My 2010 in records, the singles

Let's start with some stats;
42% is from 2010, 25% from '09. Again, this is why I won't do a def list of a year in december.
Okay, let's go, the highlights.

Greg Cartwright & the Young Seniors - Moola Man

Released in 2010 on Ghost Highway Recordings, nice color sleeve, pressed on red vinyl, handnumbered 45/110. Moola Man is a dirty rocker with nasty organ. The flipside is an instro. With Ross Johnson on drums (68 Comeback, Tav Falco's Panther Burns).Nothing new, but hey, Greg Cartwright can't do wrong. Great fun!


The Dirtbombs - Kick Me/The Crunch

Two great tracks by my
favorite artist, Mick Collins.
Both tracks are covers of
songs by Ray Columbus. The funny
thing is there's on info on this
release, not even on the label's site.I wrote
about this release earlier, check here



The Gories - Nitroglycerine

I'm so glad I finally got this baby, the first single by Mick Collins' first band the Gories. Released in '90 on New Rose Records, a great French label. The story is that this is a very collectable release, doin' big bucks on eBay and Discogs. I found my copy on discogs for under €10! This must be my greatest find on the internets. And now I have my collection of Gories records complete.


Harlem - LSD Saves

Two non-ablum tracks, released in 2010 on their own label Female Fantasy Records. Got to see 'em twice last year, in the Paradiso Amsterdam and Vera Groningen. The killer track is on the flip-side "Mood Ring". Nice thing is that I was invited to DJ at their Vera gig. Thanx Evert, and Jan and all the nice Grunnen people for a wunderful evening.



Hex Dispencers - One Less Ghost

Released on Trouble In Mind Records, colored vinyl, numbered 250/500. Great band with Alex Cuervo, another man who can't do nothing wrong with me. He played together with Mick Collins in Blacktop, he was with Lisa Kekaula in The Now Time Delegation, released a couple of great singles as This Damn Town and now he's been busy for a couple of years with Hex Dispensers. Two albums and three 7"s so far. I heard the rumour that Red Lounge Records is releasing all their 7"s this year.

The Liminanas - Je Ne Suis Pas Tres Drogue

Another great release on Trouble In Mind Records. French outfit playing sixties garage with a Gainsbourg/Yeh-Yeh feel. One member was Les Bellas before (they released two great 7" back in '05 on Profet Records). Can't wait for their full lenght, also on TIM.

Night Beats - H-Bomb

Okay, this is the last one from Trouble In Mind. Released 2010 as a 4track ep on colored vinyl, numbered 218/500. Three-piece from Seattle, putting out psych/lo-fi garage, screeching guitar, sloppy beats. Marc Bolan would love this.


Various Artists - Their Hispanic Majesties Request 2 x 7"

Norton Records, a great New York based label, released this beautiful gatefold 2 x 7" package. 4 songs in Spanish, all Rolling Stones covers. I bought it because of Davila 666 contribution; Borrando El Negro (She's A Rainbow). This six-piece from Puerto Rico are blasting out great sixties inspired glamrock with a garage feel.



Oblivians split

Their (Oblivians) first new song since '03. That's what I read on the Scion AV site. Can anybody let me know what new songs they did after they disbanded in '97? Anyway, this new song/recording is amazing, an instant classic! Nice artwork too. The flipside, Andre Ethier is a good tune. He used to sing and play guitar in the Deadly Snakes from Canada.


Vex Ruffin & The Lo-Fi Jerk-Heads - s/t ep

This is gonna be the no.1 for 2010 for me. Released on Black Gladiator, related to Slovenly Recordnings. Totally fucked up and crazy 4 track ep. It's punk, repeating, weird, blown out, copy-pasted shit. It gets in your head and it isn't gonna leave! It makes you wanna dance, shout, throw chairs through the window. PUT IT ON AGAIN!!! A second single is gonna be released this month, can't wait.

Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang I'm Burnout

Released november 2010 on Slumberland Records. The a-side is taken from their I Will Be album, on the flip you'll find a Misfits cover. It was nice to see them perform in the Paradiso Amsterdam last year. HOT LEGS!! Great tunes, will do fine on any party. If you want the real deal, get their "Yours Alone" 12" EP from '09.


