Mike Gintz of Clawjob: “Last Five Records I Listened To”

1_ The Fire Show, Saint the Fire Show [Perishable]

2_ Caribou, Andorra [Merge]

3_ Liars [Mute]

4_ Clark, Throttle Furniture [Warp]

5_ Neil Young, Tonight’s the Night [Reprise]

New Bomb Turks & Spitzz
August 19 at the Abbey Lounge
All photos (c) Matt Teuten

Full report coming soon . . .

Oh, right, punk rock: we'd almost forgot it existed. Not like this’ll change the world, but Spitzz are really good at it: guitars that slop but also roar like airplane engines, the way the Pistols and Sham 69 did; frazzled Johnny Thunders' leads; shock-treatment sneers. Their new album was co-produced by revered Ohio garage-punks the New Bomb Turks -- and in the ultimate thumbs-up, the Turks are coming out of retirement (and all the way from Ohio) to play Spitzz' CD-release party at the Abbey Lounge on August 19. [Details]. Since we seemed to remember hearing something about the Spitzz/Turks connection a while back, we emailed Turks dude Eric Davidson to explain what exactly it means to have an album "produced" by an entire band. "Well, all us Turks hunkered down with those goofs about 2 summers ago, and we suggested a few knob twiddles and guitar sounds, and brough along only the cheapest Columbus beer for lube purposes. Probably brought a Chris Elliot book and some pretzels too. Anyway, I guess they've combined a few of those tunes with some more recently recorded ones for this new slab." This was all a couple weeks ago, so we hadn't heard the record yet. "I haven't heard it yet either," Davidson admitted, "but we love their stuff, and the stuff that was done in Columbus was tres cool, so here's hoping." Actually, you don't have to hope anymore. We got one, it rips. Pix and full report from tonight's show coming tomorrow.

We don't have time to give you a big hoo-raw on how unbelievably fucking great New Bomb Turks were -- if you don't already know, then 1) you're an idiot, and 2) that's what Google's for. The quick: Ohio garage-punk legends, Crypt Records, Drunk on Cock, Epitaph, kaput. They played the kind of sloppy punk rock associated with total morons and degenerate drug addicts, but they used it to turn puns like "Born Toulouse Lautrec," thereby confounding most and pissing off not a few. They were half the reason the mid-to-late '90s didn't completely suck. (The other half of the reason: these guys.)

Before the Turks broke up, they struck up a friendship with the guys in the Spitzz, the Boston retropunk band that grew out of Showcase Showdown. And now the record that Spitzz made with help from the Turks is about to come out. (We're purposefully not saying too much about it because we'll be bringing you a post and an exclusive mp3 from the Spitzz record on Thursday.) And that led circuitously to the flyer above, which is for reals: New Bomb Turks reunited for two nights only, one of which is at the Abbey, the other of which is like a thousand miles away in Ohio. Slimy record store nerds in the other 48 states are gonna be puking themselves with jealousy. Immediately we shot Turks leader Eric Davidson an email to see what else they've got planned. Turns out, nothin': "These two shows (Boston and Cleveland) are just reunion shows. Just for kicks, as they say."

So how'd we get so fucking lucky? "Well basically, everyone was sorta back-of-the-mind mulling about a summer road trip, and the Spitzz were thinking about a record release party, and asked us if we'd wanna come visit and maybe play. They're great pals and it's always fun to see them. Plus they promised the Tampoffs would be on the bill. So there ya go." If you miss the Abbey gig and happen to live in the Midwest, you've got one more chance: "We're also doing a reunion gig opening for Radio Birdman in Cleveland on September 5, and that was cuz we all wanted to see Birdman on their reunion tour, and we're all originally from Cleveland so we figured we might be up there around Labor Day anyway. Basically, you show us a holiday or family party, and we'll see what we can do. But seriously, there's nothing more planned."

