The North Bay of California isn’t well known for its punk stuff. More frequently, hippies work out some patchouli jams from that particular part of the country. Of course, wherever there’re hippies, there’re probably some punks sitting around decrying their nemesis’ existence. Right or wrong, that’s how it is. The Bodies, regardless of whether or not they were the folks sitting around lamenting the ‘60s thing, were able to maintain a small, but consistent label as well as releasing a string of singles, mini-LPs and full lengths that rivaled pretty much everyone else trucking in early ‘80s styled punk stuffs. Addicted to You isn’t that long, but in its aggression, topical subject matter and well constructed tunes, listeners should be able to find as much pleasure here as in bigger, more bloated bands.
The Black Lips – Let it Bloom (In the Red Records, 2005)
With all of the attention lavished on Atlanta’s Black Lips over its last two releases, it seems that folks forget how good they were prior to getting wrangled up with all of the hipster nonsense that Vice, its magazine and its label have come to represent. Of course, there’s nothing too drastically different going on during Let It Bloom and its ‘60s pop and garage inflected rock stuffs. That being said, the songs come off as a bit cleverer in addition to eschewing all of that self aware coolness that the Black Lips have become engulfed in. Earlier discs weren’t as good, nor were the latter ones. So, really, Let it Bloom is the only one that matters.
Easily the best African American, French influenced Oi! band ever. Ok, fine. They don’t have any competition. But whereas most skinhead rock stuff is horribly played and recorded, these guys are actually able to play a guitar solo and not have it come off as all watered down, high school shenanigans. Surely it’s odd that there’re still grown men that claim ties to the skinhead subculture, but with its overt Major Accident influence, listeners should be prepared for as many well crafted songs as references to getting even with those perceived to be enmeshed in some sort of transgressive behavior.
Jay Reatard – Blood Visions (In the Red Records, 2006)
It sometimes gets difficult to describe different ways that Jay Reatard is incredible. He’s probably tired of them all. But despite the voracious fandom that’s relatively recently been showered on him and his career, Blood Visions remains one of the most consistent and consistently catchy albums of the decade – punk or otherwise. Yeah, everyone has some lame story about how he’s wronged one person or another. And apart from the fact that at least some of those accounts have to be fabricated, who cares when this guy can rave up a punk track at once recalling the Adverts and the Urinals? Who else is working with that tandem of influence? No one.