Fenn - Spanish

Right, don't expect to gain much insight into Fenn by reading any of this as I know absolutely zero about the band and the internet is not exactly overflowing with information about this Scottish four-some either. And that about wraps up all I know about them, they were Scottish and there were four of them.

Looking at my vinyl version of this record I can see that it is actually signed by the members of the band. Now I am as much of a fanboy as anyone but I specifically remember buying my LP copy when it came out and it coming pre-signed as if it was the new U2 album or something. Who in the hell thought it was a good idea to get the members of the band to sit there signing god knows how many copies of their LP when not one person in the world is going to care, not one? Even as an impressionable 15 year old I wasn't the slightest bit impressed, I think I knew then the band were destined to dissolve into obscurity leaving behind only a few illegible scribbles on an otherwise lovely cardboard sleeve.

Despite the illusions of grandeur the band may have had, this album is absolutely great. Noisy guitar pop with sweetly, melodic but completely indistinct vocals buried in the mix. The single 'Not Jelly' is a corker.

Fenn - Spanish (Mean Recordings 1992)

1. Quietly Vegan
2. Not Jelly
3. Mild Mannered Janitor
4. Anagram Stan
5. Numb
6. Pop Jop
7. Saint's Gate
8. Lead Limb
9. Cosh
10. Head Realiser

http://rapidshare.com/files/268442453/Spanish.zip

Freewill - Sun Return

For some reason this record never got an official release. Wishingwell Records had planned to release it, and there are a few test presses doing the rounds, but for reasons I cannot remember anymore it never saw the light of day until the infamous German rip off label Lost & Found saw fit to release it sometime in the mid 90s. Around the same time, in fact, that the band actually took the original tapes for the album and re-recorded the vocals and the bass tracks with a new bass player and released a vastly inferior version of the album under the name Stone Telling. Confused?

This is the definitive version of the album - it's total, total Dag Nasty worship. If this had been released after 'Field Day' with the name Dag Nasty on it they would've gotten away with it - it is that blatant. But it's a straight edge hardcore record, where things like originality and innovation do not exist. And the tunes are actually, really fucking good.

Freewill - Sun Return (Wishingwell Records)

1. Almost Again
2. For Times
3. I Can't Stand To See You
4. Disappear Here
5. Always
6. Every Breath
7. Easy
8. Shine
9. Reach
10. Nothing Lasts

http://rapidshare.com/files/244030130/freewill_-_sun_return.zip

Kill Creek - St. Valentines Garage

I picked this album up merely for the fact it was dirt cheap and in the punk section of the record shop. I had no idea who the band were or what they sounded like, and on first listens I did not like. Not one bit. Luckily for me I grew out of only liking music recorded by people with big shorts, backwards caps and Airwalks and this record seemed to be on hand when I realised the new Pennywise record pretty much sounded exactly the same as the last one, and the one before that.

Kill Creek actually seemed to be doing the rounds on the indie circuit for quite a bit of time, releasing 3 albums and a retrospective CD which are all handily available at their webpage here. 'St Valentine's Garage' is their first album and, in my opinion, by far their best. Whereas their later stuff slowed down and mellowed out, this album is filled with self loathing, hate and repressed anger. Seriously, check the lyrics of songs like 'Busted', 'Gett On' and 'Kelly's Dead' - the guy sure does have some issues with the opposite sex. Maybe he ironed them out after this record and settled down with a wife and kid but there is something really fucked about this album that I love.

Kill Creek - St Valentine's Garage (Mammoth Records, 1994)

1. Cosmetic Surgery
2. Busted
3. Stretch
4. Mother's Friends
5. Gett On
6. Kelly's Dead
7. Seven-Eleven
8. Killing
9. Fruit Pie
10. Million
11. Harass
12. Wuss Cliff
13. Die Young
14. Funeral

http://rapidshare.com/files/244069950/kill_creek_-_st_valentine_s_garage.zip

Alligator Gun - Onehundredpercentfreak

Oh man, this is a beauty. Absolutely ripping pop punk from mid 90s Milwaukee released on the same record label as Sick Of It All, Steve Vai and Tigertailz! No wonder this band disappeared quicker than a pork pie at a Weight Watchers meeting. It would seem psuedo major label Relativity tried to cash in on the pop punk boom of the mid 90s with this release but failed miserably, Alligator Gun were just not immediate enough to appeal to the MTV types looking for a new Offspring. It takes a few listens for the beauty of songs like 'Countdown by Fives' and 'Hundred Year Stare' to really sink in but once they do you will not get bored of them - believe me, I have been listening to this album for nearly 15 years now and I still put 'Countdown By Fives' in my playlists.


