They’ve been a mainstay on the Fat Wreck Chords band roster since 1996, and yet after a seven-year hiatus and the recent departure of their bassist Spike Slawson, Swingin’ Utters have followed up their 2011 release Here, Under Protest with Poorly Formed. This new full-length LP is the first to feature new bassist Miles Peck and marks the band’s eighth studio album.

To be honest, I let this one spin in my car’s CD player for a good week, rarely hitting the “next track” button. The opening track, “Librarians Are Hiding Something,” is catchy as hell and sets that bait that hooks you in for the entire 14-track ride. Musically speaking, there’s a really fine line walked here, with the sound being just polished enough to sound really nice and rough enough on the edges to lay true to the street punk sound the Utters are known for.

“Greener Grass” hits with their ode to that Celtic sound, mixing an acoustic guitar bed with Johnny Bonnel’s rough-edged vocals. “Temporary Contemporary” is one of my personal favorites on Poorly Formed, as it may be one of the most straightforward and simple cuts on the album, but the guitar hook and vocals — especially during the chorus — really hits it home. “I’m a Little Bit Country” and “Military Barbara Billingsley” provide the lyrically comical and satirical element, and things end on a very mellow and unexpected note with acoustic cut “Sevita Sing.”

One small criticism of this album is regarding the vocal effects placed on Bonnel’s vocals on the title cut and the song “Brains” with what I can only call “Mike Ness echo effect.” This effect on the vocals does nothing but make the vocalist sound like Ness. Perhaps that’s my own personal irritation, since I’m not a Social D fan and really don’t care for Mike Ness’s vocals. But otherwise, this album is near flawless from beginning to end. A solid effort that’s truly enjoyable to listen to over and over.

(Fat Wreck Chords, 2196 Palou Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124)

SNUFF – 5-4-3-2-1…Perhaps?

Sometimes I’ll hear a band, pick up an album, enjoy it, and plan to dive deeper into their discography but never get the chance. This is the case with Snuff. I own Tweet Tweet My Lovely and fully love the hell out of it. But in the mix of finding new music and sticking with standards, I never checked out their older or newer material.

That’s why I’m stoked to be reviewing  5-4-3-2-1 Perhaps? Musically, I find their sound to be quite interesting and innovative. Mixing heavily drummed punk rock, melodic (yet hard-hitting) guitars, Hammond organ, and a single trombone, Snuff’s sound is extremely distinctive and bold. And then there’s drummer and vocalist Duncan Redmonds’ vocals — perhaps the most noticeable attribute to Snuff’s sound. Some might cringe at his vocal styling, but I find it fits in its own weird way. Unfortunately I was not sent lyrics to this album.

5-4-3-2-1 Perhaps flows much like Tweet Tweet My Lovely did in the sense that there’s a mix material that ranges from straightforward rock to blistering fast tunes. “Mumbo Jumbo” lights up the album with the fastest and hardest tracks, and is backed up by “Rat Run”, a more bouncy (yet solid) tune. The poppy “EFL” comes across with a sound like Madness (“The Sun and The Rain” comes to mind). There are two versions of “In The Stocks” featured on the album, one being the electric version that opens up the album, and the acoustic version that closes the album.

In all, a solid record that flows really well as a whole and only solidifies the fact I really should look into checking out their other albums.

(Fat Wreck Chords, 2196 Palou Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124)

LESS THAN JAKE – Greeting & Salutations

Greetings & Salutations is the latest release from ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake. While this 12-song effort is considered a full length album, the reality is that this is simply their two last EPs – Greetings From Less Than Jake and Seasons Greetings From Less Than Jake — combined into one full-length collection. There are also two unreleased songs that appear on the album, “View From The Middle” and “Flag Holders Union.” Apparently, Greetings and Seasons Greetings didn’t get much attention from the LTJ fan base, as releases were only available online and at live shows. The two releases were also put out by LTJ’s own record label, Sleep It Off — thus limiting distribution and availability.

With Greetings & Salutations being released in the US on Fat Wreck, the hope is to get the newer material into the hands of the fans. Those happy with Less Than Jake’s newer material will appreciate the sound featured here — straightforward rock backed by horns with a touch of ska guitar. For those of you who missed the two last EP releases, this proves to be a great chance to catch up on LTJ’s post GNV FLA material.

(Fat Wreck Chords, 2196 Palou Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124)

GNARBOOTS – A.L.B.U.M.

Comprised of members of Bay Area musical outfits including Link 80 and Shinobu, Gnarboots have been wowing crowds all over northern California with their eccentric live shows for a few years now — although when comparing some of the live show clips on YouTube to the material found on A.L.B.U.M., there’s quite a notice able difference.
 Most of their live material is quite silly, to put it bluntly, featuring the band freestyle rapping and performing as what appears to be comedy band.