Check back Thursday for more on the Spitzz record, including an exclusive new mp3. For now, here's some shit you should've bought 10 years ago:

DOWNLOAD: New Bomb Turks, "Dragstrip Riot" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: New Bomb Turks, "We Give a Rat's Ass" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: New Bomb Turks, "I Got Your Bitter End" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: New Bomb Turks, "Out of My Mind" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: The Turks covering a bunch of other people's songs at some blog

BONUS: The Tampoffs, "All the Time" (mp3)

DOWNLOAD: The Silver Lining, “Cemented Steps” (mp3)

It’s rare to hear a debut album that sounds as fully-realized as the the Silver Lining’s note-perfect, Tony Goddess-produced Well Dressed Blues, which already already has folks describing them as the US’s answer to Magic Numbers. Fronted by co-singing husband-and-wife team of Anna Price and Matt Rhodes, the group nails joyous ’60s pop like no one we’ve heard in years: as our sister publication Stuff at Night put it, it’s “like being hurtled through space in a time machine aimed for the Summer of Love and piloted by the Jefferson Airplane and the Mamas and the Papas.” Next week, the Silver Lining plays kicks off a residency that sees them playing every Tuesday in June at the Abbey Lounge. Matador's next big thing, Jennifer O'Connor, is along for the jumpoff on June 6. Mark yr calendars.

CLICK HERE to read Jonathan Perry's profile of the Silver Lining.

We've seen Neptune called "scrap-steel instrument rock" and that's a pretty precise description for this Boston trio's junkyard-picked amalgation of art-noise-rock. They make their own instruments out of random rusty garage-sale materials: "bike parts, saws, old metal chairs, self-built oscillators, amplified springs, metal drums with contact mics inside and other debris found in the trash." And they remind us of those good ol' days we used to sit on the kitchen floor banging the shit out of mom's copper-bottomed sauce pans with a metal ladle and serving spoon, 'cept these guys seem to understand how to transform that imaginative cacophony into some amazingly awesome rock-buzz-saw rattletrap compositions. Best of all, they like "hobo synthesizers." The one below is from their upcoming April-bound record Patterns (Mister Records). They, like everybody else in today's trifecta, are playing tonight at the Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville | 617.441.9631.

DOWNLOAD: Neptune, "Fourteen Pleasures"

Anyone who’s listened to Dinosaur Jr.’s latter-day albums (or was around to see the pre-Dino hardcore group Deep Wound) knows that alt-rock guitar hero J Mascis is also a pretty decent drummer. Following last year’s Dinosaur reunion tour, he got back behind the kit with WITCH, his new band with long-time pal Dave Sweetapple and Kyle Thomas and Asa Irons from the Vermont-based, Devendra Banhart–collaborating avant-folkies Feathers. (And resemblance of this scenario to Banhart-approved "soft-metal" maniacs Metallic Falcons is, of course, strictly coincidental.) Witch’s new homonymous debut, a swampfest of Sabbathian stoner rock, came out on Tee Pee earlier this month. And though one of our calendar-editing colleagues called it "nothing to write home about" in the fishwrap, some of us who actually love metal for a living think it's the balls. This swirling, seven-minute slab is easily the best (also the only-est) psych-doom track we've posted since Major Stars. As mentioned below, Witch make their local debut tonight at the Abbey with BLACK HELICOPTER, NEPTUNE, and KETMAN | 3 Beacon St, Somerville | 617.441.9631. [Click here for more info.]

