The Baseball Furies – Better Than Ever (Big Neck Records, 2002)
One of the smaller, but consistent labels that maintained a presence from the ‘90s through the early portions of the new millennium, the Big Neck roster was populated with garage fan(atics) and punk enthusiasts who didn’t see the difference between subgenres. That being said, not everything that the label released wound up being as cohesive as this Baseball Furies album. Comprising mostly punk stuffs, there’s a quick step swagger that should tell listeners that these guys weren’t strangers to classic hardcore ensembles from just prior to the genre’s codification. The Baseball Furies would eventually follow this disc up a few years on, but it just wasn’t the same. For a brief moment in time, the group was able to capture the abandon that punk was intended to have. Unfortunately, it was fleeting. Coping this disc, though, might send listeners back to their teen years.
The Piranhas - Erotic Grit Movies (In the Red Records, 2002)
The phrase ‘art punk’ might be one of the most hateful and insipid genre names ever conceived. Hopefully, there’s something artful about all music, so inserting that specific descriptor should be seen as pointless. But even as other Detroit natives, like the Clone Defects, have been tagged with the moniker, the Piranhas, on its first full length, were able to include the perfect amount of musicality into its noisome nonsense. There’re melodies present – and they’re even bountiful. That being said, there’s a pretty small segment of even the out music cognoscenti that aren’t gonna be able to palette this one. Erotic Grit Movies isn’t awful, it just wants you to think that it is.
The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap Records, 2003)
The tragedy that ended this band’s career is well documented and pervasively sad. It was all just an accident, but perhaps akin to the Big Bopper biting it for the punk crowd. Comparisons aside, the Exploding Hearts were able to so seamlessly blend punk and pop together that if the group had been around for a while longer, there’s really no reason that it wouldn’t have hit it big. Of course, the songs about eating pills and getting high and looking out into space wouldn’t have helped the Portland based group garner a proper record deal, but they probably wouldn’t have cared. So, seeing as this is the ensemble’s lone full length, it would seem that you need to go cop it right about….NOW.
The Spits – Self Titled (Nickel and Dime Records, 2003)
It’s difficult to figure out what Spits record people are referring to seeing as three of them are self titled. This disc – the one with a robot on the cover with either a red or black background depending upon what version you’ve got – is notable for its inclusion of “Tired and Lonely” amongst all of the other soon to be classics. And what the band might lack in musical proficiency, talent and manners it’s certainly made up for with good song writing and a rather unruly live show. And yes, one might find the Spits attired in mummy gear or even as robots. Bonus.
One of the smaller, but consistent labels that maintained a presence from the ‘90s through the early portions of the new millennium, the Big Neck roster was populated with garage fan(atics) and punk enthusiasts who didn’t see the difference between subgenres. That being said, not everything that the label released wound up being as cohesive as this Baseball Furies album. Comprising mostly punk stuffs, there’s a quick step swagger that should tell listeners that these guys weren’t strangers to classic hardcore ensembles from just prior to the genre’s codification. The Baseball Furies would eventually follow this disc up a few years on, but it just wasn’t the same. For a brief moment in time, the group was able to capture the abandon that punk was intended to have. Unfortunately, it was fleeting. Coping this disc, though, might send listeners back to their teen years.
The Piranhas - Erotic Grit Movies (In the Red Records, 2002)
The phrase ‘art punk’ might be one of the most hateful and insipid genre names ever conceived. Hopefully, there’s something artful about all music, so inserting that specific descriptor should be seen as pointless. But even as other Detroit natives, like the Clone Defects, have been tagged with the moniker, the Piranhas, on its first full length, were able to include the perfect amount of musicality into its noisome nonsense. There’re melodies present – and they’re even bountiful. That being said, there’s a pretty small segment of even the out music cognoscenti that aren’t gonna be able to palette this one. Erotic Grit Movies isn’t awful, it just wants you to think that it is.
The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap Records, 2003)
The tragedy that ended this band’s career is well documented and pervasively sad. It was all just an accident, but perhaps akin to the Big Bopper biting it for the punk crowd. Comparisons aside, the Exploding Hearts were able to so seamlessly blend punk and pop together that if the group had been around for a while longer, there’s really no reason that it wouldn’t have hit it big. Of course, the songs about eating pills and getting high and looking out into space wouldn’t have helped the Portland based group garner a proper record deal, but they probably wouldn’t have cared. So, seeing as this is the ensemble’s lone full length, it would seem that you need to go cop it right about….NOW.
The Spits – Self Titled (Nickel and Dime Records, 2003)
It’s difficult to figure out what Spits record people are referring to seeing as three of them are self titled. This disc – the one with a robot on the cover with either a red or black background depending upon what version you’ve got – is notable for its inclusion of “Tired and Lonely” amongst all of the other soon to be classics. And what the band might lack in musical proficiency, talent and manners it’s certainly made up for with good song writing and a rather unruly live show. And yes, one might find the Spits attired in mummy gear or even as robots. Bonus.