July 8, 2003

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  The Fall

  title:: It's the New Thing! - The Step Forward Years
  label:: Sanctuary

  Listening to The Fall's It's The New Thing! The Step Forward Years is like listening to The Fall for the very first time. That's because this cd collection compiles the very first recordings The Fall made and released between 1978 to 1980 on the Step Forward label.

  Like any Fall collection, it's not comprehensive, but unlike previous (much older) ones, it actually sounds pretty good. It's not mastered from a vinyl source, like a lot of the ones from the 1980s. It also contains some albums that haven't been on the market in a long time.

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  Ben Klock

  title:: Glow
  label:: Bpitch Control

  Glow has many elements that I like, and is executed in near perfect fashion. The electronic backbone is dirty and distorted, and the vocals appear throughout the whole track.

  I want a Ben Klock full length! He has a lot of different sounds up his sleeve, and a nice track record of delivering the goods on every cut.

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  Leyton Buzzards

  title:: The Punk Collection
  label:: Captain Oi!

  The Leyton Buzzards were one of the many pub rocking bands in the mid 1970s UK scene who turned to punk rock and released a handful of singles and an album.

  Their music has not been compiled on cd ever, so for many years it was just the vinyl collectors who have been able to hear them. Captain Oi! has stepped up and released this fine 15 song collection spanning the best songs by The Leyton Buzzards. What a great surprise just how fresh The Leyton Buzzards are sounding. The Leyton Buzzards definitely make some noise - some glorious punk rock noise.

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  The Marked Men

  title:: The Marked Men
  label:: Rip Off Records

  This band is only one person shy of sharing the exact same membership as the late, lamented Reds (they also of Rip Off Records fame).

  Echoes of the Ramones, Radio Birdman, the aforementioned Undertones, and dozens of other bands I love. I thought the Reds last album was great but the Marked Men blow me away!

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  Peaches / Electric Six

  title:: Rockshow
  label:: XL Recordings

  Rockshow sounds like a cross between Bratmobile and Joan Jett. There are no electronics or samplers - just Peaches on guitar and vocals, and Steve Keeping on drums.

  Having Electric Six do a cover of the track was a stroke of genius. The song fits so perfectly into their sound that it seems like it was written for them.

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  Die Zorros

  title:: History of Rock Vol. 7
  label:: Voodoo Rhythm Records

  Gershwin's Summertime, Los Bravos' Black Is Black, the Bee Gee's Massachussetts, Stairway to Heaven, and Europe's Final Countdown are only some of the songs getting the Zorros treatment on this CD.

  I think this record is really great. Twangy guitar, cheap electric organ, enthusiastic performances all around capped with almost Meekian production.