ITEMLORD CD ( http://www.daytrotter.com/) Hand Over A
Popcorn Suit And Cue Robbie Knievel With The Stereophonic Bliss
Apr 3, 2009
tell your friends…
Words by Sean Moeller // Illustrations by Johnnie Cluney // Sound engineering
by Nick Krill and Jon Low
The latest posting on The Swims official blog is a crest, surely an ancient and
much revered emblem of stature and royalty in the Old Country, that the
Philadelphia band is using as the artwork on what appear to be name tags meant
to be worn at the release party this weekend for the new album, Itemlord. It’s
going to be a fancy party, from the looks of it. There are lemon and limes all
halved up ready for juicers, an illustrated hand gripping an axe in a menacing
fashion and hoagie sandwiches peeking out from behind the good-looking fruit.
All of those things (in addition to lots of booze, Vegas showgirls, a menagerie
of all kinds of dogs, a la the Spike Jonze “Sweater Song” video, canned whipped
cream, illegal fireworks, edible panties required to be worn at all times,
strobe lights and gorilla suits for everyone – not to mention a bunch of
different kinds of finger foods) will make this one of the most memorable
parties served up to commemorate the release of a compact disc in United States
history. Here’s betting dollars to doughnuts that Swims lead singer, Brian
Langan, has already thought of all those things and has even called in favors
from Robbie Knievel and all of his friends who happen to be ventriloquists and
contortionists to do their worst when the lights go down or the room explodes.
The only reason that we mention any of these things is because they’re the
images that oddly blossom from many listens to Itemlord. which has taken the
band’s love of pop hooks and driven them right off the cliff, once again. All
hooks and melodies are given complete freedom to be about whatever they’d like
to be about and they are allowed to act as they’d like. This isn’t to suggest
that the new album or the band act the clown. On the contrary, it’s a perfected
playfulness that is more studied and brilliant in its style, witty and sharp in
its mannerisms. You could never call Langan’s songs sillier that anything Mangum
or Barnes or any of the original crew of Elephant 6 Collective songwriters were
writing and turning into a movement down in Athens in the late 90s and early
00s. He and the Swims are significant musicians with more than enough ideas and
unlike some writers, those ideas never bog the songs down, anchoring them in the
mud because there’s no editor working upstairs. Itemlord is an album that has so
many different colored feathers and could appeal to purists and pop weirdos
looking for the connecting point between The Beatles and some kind of dementia,
though there’s always been some of that in a lot of the work that those guys did
in their short time together. It’s an abstraction of so many different
variations of the pop song that you lose track by the time the 12 songs have
passed. So bring on the leisure suits and hippie pants made entirely out of
popcorn and release the crows into the room and get the party started. It will
be fun like that and every time after the party, when the record begins playing,
you’ll still feel the pecking and your dancing to get away, kind of liking
everything about the chaos, thinking it’s the most fun you’ve ever had with your
popcorn clothes on.
Ride of the Blueberry Winter: LP (Razorcake) Nominally
psychedelic, the Swims owe as much to early ‘80s new wave radio pop and
mid-to-late ‘80s college rock as they do the whole Nuggets scene. It could be
arguably be shown that this band occupies some manner of nebulous middle ground
between the dB’s and Redd Kross if one were to use a sufficiently curvy
protractor. I might also care to mention the Raspberries and an occasional Moe
Tucker vocal interlude in this same breath. A rather interesting record which i
do not have a complete handle on at this point in time. Surely some day i must
own a bowling ball that looks like this vinyl! BEST SONG: “C’Mon Day” BEST SONG
TITLE: Either “We Need…Lava” or “Be My Lava Valkyrie” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA
FACT: I have honestly never seen hand-lettering quite like this. –Rev. Norb
THRASTER AUG 2008
Most rockin' single o' the month is hands-down the Marvelous Darlings' The
Swords, the Streets 7-inch on Wall Ride Records. If the opening chords on the
A-side don't make you think of Motorhead's "On Parole, ...
FROM TEAMGOON.com
Ben Cook and Matt DeLong of No Warning join members of Career Suicide and
Violent Minds, leaving behind the heavy hardcore style of their previous efforts
and taking on melodic punk rock with the Marvelous Darlings. These songs are
catchy and contagious, bringing to mind bands like the Real Kids, The Ramones,
The Undertones, and Buzzcocks. Hand claps, squealing guitar solos all come into
play with choruses that will go through your head for weeks after hearing these
songs. Look for a new single on Pelado Records coming out soon.
