Get Better - Lemuria (Asian Man, 2008)
This is a bad ass record and it is a shame that I'm just now bonding with it. I started on Buffalo, NY's Lemuria in 2011 with Pebble, which is a good album that grew less interesting over time (in spite of Sheena Ozzella's smart melodies and guitar rippin'). I like The Distance is So Big a little more, and somehow it landed in the top 20 portion of my 2013 year-end music list, albeit in a down year (don't get me wrong, it's still a good record). I had been hearing for a couple years now that the band's 2008 debut, Get Better, is without question their best, and, now I can confirm that. Pebble and The Distance is So Big may feature more technical songwriting prowess as well as showcase more of Ozzella's true skill is a guitarist, but, the songs on Get Better are just, well, better. Structurally, the songwriting is still smart and knotty, just not as much so as the band's later material. The vocal melodies are subtle, but, extremely catchy, and the mixture of tones between Ozzella and drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns make them pretty nontraditional sounding. Ozzella's guitar chord choices are spot on, giving things a slight emo nudge from time to time, but, really shaping things into a unique brand of punk-leaning guitar pop. "Pants," "Dog" and "Mechanical" are incredible songs.
Top jams: "Pants," "Lipstick," "Buzz," "Dog," "Dogs," "Get Some Sleep," "Fingers," "Mechanical"
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols (Virgin, 1977)
I have overlooked many classic records in punk rock in my day, and it's about time I got around to Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. I found a used copy at Extreme Noise on one of my visits to see my girlfriend in Minneapolis several months ago. Everyone knows that this album informed every facet of punk rock that has existed since. I'm a dummy for ignoring it until now, though, I will admit, I don't love it quite as much as I initially hoped. I mean, it's totally good, but, I still prefer The Clash, Buzzcocks and The Ramones' stuff that I'm familiar with (they're another band I've stupidly slept on for far too long). If John Lydon's vocals were more melodic and a bit loss snarly, Never Mind the Bollocks... would be lights out. Instrumentally, though, Sex Pistols show some surprising chops. I'm particularly impressed by Paul Cook's drumming (as well as the way the drums sound; the production here is excellent and sort of modern to this day). The guitars are also fun and memorable between the chunky power chords and wailing solos. All the through, the album is solid, with "Holidays in the Sun," "God Save the Queen" and "EMI" being the main highlights for me.
Top jams: "Holidays in the Sun," "Bodies," "No Feelings," "God Save the Queen," "Seventeen," "Anarchy in the UK," "EMI"
The Heart's Tremolo - Tsunami (Simple Machines, 1994)
I believe I first heard of Tsunami sometime early on in college. I was always interested because it's a great band name, and that developed even further as I came to understand their role in the riot girl and indie rock realms. I stumbled across an awesome clear/picture disc hybrid version of the band's sophomore LP, The Heart's Tremolo, at Vertigo in Grand Rapids a year or two ago, and, per usual, am just now spending time with it. The music here caught me a little off guard at first. I expected more of a DC art-punk sound, or maybe something in between Sleater-Kinney and Helium. Instead, these songs are relatively chill, but, brooding pieces of guitar rock with a slight emo feel. Between the jazzy guitar chords, darker chord progressions and subtly technical drumming, the closest comparison I can think of is the quieter moments on Roadside Monument's Eight Hours Away From Being a Man (an album that is criminally ignored due perhaps to its Christian ties to Tooth and Nail Records). Sometimes I really like Jenny Toomey's voice, but, sometimes her melodies are questionable and her vibrato gets to me. However, this by no means ruins the record for me, I just don't enjoy quite to the degree that I was expecting to. I definitely intend to check out other Tsunami records. Any recommendations?
Top jams: "Loud is as Loud Does," "Quietnova," "Be Like That," "Kidding on the Square," "Slaw," "The Heart's Tremolo"
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