MILK DICK.

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Being off work sicks means being painfully bored. I live in London- if I’m not at work, I should be out doing stuff. Alas, it hurts to move. I had to go to the shop earlier and it felt like I had ran 12 marathons. It’s not even a 5 minute walk from my house. I’ve learnt that being sick doesn’t really bother me, it’s the having nothing to do that does. I’m hoping I feel well enough to go to work tomorrow because I’m tired of my own company and I want to use my brain. I’ve spent most of the afternoon asleep so now I’m using my time wisely to find some bands to go on about.

Milk Dick. A name that will probably bring up questionable results when you look for them- add “band” after their name when looking them up if you like to veer on the side of caution. If not, then enter as you wish.

Milk Dick are 3 pals from Brooklyn who make music that seems to fit anyone who is bored, unsure of what they’re supposed to be doing and those who aren’t really that fond of being an adult. In short, I guess they’re for everyone. That’s music all over- it should be inclusive. Milk Dick have a slight Punk feel to their sound. The songs for the most part are pretty fast and short. Sometimes you want songs that last a little longer than a minute and a half, but some bands just make it work. Milk Dick are one of those bands.

Their most recent release came out in April last year. Romantic Superstore is a beautifully angst-filled record that teeters on being a pissed off teen to someone in their 20s who has stopped caring about feeling constantly uncomfortable.

I’ve gone through their releases on their bandcamp page, and I think I’m settling with Bathroom Door as being my favourite song of theirs. I like the woeful sound and the reassurance in some of the lyrics. The lyrics hit on vulnerabilities we all face, and sometimes the ones we unknowingly cause.  I guess it’s about someone slowly losing it and losing a relationship in the process. It’s sad, but don’t let that put you off, perhaps Rhythm Rock is more your thing.

I think their slightly morose sound is what makes them likable and endearing. Some may get annoyed by it, but this kind of stuff is relateable for the most part. They’re a band that probably sound more rowdy on stage. You can imagine the drummer going a bit wild and the guitar being flung around in a rowdy manner. They need to be played quite loud, and you probably would be right in assuming that their live shows make them play a little quicker. Their songs are created with a wealth of passion and urgency, and that’s part of the charm that they have.

Milk Dick may have a name that most would turn their nose up at, but don’t be such an assclown. They’re one of the finest bands in Brooklyn right now. They’re made for dingy bars that have dodgy air conditioning and no security. Go see them, put your life in their hands (for an hour or so) and chant MILK DICK! at them. I think they’d like that.

Listen up:

http://milkdick.bandcamp.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUSTJOSEPH.

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Yesterday afternoon on my lunch break, I took a typical stroll through Camden. Normally I get annoyed by the amount of people who don’t look where they are going. The ones that stop right in front of you to take a photo of a bus. You don’t need a photo of the 253 bus, just get that off Google if you feel the need. But yesterday, I blocked it all out as I was walking past the station. I heard this sound. This heavenly sound. I felt like I was dreaming, like something had hit my soul and dragged something out. It was a strange feeling, and not one I’m used to on a lunchtime.

The sound came from a guy sat down just by Camden Town station. He had the guitar in his hands and was creating something truly gorgeous. I couldn’t stop for long as I had to do some things before I went back to work. I made a mental note of his name and made a vow to myself to find his music, and write about it. My only foolish act yesterday afternoon was not buying the CD he had with him. Joseph, if you see this- I am sorry and I promise if I see you in the streets of Camden again I will buy a CD.

JustJoseph was the guy sat outside the station making this gorgeous sound. It felt like Beach House but without the words. As calming as Boards Of Canada- I was in my idea of heaven. You can call his style ambient if you wish to label it. I wouldn’t know what to label it as, I don’t want to. All I know is that this guy is incredibly talented.

If you’re looking for music that you can escape to or to just free your mind to, then JustJoseph is the one to do it to. He makes the kind of music you would play if you can’t sleep and you’re unsure of what to do with yourself. Do you fight it or give in? If I could use one word to describe his music, I’d pick gentle. There’s a captivating delicate glow to his sound that really hits you in the heart and soul. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am big on lyrics but with music like this-who needs words? If he or anyone sang over his music, they would take away everything you can possibly feel from his music.