FROM FIGHT13RECORDS.org
US 08
Wow, zwei schmutzige Pop-Punk/Garagen-Kracher der Jungs aus Toronto feat. Ben
Cook (Fucked Up), verdammt, der Junge ist ein höllisch guter Sänger ..."the
Swords, the Streets" will have you bouncing like an eighth grader on crystal
meth..." - stellt euch einfach vor ..Tranzmitors.. treffen auf die ..Ramones..,
in einer üblen, schmutzigen Kaschemme. *Wallride (TRANSLATION...THE DARLINGS
RULE AND ONLY THE COOL KIDS SMOKE CRYSTAL METH IN GRADE 8)
FROM EXCLAIM.ca
With a style that sees ‘77 punk meet power pop not unlike the Exploding Hearts,
Toronto’s Marvelous Darlings have produced a debut 7” so infectious it hurts.
Featuring the former frontman and guitarist from No Warning and Violent Minds, I
Don’t Wanna Go To The Party is the first of a few planned releases from the band
in the not so distant future. Guaranteed to steal hearts and cause an influx of
leather jackets and long hair at every show, “Careerist”, the B side to this
hand-clappingly hooky single is just as contagious as the title track. Sure to
cause involuntary foot tapping and quickly become the soundtrack to dirty dance
parties everywhere, the slashing guitars and sing-along worthy choruses on I
Don’t Wanna Go To The Party will have even the most unlikely of fans hooked from
the start. Here’s hoping that this brilliantly simple and fun release is a good
indication of what’s to come from the Marvelous Darlings.
FROM RAZORCAKE.org
MARVELOUS DARLINGS: The Swords, The Streets: 7”
In certain ways this reminds me of D Generation. Modern and arguably not-douchey
takes on late ‘70s Thunders, a touch of glam but with the speed and sensibility
of punk to keep it short. This is the second 7” of theirs that I’ve heard, and
I’m not really sold. I mean, the songs are okay, but they’re nothing to howl
about. I believe that someone involved with Fucked Up is in this band and it
leads me to believe that that is the reason this band has more legs than it
probably should with the output that I’ve heard. I’ll reserve final judgment
until I see them live. Maybe that sells it.
–Stevo (Wallride)
FROM FORTHEKIDS.com
Ben Cook - aki egyébként Young Governor néven ismert a Fucked Up-os szerepe
szerint, ahol ő az egyik gitáros, valamint ő alapította a torontói No Warning
nevű hardcore zenekart is (akik feloszlottak már) - mostanában elég sok anyaggal
jön ki a Marvelous Darlings nevű zenekarával.
Ez egy négy tagú power pop/punk zenekar akinek az új anyaga a DERANGED
Recordsnál fog kijönni ”I dont wanna go to the party” címmel. Az A-oldalt meg
pár demo-t meg lehet hallgatni a myspace-ükön, a linket alul találjátok. A banda
nem nagyon szarozik a diszkográfiájuk felépítésével mivel ebben az évben elég
sok anyaguk lát majd napvilágot különböző kiadóknál. A WALL RIDE Records ad ki
két 7"-t (The Sword, The Streets/Galloway), a PELADO & FIX ME Records (itt fog
elvileg a Motivation-nek is kijönni anyaga) szintén egy 7"-t (Lagoons/Teenage
Targets) és az angol RAT PATROL Records is, ők újra kiadják a demo kazijukat
lemezen. Egy 12” EP Vixens címmel is ki fog jönni valamint egy single válogatás
később ebben az évben.
Az új lemez bemutató bulija Január 18án lesz Torontóban.(TRANSLATION... this
record rages harder than drinking and driving on the autobahn)
FROM SHEMALES.org
From the sexiest corner in Toronto the Marvelous Darlings are so marvelous they
made me come twice...darlin
HAS A WAY WITH WOMEN... 7" ( blood, guts, beer, and ear blisters )Well first off I love this band. Though this 7" is mostly acoustic, does it really matter? It's almost better than their CD's in the way that this band has such a raw feel anyways and this record sounds like it was probably recorded on a 4-track (after typing this I read it was recorded on a reel to reel at Jon's house) so it makes it a very intimate recording. The full band does kick in on the last track though which is nice. Anyone who hasn't heard this band should know it features Chad Price (ALL), Jon Snodgrass (Armchair Martian) and other revolving members from bands such as The Nobody's and a few others, so you know this has to be good and it is....very good. This band is amazing live as well, but I'm getting side tracked.
