Let's Get Bizzzay
The titles of these newsletters are gonna get weirder this year. I don’t know what dots my brain connected in my head but let’s get this over with.
Physical Graffiti
We have a lot of year left to cover before we start putting real money down on which albums were the best but I’ve got a few bucks on this one making my top five. I can’t tell you the last time I listened to a new record two days in a row. Justin Smith has been one of my favorite hardcore helmsmen for a long time so I was already looking forward to this one. Graf Orlock were not just the band with the funny sound clips, they had great riffs. Ghostlimb have put out some of my all time favorite hardcore records and some of the most utterly pissed off hardcore I’ve ever heard. (Then there’s Dangers!) It’s wild to say I think he outdid himself with this one. It’s wilder to me that on first pass his rippling, vascular riffs weren’t even the highlight. The star of course is Tuna’s snarling, spitting venomous vocals. This record works on so many levels, it’s the total package of fun concept and fulfilling execution. Sabbath, Priest, Lizzy riffs, a groovy fat snare sound, incredibly memorable vocal hooks and a fuckin great album cover. Ten/ten, get this record.
Step into my barn
I listened to a lot of country this week. Partly because I had Saturday off and went thrifting with my wife but also cause I felt like it. Seriously though, I listened to like nine country records. There’s lots of great stuff added to the playlist this week.
I do want to specifically talk about a record I came across on bandcamp from Saskatchewanian singer-songwriter Tim McCashin. It’s mostly a sparse, stripped down and pretty lo-fi production but there’s some upbeat stuff like “‘59 Mayfair” and “Yeatsie”. It’s an overtly country record for sure but it has some qualities that may appeal to fans of that warrior poet Punk acoustic brand like those Tim Barry and Chuck Ragan records.
That’s all this week folks, I’ll sign off with the words of former President, Ike Eisenhower…