While some of the lyrical content and delivery is done in a whimsical style, the 11 cuts found on this their debut album have a downright catchy, straightforward punk sound that is quite impressive. I will admit that it took a few listens to get accustomed to the vocals on a few key tracks like “Japan 2” (can you say “tone-deaf”?). With some of the more poppy songs like “Martian Chronicles” and “Grown Ass Man” going into some of the harder tracks like “Tinnitus” and “Omnivore,” one would think that the flow of this album would be off. On the contrary, the mix of tempos from song to song gives the album a fresh flow straight through to the 11th track.

There’s definitely something oddly appealing about Gnarboots’ musical style — something I can’t put my finger on. The first listen was not that pleasurable, but as I tracked through A.L.B.U.M. a few more times, it grew on me like an acquired taste.

(Asian Man Records, PO Box 35585, Monte Sereno, CA 95030)

HUMAANA – Comfort

Reviewing material such as this fine EP from Boston indie rock outfit Humaana always brings me joy. I really wish I could pinpoint the sound of this genre, but simply put, the music on Comfort does just that: it brings comfort. For a little background on the band, Humaana is an offshoot of the defunct group Late Nite Wars, featuring their bass player Aaron Bernard and drummer Tim Manning. Along with Manning and Bernard, Humaana features Ryan Stack on vocals and Jordan Ignacio on keys and backing vocals.

The music featured here brings a mix of repetitive guitar riffs, electronic tweaks, and the catchy, poppy vocals of Stack.  The sound is very similar to other bands that have championed the indie-electronic sound such as Minus The Bear, Facing New York, and Portugal. The Man. The opening track entitled “Passing Parade” draws you in with the spacy guitar cuts and the catchy vocals and leads right into “Live Like The Sixties” — full of  a hard and harsh bass guitar-driven beat. “Winter at Faneuil” closes out the EP with a stripped-down and slowed-down mellow track featuring acoustic guitar and Stack on vocals. It’s a real nice, and dare I say, comforting way to end the album. If you’re a fan of the indie-electro rock genre like I am, you will be impressed by this effort.

(Panic Records, no address provided)

TOTAL CHAOS – Battered and Smashed

It seemed that after the inauguration of Barack Obama, many of those in the punk community took a step back in vocalizing their disgust for the American political system. Los Angeles-based punk rock outfit Total Chaos, however, show no signs of backing down from speaking out about the troubles that still plague our country.

Featured on Battered and Smashed is Total Chaos’s signature mix of punk rock and hardcore that they have been producing for 20-plus years. While Battered and Smashed is full of political commentary, such as on the tracks “Wake Up America” and “Political Recession,” the album also features more fun-filled and lighthearted tunes, including the singalong opening cut “Hooligan’s Holiday,” as well as “Do The Tony.”

Musically, the album is pretty straightforward in delivery. The band’s rowdy and raucous style adheres to the traditional hardcore punk sound, but adds stellar guitar work by way of some blistering solos featured throughout the album.

Just past the halfway point in Battered and Smashed is a surprise in the form of the song “Going Down,” which is reminiscent of Sublime with its mix of a laid-back ska guitar riff and beat with a blistering, up-tempo punk rock chorus. The guitar breakdown mid-song sounds very much in the vein of Brad Nowell, and by featuring lyrics about drug addiction and abuse, I definitely think this was a nod toward the Long Beach band.

Battered and Smashed has its share of good tracks but I found some cuts were too repetitive in lyric and song structure. Even with its repetitiveness, the album stays true to Total Chaos’s brand of punk rock – especially when it comes to the political and social content of the lyrics.

(Stomp Records, 1223 Blvd. Saint-Laurent, Suite 305, Montreal, QC H2X 2S6 Canada)

THE DIAMOND CENTER – California/Bells

Blending musical elements of folk rock and psychedelia, Richmond, Virginia’s The Diamond Center hit upon their 17th release with this two-song seven-inch EP. Adorning side A is the featured cut “California,” a dreamy tune driven by the light and floaty vocals of Brandy Price with the backing of guitars and organ, giving the song a true ’60s throwback sound — imagine The Doors meet early Pink Floyd.

“Bells” takes up side B’s seven minutes and 19 seconds. Much like side A, the sound replicates that progressive psychedelic sound of the past. Here the sound has a much heavier Floyd influence, reflected in the chord progressions and the overall structure of the song (Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine” and “Echoes” come to mind). Vocals on “Bells” are shared by Price and Kyle Harris. While I personally enjoyed Price’s vocals alone on “California,” the addition to Harris’s vocals really round out the band’s sound and perhaps makes it more whole as a product.

As a two-track EP, I really enjoyed the down-tempo feel of this release — even if it’s just a tease of what The Diamond Center has to offer.

(Funny/Not Funny Records, no address provided)