of like a
sweater on fire from a bunch of firecrackers. At first it’s soothing – “Yeah, I
like that familiar beat,” snap-snap-snap, then they’re exciting on their own as
they toss out these two incendiary little nuggets of songs that make me get up
and flail around like a flaming tard. Way cool single. Me play lots.
–Todd Taylor (Gearhead)
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PINKZILLA:
Self-titled: CD
One o’ them bands that hop scotches between punk, metal, scum rock, and stoner rock. Things are heavy, the guitars chugga-chugga along, the drums wham-bam relentlessly, and the singer howls from the gravel pit that is his voice box.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Pinkzilla)
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PINS OF LIGHT:
II: CD
Imagine Lemmy from Motörhead fronting a new band that was influenced by Motörhead and more recent bands like Comets On Fire, Fu Manchu, Hellacopters, and the sort. Guitar rock without the theatrics of the past. The music is hard-driving, propelled by a drummer that hits hard, fast, and precise. For the most part, the songs are straight to the point, but on “Sound & Pressure” they go off into a more prog psych realm- a long buildup from rumbling drums, the bass keeps the tension, and the guitar melts and reforms at varying intervals. The song ends up being more of a jam, and while I do like it, I was hoping they would go even further into the psych side of things. Overall, this album is pretty good, but I think they could do better by adding a little more distortion and putting some dirt in the sound.
–Matt Average (Alternative Tentacles, alternativetentacles.com)
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PINSCH, THE:
Inside Jokes for Outside People: CDEP
Catchy ‘50s surf-influenced poppy punk with female vocals and keyboards. It’s just five songs in thirteen minutes, so it’s a pretty quick listen. The vocals are solid but the music is pretty basic and nothing excited me, although I will give the band credit for at least getting my toe tapping. Any band that can get some movement out of me beside hitting the stop and eject buttons on the CD player should be commended, but not necessarily recommended.
–Kurt Morris (Ramo, ramorecords@gmail.com)
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PINT LIFTER:
Delusions of Grandeur: CD
This most definitely feels like what most punk music sounded like when I was a freshman in high School in 1998. Sounds, vocally, like early Avail and, musically, like Jugheads Revenge. Somewhat formulaic, but a sound a lot of people seem to miss. Fast-paced, late ‘90s, circle pit punk.
–Rene Navarro (Self-released)
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PIONEERS OF SEDUCTION, THE:
The Universe Is Setting Us Up: CD
Generic garage-y rock and roll with a good sense of pop sensibilities. Also included are distorted vocals that remind me of Cris Cordero but the music isn’t crunchy enough for my interest. Perhaps the universe is setting this band up for their suckage. Or it just might be that they’re just not that interesting to begin with.
–Kurt Morris (Doom And Bloom, doomandbloomrecords.com)
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PIONEERS, THE:
White Walls: CD
If you need a shot of Jesus in your punkabilly, you could do a lot worse than the Pioneers. The band plays a potent mix of the devil’s chords (think Link Wray, the Cramps, the Trashmen, you know, the usual suspects) and chases it with some craaaaaaazy lyrics about laying rubber on the way to the house of the Lord. Conceptually, it might sound about as aurally satisfying as Christian death metal, but anyone who prizes their mom and dad’s Kitty Wells and Ernest Tubb records (or Mahalia Jackson and Curtis Mayfield) understands the man upstairs has, perhaps inadvertently, inspired some pretty good music. Songs like “Me and My Lord and My Hot Rod Ford” and “Cruzin’” pay as much allegiance to fat fenders and white walls as they do the old rugged cross and that’s where most listeners will want to leave it. Preachy tracks like “Battle Cry” are strictly for the initiated. Feel like testifyin’? Drop in on the Pioneers at the Hot Rod Church for Sinners in Mission Viejo, CA where they’re the house band, performing free (‘natch) every Sunday morning.