His music feels like a journey you can only make on your own. This is the kind of music you play when nobody else is around. Ideally, play it through headphones and let yourself drift off some place dear to you. Create your own landscape and collapse into the perfect dream. Even the most miserable of persons could feel happiness from listening to JustJoseph.

For now, I think my favourite track is Vo. It’s just over 9 minutes long and it feels like you’re watching the sun go down, and you slowly lay down your head and fall away with the song. Where you go is all on you, keep it personal. I’d happily keep this song on a loop in my head.

At the risk of banging on about how great he is, I’ll leave it here. You can stream his sounds over on his soundcloud page:

DUSTY MUSH.

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A week or so ago I wrote about a band called Druggy Pizza. Druggy Pizza is Cédric’s other project. Where Druggy Pizza make you feel like you’ve taken something, Dusty Mush are the lead up to that. I’ll write this as if I’ve no idea that the two bands are unrelated so I don’t make any lazy comparisons.

Dusty Mush are a noisy French band. They’re the kind of band that would piss your folks off and would probably cause your neighbours to pack up and skip town. There’s slight aggression in their music but for the most part, it is really bloody loud. It’s wonderfully brutal in some parts, and for me that is part of the attraction. As a painfully shy idiot, I like to unleash it all by listening to music that is the opposite of how I am, for the most part. I like to think that if I was musically talented, I’d start a band that was weird and noisy to make up for everything I lack. Instead, I just write about it with no long term plan. Dusty Mush are perfect for you if you’re feeling a little helpless or weary. You can throw your tired limbs about to these guys without a care in the world. You can hope they come to your town so you can do this, or you’ll make do with playing them loudly in the comfort of your own home.

They’re not an easy band to get into. I mean I loved them with my first listen, but I can fully appreciate that some would listen to them and not know what the hell was going on. That’s another thing I love about music. I’m pretty sure they’re not for those who can’t handle a bit of gore in their lives. They’re a band you can only play loud in order to get into it, and I think because they are so obnoxiously loud (and I mean this is in the best way possible because it wouldn’t sound right any other way) that’s what makes them stand out. Yes there are other bands around who are loud and whatnot, but Dusty Mush are something else. Part of you feels like you’re entering a different world but another part of you feels as if you’re losing your mind. Maybe both at interchangeable moments.

Dusty Mush have this brilliant fuzzy Garage Rock sound going on, and I think that’s what makes it easy to really get lost in their music. You do feel as if something strange and beautiful is happening as you succumb to the music, but no good has ever come from fighting something like this off. I’ve said it a bunch of times before about other bands, but I reckon my hero Lester Bangs would be into these guys. Dusty Mush are one of those bands you play around this time of night, maybe a little later when everyone else has gone to bed. So you can launch yourself into whatever world you’ve created in your mind. You’ll feel like you’re in some made for TV horror film where the blood is obviously tomato sauce and the victim is being bludgeoned with again, an obviously foam hammer.

What I sincerely love about Dusty Mush is that you can’t tell where these guys are from and that’s part of the charm. They’re one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard in a long time, and I’m aware they’ve been around for some time but I get sloppy with actually writing stuff. After careful consideration and obsessive listening, I think I’ve said all I can about these guys.

Listen to their sounds and play ’em loud: http://dustymush.bandcamp.com/

RICHARD HELL

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“I know it’s hard for you to face the fact Max Factor failed your face
And that your social life’s misshapen ‘cuz you feel so out of place.”

Many will argue what defines Punk and what is Punk. Is it still alive or did it die a quick but painful death? Everyone has their own take on it. Some think it is putting a safety pin through their ear but some may regard it being a state of mind. I’m with the latter. For me it is something that goes beyond three chords and ripped jeans. Music always goes beyond what is expected, and Punk did just that. It still does that.

I can’t remember how old I was but I’d imagine I was in my teens when I first heard of Richard Hell. I heard Marquee Moon by Television and was fully aware that I was listening to something I could never be turned off from. Of course I was born too late to experience the Punk movement when it started, but I realised quite quickly that this wasn’t something I was going to let go of nor was I going to take this music lightly. I delved into the bands that Richard Hell had been involved with, but more importantly I seemed to care about what he had to say rather than what band he was in.