Alligator Gun - Onehundredpercentfreak (Relativity Records, 1995)

1. From The Top Of My Lung
2. Sinker
3. Lowell
4. Hundred Year Stare
5. Cut To Fit
6. Countdown By Fives
7. Johnson
8. Gantner
9. Strange That I Have Not
10. Curfew
11. Flinch
12. Square One
13. I Told You So

http://rapidshare.com/files/244030129/alligator_gun_-_onehundredpercentfreak.zip

Seaweed - assorted B Sides

A collection of relatively hard to find b-sides and compilation tracks from one of my big favourites back in the day. The trio of albums starting with the pop punky 'Weak' moving onto the big soaring choruses of 'Four' and ending with their major label flop 'Spanaway' are pretty unbeatable in melodic hardcore terms. Only Samiam and Texas Is The Reason give these lads a run for their money.

These songs are mostly taken from their Sub Pop years before they got caught up in the Green Day explosion and went absolutely nowhere - the Fastbacks cover 'My Letters' is awesome.

Seaweed - B Sides

1. Measure
2. Turnout
3. Taxing (demo)
4. Baggage (demo)
5. Go Your Own Way
6. Losing Skin (remix)
7. She Cracked (Johnathon Richman cover)
8. Pumpkin
9. Squint, The Killerest Expression
10. Sing Through Me (Dehumanizers cover)
11. Days Missed Dearly
12. Shepherd's Pie
13. Foggy Eyes (Beat Happening cover)
14. Bewitched (Beat Happening cover)
15. Brand New Order
16. My Letters (Fastbacks cover)

http://rapidshare.com/files/244069954/seaweed_-_b_sides.zip

Maxeen - Hello Echo

This is a total guilty pleasure for me really, Maxeen are just super polished pop punk probably aimed at kids who have just started puberty and think Good Charlotte are old school punk. But in all honestly they write some absolutely amazing songs, seriously. There are 4 songs on here that I think I could play on constant rotation and not get bored with them - trust me, the lyrics may be cheesy and it may all sound a bit too slick and polished but 'Seconds Later', 'Block Out The World', 'Hurry Up And Wait' and 'Don't Make No Sense' are just incredible songs.

This is their second album which they recorded after signing to Warner Bros, and in typical major label fashion was never properly released because they didn't know how to market it - too new wave for the little kids and too poppy for the punks.

I think I like them so much because it is pretty obvious the band just want to be The Police and in my book that is no bad thing at all!


Maxeen - Hello Echo

1. Loud As War
2. Love Goes A Long Way
3. Seconds Later
4. Beautiful Disease
5. Let Go
6. Don't Make No Sense
7. Replace Us
8. Hurry Up And Wait
9. Stay
10. Echolalia
11. Block Out The World

http://rapidshare.com/files/233690597/helloecho.zip

The Killingtons - American Made

Yet another completely overlooked gem of a band - The Killingtons came from California and probably suffered from having a bit of an identity crisis when they first appeared. For a start the name is pretty fucking rubbish and then they seemed to get lumped in with a load of dodgy ska punk bands on compilations featuring third rate Operation Ivy rip offs like Link 80 and Jeffries Fan Club. So they were probably doomed from the outset to remain unloved and unknown, playing gigs in Armpit, Arizona on a Tuesday night supporting Mustard Plug.

Far from playing bad punk music mixed with even worse ska music The Killingtons actually played awesome indie rock with a hint of a shoegaze influence. This EP, their debut release, is a little punkier than their self titled album and subsequent mini album but still contains all the elements that I love about them. The opening song 'American Made' kicks off in an almost pop punk way but the other two songs slow down the pace a little and show the direction they were heading for their album. If anybody likes what they hear I can hook you up with their other stuff, just give me a holler.