–eric (Self-released)
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PIPEDOWN:
Enemies of Progress: CD
Thought provoking. I like it when a band does some
research and instigates people to seek additional knowledge. Opening up the
insert, I see that they have a sizeable list of websites and books that they
recommend. I think too many punks don’t read. Old geezers like me who don’t go
out as much tend to read more to get stimulated. The lyrics here are not too
preachy but do ask people to look and question what this society has become
compliant to. Me, I have a lot of anger towards this generic, conformist
society we live in. I live for anger-based music that questions. This fits into
my cup of tea perfectly. But followers of my writing might be saying that you
don’t always listen to hardcore. That is true because my emotions go all over
the place, including my musical tastes. But one thing for sure is I listen to
punk rock and all its sub-genres 80% of the time. Before popping this in, I
thought I was going to get another mediocre melodicore release. Boy, I was
wrong. The singer reminds me of the singer from Sick of it All and the music is
a blend of Good Riddance meets Sick of it All. Serious as a family death.
Nothing excites me more when I can truly tell that a band is serious and not
into it for the money and fame. The music and lyrics are well thought out and
truly make them standout. I am impressed and this is going straight into the
car for ongoing listens. If it means anything to you, this is on Anti Flag’s
personal label.
–Donofthedead (A-F)
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PIPEDOWN:
Mental Weaponry: CD
I still have a copy of their Enemies of Progress CD that I reviewed awhile ago. Let’s see what I notice here after slapping this puppy into the player. First off, a maturity is showing in their song writing. The songs are so much stronger than their previous release. Kind of like modern day AFI meets the Refused in how they are approaching their musicianship. A lot of riffing, changes and vocal interplay while still maintaining a melody is what’s going on here. It’s hard to believe they recorded in the same studio as their previous release because the production is so much stronger here. I think this one is going into the CD changer in the car now. I like what I’m hearing.
–Donofthedead (A-F)
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PIPSQUEAK:
Fowl Hymns: LP
Pipsqueak is two people, a cellist and the vocalist from Snuggle playing guitar. I do like me some Snuggle, and the vocals and lyrical content have a lot to do with that. And those are represented well here. The cello is pretty decent, too. All the parts seem great, but, as a whole, this just ain’t doing it for me. Sounds like it should be on Fat. Sorry.
–Vincent Battilana (Repressed Issues)
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PIRANHAS:
Self-titled: 7”
Loud, FUCKED UP punk rock with keyboards to add to the din, making the whole thing sound like Richard Hell jamming with Le Shok. If this doesn’t make your neighbors circulate a petition demanding your immediate eviction, you need to move on your own, ‘cause people like that are way too jaded to be living next to, man. This rocks.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Rock’n’Roll Blitzkrieg)
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PIRANHAS:
Erotic Grit Movies: CD
GodDAMN, is this one glorious mess. Imagine the Flesh Eaters having being served a serious beat-down by the unholy tag team of a coked-out Pere Ubu and meth-addled Stooges and you ain’t even close. This is music to get ugly by, music that will encourage you to tear shit up and go hog wild, music that prolonged listening to might actually result in a lengthy prison stay. Don’t believe me? Just give a listen to “Isolation” and tell me you don’t feel like kicking the neighbor’s annoying fucking cat for a 75-yard field goal.
–Jimmy Alvarado (In The Red)
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PIRANHAS:
Self-titled: 7"
Loud, FUCKED UP punk rock with keyboards to add to the
din, making the whole thing sound like Richard Hell jamming with Le Shok. If
this doesn’t make your neighbors circulate a petition demanding your immediate
eviction, you need to move on your own, ‘cause people like that are way too
jaded to be living next to, man. This rocks.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Rock’n’Roll Blitzkrieg)
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PIRATE LOVE:
Black Vodoun Space Blues: CD
This self-described black punk band from Oslo, Norway comes correct on their debut album. Tracks range from ragged Birthday Party-influenced grooves to more surf’n’roll oriented tracks. It never falls victim to outright homage or camp; there’s an authentically dangerous vibe here. Lyrics deal with love gone murderously bad, to outright insanity. If this band was stateside, there’s no doubt that they would be huge right now. Seek this out! Evan Katz
–Guest Contributor (Voodoo Rhythm)
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PIRHANAS:
self-titled: CD
This, apparently, is a re-release of their first album with tracks from a single and a radio ad tacked on for good measure. The music is crazed, chaotic trash rock that causes headaches in all the right ways.
–Jimmy Alvarado (On/On Switch)
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