Over the past few years I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading his poetry, his reviews, his essays, his thoughts, his autobiography- really anything he wrote, I would track down and read religiously. The only person I’ve had this urge to really indulge in all they do is Patti Smith. For me, they are people with great minds who make you think. I’ll take someone who makes me question everything and everyone over someone who doesn’t, easily. I’m currently nearing the end of Massive Pissed Love, it’s a collection of his work from 2000-2014. I find everything he writes to be utterly captivating and it sets my mind off. He talks about topics most would shy away from and he’s not afraid to voice his opinion. From his thoughts on art to sex, he makes you think. What most would shun as a “taboo” he just gives it to you without a second thought. That is Punk.

The best way to learn anything is to experience it, but I still regard Patti Smith, Morrissey and Joey Ramone as the best teachers I ever had. They held my attention more than any teacher ever could. Richard Hell is up there too. There have been a handful of writers that really got me into poetry and lured me into always having a notebook with me in case I felt the need to unleash pathetic words onto a page. Words no one will ever see. What Richard Hell taught me was to really go from the heart and not be too cautious with where it takes me. Having a careful tongue isn’t fun. It’s alright to cross the line at times and it’s a fucking great thing to question everything around you.

Richard Hell was (and probably still is) my vision of a rebel. The way he was on stage, his words, his look- everything about him oozed something different to everyone else. You couldn’t help but really fall in love with him. I’ve read his autobiography a few times, and with each read I find something new to love and admire about him. In the 80s he pretty much stopped making music and focused on his writing. Sure I’d love a new record by Richard but he writes so beautifully that it doesn’t seem to matter. The music he did made still sounds timeless and his words still resonate with you. He was part of the ULTIMATE super group- The Heartbreakers (featuring the greatest guitarist, Johnny Thunders) and on stage or off, he had this way of just getting under your skin in the best way imaginable.

I didn’t really go into this with any idea with what I wanted to get at, I guess I just wanted to unleash my respect for the guy somehow. I’ve spent years being in awe of his way with words. He doesn’t complicate things in order for you to see things how he does. He has this Rimbaud quality to his work that can be easy to miss but when you get right into the heart of it, you can pick up the influences. But then, you go a bit deeper and realise that there is nobody else quite like him. Sure you can pick up on who has possibly influenced him, but it slowly fades away because Richard Hell is something else. He is truly something else.

His song lyrics read like perfect poetry. The kind of poetry kids should be studying in schools to free and expand their mind. If I was an English teacher, I’d be fighting for the curriculum to have his work along with Patti Smith. Punk taught me nearly everything I know. Sure I don’t know much, but there’s always the time to learn more. I learnt very early on that I always felt like an outsider and where I was, wasn’t where I should be. I never felt part of anything, but I’ll take being part of the Blank Generation any day.

 

 

LOS NASTYS.

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Never one for making life easy for myself, I’m going to write about a band that don’t sing in English. As someone who is heavily into lyrics, I’m putting my love for words aside to focus on what the music does and how it all sounds. If I thought the band were rubbish, I wouldn’t write about them. But my opinion isn’t worth holding onto, you can just listen to the band for yourself. If stuff like The Vagrants, Count Five etc are your thing- then Los Nastys are probably going to blow and warp whatever is left of your mind.

Los Nastys have that dirty Garage Rock sound. They make you feel as if you’ve been dragged through a sweaty crowd backwards. At least five times over. They’ll leave you trembling, satisfied and broken. Sort of like winning the lottery and losing all your “friends.” Maybe these guys are who Lester Bangs would be raving about if he was still around. I wish he was around. I’d attempt to constantly get hold of him and thank him for all he’s done for me and my inability to get my point across about how music is what keeps me going. The uncool recognising the uncool.

Back to Los Nastys. Their music feels like the party and the aftermath. The destruction, the chaos and the hangover. I don’t know what they’re singing about but I know the music and the delivery of the vocals clicks with me. The fury and force in the music is something else. They have the potential to be as beautifully obnoxious as the Dead Boys, as rowdy as The Stooges but at the same time, they’re unlike anything else I’ve heard.

