GINSU WIVES “Secret Bodies of Work” (Tape Dad)

Ginsu Wives, more or less Elastica meets Thrill Kill Kult, meet in the parking lot to go fuck-hunting, but not before punching me right in the nuts.

Ow … fffffFFFFFF … ahh … fffffFFFFF …

I wish that didn’t happen. But it did, and I’m down for the count for a while. I watch Ginsu Wives walk away from my fetal position on the pavement, their combat boots and heels pacing confidently into the night. Tears stream down my face as I struggle into a sitting position, then I half-crawl to my car, scrabbling for the door handle. I reach it.

It opens.

Breathing heavily with exertion, the cramp in my stomach blossoming into painful new experiences throughout my abdomen, I make my way into the driver seat, eyes and mind bleary as I contemplate the sex/drugs/violence of my encounter with Secret Bodies of Work, an audio diary of destruction stretching from 2006 to 2019. I turn the key in the ignition and am overwhelmed by techno rock.

My Captain Ahab tape must be stuck in here, I half-think.

Wrong. It’s Ginsu Wives. My pain doubles.

https://ginsuwives.bandcamp.com/

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

CHARDONNAY “Do You Have Maximum Intuition?” (Tape Dad)

Did you ever wonder what would’ve happened if John Reis fronted Drive Like Jehu instead of Rick Froberg? Well wonder no more! New Orleans musician Caspian (like the prince!) steers his Jehu-loving laser punk band through eleven airtight rockers till the stage they’re on is strewn with the detritus of all the equipment they’ve probably destroyed in the process. Sure, there are shades of Parquet Courts and any Bob Mould–related project, but doesn’t that just enhance the entire prospect? RIYL: Drive Like Jehu, Parquet Courts, Bob Mould … when’s the Rock Hall gonna call? Book a trip to Cleveland in the next fifteen years, Caspian!

Sure, that’s hyperbole, but there’s no reason to have a bad time when Do You Have Maximum Intuition? is within arm’s reach. Pogo, mosh, slam-dance, crowd-surf, other 1990s things – you will be participating in these activities and more when Chardonnay is on tour. Even now, in our self-isolated COVID reality, Chardonnay is only a Bandcamp purchase away – Caspian and Tape Dad will surely be happy to oblige you and ensure you’re properly entertained while the world slams to a halt around you. Enjoy!

https://chardonnay.bandcamp.com/releases

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

NICK SHOULDERS AND THE OKAY CRAWDAD “Okay Crawdad” (Tape Dad)

As I think I mentioned yesterday, my kid’s got a hankering for the 1950s, and that hankering has sort of rubbed off on me a little bit. NOLA’s Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad scratch that itch in a major way for me with their boot-stompin’ old-timey country-and-western music, the kind that was incredibly popular when my dad was a kid. You know, like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, even Elvis to a degree. (Shoulders and crew covered “Black Star” on Lonely Like Me.) Their modern update on the style sends shivers of nostalgia down my spine, and surely my dad’s were he here. (He’s fine, he’s just not sitting in the room with me.)

Okay Crawdad marks Nick’s first foray into full-length-album territory, and it’s a doozy! The band is in fine form, pining lonesomely when called to do, kicking up dust when required. Shoulders’s syrupy tenor slips easily into a yodel when the spirit hits him, and he’s not afraid to unironically whistle a melody. There’s even an instrumental surf number that’d set ol’ Link Wray’s toes a-tapping. And while it might be tempting to slap Shoulders and crew with the “hipster country” label, the utter sincerity in the songwriting (or at least dedication to the style) make that a fool’s errand in the end – still, it’s hard not to notice the mustache and mullet, period-inappropriate accoutrements when constructing a 1950s aesthetic.

But that’s water under the sawmill, and it’s almost impossible to shake the dust from those boots the band just kicked up in the previous paragraph. Like a soft horse blanket, Okay Crawdad slips on your mount and provides comfort for those long prairie saunters, out over the hills and fields. However, instead of over a genuine leather saddle, it nestles into a yellow sport Walkman from which protrude a set of ten-gallon headphones, and you can continue on with it even when the trail comes to an end. That’s the beauty of Okay Crawdad – it’s a universal reminder that adventure through the wilderness to frontier towns and settlements is only a “press Play” away!

