The Catholic Boys "Hurt To Hate" b/w "Temper Tantrum" and "Selfish Asshole" (note: We know the last song is credited as "Frigid 5" on the record...) (BR-002-out of print)
check out some reviews
Ahh, the Catholic Boys.... some days ago I was talking about my favorite garage punk band. Now it is time for my favorite punk band. The Catholic Boys have everything a good punk band must have... a good name, good music, and (what all good bands have) their own sound. They sound very fresh but still like a '77 punk band. That's what makes them great. And this time, they have put out, probably, their best record so far.
This 7", like the Actin' Stupid 7", is a bit slower than their LP, but still fast. "Hurt to Hate" is the larger song and very Catholic Boys, but the jewel of this 7" is "Temper Tantrum" (I still don't know why the 7" isn't named "Temper Tantrum"), probably their best song yet.. a hit in my house. It's crazy with lots of changes that remind me of some post-punk bands with angular rhythms, but not as boring as a post punk band...this is exciting. And to finish, a song called "Frigid 5"?...I think the name is wrong. "Frigid 5" was a song from "Actin' Stupid", so I think that's wrong. Anyway... it's a shorter song and a bit faster, a good way to finish a GREAT 7". At this moment, my fave of the year.
And a recommendation... hurry and get it! There are just 600 copies!-Paul Reaction, Now Wave
The Real Losers "Don't Leave Me Now" b/w "My Rocket Radio" and "Treat Me Bad" (BR-004)
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The kings (and queen) of juvie Supercharged one-two punk/trash stomp, hands down. Any doubts I had re: this band were junked when I saw ‘em a fortnight after the Blackout, back in Old Milwaukee – two songs into the set, C. Shake’s nekkie, THE HAND is the Hand, and Hot Dog’s playin’ cavewoman behind the kit, prime primal thump-thump-thump, the simultaneously lackaday and nervous heartbeat of a 14-year-old horndog spinnin’ recs in his greasy room, pounding pud to pics of unreachables in his dog-eared yearbook, ten minutes away from grabbin’ some pizzacokesrock’n’roll before his big night out cardrinking w/ fellow loser ‘teens. Like, that good. The single’s no different than the alb and other singles, in that respect, ‘cept it’s packed with killer and none of the other. Minor gripe: Clean(er) production. Major perk: It’s the Real Losers! So, pfft, saddle up.-Eric Lastname
"Don't Leave Me Now" is the Real Losers at their lo-fi, and even lower-brow, best. It kicks off with a blatant swipe of the riff from 'Out of Our Tree' that would make even the Kidnappers blush. Later on they use the "and out jumped a rat" line, so maybe that makes it an "homage?" If that wasn't enough I'm pretty sure that Shake starts to come in at the wrong time on one of the verses and then ends up forgetting it. When coupled with a primal, driving beat, totally blown out production, bashing guitar, and manic vocals, all of these amateurish warts only serve to make an already killer song even better. This is a the closest the Real Losers have come to approximating the rock n roll majesty of Teengenerate, and as such, it's also my favorite Real Losers tune to date. Both songs on the B-side are also totally tits, so I think it goes without saying that you're going to end up buying this. If all that isn't enough to convince you, perhaps this will: Shake yells the word "alright" an astounding EIGHT TIMES in only three songs, with the variant "That's right" making an additional appearance as well. If that isn't rock n roll I don't know what is.-Steve Strange
I like this band A LOT, and lemme tell you - this is their finest moment yet! Total trash, catchy & pounding and rough & all the cool shit you wanna pile on toppa that. The title track is a fuck-boppin treck through some kinda 50s/60s/70s/90s wormhole, "My Rocket Radio" is a hooky punk pounder, and "Treat Me Bad" heads off into "Total Teen Degenerate" territory. No tooth jokes this time, I promise - just buy this thing! -Todd Tricknee
Yeeaahh, more of the good stuff from England`s new best band! The title track is one of the best songs this year or maybe even this decade, a real bad-ass stomper in best Loser-tradition. And how the hell do they make that sound??!! Shit, that stuff`s worth gold. “My Rocket Radio” echos The Damned, Buzzcocks et al. and “Treat Me Bad” is catchy as hell, pure garagepunk genious. This band just keeps gettin`better. Amazing.
