Words by Jim Testa
Jim Testa founded the highly influential zine, Jersey Beat in 1982 which he continues to edit to this day. Through writing for his own publication and a number of other outlets, including as a staff writer for Hudson County’s Jersey Journal, he has championed local, regional and national up-and-coming bands. Punk has always shunned credentials, but rest assured that Jim won’t lead you astray.
HOME RUNS
THE CHALLENGED – Exposed (self-released)
What’s to say about the Challenged at this point? The pop-punk trio has been pumping out quality work and playing shows at every nook, cranny, dive, and bar in the Greater New York area for 20 years. Singer/guitar Rob Suss remains a ball of energy and inspiration, and “Exposed” does not disappoint, even for a band that’s set the bar pretty fuckin’ high. A true trio, the bass, drums, and guitar provide a balanced attack – like a sides of a triangle, as Mike Watt used to say – from the Who-like intro of “Exposed” to the inflection of Caribbean rhythms, unique syncopations, occasional snatches of humor, and bombastic riffage. The band cranks it up to 11 on the anthemic “Back From There,” turns it down a notch for the more reflective “Bedhead,” and ends the whole shebang with a five-minute, career-spanning tour de force, “R.B.S.”
THE HEARTWELLS – The New Old School (self-released)
Long Beach, CA’s Heartwells deliver speedy skatepunk with fiery vocals and sizzling guitars. No one’s reinventing the wheel here but what’s being done is done well. Vocalist Justin “JT” Tauch impresses in snotty Ben Weasel mode, there are melodic guitar lines and propulsive, solid drumming, shoutalong slogans and singalong choruses, all of it infused with fist-pumping energy. The reggae intro of ”Coasted” lets bassist Dave “Moki” Marino show off his chops, then the track speeds up in the center for more ramalama skatepunk, then finds the groove again, making it one of the most album’s distinctive tracks. At 14 songs, the album can seem a bit too long, although there really aren’t any throwaways. The band crafted distinctive intros to most of the tracks – sound effects, a riff, a slogan, something to set the mood. “They say that genius is the infinite capacity for taking pains,” said Sherlock Holmes. The Heartwells agree.
SPANISH NEEDLES – “Sifting Through The Wreckage” EP (self-released)
Here’s an important new band from St. Petersburg with a clever gimmick: All the song titles on their debut LP are names of famous stars, but the lyrics focus on working-class despair and feelings of hopelessness and futility. It doesn’t hurt that the guitars, drums, and vocals deliver a solid punch as well. Each song shines – well written, well played, powerfully sung. Tracks like “George Carlin,” “Michael Cera,” and “Steven Wright” pound home society’s shortcomings but it’s “Dom DeLuise” that hammers home the message that this hopelessness breeds violence: “Keep your head down, kid, realize it won’t get better than this, you’re stuck here for the rest of your life/ But you’re out of control, a timebomb set to explode, and no one really seems to care.”
ULTRABOMB – Dying To Smile (DC Jam Records)
This international punk-rock supergroup (Husker Du’s Greg Norton on bass, Finny McConnell of Celtic legends The Mahones and the UK Subs’ Jamie Oliver) return for their second record still fired up and ready to challenge listeners’ expectations. Norton was the quiet one in Husker Du but he’s credited with all the lyrics here, which range from the personal to the political (“Woke Wars.”) “In A Rut” tackles middle-age malaise, “Rage Bomb” channels Naked Raygun, the ghost of Husker Du haunts “Doggo,” “”Sleep Tight,” and “Who Knows,” and the almost balladic “Isolation” suggests these guys should stick to the fast stuff. Still, an impressive outing from three pros.
HAYES NOBLE – As It Was, As We Are (self-released)
Even though this is already Hayes Noble’s second album, the 19-year old Mississippian recorded it two months after his high school graduation. Youth aside, the album impresses with plaintive vocals that connect emotionally through a barrage of fuzzed-out guitars. One imagines the pubescent Noble splayed out in his bedroom learning guitar chords from a stack of SST and Homestead punk albums; how else to explain the undercurrents of undeniable melody under a sonic wall of fuzz, a veritable homage to the ear-damaging volume of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. He’s currently on a monthlong national tour that brings him nowhere near me but hopefully to your hometown where you can check out this phenom in person.