Nobunny - Brace Face

I just love everything Justin Champlin puts out. It's fun, bubblegum pop with a punk twist, but above all; irresistible. When Jay Reatard would be alive, this would be the perfect opening act. Three songs about his obsession with getting blowjobs, only our bunny masked friend could get away with it. Released on Douche Master Records

That's about it, I'm done. Sorry for not giving enough attention to Woven Bones, White Wires, Tröckener Kecks/Ivy Green split, Sonny Vincent, The Readies (Dan Kroha), Ty Segall, UV Race, Jacuzzi Boys, Alex Chilton and many more. It was a great year in records.

My 2010 in records; the albums

Looking back at 2010 in music isn't just "what's the best record this year" for me. It's about discovering "new" music, bands, labels, genres and so on. This year brought me Harlem. I got their "Hippies" record in may and it blew my mind. It also brought me Los Electronicos, a band from Columbia, recordings from 1970 with instrumental arty tunes. I found out about Captured Tracks, a Brooklyn NY based label releasing great bands like Dum Dum Girls, The German Measles, The Beets, The Oh Sees, Fresh & Only's and more. I'm gonna point out some highlights, my highlights that is.

Stats, my purchases 2010;
42% LP, 52% is 7", 6% for 10" and 12".
39% is from '10, 22% is from '09, 5% from '08, the rest is old stuff ;-)
16% of the lot was purchased in may, great month!

Okay, here we go, first the albums.

Black Time - More Songs About Motorcycles & Death
12"EP, 6 tracks on 45rpm. A London based outfit putting out totally damaged bluespunk records since 2004. Their debut lp "Blackout" caught my ear right away and followed them since. The've been picked up by In The Red Records, releasing two of their albums. This release, on Wrench Records, is no disappointment either; hardhitting, harsh, in your face bluespunk. Like the Bassholes, but even more brutal, more rocking.


Jaill - There's No Sky ( Oh My My)
Their "That's How We Burn" lp on Subpop was my first encounter with this Milwaukee based band. Google learned me that they released an album prior to this one, on Burger Records. So I ordered it directly from the label and 2 weeks later... you get the picture. I unpacked the record, looked at it, great cover, nice inserts, digidownload, the vinyl has a nice shine, the needle touches the record... BAM!! Side one kicks off with 3 killer indierock tunes, great sound. It sets the standard for the whole record. Not a turd on this baby. Released in 2009, it would have been in my top 5, but hey, lists are made in december, right?


Augustine Ramirez - Sangre De Indio lp
I bought this album because a friend of mine pointed me to his "Vehicle" track. There's a mp3 somewhere on the internets, I would love to share this track with you, but I can't find it. Also released as a 7" on El Zarape Records. Great latin soul with an amazing fuzzed out psych guitar break!! Love it. Released in the early 70s.




Moonhearts - S/T lp
Debut album on Tic Tac Totally Records, released this summer. Their 7"s were promising, I was really looking forward to this album. Muddy garage rocknroll, great songwriting burried under a layer of mud. This album kicked right in, no questions asked! Fast, drivin' garagepunk with a poppy edge, energetic (duh)), surfin' noise are the keywords for this baby. If you like Harlem, check this record out; it's got more energy and way more punk. On the other hand it's loose like Oblivians, that's a + in my book.

The Anomalys - S/T lp
After releasing a split 7" on A Fistful Of Records and a regular single on Slovenly Recordings this is finally their full length, also on Slovenly. Last year I saw them play live in my fave hang-out in Hoorn, Swaf. They blew my mind with their amazing mix of high energy garage punk rockandroll. Perfectly balanced album from this three-piece from Amsterdam. And for the record, this is no lo-fi, recorded by Nils "Superhelicopter" Westphal, giving it an amazing sound.

I also got my hand on an album called 920 Blues, released in 2001 on Trick Knee Productions. It's a comp with all Wisconsin bands. The reason I had to have it; The Mistreaters are doin' a great version of the Gories' "I Think I've Had It".

I'll stop now, sorry for Golden Triangle, Conspiracy Of Owls, Tim Knol, Myelin Sheaths, Parting Gifts, Psychic TV, Outsiders, Nobunny, Trumans Water.....

The 7" are up next.

The Pizazz - Get Out Of My House lp

Burger Records is a small CA based label, putting out mostly cassettes AND Jaill's debut album. My attention was drawn to them because of their release of a cassette by Nobunny called "Raw Romance". Since it was sold out I checked Gemm and bought it. Great release with live and demo/early recordings. I subscribed to the mailinglist and got an email about a new band The Pizzaz, putting out an album on Burger Records. Total pressing of 200, 75 left for sale and the first 50 to order would get another free lp with early recordings. After I ordered I didn't hear anything from them, but I figured it would come through. And it did, including the free lp. I burned it to cd because we would go to France for two weeks and I NEEDED to listen to it.

