Street Chant - Means

Street Chant - Means

Street Chant are from New Zealand and they are totally killer. Means was released in mid-2010 but I just heard the album a couple months ago and it slays. It sound like Veruca Salt mixed with Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. It's poppy, heavy and totally fucking rad. Do yourself a favour and grab this shit, it'll be your new favourite jam for sure. This was released by Arch Hill Records, the same dudes who put out the Surf City album Kudos that I loved so dearly.

Rational Animals - Bock Rock Parade

Rational Animals - Bock Rock Parade

These dudes sound like the perfect blend of Black Flag and Black Sabbath. This came out in the fall on Katorga Works (which is one of the best labels going) and it totally caught me by surprise with it's awesomeness. Bock Rock Parade is a total fucking beast of an album; It's punk, it's hardcore, and it's fucking metal. There is some serious Ginn worship going on here. This is one of the better records I've heard all year. Do yourself a favour, pick this up and play it real fucking loud.

Dear Tonight - We're Not Men

Dear Tonight - We're Not Men

Dear Tonight were a punk/hardcore band from NY who existed from 2001-08. They sounded a lot like Drive Like Jehu, Angel Hair and Ink And Dagger. Lead singer Ryan Duffy used to write for Vice magazine back then as well and was one rad dude (just check out his segment for vbs.tv on donkey fucking) he was most recently seen on the MTV show the Vice Guide To Everything. This band never really toured behind this, as they called it quits immediately after it's release, which is too bad because I think they could have gone far behind it. If you like End Of A Year and Brainworms you will totally dig this album.

Monument - Goes Canoeing

Monument - Goes Canoeing

Debut full-length from this Washington D.C. group. Great 90's emo influenced punk rock. Goes Canoeing was just released this month on the Tiny Engines record label and if you dig their label mates Everyone Everywhere, Look Mexico and Castevet then you'll dig Monument. Take the spastic energy of Brainworms and the pop hooks of The Get Up Kids and you've just nailed their sound. I've been waiting to hear a full length from these dudes since I heard their 3 song 7" (which has been in constant rotation around my spot for over a year). In fact here is that seven inch, and their equally as rad demo:

Monument - 3 song 7"

Monument - Monujamz demo

Surf City - Kudos

Surf City - Kudos

Surf City are a band out of New Zealand who took all the best parts of Spaceman 3, Pavement and The Zombies and created one of the best debut albums of the year. Kudos has great harmonies, guitar parts that are both droning and spacey, and heaps of primal rock energy. If you've dug the recent output of Surfer Blood, Crocodiles, No Age and Jaill then you'll flip your shit over this. The band used to be known as Kill Surf City (after the Jesus And Mary Chain tune) but changed their name to avoid confusion with a shitty band from England with the same name.