Maybe we’re wired to fall for a certain kind of music or a way of life. Personally, I’ll take the dark and strange over what is classed as “normal.” Then again, what is normal? It doesn’t exist. It’s just an ideology that’s forced upon us so we stay in line. Fall out of line and go find out what you like. Los Nastys are musical deviants, and we need bands like that. We need bands who sound different to the rest, and without a care in the world they end up taking over our record collections. For me, I’d be happy with a bunch of bands that sounded like this rather than some over-hyped Pitchfork nonsense, you know? I find the music I like by accident.Sometimes how I feel about them becomes apparent quite early on and sometimes it needs dragging out of me. I guess it is like falling in lust and love. One is stronger than the other, but one lasts longer than the other.

I think they’ve only been going for a couple of years but they sound like they’ve been together for decades. Maybe they have. Again they are one of those bands that, if I was in a band, I’d want to have this kind of sound. I’d want to make people feel like they’ve been beaten up, I’d want people to feel like they are part of something unheard of and I’d want to start a riot at shows. There’s a lot of fight and passion in their music, and the way that their ferocious sound rings in your ears makes you really believe in this band-even if you have no idea what they are saying.

Los Nastys are a band that should be played exceptionally loud and as often as possible. They make you feel like you’ve just stumbled into a drunken brawl an hour before closing time. I hope more bands with this sound emerge this year. They’ll always be around, but it’s time for these kinds of bands to really shine and to tear apart basement bars leaving us battered, bruised and a little bit deaf.

Listen: https://losnastys.bandcamp.com/

2:54- Scarlet.

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Sometimes I like to go back to a song I love, dissect it and fall back in love with it. Four years ago I first heard Scarlet by 2:54, and what I heard reinforced my love for them after hearing one of their early demos, On A Wire a year or so before. Some bands you just fall in love with on first listen and what happens afterwards needs no explanation. In this case, I feel the need to try explain what it is about Scarlet that resonated with me four years ago and how it still means something.

What drew me to 2:54 about 5 years ago was the music. It had tame hints of Noothgrush and Sleep. The darkness of Melvins and the hypnotic sounds of Siouxsie. Colette’s voice reminded me of hearing Patti Smith and Garbage for the first time. The sound coming out of Hannah’s guitar took me back to hearing Seventeen Seconds by The Cure many years ago. I was being thrown back but into something completely new, and it turns out that they would become more than just another band to me.

I found 2:54’s music by accident, like most bands I’ve come to love. Their debut record was released at a time in my life where everything was a bit bleak and I was unsure of my affections until it was too late. I found parts of me in their songs that I tried to explain but in the end, I lost. What I lost was bigger than me, and there’s a wealth of blame on my shoulders that for some reason, keeps me going. Our fuck ups makes us human. Easy Undercover had a few lines that hit me in the face, sometimes a song acts as a mirror and that’s what happened. It was pointed out to me, and when I hear “If you go, you’ll never know” I am right back there. I no longer mind because music is greater than an emotion.

Scarlet was their first big song, and the video emulated everything I loved about A Forest by The Cure. The video has this gorgeous yet haunting feel to it. You felt like you had entered somewhere you probably shouldn’t and the song made you feel as if you had fallen for someone who was bad for you, but you went along with it any way. I can relate to being the bad one, or at least I used to. We all have it in us, and sometimes it slips out. Good can overrule though, if you let it. With this song you feel as if, and stay with me on this, that it isn’t really a song at all. I know most songs do tell a story and the like, but Colette (I’m assuming she did the lyrics) has created a world in this song. A world that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into the depths of the underworld and partaking in some kind of forbidden love/lust affair. Without sounding like a right dick, it does have a real Goth feeling about it. I mean in the true meaning of the world- not wearing black clothes reciting dark poetry to waken the mind. Maybe it’s just me but this song takes me to a place and not a person. The images in my mind are the Gothic buildings that are found in Brussels etc. Cold but inviting buildings that tower over us. As we step in, this forbidden love(r) greats us.

I could be massively wrong with how I’m interpreting the song, but I get the same images and feelings constantly. You find this person who gets into your veins and bones. They bring you to life, but you’re fully aware of the bad. You want the bad and torment. Or maybe you want to be the tormentor bringing this feeling. Try both and make up your mind. Neither make you bad. As you swirl, dive and float in this underworld that this song creates in your mind you can’t help but let it fully take you over. In some respects, the whole record makes you feel like this. Scarlet was the song that turned a lot on to 2:54 and really- there couldn’t have been a better choice. Each song on their first record seems to float around it. You listen to any song after Scarlet and it all fits perfectly.

