Shannon And The Clams - "Sleep Talk"

I picked up Shannon And The Clams debut, I Wanna Go Home, after a great set at last year's Bender. And now she is back with another slab of retro garage pop, and judging by the lead single, this album will be even better. However, judging from the album art, it could be a little creepier, which isn't too surprising since lately she's been playing with the wonderfully sleazy Hunx And His Punx. "Sleep Talk" (mp3) starts out a yearning stroll that slowly ratchets up the emotion until the vocals are up in red. The album come out April 5th on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. In the meantime, if you are lucky, you can catch Shannon out on tour with the Hunx and Clams.

Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde (2011)

For some bands, like Jaill, the move out of the garage can sap some of their energy. However, the Smith Westerns seem to have taken the best of their fuzzy pop and polished it up with gloriously glammy sheen that far exceeds the promise of their debut. Marc Bolan’s T.Rex influence is heavy on Dye It Blonde, but the album is still fresh and sprightly. Every song is catchy and energetic, with smooth guitar-work and sing-a-long choruses. These youngsters out of Chicago have nailed the 70s glam pop sound without sounding gimmicky or pigeonholed. You can’t go wrong with the heartfelt anthem of “All Die Young” or the casual and buzzing boogie of "Weekend". MGMT fans should enjoy the woozy psychedelia of "Imagine Pt. 3" (mp3). I welcome these fresh faces to the rock scene with open arms.

They play Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on the 13th and the Doug Fir in Portland on the 15th.  I can't wait to see them.

Slabtown Bender 2011 Lineup

Slabtown has just released the line up for their 2011 Bender with Paul Collins, Nobunny, and Holly Golightly headlining. The 2010 Bender was awesome and I expect nothing less than that this year.

I've got a month to familiarize myself with the lineup and plan my weekend. Like last year, it's a mix of old favorites (Pure Country Gold, Pity Fucks, etc.) and bands I've never heard of, so once again I've hunted down most of their homepages and included the band's rough genre based on the few songs I heard. By the 4th I should be ready.

Friday 2/4
The Paul Collins Beat (New York) original power popper
Head (Seattle) pop punk
The Tranzmitors (Vancouver, BC) power pop, garage rock
Apache (San Francisco) punk rock
The Mean Jeans (Portland) Ramones-style punk rock
The Blind Shake (Minneapolis) garage rock
Pure Country Gold (Portland) garage blues
The Wrong Words (San Francisco)
Welcome Home Walker (Portland) pop punk, garage rock
Sons of Bitches (Portland) country punk

Saturday 2/5
Nobunny (Oakland) garage rock
Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders (Los Angeles) roots rock, garage rock
Liquorball (Bay Area?) psychedelic rock?
Hank IV (San Francisco) punk rock
James Arthur's Manhunt (Texas) psychedelic rock
Unnatural Helpers (Seattle) garage rock, punk rock
Spencey Dude & The Doodles (San Francisco) garage pop, indie pop
Dreamdate (San Francisco) indie pop
Pity Fucks (Portland) garage rock, punk rock
Flash Flood & The Dikes (Portland) off-kilter country

Saturday 2/5 Matinee
Spider Babies (Portland) punk rock
Bad Trips (Ventura) garage rock, psychedelic
Uzi Trash
Knifey Spoony (Oakland) psychedelic rock
Trash TV (Portland)

Sunday 2/6
Holly Golightly (UK) garage rock, country, soul
The Rantouls (San Jose?) garage pop, retro pop
The Royal Baths (San Francisco) garage rock, psychedelic
The Courtney Crusher Band (Portland) garage rock, retro pop
Thee Headliners (Portland) garage blues
Chemicals (Champaign) indie rock
G Green (Sacramento) punk
The Night Beats (Seattle) garage rock
Primitive Hearts (Oakland) garage rock
Therapists (Portland) punk

Sunday 2/6 Matinee
Pataha Hiss
The Bugs (Portland) garage rock
Orca Team (Portland) retro pop, indie rock, surf
The English Singles (Sacramento) retro pop, indie rock
The Summer Twins (Riverside) dreamy indie pop

New Garage Explosion!!: In Love With These Times Documentary

If you like balls out rock n' roll you should probably check out this new documentary made by directors Joseph Patel and Aaron Brown for VBS. It covers a lot of my favorite bands. Even Jay Reatard (RIP) makes an appearance. Plus, you don't need to go hunt down some obscure art theater see it. Just watch the full-length version below.

Wavves - "Post Acid" Video

I've been digging the Wavves new album, King Of The Beach, and the band's more accessible sound. The new lo-fi video for "Post Acid" features an alien skateboarding with Jay Reatard's old bandmates (and current Wavves) all supported by seriously catchy chorus.

Harlem - Hippies (2010)

Harlem are experts at bashing out simple, fuzzy pop songs and I can't get enough. Luckily for me, Hippies is packed with 16 of these garage pop nuggets. They're simple, rough, and most of all, catchy, often built around a paired riff and chorus. Once captured, they bounce onto the next succinct idea. Songs like "Tila And I" recall the snarling '60s garage rock of the Seeds or Standells, while "Be Your Baby" sounds like the late 50's pop of Buddy Holly. They even throw in some touches of surf and beach rock on "Spray Paint". It's not all upbeat, but my favorite tracks are. Sure, the slightly nasal vocals aren't for everyone. It may not be polished, but its fun and I can't help but be drawn in when they bash away at simple pop song like "Scare You".

The Goodnight Loving - Supper Club (2010)

On their recently released album, Supper Club, The Goodnight Loving continue to shed the twang in favor of fuzzy garage pop. While I loved the country punk of their early albums, I dig the retro party vibe. "The Pan" (mp3) sounds like a roughed up and snotty Beach Boys stomper with a sweet riff in the middle, while "Earworm" fulfills on its promise, loading the song with a catchy chorus, surf guitar and some shrieks of joy. At fifteen songs, there is plenty to enjoy, whether it is how "Summer Dreams" recalls British Invasion or "Bike + Stick" retains some of their country roots. I missed their set at last year's garage festival, but since their album just came out on Portland's Dirtnap Records, I bet that they'll be back soon.

You can stream the album over at Punknews.org.