My expectations were sky-high, thought that I was in for a treat like Harlem mixed with Nobunny. Boy was I wrong. This is so much more than that. Needless to mention I truly love Nobunny and Harlem, but The Pizazz are something else. Gotta say, if garage is your thing, this could be out of your league. Pop is what this is all about. And songs. The production is good, not the "let's bury the sound under the mudd", they don't need that. At times they sound like a lot like the nowadays' garagepop bands like Harlem, but they also take it back to XTC. The piano adds a nice twist to it. Some great laid back surf singalongs ala Beach Boys and you got the picture. Go check their MySpace to check out some tracks. I think it's still available on vinyl so get it while it's out there. If not, get the cassette!

the Dirtbombs new 7"

Last year Cass Records put out a Dirtbombs 12" called "Race To The Bottom". I played it once, it's full of synthesizer noodling, no music. A couple of months later I recieved an email from Ben Blackwell, who runs Cass Records and is playing drums in the Dirtbombs. It was a call to action; damage the 12", send it to the label and in return you would recieve a normal 7" with 2 Dirtbombs tracks. I smashed the 12", wich was killing me because it does big $$$ on ebay. This week I got the 7", two tracks, "Kick Me" and "The Crunch", on grey swirly vinyl.

This baby is doin' even more on ebay right now, but that's not the point. It's a limited pressing of 200, not available in stores or at the label. The only way to get this release is the way I did. Both tracks are covers of songs by Ray Columbus, a New Zealand garagerocker.

What's the score?

We're half way through 2010, what has this year brought me? Items released this year adds up to 41, that's thirteen LP's, twentyfive 7"s, two 12"s and one 10". Zooming in on the LP's, there are 3 comps ( Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas, Our Boy Roy and Party Platter. And there's three albums from the old days; Tunnel Of Love, Range Rats (pre Dead Moon) and The Outsiders. From the bands that released albums this year I'm gonna pick Capputtini il Lignu a duo from Italy/France. Cheb Samir's on vocals, guitar and drums, Cri on vocals and guitar. Blues is what this all about. There's the more traditional approach on some tracks, repeating mid-tempo songs, nothing to brag about, but solid. On "Bite In The Neck Blues" they gear up to the next level, a raw stomping beat, great riffs, dark voxs. "Wang Dang Doodle" is a fantastic hipshaker. In the end this is a real fun album, enough variation to keep my attention.
It's released on Jeetkune Records from Italy.

Magnetix split with Digger and the Pussycats

I'm a BIG fan of Magnetix, a French two piece outfit, releasing records since 2000. A couple of mounths ago I found out that they released a split 10" with Digger and the Pussycats on Every Night Is A Saturday in 2007. I found the label, nowadays located in Australia and after some mailcontact we got a deal. Three weeks later the record arrived!! And what a great record it is, that is the Magnetix side. I don't care about Digger..., I saw them live a few years back and that was awesome, but their records don't do it for me. The Magnetix however are mindblowing on every release they put out. Totally in the red guitars by Looch Vibrato, who's also singing, beats and backing vocals by Aggy Sonora. Great songs, amazing riffs and in the case of this release, fantastic organ makes me wanna dance and party all night!! Go check out some tunes on their MySpace . For a good overview of their releases check Grunnenrocks

Tunnel Of Love

For a while Bazooka Joe was spamming his Facebook friends with his new label, Black Gladiator: he was gonna put out some great records; Tunnel Of Love lp and a 7" by Rex Ruffin and the Lo-Fi Jerkheads. Tunnel Of Love "Rockin'Rollin'Bitches" was released on cd in 2002 and now, for the first time it's available on vinyl. Joe was pretty sure this is THEE punk-release of 2010. His label is connected to Slovenly Recordings and in my world that's a great label. So, when my dealer had it in the upcoming lists I ordered it. And man, was I blown away by this record. 14 tracks clocking at 25 minutes. And IMHO just punk doesn't do it right. It's true basement punk, rockin' hard. It's no hardcore, I'm not into that, but hell, this is dirty punk'n'roll. You can check 'em out on their myspace, or their own site but it doesn't do 'em well, it sounds great from vinyl. Go get the record if you're into Oblivians, AC/DC, Guitar Wolf... Joe, you were right, thanx!!!