The TEARS "She Ain't Right" b/w "Death In Texas"and "I Don't Care About Nothing No More" (BR-003-out of print)
Here's some reviews
"Fuck, these kats are great. Thumping rock’n’roll with great guitars. Take a little Gories, Chrome Cranks..as a matter of fact take a little of almost all of the Crypt-bands of the early nineties and you’d get the Tears. Fierce punkrock that’s kinda midtempo but really wild at the same time. The Tears are Casey from the Strong Come Ons, Nick G. From the Catholic Boys, Blue Balls, Strong Come Ons etc etc and two sisters on bass and guitar/vox. If you like your r’n’r raw then there’s no excuse to not check out the Tears." -Thomas, Savage Magazine
"2 girls, 2 guys from Green Bay doing the overloaded garage ROCK action right... Speaking of which "Girl's Not Right" is just about the perfect "Back From The Grave" riff/rip updated RIGHT, not like candy-assed clean-pantsed retro creep-style. This one's just FEROCIOUS and the riff just won't stop... Then it stops, and then it comes back in harder. Hard to say in the middle of things, but smells like a classic."
"Like many of you, I have had my soul stirred by rock n’ roll. There is no hope for me. I am addicted forever. For the rest of my life, I will squander money and time immersing myself in my addiction.
And that’s because of songs like The Tears’ “She Ain’t Right”, the A-side cut on the Wisconsin band’s latest record. The song is not original, unique, groundbreaking, or thought-provoking. It's not hip or "modern". It regurgitates a lo-fi garage punk formula that’s “been done” a million times before. Yet it may very well be one of the greatest rock n’ roll songs ever committed to vinyl. It’s loud, primitive, and flat-out ferocious. It’s catchy as hell. But most importantly, it makes me wanna dance, bob my head, tap my feet, jump up & down, and tell the whole world to fuck off. And what more can you possibly ask for from a rock n’ roll tune?! Like The Sonics, Mummies, and Teengenerate before them, The Tears manage to resuscitate the bloated corpse of rock n’ roll purely by injecting it with superhuman doses of energy, spirit, and sheer melodiousness. Ordinary garage punk doesn’t even begin to approach this level of brilliance.
Neither B-side track is as infectious or appealing as “She Ain’t Right”. But both are pretty damn good in their own right! “Death In Texas” is a crude, mean blast of trashy rock in the Crypt Records vein. The blues-punk basher “Don’t Care About Nothing” sounds like a Satanic blend of The Muffs and Gun Club. Fuck all of you who insist that rock n’ roll isn’t “relevant” in the 21st Century. Bands like The Tears will be proving you wrong until the end of time. Go listen to Bright Eyes and hang yourselves."
"Shit! My shorts were torn off instantly when this one started blaring from the stereo. Although people are always gonna confuse the name with the act of crying, you and I will know how to pronounce it properly, won't we? Dirty and great recording, and with Natalie & Courtney in the band along with CATHOLIC BOYS' Nick G (obviously his gangsta rap alter-ego), it's gonna be hard not to tear you blouse each time this is played while you're making out on the couch. Don't dry your eyes kids, just rip yourself apart and smell that Wisconsin dairy air"
"Four young 'uns who sound like they recorded this into a casette player about 5 minutes after picking up their instrumnents for the first time. I mean that as a compliment. There's a raw 60's garage sound here that I really dig and hope to hear more from the TEARS (as in rip not as in cry)"
"New band from Algoma US. They were formed in 2002 with members of Take Offs, Strong Come Ons and Catholic Boys. Together with Mystery Girls they are the new breed of teenage garage punk from US. I'm glad there are finally some new sounds around. Well actually it's nothing really new, it's pure rock'n'roll, but the way they put it all together is new. I don't know if it's the sound or the screams or the way they write songs, but it sounds kinda different than most garage stuff. Mix of 60s punk, 77 punk, 80s garage and 90s trash punk - it can't be bad. The only thing is that I miss something in lyrics (not only by Tears, but most other new bands too - so don't get me wrong here, this is not critic for Tears only). Lyrics could be more rebellious. It's just about girls, boys, love, cars and in worse case alcohol. Or maybe I'm making things too complicated. Anyway, the music is great and you should definitely get this and you shouldn't miss them in your collection!!"
"Band photos can be funny things. Everyone hates getting them taken and no one ever knows what to do with their hands, . Half the time the photographer fucks it up and the other half it’s the band’s own fault. The Tears did all right, except that the four band members seem so distant from each other in every photo. They’re all sort of staring off in different directions with strange, distinct, and disparate looks on their faces. Lucky for us the sounds are more coherent and less unsettling. Basically its loud and rowdy gargaged-out rock and roll. The title track being a great example of that genre’s ability to simultaneously tickle the ears and shake the toes. It’s brimming with rock and roll leads, desperately hoarse vocalizing, and squelched screaming. The whole thing at times seems a nostalgia trip and at other times straight ‘00s punkarage.
This ain’t revolutionary nor perhaps the most infectious in its genre but I’d put it on to stomp away my blues. And I bet in a live setting when these four start blasting, finally look at each other, and start smiling; it’s a real good time"
"The Tears from Madison WI area. Though these yankee critters sure talk straaaange, I like their music. It's raw beats rawk like a possum's hearbeat after escaping near death on ole' Paw Tucket Drag. Good rock here, and I believe you that She Ain't Right, because you sing it with conviction."
