R.A.D Vinyl

IfIHadAHiFi- Nada Surf EP +3 (Latest Flame Records)

Buy it Here: http://www.latestflame.com/

IfIHadAHiFi are a band that don’t take themselves to seriously yet they take the music they make very seriously. Naming the album Nada Surf +3 was little more than a chance to poke fun of Nada Surf who used If-I-Had-AHiFi for the title of one of their records. Full disclosure I have worked with the bass player of this band for over 5 years and our bands have played together once or twice. Every once in awhile I would hear a sneak peak at these tracks. It is great to finally sit down and hear the entire album. In typical HiFi fashion this is an upfront and in your face ordeal with songs littered with feedback, chaotic synth noise and effected vocals. All of the songs are teetering on the verge of collapse and the band is ready to go down with the ship. The best part about the HiFi is that behind the noise and the sound effects is a band that takes good hooks seriously. The lyrics may be quirky and the songs may have a circus like atmosphere of pandemonium but you will still find yourself singing along at some point. Pick up this record and be prepared for a whirlwind ride with a lot of crazy twists and turns. Pressed on black vinyl.

Brain F- Sleep Rough (Grave Mistake Records)

Buy it here: http://www.gravemistakerecords.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4319&osCsid=ecd15a058d127712141733aa32db6282

For Brain F’s first full album they pick up where their first two singles left off with furious blending of garage and punk that is a sound very uniquely their own. Guitars squeal and barely hold back feedback yet they manage to find hooky melodies for singers Elise Anderson and Nick Goode to trade off lyrics. Anderson’s voice has an angelic quality that rides above the storm and could easily find a home in a more new wave style band while Goode’s voice anchors them back into the music. All while the rhythm section avalanches endlessly forward. This is an extremely wordy record so be prepared for repeat listens to catch everything that is happening but you will find it is worth the repeat spins.

Sick Thrills 7” (Eastern Watts)

Buy it here: http://www.easternwattsrecords.com/sickthrills

The Eastern Watts website says 10 songs for $5 bucks a serious bargain on this Sick Thrills 7”. This is basically a full length record on a 7” filled with searing punk rock, ripping riffs and vocals buried beneath a haze of feedback and noise. Songs like “No Fashion”, “Black and White” and “Let’s Get Fucked” are instantly catchy. The songs hit you at a rapid pace but nothing seems rushed and all the songs are complete thoughts…that is if your thoughts were clouded by pure unadulterated debauchery. Only a 150 were made so don’t sleep on this one.

The Shrills- Ghoul Kids cassette (Resurrection Records)

Buy it here: http://www.getresurrected.com/store/product.php?productid=17855&cat=&page=1

The Shrills cassette hit my work tape deck today and I spent some time listening and talking with my co-worker about their new record Ghoul Kids. We came to the conclusion that The Shrills deserve to be in a genre with “Post” in the title and since they don’t fit into any of the pre-established “Post” genre’s we decided to give them their own “Post-Tubular.” Ok now that’s out of the way and we can speak to the sounds of The Shrills which is surf gone garage or garage gone surf or surf gone mad. Either way their is an utter chaos, a reckless abandon to this music that is wildly appealing. The Shrills seem like they would be most at home destroying live audiences and the record reads like a revved up surf punk trip with plenty of splatty guitars and snotty vocals. They know how to pay homage to the sounds of the 50’s and 60’s rock while staying true to today’s sounds. Worth checking out.