During the month of September I wrote what I believe to be an I Rock Cleveland record eleven record reviews. October started with a road trip to ATP and super cold. I’m still dealing with super cold (I haven’t spent a full day at work since last Wednesday). In between a number of jams fell through the cracks. This is the first post of two that will showcase some of the finer jams that have yet to be featured here on I Rock Cleveland.
Five years back, Chicago’s Mannequin Men were making trashy, garage rock in the vein of The New York Dolls before trashy, garage rock had come back in vogue. Well, technically, trashy, garage rock is always in and out of vogue, and here, that bit of history only serves one point — To provide a contrast to the band’s latest single, “Hobby Girl.” And what a contrast! This track is so smooth, the hooks are so clean, it’s as if they’ve been a power pop band all along. This one will be out on Addenda Records next month.
MP3: Mannequin Men – Hobby Girl
Stranded by their former label, Shake-It Records, who decided to stop pressing new titles, and unable to find a suitable new home, the veteran Cincinnati band, Wussy, decided to go the DIY route and release their new album, Strawberry, directly to their fans through Bandcamp. Of the eleven new tracks, you’ll find “Chicken,” a heavy number which dispenses much of the rustic charm of their previous efforts in favor of a filthy, rusty and rickety guitars.
MP3: Wussy – Chicken
And speaking of trashy, garage-rock, on “Dull Light,” the Vancouver, BC band, Sex Church offer up a mean combination of proto-punk and, um, power tools. If you’re a fan of guitar noise like I’m a fan of guitar noise, you’re going to really dig that screech, squalor and wail that hits at the 2:30 mark. Look for Sex Church’s latest to be released shortly on Load Records.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s “Walking in Unison” likely won’t be winning the Australian garage-rock band any new converts. Nine minute jams are typically for the fans. Still, if one is patient enough, one can hear some of what makes this foursome one of the most fearsome rock bands around today, things like controlled tension and release, and the delicate balance between structure and ruckus, and attitude. This track has an abundance of attitude. The Walking in Unison EP is available now from Captcha Records.