Lets go track by track:
Track one is called This Star and it is probably the most intimate song on this, just Chad singing with guitar. Sounds like it may have been one of those songs that was meant to be acoustic, either that or it just didn't make the cut for a CD. It's a great song and kinda sticks out a little differently like some of the newer songs this band has been writing (AKA Beautiful and Damned From the "It's Crazy" CD).
Track two is a Snodgrass song called Strange and completely sounds more like a DTR song, not that anything else is bad....I actually really like everything I have ever heard that they have written. I gotta say the vocal harmonies between Jon and Chad in this are absolutely some of the best I have heard and fit into it really well which is odd because the guitar is quite in this song and the vocals during those parts are a lot loader, but I just all makes sense and sounds great together. I believe this is about as Folk as it gets for these guys. I really with I could comment on what the lyrics are about but, it's very hard to tell and I don't have the lyric sheet as I'm reviewing this from an audio rip (Yeah whatever just being honest).
Track three is the title track called Has A Way With Women and as far as can tell is about about missing a friend and a friend that has a way with women at that. This song has Spacey Casey doing some badass Slide guitar work as well once the band kicks in and this is probably my favorite DTR song in general, which kinda sucks because I asked them to play it last time I saw them and got the polite response "It's just not gonna happen!" from Jon which also tells me I may never get to here this live. Oh well I can always listen to this awesome recording of it.
Bottom line is that I believe this to be a great starting point
for someone who likes their country on the folky-er side and has not heard this
band yet.
Go get this, order it, steal it...do what you must and you won't regret it as
you are humming these songs home from work, softball practice or the
bar....(while walking of course!)
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HAS A WAY WITH WOMEN... 7"(Razorcake) Some of my San Diego friends have been singing the praises of Drag The River for years, but I’d yet to hear them. I was expecting alt country, but there really isn’t any alt in there to muddy everything up, thankfully. From the first song, “This Star,” I could see I’d sold my friends short. Simple, acoustic country with a voice clear and true. I can’t describe it as anything less than beautiful. It’s sad and romantic, but never touches cliché or sappiness. I have easily listened to that one song at least fifty times, and probably closer to a hundred to be honest. The rest of the 7” follows strongly, but, to me, can’t touch the magic that is captured in the first track. –Megan Pants
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HAS A WAY WITH WOMEN... 7"(Razorcake) The first question that really comes to mind: Why was this sent to Razorcake? If anything, these dudes should be vying for a slot on Prairie Home Companion or something—resting somewhere in the neighborhood of a passive Rumbleseat and Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad, this is some morose country and western stuff, acoustic style. It’s not “alt-country” and is nothing like Lucero or bands of their ilk—this sounds like the kind of stuff that a cowboy would get savagely drunk to before he accidentally shoots himself in the pecker while passing out with his gun. It’s actually pretty decent in spots (though I could do without the slide geetar on the title track), but I really don’t think they were tapping the right demographic when they sent this’n in to Razorcake. –Keith Rosson
Coming Soon
Let Go: 7” (Razorcake) It’s a mystery band! A 7” slab of wax with no information other than band name, song titles, members names, and label. In a way, it helps because you’re not given any leads to what this is going to sound like. I’m instantly thinking Texas. The title track has a kind of Motards meets the Marked Men thing going that pretty much rules. On the flip, I immediately got an early Riverboat Gamblers vibe. I guess I’ll have to find out more about them if I’m going to get more music… Okay, I just went and found their myspace. Denton, TX, USA! –Ty Stranglehold.
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Let Go: 7” (Razorcake) I must admit that my expectations for this disc were quite low before I actually listened to the disc. A silly band name, bland cover “art” (the eyes of the four band members cut out of their faces over a black background, with the rest of the snapshot on the other side), and trite track titles (hasn’t “Let Go” already been used a dozen times before, including as an Avril Lavigne album?) do not produce much potential for success. However, I was pleasantly surprised once the needle met the grooves: discordant and raw garage punk with mangy vocals that appears to have been recorded five feet away from the equipment in an echoing room. This means that the band has to play as loudly and energetically as possible to compensate for the physical gap between the band and the equipment. Aside from the background caterwauling that sounds like a frantic siren, there are also a few hints of surf rock here and there in the songs. Those minor flourishes are enough to separate this work from similar sounding efforts. Plus, extra points for the brown vinyl of my copy, which has the finish of a classy coffee table. It makes me want to invest in a nice lamp and some oversized art books. (<--- this guy was a guest contributor... probably some guy they got off the street ---- your friend LSD).