The MYSTERY GIRLS "Turned On, Tuning In" b/w "Everybody's Talkin" , "Killing Floor" (BR-001)
Here's Some Reviews
"The term “maximum R & B” has been used roughly eight million times before, but it aptly describes the Mystery Girls experience. The Mystery Girls are five white boys from the Midwest who play the black man’s blues with the crude, savage ferocity of the best garage punk. This latest EP of theirs is a real blast. It rips like a motherfucker and answers the musical question “What if early Led Zepplin had rocked like the MC5?”. Really, it’s that good. This band filters the earthy roots blues of Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, and Muddy Waters through a raw, ferocious “high energy punk rock n’ roll” aesthetic---and it does so with mind-blowing amounts of enthusiasm, energy, and authentic rock n’ roll spirit. Imagine the rootsy racket of the Yardbirds or early Stones---but faster, meaner, and ten times louder. Oh, and that kid can flat-out scream!
Today’s garage punk “scene” is a crowded one. I’d say the vast majority of the bands in that category are “pretty good” at best. Style and attitude alone are not enough. Having the “right” influences is not enough. It takes a special band to rise above the pack, and the Mystery Girls are indeed special. They rock with joyful adolescent verve and kick out the kind of wild jams that one can really feel deep down. They put their own unique spin on a tried-and-true sonic formula. They understand rock n’ roll, and it shows in their music. Simply put, the Mystery Girls have soul.
Another great release from Bancroft Records"
"People have been talking about this quintet of young boys from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Well, at least to me they have. Much like the first COMETS ON FIRE record, the MYSTERY GIRLS are taking the sad current state of rock 'n' roll to a more interesting level. One where even someone like me doesn't mind a wanking guitar solo because it somehow doesn't seem to stop the energy of the song. Fast distorted guitars straight out of the STOOGES handbook with a singer who's a bit disaffected, but still screams at the right point. My only complaint is the inclusion of three false starts at the beginning of the first song. It may be cute at first, but when I am listening to this over and over I'm going to get really annoyed that I have to keep hearing that.
"Are these guys turned on yet? Damn Straight. Acid-tinged raucous rock 'n' roll with all the right backup vocals, and those drugged-out Sunset Boulevard guitar solos we all like so much. Their version of "Killin' Floor" castrates with ease, as a teenage Roky Erickson croons painfully into his last flashback. This smells like cigarette smoke and resin stained jeans, but with all the beer you drink, you'll just be glad you got your dick in the door."
"No girls, five boys, two hearty on hair, one sporting a Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life shirt, a few sporting Converse All Stars, lots of pounding drums, great live feel, funky rhythms, psychedelic sort of head-in-a-cloud slow sneering sexualized vocalizing, jamming out leads, shouts, pound drums, swirling rhythms, train engine steaming on into the Wisconsin cheese fields, yelping vocals, wanking leads, not annoying though, well sort of, shit speeding up, vocals getting crazy like sex, more yelling, wanking, end, drums, crash, end of first song, long song, flip record, think about her, more lilting sneering vocals, The Seeds?, same musical stuff as last time, some call and response “yeahs”, The Datsuns?, those are always nice, funkified rock guitaring then singing like a bluesy garage roar, think of tight hips and crotches thrusting and girls shimmying, hip boots swaying, guitars stomping, last song, maracas?, yeah!, surfy leads, bluesmanleadsinger says “baby” a lot, guitarizing like a hurricane in an effects pedal store, follows in tradition of them “baby, you got me so down I oughta kill you like Mick Jagger’d do” kind of songs, song ends a lot sooner than expected, that’s cool."
You may have read my rave of this band's debut album in previous issues of AMP. These 5 kids are wise beyond their years, as many bands who've been at it for ages can only dream of accomplishing what The Mystery Girls effortlessly do: completely let loose, feel it, shake it, break it, drink it, think it, DO IT. The tunes here are as strong as anything on their Trickknee CD, and were recorded during the same session. A fine way to kickstart Bancroft Records, a new label run by Smashin' Transistors Zine head-honcho, Dale Merrill. More Mystery Girls material coming soon on In The Red Records!!!
-Mitch Cardwell, AMP magazine
I loved Mystery Girls CD and I'm glad to have piece of vinyl by them. "Turned On, Tuning In" is great noisy and chaotic garage punk - really loud and wild. "Everybodys Talking" on B side is even better and more catchy and "Killing Floor" is a real killer - my favorite on this EP and one of the best songs I heard lately - short, trashy and energetic punk'n'roll with great vocal. Hurry up to get your copy cos there are only 500. (Vanya-No Brains)