CEMENTHEAD – Blue Morning (self-released)
Twenty years ago, Brooklyn’s Cementhead appeared on a compilation called “The Most Famous Bands You’ve Never Heard Of,” and sadly, not much has changed; they’re still a terrific band who toil anonymously in Brooklyn’s teeming . Cementhead’s fifth full-length provides an excellent reason why you should know them, with powerful, melodic songs, infectious vocal harmonies, uplifting lyrics, and a sound that’s part spirited garage-punk and the fuzz-pop of R.E.M. Founding members Gordon Smethurst on guitars/vocals and Joe Desserau on drums are joined Skuli Smethurst Baumgardner on guitar, bass, and vocals, making for a full-bodied sound. The fast songs sweep you up in their momentum, while the ballads like “Let Me Walk You Through The Night” and “There’s A River That Sleeps In Your Heart” will have you raising a glass to tomorrow. Optimism might not sell, but it endures.
UNICORN DOGS – Age Typical Junk Behavior (self-released)
Lucas Carscadden and Jon Moser (of Baltimore’s brilliant Charlie Brown Gets A Valentine)
combine for 14 pop-punk gems that rush by in a mere 23 minutes. (One of their kids plays
drums.) Lots of back and forth vocals from the froggy Carscadden and the smooth-voiced
Moser, lots of uber-catchy melodies (of course,) singalong choruses, chunky guitars, ironic
and/or sincere lyrics about shitty jobs, breaking up, staying together, hitting bottom, and finding
a way to soldier on. In other words, adult stuff. And it’s great.
POP UPS, GROUND OUTS, FOUL BALLS
COCKTAIL SLIPPERS – “Talking About Love” EP (Wicked Cool)
Even if you haven’t watched the documentary on Steve Van Zandt currently streaming on Amazon Prime, you probably know what a talented songwriter, arranger, and producer he’s been, in addition to his talents as a musician and singer. Now Little Steven has worked his magic on the Cocktail Slippers, an all-female Norwegian quintet. What comes out qualifies as rock ‘n’ roll with a strong debt to classic rock, Brill Building Sixties pop and ABBA (more than, say, the Bangles or Go-Go’s.) Is this punk? No. Is it entertaining? Yes, especially if you like tambourine.
MEST – Youth (SBAM Records)
15-year old Tony Lovato formed Mest with his cousin Matt and two school friends, and in 1995 their debut album got swept up in the pop-punk major label boom, leading to a few years of Warped Tour and MTV stardom. Now Tony is back with a new cast, making essentially the same music 30 years later. There’s nothing wrong with “Youth.” If you liked Mest in 1995, you’ll love this. If you’re not a big fan of self-pitying nostalgia, you probably won’t. “Why can’t we go back to when we were young,” Lovato asks on the first track. Why not? “I fucking hate you sober,” he bleats on “Hate You Sober,” he’s “barely hanging on” in the next, he’s “talking to myself again” on “Empty Room,” “I don’t deserve this, feelings are often worthless, was it worth it?” he pleads. And so on.
SINGLES
THE DROLLS / GENTLEMEN ROGUES – “Split” EP (Snappy Little Numbers)
Two veteran pop-punk acts give us an original and a cover each. Seattle’s Drolls, with members of Sicko and Chinchilla, don’t disappoint with their garage-y pop ‘n’ roll on “Burned Out” and a charming cover of the Housemartins’ “Happy Hour.” Austin’s Gentlemen, always solid pop-punk providers, get a little heavier with the inspirational “Young ‘Til We Die” (not the 7 Seconds song,) and a pop-punk reimagining of “Connections,” a Keith Richards song from “Between The Buttons.”
First rate.
WYLDLIFE – “Fast Dreams” / “You Don’t Know How It Feels” (Wicked Cool)
Jersey City’s kings of sleaze-punk are back with two deliciously garagey rave-ups. Dangerous Dave’s vocals remain cheeky and infectious, the melodies soar, Samm’s guitar solos remain succinct but searing, and it’s nice to have Rusty knocking out that solid backbeat on drums again. The B-side injects a cowpunk vibe but both deliver vintage Wyldlife, toeing the line between punk, garage, and power-pop.
RIYL: Eddie & The Hot Rods, Thin Lizzy, Replacements
THREE DOLLARS – “The Last Thing I Remember” / “The End” (self-released)
High-schoolers from Hoboken, Three Dollars have been tearing up the Hudson County, NJ DIY scene for a couple of years now, which will probably come to a crashing halt when three of the guys head off for college in the fall. But until then, enjoy this homegrown emo-punk hybrid that melds unexpected musicianship (both guitarists can shred,) youthfully pissed off passion, lyrical and emotional precision, crazy rhythmic breakdowns, and a mesmerizing punk-rock groove. It’s like Black Flag and Van Halen had a baby. And then there’s the powerful Replacements vibe of “The End,” if maybe Steve Vai and Neil Peart sat in with Westerberg & Co. It’s streaming in all the usual places.
cementhead from brooklyn ! good songs