After the demise of this band the singer is now in The Secret 6 who carry on in a very similar vein. They have just put up a free download of their new single so here's the link for that as well.

The Secret 6 - Breaking Down mp3

http://thesecret6.bandcamp.com/track/breaking-down

The Killingtons - American Made

1. American Made
2. Ventolin (Breathe)
3. Crawl Space

http://rapidshare.com/files/233680126/AmericanMade.zip

Bivouac - Derby & Joan

Oh to be 15 years old again with long hair, an old army jacket with Ned's Atomic Dustbin painted on the back and a far too big pair of para boots with tie dyed laces. Kids today have no idea about fashion.

Anyway when I was 15 I pretty much thought I would never be friends with anyone from a band I like, especially ones that had records out and stuff. Now being a 31 year old with David Bowie's phone number in my phone I obviously look back and laugh at how silly I was back then. Bivouac, being from the Derby and Nottingham area where I lived, seemed a little more within reach than Ned's Atomic Dustbin who lived way over in Stourbridge so it would be ironic that the only time I ever saw Bivouac was supporting Ned's at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. I even shouted at the lead singer Paul when he was setting up like he was my mate or something. He wasn't, he didn't have a clue who the weird looking kid in the Therapy? t-shirt was. Well 15 years on from that I can now say that Paul from the band is my friend and definitely has no recollection of either that gig or me shouting at him. Hopefully he won't mind me posting up this record. If you're reading this Paul and you do mind, I will buy you a Guinness next time I see you, which hopefully isn't too long away.

'Derby & Joan' is a collection of the first two Bivouac 12 inches, ABC and Slack, which both did pretty well in the NME indie charts if I remember rightly. Way, way out of print these days along with most of the other Bivouac stuff.

Bivouac - Derby & Joan

1. ABC
2. Fishes
3. Stick Stuck
4. Me, Ted & Charles
5. Slack
6. Twold
7. Two Sticks


http://rapidshare.com/files/228714315/derby_joan.zip

Miltown - st

This little mini album is a total lost gem that seems destined to never be heard by anyone ever - which is a shame because I happen to think it is 'lovely stuff'. The main dude behind them Jonah Jenkins (wonderful name) seems to have a habit for singing in really good bands no one really cares about. He started off in Only Living Witness, a band destined to be lumped in with a load of shite macho metal hardcore bands due to the fact their name sounded too much like a Maximum Penalty, Biohazard, Fury Of Five, Skarhead kind of band. And they were on Century Media records, a label so unbelievably bereft of anything good I think my mother probably has better taste in music than them.

After the demise of said band - who were really not all that bad - old JJ formed Miltown who released a 7", this EP right here, recorded an album that was never released for a major label and then split up. No great story there really.

As was common for the time Miltown played post hardcore along the lines of Quicksand, Orange 9mm etc and did it pretty well. Not well enough to be very popular it would seem but there you go.

When this band went the way of the buffalo, Jonah (not the fucking idiot from Far) formed a band called Milligram who were similar but way more rock. They were also very good. There is very little I can add to this.

Miltown - st (Hydra Head 1997)

1. No Matter
2. Pop Culture Consequence
3. Delicate Fiction
4. Jumping Someone Else's Train (Cure cover)
5. Predatory Male
6. Tales Of Never Letting Go


http://rapidshare.com/files/228699349/Milltown.zip

Les Thugs - As Happy As Possible

Fine wine, good food and Les Thugs - 3 French contributions to popular culture. I am a fan of all 3. So much so that last time I went on holiday to France I endeavoured to eat in a restaurant owned by that famous French gastronome Sid Owen AKA Ricky Butcher from Eastenders.

It was a particularly bad meal. As you may have guessed. Bloody Ricky!

Here's Les Thugs' double album from 1993 'As Happy As Possible' to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. It's a bit of a sprawler, but stick with it and check out songs like 'Admen' 'Looking In Your Eyes' and 'You Wanna Die' - awesome stuff. So popular it was released by Sub Pop, Vinyl Solution and Roadrunner, those sneaky Frenchies!

