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