THE TURBO AC’S – Kill Everyone

Ah! A new Turbo A.C.’s album! Time to put it to the test! You see, I drive a 1973 Chevy Nova and usually the best way to test out a new punk or hard rock album is to drive down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) with the windows down and the tunes cranking. If I tend to speed, as in the case of Motorhead’s Overkill, it gets a passing grade. If it doesn’t inspire me to put the pedal to the metal, it fails.


Kill Everyone starts with high potential, especially with the opening track “Feed You To The Sharks.” Kevin Cole’s vocals are super raspy and unique, and they really work well with the music, much like how awesome Tim Armstrong sounds with Rancid. As the album progressed I noticed that I wasn’t really cranking out the RPMs on the Nova, but I continued to enjoy this album. Tracks like “Ancient Chinese Secret” really blasts out that fast-paced punk sound, and “Forget Everything” has a definite Ramones feel to it. Another nice thing about Kill Everyone is how Tim Lozada’s bass guitar seems to drive quite a few of the songs like “Shut Up Pills,” “Live Fast Die Slow,” and “Into The Vortex,” Okay, so technically the it failed the Nova test, but this album does pass the test for being a really good punk rock album as a whole. It’s not a non-stop fast paced album but it has its moments. Quite an enjoyable listen.

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

COMET GAIN – Howl of the Lonely Crowd

Having never heard of Comet Gain, I was quite surprised to learn they’ve been around since the early 1990s. Receiving high accolades in the indie pop scene in the UK, it seems their attraction never really crossed the pond here to the United States, but here they are releasing their sixth studio album in the US.


Laced with keyboards with a stripped-down, indie-pop sound, the opening track “Clang of the Concrete Swans” starts the album in a catchy frenzy. It’s followed by “The Weekend Dreams,” a bass- and horn-driven track that has a retro British soul sound featuring Rachel Evans on vocals. There’s a real nice mix of material on this album that allows the listener to hear all aspects of Comet Gain’s sound. While Howl of the Lonely Crowd has its share of infectiously toe-tapping pop songs, there are also a few mellow tracks that really add some depth to the feel of this albums. “After Midnight, After Its All Gone Wrong” highlights that toned down sound with an emphasis on David Feck’s vocals. The album takes a poetic turn with the track “A Memorial For Nobody I know,” again with Feck on vocals. The shared vocal spot between Feck and Evans throughout the album is also quite enjoyable. The album is nicely balanced between catchy pop and singer-songwriter material.

(What’s Your Rapture? Records, no address provided)

WOLVES LIKE US – Late Love

Newcomers to the American hard rock scene is Oslo Norway’s own Wolves Like Us with their debut album Late Love. Featured on this album are a collection of 10 tracks filled with pounding drum lines, melodic yet hard guitar licks, and howling vocals. While coming across as more of a hard rock album than anything else, the track “Shiver In The Heat” plays off a fast punk rock beat.


It’s quite clear that these guys can bring the rock, but it’s unfortunate to say that many of the songs feel like they follow the same formula from track to track. The vocals seem recycled as well — a little one-dimensional. I will say that the vocals are sung with conviction and gut-wrenching power, but feel played out by the middle of the album. Musically, these guys are quite good and the album is put together quite nicely, but I feel that by the fifth track the album ran its course. This might be one to check out on a streaming feed online, but not something I’d suggest picking up.

(Prosthetic Records, 11664 National Blvd. Suite 413, Los Angeles, CA 90064)

BROADCASTER – Joyride

Broadcaster’s digital EP Joyride is two decades too late. If you had the ability to throw a copy of this EP in a time machine and send it to some college radio station in the 1990s it would fit right into the rotation of other ’90s alt-rock acts. But this three-piece act from Long Island got their start just last year, playing mostly ’90s cover songs. Their sound is quite nostalgic for someone like myself who grew up listening to acts like Nada Surf, Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr. Even with that throwback sound, the four tracks on Joyride are quite refreshing. Musically, they have that ’90s sound pegged down perfectly. You can listen to each of these songs and see what bands really inspired Broadcaster’s sound. For example, “Atlantic Sea” has a definite Oasis sound — both in musical and vocal structure. Those stuck 15 years in the past will appreciate their sound, but those also in the now should also be highly impressed with the music these guys are pumping out.