Les Thugs - As Happy As Possible (Sub Pop 1993)

1. As Happy As
2. Papapapa
3. Biking
4. Harpo's Theme
5. Horror Toys
6. Admen
7. August
8. Dreamer's Song
9. (Omar Feels Fear In Weimar)
10. Flags
11. Monkey 58 Strings Sonics Fly
12. You Wanna Die
13. (Maria Cries In Lima)
14. Looking In Your Eyes
15. Immigrés Clandestins
16. Desert Days
17. (Wang Leaves China)

http://rapidshare.com/files/200126493/Les_Thugs_-_As_Happy_As_Possible.zip.html

The Damnwells - One Last Century

Just a quick one to keep everyone happy while I'm too busy to upload anything.

This is the brand new record by the band The Damnwells and they are giving it away for free so you can't really argue with them. That said if they were selling it then they would probably be filling a landfill site in the Arizona desert alongside a load of old ET games for the Atari 2600 before too long. I mean, this band are so unpopular/unsuccessful they even made a film about how unpopular/unsuccessful they are!

But don't let that put you off - they're a great band. They do have their cheesy moments and there are times when I listen and think the singer probably thinks he's a lot cleverer than he actually is but this is all rendered irrelevant by the fact they write great songs with a great sense of humour and a catchy chorus. Enjoy.


The Damnwells - One Last Century

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/register_and_download/the_damnwells_one_last_century

Lemonheads - Paint mp3

As much as I prefer the Ben Deily era Lemonheads stuff there is no denying that Evan Dando has penned a few corkers in his much publicised career as crack addled, Smash Hits poster boy who liked to hang around with Oasis for a bit. This little gem is buried in the long deleted 'Favourite Spanish Dishes' EP - which, apart from this particular song is a bit of throwaway filler no doubt released by Atlantic to bide some time before the release of 'Lovey'. Whoever at the record label heard the New Kids On The Block cover and thought it was anything more than a waste of studio time and money really does deserve to have their ears ripped off - it is truly dire.

'Paint' however is a great little pop punk song about an old shop that isn't open anymore and ranks up there with 'Clang, Bang, Clang', 'Stove' and 'Confetti' as one of Dando's finest.

Lemonheads - Paint mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?15tujzzjyqm

Hacksaw

Swiz were a great band right? Too ruddy right! What do you mean you've never heard them? Well get on the case forthwith. You can download their first demo free of charge from the Jade Tree Records website.

When you've finished doing that come back and download this album by a band called Hacksaw - well probably one of the million bands called Hacksaw. This particular Hacksaw come from Toronto and kick out the jams in a similar style to the aforementioned Swiz. Well that's what I thought but listening to this CD again it doesn't actually sound a great deal like Swiz, they actually sound a lot more similar to the band Bluetip. Who incidently feature Swiz guitarist Jason Farrell, so my initial appraisal wasn't completely off the mark.

This album contains 10 tracks, and from the liner notes it would appear the first 6 were released in 1999 and the final 4 released in 1997 so you could say it is a compilation of sorts. The final 4 songs do sound like Swiz - A LOT! Needless to say these are the standouts on the album, the first 6 being a bit more mid paced and not half as exciting. So my advice to you would be to download the album, skip to track 7 and go back to the beginning when you've had enough of having your ears abused.

Hacksaw (SpectraSonicSound 2000)

1. Kiss the ground
2. L'arme fatale
3. Dirty clothes
4. On the road to crime
5. Got paid
6. Welcome to Deseronto
7. Kick it
8. Lied to myself
9. Without living
10. A million times

http://rapidshare.com/files/189881540/Hacksaw.zip.html

Cheap Girls - Find Me A Drink Home

If someone told me this record was released 10 or 15 years ago I'd have no problem whatsoever believing them. This is total mid 90s style pop punk that bears more than a passing resemblance to Smoking Popes. Which I am completely and utterly in favour of by the way.

Seeing as it seems to be the in-thing to play music that sounds like it was released by Lookout in 1993, it would be criminal if these guys didn't get the attention they deserve. Far be it from me to be the arbiter of taste these days though - I am more than happy drinking in posh bars and listening to M83 records rather than spending my hard earned dough on Maximum Rock And Roll and whatever record's flavour of the month with the 'kids' this week.

