We've got a treasure trove of treats from our friends at Trouble in Mind this week. This guy & gal have been releasing quality singles for a bit over a year now, but this batch just might be their best yet, which, considering they've done releases with Ty Segall, Fresh & Onlys and Charlie & the Moonhearts, is really saying something. This is a brick of new sounds, so we're gonna just get to gettin'.
We kick start things with the new platter from everyone's favorite greasers Personal & the Pizzas, and the “I Want You” b/w “(Don't Trust No) Party Boy” and “(I Don't Want to) Think About It”, their first non-pizza themed record ever. In actuality, the 'straight' nature of the songs almost gives this the feeling of a Personal solo record, yet it retains the winning Ramones-y/garage-y charm of their previous singles. Flipside “(Don't Trust No) Party Boy” is inescapably catchy, a perfect two minute pop gem with a delicious organ jam that sweetens the pot that much more before dovetailing into “(I Don't Want To) Talk About It”, which, is about as close to a slow-burner as these boys have ever unleashed. The A-Side manages the deft trick of sounding poignant, wistful and absurd all at once, that latter might merely be because it's hard to disassociate Personal's voice with their previous, pizza-centric tracks. Still, this singles is a great addition to their canon, and proves that, while others may say differently, these party-happy pizza hounds are evolving.
The next thing we're pulling out of the web is from Californian stragglers Wounded Lion, “Pointed Sticks” b/w “Muppet Babies” and it's a corker. The A-Side of this single is undoubtedly one of the best songs of the year, with an absolute marauder of a riff that is offset by rhythmic clapping and a droning bass thrum that forms the bedrock for the gangland vocal chanting. It's something of a new direction for this lot, and we can only hope they decide to embrace it full in the weeks and months to come. B-Side “Muppet Babies” finds them doling out some of their own brand of ultraviolence, over a garroting strum they intone ace lines like “the muppet babies are poisonous”, which, we were totally unaware of. In the grand tradition of 45's, this showcases two sides of their sound, and yet, while it's going to be required listening for weeks and months to come, somehow, we feel Jim Henson would not approve.
Yet more pop perfection from San Francisco, co-ed trio The Wrong Words make their recorded debut with “What Went Wrong” b/w “Clock Keeps Ticking”. In the frenetic brand of west coast garage pop you'll hear some of the touchstones (The Turtles, The Troggs) that citymates like Thee Oh Sees incorporate into their attack, but there's a crystalline melodic intuition that runs through the core of “What Went Wrong” that is somewhat at odds with its bouncy garage stomp, yet the song congeals perfectly. B-Side “Clock Keeps Ticking” rambles along so quickly it's over almost before the needle hits, its scrappy, modulated riff trying desperately to keep up with the delirious caveman stomp of the rhythm. We can totally see them touring with Bare Wires and The Rantouls in the near future, and giving both of 'em a run for their money.
That's our show for this week kids, so make you go head over to the label's site and pick these up, along with the awesome new Liminanas LP as well. Sleep's about to sock us square in the jaw, so before it does and we start babbling, we're going to sign off. You know the drill next week, same bat time, same bat channel.