I’ve only seen them perform Scarlet live a few times, and my memory is taking me back to Manchester earlier this year. At the end of the song the band went into this instrumental that just blew my mind. It was like when Warpaint really let go to Elephants and everyone goes bananas. It was such a highlight for me because it showed just how vital each member of 2:54 are. At this point, words weren’t needed. The thrashing of instruments fully showcased how brilliant they are. Of course I would happily go to every show they ever do (money isn’t my friend) just to experience this moment on a loop and to see how others react to it. It’s a real feel good experience that just leaves you wishing you could do that.

Back slightly to what I said about the song seeming like a story. It reads like a poem. The kind of poem you can pick apart and use lines to express any lustful feeling. It has innocence to it, but the darker side of it is what should lure you in. The words are made up of curious phrases and I think that’s what set my mind off when I first heard the song. It’s a grand sounding song. Everything fits perfectly with the lyrics, and the video really does add to the mood of the song. Whether you watch the video, see it live or listen to it, there are so many elements to this song that can move you. The song is perfect to listen to in the cold weather whilst going for a walk with a threatening grey sky above you. The inevitable downpour doesn’t phase you, you’re too busy getting lost in what you can hear.

If a song can do this much in such a short amount of time, I’m pretty sure that when I go back and listen to it in 20 years or so I’ll still get the same feelings and images. There’s much more I could say about this song but I am now risking sounding like a total loon by going on about it as much as this. I guess, in short, I just really adore this song.

DRUGGY PIZZA.

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A few weeks ago, my favourite new band of the year Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali (PALBMA if you’re lazy) released a split record with the equally great Druggy Pizza. I’ve already ranted about how much I love Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali, so now it is the turn of Druggy Pizza to be subjected to my affections.

Firstly, I know nothing about Druggy Pizza and secondly, they have pizza in their name-that’s possibly why I immediately decided I would love them regardless. Their release a couple weeks back is a split release but it would be pretty dickish of me to compare the two. I won’t do that. Nothing good comes from that.

I could be wrong but I think Druggy Pizza have been signed to the excellent Bristol based label Stolen Body Records. Their back catalogue of releases is really worth checking out, just so you know. Druggy Pizza have a hazy and woozy feel to their sound. You feel like you’ve taken something you probably shouldn’t have and gone some place you normally wouldn’t when you listen to them. You feel like you’ve entered some real dark and sordid world where if you leave, then try to return- the place wouldn’t be there any longer. Everything about their sound is distorted and most would find this hard to digest. You feel like this is the soundtrack to a murder scene in a horror film. Almost as if you’ve walked in on someone doing something they really shouldn’t be doing and you cannot tear yourself away from it. This is the kind of music that makes me glad I have this shitty blog to write about music rather than subjecting a friend to my thoughts because I’d have to shut up wouldn’t I.

If you’re familiar with the band Pop.1280 then you will instantly get what Druggy Pizza are doing. This sound is messed up in the best way possible and I reckon the best time to listen to them is around 3am when you should be asleep. For the most part now I don’t have any trouble sleeping. A few years ago it was pretty shit and all I would do was try find music to get me through it until I could sleep. This was the kind of music I’d be looking for. I guess because the world is asleep at that time, so you kind of feel like you’ve stepped on something sacred. That’s how I feel about Druggy Pizza, and like I mentioned, I know nothing about them. All I know is that I love their music. That’s enough, right?

Their split record shows a band that aren’t afraid to be wonderfully weird and to mess about with insane sounds. If you want something polished and careful, then these guys aren’t for you. Druggy Pizza features Cédric from the equally strange French band Dusty Mush. I’m well overdue writing about them too, but I’ll rectify that soon enough. Druggy Pizza is a leap into the unknown and when you come out of it, you;’ll probably feel a bit out of sorts. Like Pigs In A Slot is the song that will make you feel as if your body is being thrown around and punched. You’ll feel slightly confused and bruised, and you will never want it to end.