(self-released, no address provided)

JELLO BIAFRA AND THE GUANTANAMO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE – Enhanced Methods Of Questioning

Holding back no punches against the status quo (as usual), Jello Biafra is back with the second release from Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School Of Medicine. This five-song EP comes only a few years after the release of their first full-length release, The Audacity Of Hype.


Taking aim at issues including religion (“Invasion of the Mind Snatchers”), bio weapons (“The Cells That Will Not Die”), and the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on war veterans (“Victory Stinks”), the formula of Biafra’s iconic and infamous vocals along with the relentless punk rock onslaught of sound projected by the band provides for an rousing listen. The bass work of former Faith No More member Billy Gould drives a majority of the songs, along with the scathing lyrical content. Biafra really shines in the opening track “Dot Com Monte Carlo,” where he airs out his disgust with  his adopted hometown of San Francisco, California: “Where’s the gangs in the mission when you need em?/How ’bout some yuppie drive-bys for a change?” quips Biafra. As usual, the release comes with a Biafra-created poster-sized liner notes collage that one could look over for hours in amusement.

(Alternative Tentacles Records, PO Box 419092, San Francisco, CA 94141)

LOVE OF EVERYTHING – Sooner I Wish

Bobby Burg is the brainchild behind Love Of Everything and in this nine-minute-long EP titled Sooner I Wish, Burg teams up with drummer Matt Holland (Air Waves, Vacation) for these four new tracks.


The songs reflect Burg’s recent divorce from his wife, but listening to the upbeat and bouncy vocals, you’d never know it. The lyrics are quite scathing, though, in content. Clearly, the material here is very personal — unfortunately there’s nothing overly intricate or really interesting about the music itself on this EP. The album was recorded live with a loop pedal and no overdubs besides Burg’s vocals, leaving little room for complexity and improvisational.

In the few times I’ve listened to this album, there’s a glaringly obvious feel that the effort was thrown together in a rush (maybe that was done on purpose?). The bass guitar on the opening track “Three Way Answers” really distorts the sound of the song, causing me to check my bass levels on my stereo on the first listen. I will admit that the catchy feel of the songs started to become infectious by the third or fourth listen, but not enough to change my opinions on this album.

Sooner I Wish is undoubtedly a work of personal reflection about the heartbreaks of a marriage gone wrong. While the lyrics tell of that pain, the music does not. It’s too catchy and, dare I say, “indie.” Or maybe I just can’t dig this kind of music.

(Polyvinyl Records, 206 N. Randolph Street, Suite M100, Champaign, IL 61820)

BRIDGE AND TUNNEL – Rebuilding Year

Melodic yet chaotic — Bridge and Tunnel balance the musical scales with their latest release Rebuilding Year. This collection of 10 songs run the gamut of musical expressions from one end of the spectrum to the other.


The album starts with steady paced and straight forward cut “Synchronized Swimming.” The melodic side of Bridge and Tunnel’s sound really comes out in this opening track, with its pedal and reverb effected guitars and spacy vocals. The opening track is followed up by “Harder Pill To Swallow,” another melodic track with a bit of a harder edge to the vocals. By the third cut, “Outgrowing Pains,” you’re bombarded by a faster paced track with the harshest vocals so far on the album.

Interestingly, there are breaks in this track that bring back that more mellow sound. This pretty much sums up Rebuilding Year’s feel, a delicate balance between melodic indie rock sounds and a hard edge screamo vibe. One of the more memorable cuts from this album has to be “Hands,” with guitarist and vocalist Rachel Rubino highlighting her softer and more melodic vocal range. This album really mixes it up –not predictable whatsoever. Great mix of various styles of music, all mixed and balanced nicely to end up with a really impressive effort.

(No Idea Records, PO Box 14636, Gainesville, FL 32604)