McBain-s/t EP (2014)

McBain's debut EP is as sweet as the candy that rotted out your teeth (like the tooth on the cover). Just when you think the band is going to descend into the standard hardcore speedslop, they jerk to a stop. Full stop. This is the sorta music best experienced in someone's crowded, filthy garage or basement on a hot summer night, half-delirious from heat exhaustion yet still guzzling Labatt's or some other Canadian pissbrew.

"I'm Exhaustion," opening with growled vocals worthy of the dood from Scratch Acid, exemplifies the McBain sound: as the guitar meanders through a postpunk number, the drums counterpoint the singer. Of course you can't understand anything he's singing about, but "whiskey" does get repeated a lot. One can imagine the song was written after drinking a lot of it, but the boys kept it together to throw in coherent choruses. Just when you think it's over, minor notes lurch into more frenetic, seething tension.

The drums win the fight on "Cooking with Feelings"; I haven't heard punk drumming this good since the days of Giant Haystacks. My guess is that "I Survived the Moe Earthquake" is a reference to a Simpsons episode I never saw, and Moe might indeed throw this one on to drive Barney Gumble outta the bar at 3 AM. It's that good!

At the end of the day, Mcbain is a punk band that's a little too clever to play retreaded retard rock with a mohawk cresting over the din. These Aussies is so nice, you can download the EP for free, here!

Royal Headache-July 2010 Tour CS (2010)

Well, if you haven't heard of Royal Headache by now you probably hate rock 'n' roll, and may also have no soul. Civilians (i.e. the rest of the world) have gotten real into these guys in the last two years, and I wish 'em all the best. This 2010 set, recorded on tour in Newcastle and Brisbane, contains 6 tracks that would make it onto the self-titled 2011 LP and one that didn't, "Little Star."

It opens with a scratchy, infectious guitar riff before the band blasts into its trademark sound: sharp, snazzy punk with Australia's answer to O.V. Wright on vocals. I wish they included it on the LP, since it's as passionate and frantic as every other song I've heard by RH. The rest of the set rushes by, with some of Shogun's witty repartee v. hecklers: the songs aren't as polished as they are on the LP, but they sound just as good blurry as they did with slick(er) production. The recording quality isn't all that clear, but it's still pretty damn good for a basement or bar show.

Basically, if you love Royal Headache, this will tide you over until they drop a new record. I hope that's very soon, since my friends are getting tired of me hyping this band.

"I know that you don't want me, baby...." The tape is long out of print, but the band just re-pressed the LP, so go buy that from them at bandcamp or via their own website.  In full disclosure, I stole this one from I Am the Least Machiavellian blog, which you should be following if you aren't already.

Royal Headache-s/t LP (2011)

"I was a teenage zombie..." pt. 2

...later on that same winter, there was a party at the Black Hole, a filthy apartment in one of Chicago's low-rent districts, with piss-stained couches, empty beer cans everywhere, and massive Confederate flags on display.

I spent much of this party in the corner guzzling Milwaukee's Beast with the anarchapunk girl mentioned in the last post. Shit was goin' good. We talked about Fleas & Lice and vegan recipes for like an hour....ah, youth, eh?

At some point, we adjourned to the beach, because it was obviously a great idea to hang out on the lake at 3 AM in the dead of winter. While the rest of our friends tried to get a joint going in defiance of the wind, I made a move. Total repulsion. "Whoah, what the fuck are you doing?" "Uh...I dunno..." "I can't do this." "Why not?" "Because I have to go on the swing set." And then she sat on the swing for awhile. I think I finished off the night slamming the rest of the Beast while blasting "Realities of War."

I wish that this LP was out then, so I coulda drunk myself into oblivion to it insteada Discharge. Royal Headache wouldn't have made that situation any less retarded, but certainly they'd be a better soundtrack to teenage humiliation. The singer's wistful moan really sticks in your mind after the needle lifts, and the bouncy riffs offset the melancholy under the surface, especially on "Honey Joy," my favest baddest assest track eva.

This is really happening. BUY THE FUCKER! RH is best Aussie band I've heard since Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

*EDIT, 9.7.12: I reupped the file. You can get it HERE. Please keep checking GOner for a re-press, as thing is one of the best rock LPs of recent years, easily,*

*EDIT, 5.31.13: Re'up'd the file. AGAIN. Do Royal Headache the courtesy of buying the LP, which you can do HERE or HERE. You can download the LP, for previewing purposes, HERE.