The Adorkables - She Loves Me Not
Hailing from sunny California, The Adorkables play easy-digestable pop-punk in the vein of Teenage Bottlerocket. The singer's voice resembles Kody's quite a bit, and the music doesn't differ much from ramonesy Bottlerocket style. Is that a bad thing? Not in my book. I really like both Teenage Bottlerocket and The Ramones.The band has evolved a lot since I heard them the first time on a compilation a few years ago. Back then I was convinced that I would never listen to them again. But "She Loves Me Not" does contain some fine moments. "Brokenhearted" and "21st Birthday" would please any average pop-punk fan. I just don't know if this album will stay in rotation for months. The band brings absolutely nothing new to the genre, and the disc becomes a bit stale at the end.
-Toby
Monikers/Delay Split 7"
I can't help it. I'm love with Monikers. In my opinion they've haven't released a single weak song. And this 7" split with Delay definitely also kicks ass! The debut album "Wake Up" stands as one of the best things of 2008, and fortunately "See Through" and "Too Much" continues the fine song writing. Cynic but catchy as hell, both songs have already penetrated my skull.
Flip the record and you'll get uptempo basement pop-punk from Delay. You can almost feel the sweat drip, even on their studio recordings. I really liked their contributions to the Art of The Undeground singles series, but these three songs are actually better.
This 7" is a must-buy if are into well-crafted pop-punk, and once again Kiss of Death delivers.
-Toby
Parasites - Solitary
Remember the 90's? If not, let me bring some facts to the table: The Parasites were one of the major players in the pop-punk scene. Their first two albums "Punch Lines" and "Pair" stands out as classics among fans of the genre. Another album came out, and almost 10 years of silence went by. But now founder Dave Parasite is back with new tunes, on his own label, Kid Tested Records. The formula hasn't changed since the 90's, which doesn't really bother me. No need to fix anything if it isn't broke, right? However, I'm not sure the album will keep my attention. Dave Parasite knows what he's doing, but there are no surprises at all. Anyhow, it's almost summer and this album suits nice weather and general well-being. And if you're in love, "Real Real Good Time" is the perfect song to have stuck in your head.
-Toby
The Ergs - That's It... Bye 12''
I hate when one of my favourite bands break up. I know new cool bands might form out of the ashes, but in the case of three ultra-geeks The Ergs, I wasn't the only one who was bummed. Punk, yet musical, the trio could cover every song and make it their own. The song title "Xerox Your Genitals, Not The Ramones" from one of their first releases, pretty much sums up what the band was all about. Unfortunately the show ended in late 2008. But at least we got this 12" EP, as well as other stuff put after the announcement of the band calling it quits.12 full inches for 3 songs sounds like overkill, but some of my favourite EP's are in this format. "Anthem For A New Amanda" and especially "Piltdown Man" with guitarist Jeff Schroeck on vocals bring the goods. I've come to like his voice more and more. "… And The True Believers" is a bit boring and isn't a song to remember.
All in all, this final EP is worth buying, but not essential for the casual fan. However, I would recommend buying this if you have the money. In five years it'll go for +100$ on Ebay. You can quote me on that.
-Toby