THE JAMESES -- Rat People / Haunted Rider 7"

Mayo Factory -- Lake Worth -- 2010


Rat People
Haunted Rider

This isn't punk rock, purely speaking. It's lo-fi, but in spite of that it is the instrumentation that makes this such a great single. It has a haunting, droning keyboard over obscure vocals. Great squeaks, whistles and swishes buried in all the murkiness. Snippets of clever lyrical images escape the swamp. No, this is not self-conscious shoegaze crap for which the "sound" trumps the songs. These are real songs, the intensity hidden therein you might miss the first time. It helps if you listen to it at high volume as I am doing right now.

SLIPPERY SLOPES -- Sad Tugs 7"

Florida's Dying -- Orlando -- 2010

Sad Tugs

Pizza I'm Against It

Carburetor

Burnin'

This band plays old school pop-punk in the Queers mold, with songs like "Pizza I'm Against It," the stand-out track. I usually use the label "pop punk" as an insult, but not in this case. This record is not overly slick like pop punk generally is and offers catchy, goofy who-cares attitude. In this recording they go for the reverby vocals like the Jacuzzi Boys and many other bands are doing at the moment, but it is not excessive.

The alernative and superior cover of the record cover prominently features a swastika. Definitely more punk than pop! They're worth catching live as well.

ASSPISS -- Fuck Off and Die 7" EP

Suburban White Trash Records -- Lake Worth (2010)

Rubber Bullets
Fuck Off and Die

Burn Palm Beach

Collection Bowl

Already Dead

It might be confusing that this record is on a Colorado label, but the injunction to 'Burn Palm Beach' grounds it within Sunshine State lines. The explanation is that Punk Rock Joel, known well by the Lake Worth scene that spawned both him and this band, moved out west for work and, finding it, was flush enough to launch the label. He chose the infamous Asspiss for the first number.

Infamous is a tough label to earn these days, but these hard-working gentlemen have set their sights high. It starts with the name, but does not end there. West Palm Beach's Respectable Street Cafe forced Asspiss to use a different name ("Distrophy") at an early show as a prereq for playing their club, something which may or may not happen again. Several clubs will never have these boys back on the premises, inclined as singer Germ is to use his mic to malign the management and atmosphere of the establishments that invite him in. In the Asspiss universe real punk rock occurs in homes and warehouses (and outhouses too, I guess). Commercial establishments can fuck off.

Given this background, you have some idea of what this hardcore punk record sounds like, starting and ending with rage stained with violence and scatology. It is surprisingly competent, however, with lead guitar being the standout, although the band made no effort to showcase this in this recording. Why would they? Credit here goes to Dave, formerly guitarist for The Belligerents.

I don't know what the best track(s) are. Just listen to it straight through, loud. That should work out okay for you.