Independent Philadelphia garage rock label Piss Drink Records just dropped a compilation covering four of Philadelphia’s finest basement-dwelling garage punks. Including fan-favorites the Eeries, the Pussy Dogs, the Tight Spots and the Shakes, the LP comes on red and brown split color vinyl.
Spend a night in any one of Philadelphia’s leading basement venues and it might sound something like this record. Aside from the segment of the now-defunct Eeries (RIP), this record keeps the spotlight on some of Philly’s friendliest and hardest-working bands. Piss Drink included four songs apiece from each, clocking in at just under 30 minutes of good, clean, garage-rockin’ fun. Starting with the Eeries (who played their last show together in August), “Only One Thing” opens this party with a wholesome example of blues-inflected garage pop. Rumbling bass lines lead the track into a dazzling finish, decorated with wiry guitar soloing that wraps up this picture-perfect pop nugget.
The Shakes follow up with their organ-driven garage pop in “Brightly.” These guys call themselves “a soul punk foursome with gal/guy vocals” and they’re pretty much dead on. They deliver a manic head-spinner in “Bus Stop Girlfriend,” boasting a sloppy angle with punked-up guitar crunches and spastic vocals. They do it again in “New Job,” leading us with sludgy bass lines and clanking percussion, resulting in a fun sound that is warm and entertaining. Up next, the Pussy Dogs barge in and crash the party with their scuzzy brand of punk-driven garage rock. “Hey Hey We Are the Dogs” is the perfect introduction, boasting a cymbal-driven racket along with grainy guitar shards and raspy vocals. Their four songs average out to about a minute and half each, leaving us with dirty and invigorating guitar onslaughts like “Come On Over.”
Last but not least, the Tight Spots are a band of New York City transplants who currently live in Philadelphia. There’s not much else we’ve been able to uncover about the band unless it came from the info we’ve already salvaged on their Tumblr and Facebook pages. Angular guitars lead the way in “End of the Line,” showing off their brand of screeching, melodic pop-punk with dense and damaged guitars. “Night of Puke and Fire” is a crusty punk stomp that stops for nothing, complete with crashing drums and dizzying guitars that lead this relentless sound. Check out one track from each band from the record below, and as always, if that’s not enough you can snag the LP! Get to it!
My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Lo-Fi, Punk
Various Artists: Philadelphia Cock ‘n’ Roll Showcase LP: Tracklist:
The Eeries
1.) Only One Thing
2.) I Won’t Ask
3.) Better Time
4.) Creep Me Out
The Shakes
5.) Brightly
6.) Bus Stop Girlfriend
7.) Head Bang Dream
8.) New Job
The Pussy Dogs
9.) Hey Hey We Are the Dogs
10.) Here In My Arms
11.) Baby (Baby Baby Baby)
12.) Come On Over
The Tight Spots
13.) Chimmy Girl
14.) End of the Line
15.) Night of Puke and Fire
16.) Stashability
BUY the LP from Piss Drink Records – split red/brown double color vinyl – only $10
DOWNLOAD the Eeries 4 songs for free
The Eeries on Facebook
The Pussy Dogs on Facebook
The Shakes on Facebook
The Tight Spots on Facebook
Related Posts:
The Eeries – Home Alone LP (Evil Weevil)
The Eeries – Comes Alive 7″ (Evil Weevil)
The Eeries – Feel Right Cassette
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