DOWNLOAD: Witch, "Seer" (mp3)

When Thurston Moore signed a deal with Universal to distribute his Ecstatic Peace label, veteran bullroarers BLACK HELICOPTER found themselves -- alongside labelmates Sunburned Hand of the Man -- as Boston's newest, and most unlikely, major-label artists. It couldn't happen to a cooler bunch of guys. They've been flattening audiences for more than a decade in bands like Kudgel and Green Magnet School, but their forthcoming Invisible Jet is a huge step forward from blast-furnace head-fuckery: it's actually kinda pretty and restrained at times (Mission of Burma's Roger Miller guests on piano for a song). Though -- dude -- not on this particular slice of stone-age grindery, which kicks acres of ass. "We would never have accepted a deal from a big label if it wasn't through someone we trust. We're too old and grizzled for that," says BH's Zack Lazar, pointing out that one-half of the Ecstatic Peace org, Andrew Kesin, was in the Boston band Bob Evans in the mid-'90s. "These two guys are just too goddamn amazing to say no to. Also, if there was never a Sonic Youth, there likely would never have been a Kudgel, Green Magnet Schoo, or Black Helicopter."

This is part one of a rare OTD trifecta: today we're gonna bring you exclusives from three out of the four bands playing the Abbey Lounge tonight. Mostly, this is a coincidence. But it's also a sign that you should really go to this show. Up soon (as soon, in fact, as we can upload them): exclusive downloads from WITCH (J Mascis psychmetal alert) and NEPTUNE. Check back this afternoon!

LISTEN: Black Helicopter, "Buick Electra" (mp3)

Found in the ladies' room at the Abbey Lounge:



Ho-Ag not only rocked this girl's face off, they spread her chest!

LISTEN: Ho-Ag, "Golden All Night"

DRIVE LIKE JULY's hyperactive-lunatic frontman, Silas Copathic, began his musical career as a mild-mannered trombonist in the Duxbury High School marching band. But as he came out of his shell and became more psy-chopathic (get it?) over the years, he started writing minor-key-melody-driven punk-metal tunes, perfected his scream, and put a band together. Tonight DLJ open for KERMIT'S FINGER, ZEUS CRONION, and SUZUKI SMITH at the Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville 617.441.9631.

LISTEN: Drive Like July, "The Catch" (mp3)
LISTEN: Drive Like July, "Ski Trip" (mp3)

TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist/mad scientist David Sitek takes reciprocity to new heights - you scratch his back, he'll give you a full-body massage. Katrina Ford added vocals to a few TVOTR songs; in return, Sitek produced her band CELEBRATION's homonymous debut, enlisted his mates Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone to sing on a couple tracks, and introduced the Baltimore-based trio to 4AD, which put out the album in October. Sitek's sonic fingerprints are all over Celebration, a creepy, jittery, atmospheric blast of vintage organ sounds, inventive percussion, and primal wailing - if the hi-hat/bass rhythm on "Stars" sounds familiar, that's because you heard it on TVOTR's "Staring at the Sun." But Celebration's songs and instrumentation are all their own, and Ford's husky howl is enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. Brooklyn's the Double open Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston 617.734.4502.

LISTEN: Celebration, "China" (mp3, via Said the Gramophone)

The GENDERS grew up studying American rock and roll, absorbing the sound and stance of bands like the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. And in that tradition, they sing about what they know: sex, drugs, and, uh, the Arab-Israeli conflict. See, the Genders hail from Tel Aviv, a relatively peaceful city in Israel -- emphasis on "relatively" -- and days before they started recording their new Rockin' in Ramallah (AMP), a coffee shop down the street from their studio was bombed. According to their MySpace blog, singer Amir Neubach has never been across the Green Line, but he likes to think of Ramallah as an idyllic Palestinian equivalent to Tel Aviv -- a place where the young and carefree can get their kicks, feel up chicks (or get felt up), and listen to loud music. Sample lyric, from "Horatio": "I ride a tank in the West Bank/I never leave/Who needs Tel Aviv?/Look out mama/My name is Horatio/I perform cunnilingus in return for fellatio." Can we get these guys in on the peace negotiations? Tonight they open for the IRREVERENDS, GOLDENWEST MOTOR LODGE, and WATTS at the Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville | 617.441.9631.

LISTEN: The Genders, "Horatio" (mp3)
LISTEN: The Genders, "When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be A Fuckin' Stoner" (mp3)