Finally, in case you’re wondering, as I did, whether this should be filed under Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad (like Lonely Like Me) or just Nick Shoulders, the j-card will not provide any answers! Just know that the Okay Crawdad is sometimes just Nick on his own. (Although he’s got a band here.)

https://nickshoulders.bandcamp.com/

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

NICK SHOULDERS AND THE OKAY CRAWDAD “Lonely Like Me” (Tape Dad)

My kid’s got a hankering for the 1950s radio station in the car, so that’s all we basically listen to when we’re driving around. It’s not remotely a stretch to say that NOLA outlaws Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad would fit on there perfectly, popping up between Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard tunes, or Elvis and Conway Twitty. In fact, of the seven songs (three covers) on Lonely Like Me is a rendition of Elvis’s “Black Star.” If there was a moment to shout “Elvis lives!,” it would certainly be after hearing this lively rendition (which, admittedly, doesn’t really sound much like Elvis).

Nick Shoulders ropes the country-and-western tropes of the era and hogties em to his delightfully agile tenor, which veers into perfect rugged-trail yodeling at will. (There’s even a track called “Empty Yodel” highlighting it.) There’s also a bit of whistling. His combo the Okay Crawdad perfectly encapsulates the style of the time, making Lonely Like Me as timeless as it is nostalgic. There’s even a great cover of the Stooges’ “No Fun”! At a time when artists like Orville Peck (whose record I adore) are tapping into this style and energizing it, Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad certainly stand out.

https://nickshoulders.bandcamp.com/

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

TOM BOIL “Untitled" C18 & PLASTIC PSALMS “An Affront to Reason” C38 (Tape Dad)

Through an emotionally exhausting detailing of violently oppressive imagery & direct social criticism, TOM BOIL shines a spotlight on the disturbing applicability of #MeToo to Punk Rock’s faux-virtuous communities, Allison Ward’s spoken-word/banshee shrieks both viscerally addressing the systemic hells assigned to women and beckoning all of us to consider better substitutes for our shitty social patterns. The music is raw & creative, blending early screamo and southern punk chaos into a powerful vehicle for empathy & rehabilitation.

…..

PLASTIC PSALMS, on the other (tape) deck,  come on strong (though markedly less agenda’d), showcasing a dialed in blend of 90s hardcore & mathy punk (think Snapcase meets Drowningman) riffage that makes for a fast-paced, groovingly mosh-able 19 minutes that’ll whiz right by in the blink of an eye…with the other side’s 19 minutes letting us know what most of the album would kinda sound like backwards.

Both of these bands hail from Tulsa, OK and tour together, so set up a show with 'em, OK?

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/album/untitled

and/or

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/album/an-affront-to-reason

THE CHADS “Debt Canceling Supernatural Power of God” C40 (Tape Dad)

Scum punkers / power-pop dropouts the Chads rev up the guitars to eleven on “Debt Canceling Supernatural Power of God,” which I have to admit is a great title. The Arkansas nasties play fast and loose with their arrangements, blasting through songs quickly and not overstaying their welcome in any way. Is there a song called “Spazz,” a song called “Best // Beer Drunk,” a song called “Thomas Jefferson Starship Troopers”? Of course, because why wouldn’t there be? It’s all fast and out of control, all inebriated on suds, all Thomas Jefferson Starship Troopers. That’s just how the Chads do it.

Because I know nothing of Arkansas other than I’ve never set foot in it – also, the Ozarks are there, right? – I can only imagine the middle-class ennui of working schlubs in the central part of the United States, what many lovingly refer to as Central America. The Chads seem to speak to that demographic, or shout to it, or make it pogo, or make it slug itself to death in a weird nerd circle pit. In any event, there’s a lot of energy, and everybody’s having a dang good ol’ time.

https://thechadsarecool.bandcamp.com/

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan  

PERPETUAL WEREWOLF "Enter the Mountain Gateway" (Tape Dad)

I can only imagine the plight of the Perpetual Werewolf. No one understands the constant hairiness, the uncontrollable drooling, the murderous rage, or the hunger. Oh god, the hunger. It's enough to make a human beg for death... or, at least to a cure for the curse. Let's go with "cure." We're not a macabre bunch here.

Perpetual Werewolf taps into that rage. Maybe not the other stuff (and hopefully not the "murderous" part). But on "Enter the Mountain Gateway," the trio is angry, and that translates into pretty loud. Which also translates into pretty ... fun? Yeah, fun. You heard me.

"I've Chosen Darkness" starts off the tape in what seems like a death metal direction, but that's a red herring. Perpetual Werewolf settles into a nice angular punk-metal groove after it, not unlike Unsane or some of the more abrasive AmRep bands. God knows there was a lot of blood on those Unsane covers. Maybe those were the crime scene photos following a werewolf attack.

Yikes, grisly.

Perpetual Werewolf is grisly and gnarly, and their throat-shredding vibe is perfect if you're looking for that kind of thing. Very well done. Now I'll go back to crunching this bone between my vast mandibles. (Oh, did I not mention? I'm the head werewolf.)

https://perpetualwerewolf.bandcamp.com/

https://tapedad.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan