The Exploited - Punk's Not Dead (45th Anniversary Vinyl Edition) 

Forty-five years after it was originally released, Punk’s Not Dead, the classic full-length debut from Scottish punk band The Exploited, has been reissued on a limited-edition black vinyl with a red splatter.  The album’s title was in response to critics saying punk was on its way out with the rise in popularity of new wave and post-punk, and the band was quick to prove them wrong with the opening title track, a chant-along punk anthem with throbbing bass and chainsaw guitars.  Their anthemic cover of Puncture’s “Mucky Pup” is up next and manages to mix a hint of melody into the aggression.  “Cop Cars” is a bouncy, fast paced track with a fun side highlighted by the “mee maw mee maw” lines with vocalist Wattie Buchan impersonating a siren.  Thanks to Gary McCormack’s prominent bass, “Free Flight” is a gritty track that is on the heavier side but still manages to be a little hooky.  Shifting back to the pure, straight ahead punk, “Army Life (Part 2) and “Blown To Bits” show their more political side lyrically, respectively dealing with Wattie’s pre-Exploited stint in the army as a seventeen-year-old and the results of IRA bomb explosions.  Side One’s closing track “Sex & Violence” shifts musically throughout its five plus minutes, but the lyrics are just the title repeated over and over which gets kind of annoying and is a bit of a novelty that wears thin quickly.  Side two opens with another blast of punk with “SPG,” which criticizes the “Special Patrol Group” that was created in London to fight serious public disorder and crime.  They change things up a bit with “Royalty,” which still has punk energy but mixes in a bit of new wave, and with its propulsive drumbeat “Dole Q” has more of a darker intensity that goes with the lyrics about the woes of being on the dole.  “Exploited Barmy Army” is up next and is an anthemic battle cry for the band.  Darker and heavier both musically and lyrically, “Ripper” is a bit out of place, dealing with serial killer Peter Sutcliffe.  The taut, aggressive rapid-fire punk of “Out Of Control” and “Son Of A Copper” bring you to closing track “I Believe In Anarchy,” another punk anthem that is the perfect bookend to the title track that opened the album.  Whether you missed out on it before now or just need to replace that worn out copy, it's the perfect time to grab this newly reissued version.

(Captain Oi!)

Smash Palace - 87

In 1980, brothers Stephen and Brian Butler released an album as members of the band Quincy, which was followed in 1983 with an EP under the band name Lulu Temple, a change necessitated by a lawsuit from Quincy Jones.  Shortly after the EP’s release that band broke up and the brothers then went on to form Smash Palace, releasing their debut album in 1985.  When their A&R man moved to a new label he asked them to come with him, but after leaving their label the deal with the new label didn’t come through.  Due to this, the demos they had recorded for their second album were never released.  Over the ensuing years they did other things including being staff songwriters and Stephen working with the band Mary Lee’s Corvette.  In 1999 the brothers reformed and released the first of thirteen Smash Palace releases working with various band members over the years.  Now, thirty-eight years after they started working on that sophomore album, these lost songs are getting their day with the new album 87, which contains five tracks rerecorded by the original lineup and five demos from 1987.  The album opens with the five new tracks starting strongly with “Bitter Blue,” a solid power pop tune with a rock edge that comes across a bit like a jangle rock version of the Psychedelic Furs.  Up next are “I’ll Be There,” a gritty alt rocker with a hint of a rootsy side, and the straight-ahead rock of “Poor Man’s Paradise,” both of which have a Petty vibe.  “Top Of The World” is a midtempo track with a really nice groove and “Everything Under the Sun” has a darker alt rock sound.  The influence of the eighties can definitely be heard on the five demo tracks.  “Along For The Ride” has a very radio friendly alt pop sound that is often reminiscent of Simple Minds.  Relying heavily on the synths, “Centipede” has more of a New Wave bounce, while “Stranger Than Strange” is a moodier, midtempo track. “First Time For Everything” is a more laid-back tune but is a bit plodding and probably the weakest song here.  The album closes with “Imaginary Lines,” which is their attempt at a bigger epic rock track and does a good job at presenting that, but is set back a little by the thinner production, which plagues several of the older tracks.  87 is a very enjoyable release that bridges the early days of the band with today, and hopefully is just the first of more from this newly reunited lineup.  

(Think Like A Key Music)

Jon and Roy - I Can Dream

For their most recent EP I Can Dream, Canada’s Jon and Roy decided to steer away from the digital technology that has taken over the music industry and instead recorded on tape, resulting in a collection of tunes that are warm and more intimate sounding.  Opener “Maywell” was inspired by what has now become an annual winter hike to a rustic cabin in the mountains that was built by a man with that same name. It’s a captivating track of briskly paced folk rock with Jon Middleton’s fragile vocals and during the second half of the song the wonderful addition of horns.  “Waves Of Pleasure” is a jaunty folk rock track with a bounce that will have you swaying along, while “More Than I Can Dream” is a beautiful love song that’s slow and stripped down with a powerful, emotional vocal performance.  Bookended by two instrumentals, the easygoing, rootsy reggae-beat driven “Part One” and the slow, hypnotic closing track “Part Two,” is the lazy surf rock track “Make This Darkness Bright, which is enhanced brilliantly with horns and is reminiscent of Jack Johnson.  Unfortunately, at just over twenty-three minutes, the EP ends too quickly, but thankfully it is one that will have you hitting repeat over and over.  

(Blue Heron Music)