Hopefully there will be more to come from Druggy Pizza, but in the meantime you can purchase the split record here:  https://stolenbodyrecords.co.uk/product/palbmadruggy-pizza-split-3/

 

GAL PALS.

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To be stuck in the past can be a terrible thing, unless it is musically. It’s alright to be stuck in 1970 wishing Iggy Pop was crowd surfing above you whilst smearing peanut butter on his torso. It’s better than living with a bunch of “if only I did this….” Give me Iggy Pop’s destructive antics any day.

In the throes of boredom and needing something new to listen to, I found Gal Pals. They remind me of very early Dum Dum Girls mixed with Ronnie Spector’s angelic voice. In short, they’re my ideal band. A drum and guitar combo- that’s a sure fire mix for a good time. They’ve got a real summertime glow to their sound. The kind of band you’d play on a road trip in mid July just as the air con in your car breaks and you want to slap the person who is driving because they should have double checked it was okay before you set off. You stick on some Gal Pals and you forget all your grievances.

Gal Pals have played with a bunch of bands I love from Girl Tears to Crocodiles to The Babies. Like a lot of bands I’ve written about, they strike me as one of those bands you need to see live to really get into the music. You get the impression that it is all played with an urgency in their live shows, and they are also another band I can use to justify my love for duos. With most still cramming in their end of year list and even though they are redundant part of me is hoping that some place Velvet Rut by Gal Pals in there. It is one of the most cheerful and feel good records of the year. Sure there are songs on the record that can catapult your mood to heartbreak but for the most part the songs just take you on a daydream to the beach, even if it’s awfully cold outside. Any band that can change your mood and make you feel like you’re going some place else whilst listening to their sounds is alright by me. As I mentioned previously they do sound like early Dum Dum Girls, and this is probably due to that 60s Wall of Sound feel. Although there’s only two of them, they have a big sound. A sound that has a gang-like feel to it. At best it is boisterous and is quite rebellious in the right places.

As I take advantage of being home alone for the next few hours, I’m playing Gal Pals as loud as I can to really experience what is in their music. For two people, they make a lot of noise and I think that is probably why I like them. If it is noisy, I’ll probably enjoy. Loud music I can deal with, loud people I cannot. Gal Pals make the kind of music that makes you want to dance around to on your own, take a road trip, take a mind trip into the unknown. You can get away to their music, which is always a good thing. Daily life can be mundane, and it is important to find things that give us a break from all of that. Songs like Dumbhead can make hopeless (or helpless) romantics go easy on themselves and feel alright in their own skin.

I have no idea what kind of sound has dominated the airwaves this year but I know there is always a place for a band like Gal Pals. One can only hope they find their way to the UK soon so we can dance awkwardly to their songs and as we make our journeys home, wish we could start our own band. The artwork to the record, I feel sums up how their music makes the listener feel when blasting it out.

You can listen to their earlier sounds here: http://galpals.bandcamp.com/

TALL JUAN.

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With everyone ramming their opinions at everyone else with regards to what is the best song/video/record of the year, I’ve decided to stay on the prowl with finding something new to listen to. I know at this time of year I’ve written about my favourite records of the year (if you want to know, it is Boys by Crocodile closely followed by Carly Rae Jepsen.) But this year, I don’t really care for it. I’ve spent this year seeing bands I love and buying records instead of food. Records last longer. I’ve found record labels that have ended up funding my habit of buying records and I’ve adopted All Ages Records in Camden as my second home. I hate lists so god knows why I wasted so much time on making them previously. Give me chaos but organisation is a bag of shite.

Tall Juan is someone you need to get to know. Are you bored of life? Are you sick of being forced to enjoy Christmas? It’s alright, get into Tall Juan and you’ll be okay. He’s a one-man version of the Ramones and that’s probably why I am absolutely in love with him. His handsome looks and belly-flipping vocals will make everyone regardless of age, gender and sexuality swoon.