Let Go: 7" (Terminal Boredom) Denton, TX punk fans fans take heed!
This band features TV's Daniel (and another Wrist/Museum or two...) on those
static-laden sneering vox I love so much, matched up with a full-bore punk
attack and some retardo back-ups for a mile-a-minute thriller, blown-out Tex-ass
stylee. "Let Go" is balls-out great and "Reckoning Day" wields a wicked guitar
hook and a great false stop before capping it off. There's a third cut on here
too, but it's just a throw-in when compared to the other two stunners on here.
Not as goofy as WM are and not as harsh as The Wrists were, this finds a
wonderful middle-ground between the two, and I hate to have use this comparison
shit but I'm a dumb and lazy record reviewer. It's what I do. Anyway, great punk
record here folks, just as good as (and even better than) some of Museums/Wrists
records. Scum stats: 100 on orange, 400 on black. Have to note that Wallride has
a great logo.
Kill All Humans (Jersey Beat) - As I glance at the cover of this record, only the words “kill all humans” appear, and I am convinced that this will be a furious, most likely disharmonious listen. This is a good lesson for me, friends, as I should not make any judgments before allowing the needle to hit the vinyl. The music here performed by Active Sac (a name which deserves a place in the Pantheon of monikers) is bouncy, bubbly, and at times, just delightfully cute. The four guys here sound like a less acidic version of Screeching Weasel, or a less bummed out Queers. However, that is only in terms of their musical approach, as the vivacious playing masks a darker lyrical side. Check out “Die Before I Wake”, “Godzillas,” and “Hummingbird Feeder” for anthems of pure sorrow. Lines such as “I’ve been sick all these years, what if I died at a young age/Depression’s been paid as long as I can breath” from “Godzillas” seem almost out of synch with the good vibrations of the playing. The band only changes speeds once, as they opt for a more acoustic sensibility on “Suck Seed/End One” which kicks off the second side. Overall, this is a solid record from a band with potential. Nothing here is remarkable, but I believe Active Sac (say it without smiling, seriously, try it!) would benefit from cleaner production, as the mix sounds muddy for much of the record. In the end, this is a collection of songs whose mixed tone of sugary goodness and lyrical distress are reminiscent of a day that is sunny but too hot: it’s nice to have the sun, but you suffer from the heat.
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Salt & Shovels Review : Punk Planet This could have quite easily come out 10 years ago when bands like Big Drill Car and Samiam were crafting quirky, plaintive, poppy melodic punk rock. It's heartening to hear this kind of punk played this well in 2004. (RR)
Queen of the Abyss 7" (Razorcake) The first song on Side B is “Electric Kool-Aid.” Someone in the room just said, “Whoa, this band is riff-o-matic.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. They paid extra for the fixed groove on the record that repeats the same thing over and over and over again so the record never actually ends. It’s a burping sound. That’s pretty cool. This band has something going for it, and lyrics ain’t it. Lyrics are on the boring side, but if you have a glass of Electric Kool-Aid, you probably won’t care. –Corinne –Guest Contributor
(on a side note i think this vinyl rocks --- and so does everyone else with any taste in music) - LSD
Blue 7" (Razorcake) I find comfort within The Ergs’! depth of musical geekdom. Not only is this their “Blue” release—much like the Adolescents’ record—they have the Adolescents’ ability to be much more than the sum of their parts; those parts being punk rock; those parts being rock in general; those parts being filtered by guys who could probably play in any type of band, but I’m stoked that they chose punk to be the point of their spear. No, they don’t sound anything like the Adolescents, but that’s the point. Original hearts beat differently. Original awesome, bubbly original (I guess blue is the new color of bubblegum), one Nirvana cover with song credit going to Sid Vicious’ original name. I’m sliding the set list from the last show I saw them at in with the 7” right after I write this review. Go Ergs! –Todd Taylor
Rock and Roll 7"/CD (Razorcake) Baltimore’s The Mishaps blend a risky mix of garage, classic rock, and dance music into a unique sound that is surprisingly unpretentious and fun. The keyboards are kept low enough in the mix to fit in, and the classic rock riffs are used sparingly. This 7” comes with a bonus CD that includes both of the songs from the 7” as well as two additional tracks. The bonus songs on the CD are as good as the two highlighted on the 7” and would make for a worthy 7” in their own right. There’s a huge MC5 influence throughout, making The Mishaps as playfully retro as they are original. Art Ettinger –Guest Contributor
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