Their record is available for download free of charge from their label's website - and if you like it you are urged to give a bit of a donation or maybe buy the vinyl. Or give them a bit of praise on a two bit blog. I am a cheap bastard so I have done none of the above.

Cheap Girls - Fine Me A Drink Home (Quote Unquote Records 2008)

1. Kind of on Purpose
2. No One To Blame
3. 27 Days
4. Stop Now
5. Stay High (Magic)
6. A Lesser Rate
7. Parking Lot
8. I Should Never
9. Kill Your Mood
10. Her and Cigarettes
11. Through To Me

http://quoteunquoterecords.com/qur018.htm

Sloan - Amped mp3

Sloan are hardly an obscure band but they are definitely one that don't get half the credit they deserve. When they first signed to Geffen in the midst of the post Nirvana boom they got a pretty big push in the UK. The 'Underwhelmed' single was all over the place and selling for 99p a pop. I'd never heard of them but a 12" for 99p with a bunch of long hairs in flannel shirts on Geffen can't be half bad right?

The title track was the one that instantly caught my attention - a catchy pop song with a bit of grunge fuzz added to it and a pretty moronic set of lyrics. I went out the next week and bought it's accompanying album 'Smeared' and even their next single 'I Am The Cancer' (which is a gem of a tune), also retailing at that pocket money enticing 99p price point.

After that, the fuss died down and it seemed that Sloan records were no longer worth shipping over to the UK. Geffen promptly dropped them when they failed to 'break big' and Sloan went onto better things, well artistically anyway, they sell practically zero records outside of their native Canada.

I don't very often dig out 12" records - I'm a busy man I've better things to do than flip a record over after 5 minutes - but for some reason a few years ago I dug out 'Underwhelmed' and realised that Sloan had only gone and buried one of their best songs on the B-Side. 'Amped' is a 3 minute blast of pop-punk that gives even Lemonheads a run for their money in the summertime indie rock anthem stakes.

Sloan - Amped mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?dnyyx2tmgjq

Love Cup

I know next to nothing about Love Cup - and to be quite honest, after 15 years of listening to them, I don't really think it matters anymore, they were just some smalltime band from Illinois who made some great music that hardly anybody listened to. That's all there is to it. However I always prefer it when a blog entry has a bit of blurb on it so I will ramble on for a couple more paragraphs and then you can get on with it.

I first heard Love Cup on a bargain basement compilation CD called 'Dead End Destiny' put out by Rough Trade in about 1993. It's well worth picking up this comp if you can find it - along with Love Cup it also features stuff like Mule, Cell and Honeymoon Killers. It's a compilation of also-rans basically, but in my experience the also-rans normally always have the best tunes. Love Cup's contribution 'Tearing Water' was most definitely the standout song though - catchy and hook filled, my 15 year old self gave it plenty of airtime.

A couple of years later perusing through the bargain bins of my local record shop (Way Ahead Records in Derby for those who care) I stumbled upon Love Cup's full length CD, it looked pretty shoddy and had a stupid title but for a couple of quid I thought I may as well give it a shot. Aside from the fact that it was distributed by Cargo I am pretty surprised this album managed to make it across the pond and into a provincial record shop in the East Midlands. On 12 Inch Records, which was run by the dude from Poster Children (another unsung band from the mid 90s), 'Greefus, Groink and Sheet' (yes, that really is the title) takes the template from 'Tearing Water' - catchy grunge/indie rock - and adds a bit more of a shoegazery element to the mix. Have a listen for yourself, I've added the album and also the 'Tearing Water' tune from the comp (which it turns out was a 7" record). So start off with that and go from there.

There's a bit more info on 12 Inch Records from the label owner himself here - it features a bit of bumpf about the two Love Cup releases as well.

Love Cup - Tearing Water mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?zoy51xmgqnw

Love Cup - Greefus, Groinks and Sheet (12 Inch Records 1993)

1. Entirely Made of Wood
2. Billfershort
3. Even When I Sleep
4. Nothing In Particular
5. Hi Pazoo
6. Heroine
7. Beloit
8. Green Machine & Scientifically Yours

http://www.mediafire.com/?dj0v4gggm3n