Juan was born and raised in Buenos Aires and is currently based in New York. His sound is part Ramones part something we’ve never ever heard before. Some people just have this ability to create something so beautifully immediately and he’s one of those who has this ability. He makes you want to pogo but at the same time, when you listen to the lyrics you just want to have a little cry. I’d opt for dancing. Next month he is FINALLY embarking on a tour of the UK/Europe. He’s doing TWO dates in London in two venues I love (The Lock Tavern and The Shacklewell Arms.) I’ll do my best to get to both, but I’ll for sure be at the one on the 21st January. You get the feeling from his music that he’s one you need to see live in order to really get into the music. I’m not saying on record something is lacking-far from it. But he plays with such urgency you can’t help but think that this NEEDS to be seen live in order to really appreciate it.

Juan seems like the kind of person you could walk round discussing everything the Ramones ever did whilst eating pizza. That’s an ideal conversation for me. He makes the kind of music I wish I could so therefore he makes the kind of music I really really love. He incorporates everything I love about music and everything I look for in music, and has created something we should all get behind. He’s got a solid following in New York (and probably in the States in general) but now it is time we all got turned onto his sound. Play his music loud and do whatever you feel like doing. I could happily write thousands and thousands of words about why I really love his music, but it pretty much speaks for itself. He’s an incredible musician and he makes you feel as if you’re taking some crazy trip with him through his music.

His UK January dates are as follows:

20th Brighton,UK – The Green Doors
21st London,UK -The Lock Tavern
22nd London,UK -The Shacklewell Arms

You can listen to his music here:

https://talljuan.bandcamp.com His cover of Chinese Rocks is excellent. Pretty sure Joey Ramone would be into it.

 

DRY HEEVES.

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Possessing a bloody excellent name for a band, you immediately think you’re going to listen to a band with a dirty (not in a porn sense) and rugged sound. You expect something quite menacing and unruly. Chaotic yet easy on the ears. If this band was a woman, I’d date her. Or you know, I’d stare awkwardly in her direction then wander off because I didn’t feel adequate enough. That’s a bit extreme but Dry Heeves are fucking perfect and I’ll try unleash a coherent reasoning behind this notion.

For me, I can only seem to listen to music that makes me feel something a person (regardless of who they are) can’t. Music always should give you a heightened feeling. This sense of elation is sacred and can’t always be felt and you should by no means ever try to force it. Dry Heeves make it easy. They are all fearless bands who evidently don’t care what anyone thinks. They’ve got their own sound and their own way of doing it. For me, that’s how it should be. They have a true essence of Punk about them. Sure enough they sound like a typical band I’d be into, but don’t let that trick you into thinking you’ve heard it all before- because you haven’t. Their sound is part smack in the face, part swaying on your lonesome in your bedroom to the easy grooves. Some may deem it as far too simplistic, but I just think they’re a bunch of guys who know what they are doing and know how they want to sound.

I think they’re still a relatively new band but they make you feel like you’ve known about them forever. As I listen to them, I just feel like I’m meeting up with a friend that I’ve not seen in ages. Sure they sound rambunctious but they feel familiar, as if they’ve always been there. I guess it is like meeting your soulmate. This is getting far too soppy now. They make you want to break stuff too. In reality, you’ll probably break some bones as you lob your body about in time to the drums and thrash to the guitar in crucial moments. There’s an element of urgency and such passion in their music that makes you immediately become their biggest fan. I won’t fight you for that title- no part of me is competitive. Do what you want, pal. I don’t care.

Their record, Boogie Till Ya Puke came out last year, and myself included, failed to acknowledge it at the time for being so great. I was too busy playing The Other I by my beloved 2:54 on repeat. I’ve tried to tame that, but I can’t but it’s alright. Boogie Till Ya Puke is not only wonderfully titled, it is also a bloody great record. You feel like you’re listening to something that has been around for decades. I know some would label it as as “fun” record but calling anything/anyone fun or nice is just weak. Language is there to be used in all its glory- don’t settle for mediocre spiel!

Boogie Till Ya Puke is a record that I sincerely hope in 10 years from now, some kid in the middle of nowhere gets hold of, skips town and starts their own movement. Or they could do it now, that’s fine. What I’m getting at is that this record and this band have their own approach and it’s not something that should be overlooked in any way. I could be alone in my praise but I don’t care. I love this band a hell of a lot and if they ever make it to the UK, I’ll be at the front boogying until I puke.

VIVA DRY HEEVES!

Listen: https://dryheeves.bandcamp.com/