Radioactivity on Secret Mission Records

Every once in a while you miss a band like Radioactivity AND their previous project, The Marked Men out of Denton, TX. For whatever reason this is your first time hearing these guys and you can't get over how good it is. It's so good you feel stupid like you can't possibly even think you're keeping up with music in any meaningful way. How did I get so fucking out of touch? The only thing keeping me going now is looking up Radioactivity's previous releases on Dirtnap and Alien Snatch Records.

On A-Side's "Danger" a click of sticks counts into a heavy jittery jangle strum and muted cymbal bursts that pop up during verses of this vibrating tune. Great slightly blown out vocals run alongside this race but are dragged along reclined not straining themselves as the rest of the tracks flies down low, the high hat in double time over the snare. The single note melody that floats in, panning across channels over this unrelenting rhythm, is the only thing that seems to take a contemplative pause. How this ends up being catchy is anyone's guess being overwhelmed with this tempo in the way tracks from Blood Visions did, there's no time to examine or pick apart. Go with this these guys know what they're doing and it's the kind of thing that continues picking up speed with layers piling up that could go on forever.
B-Side's "Why" comes on equally as strong with a springy single note and kick at first reminding me of that frantic pop of Adam Widener. They have one speed; beserk. Even the vocal here has that same urgency and the strum is enough to shake every surface, the bass and drum never getting a moments rest. Bendy psych guitar works it's way in over the stomp that comes back harder, swapping the downbeat, more committed than before to the blown out doubled up vocals. This is two sides of perfection. I've got to get that full length and join the rest of society. Forgive me.

Get it from Secret Mission Records.

Boys Order on Secret Mission Records

I think the Secret Mission of the label is to release contemporary japanese punk singles like The Raydios or Dials releases they sent over recently not to mention the singles from German bands The Kidnappers and Modern Pets. A real international label you never know from what part of the world these bands originate but they are all playing their own take on modern punk. Boys Order is a four piece from Osaka, Japan with a hyper technical punk style that winds in and out of time signatures and styles before you can even place the reference.

A-Side's "Tomorrow Dancing" rips into high powered guitar bursts gleaming in ultra polished production. Chihiro has her own kind of jagged high register delivery in an almost Devo cutting style that slides into sections with multiple harmonies and layers. It quickly becomes a choir of Chihiro's delivering lyrics in japanese at an ever increasing pace. Separated chunky muted guitar riffs coming out of both channels with a seriously bent wah solo cranking between verses. This thing works a half step up to take things even higher and their frantic energy keeps ramping up, vibrating faster and faster, taking all sorts of epic punk turns, a half speed breakdown of booming percussion and backup yelling harmonies, squeezing every last drop from this sweat filled headband.
B-Side's "Danger! Danger!" opens on Ele's explosive tom drums opposite a tight high hat. Chihiro has a real squeaky punk style on this one that turns epic again, playing with both of those worlds; the epic synth nu-wave and speed punk. Highly technical they make sure to include as many catchy changes as could possibly fit into three minutes somehow adding pieces of both of those sounds to the various pieces that seem to work together in another weird future where speed isn't enough, you have this highly fluent world audience who can catch all those references and just wants more.

Pick this up from Secret Mission Records. Not such a secret anymore guys.

Dials on Secret Mission Records

What I know about Japanese punk could fit at the end of this sentence. That doesn't mean I shouldn't start with this single from Secret Mission Records who recently dropped that Raydios single a little while back; a brief window into the punk on the other side of the globe. Looks like these aren't their only releases either and must have some connections over there setting up these collaborations.

A-Side's "School Girl" is dropping in heavy distortions while focused on that low gurgling rough bass sound, the strings bouncing off the back plate of the fret board. These vocals are minimal and raw enough to cut right to the libido of their intention. Not much subtlety here in the lyric SCHOOL!.. GIRL!...SCHOOL!.. GIRL! making you a little nervous about what they're planning to do. A mix of the Hot Snakes snappy, tight power punk and then this breakdown handclap section of just perfect rumbling bass that comes off like a pop sounding Shellac. Clean separation and manic energy - basically does it really make any difference where this came from?
The B-Side "Nervous" opens with jangly, thin chords that blow out into a thick jittery blues rock sound with a spastic bubblegum punk handclap throughout. If you don't have a picture to go with this the vocal delivery completely nails that exagerated late '70s snotty english style where they were practically spitting the words at you. Big overdriven solo that makes the rest of this sound like it was cut with a lathe. A big fast mess that's hard to pin a creation date to and that's a good thing.

I like this thin brittle grocery bag paper screened sleeve, get this one on black vinyl from Mangrove (japan) / Secret Mission Records in the US.

The Kidnappers on Secret Mission Records

Germany's Kidnappers are led by twin brothers who first picked up the guitar and bass in the High School Rockers a scuzzy blown out pop punk which is exactly like this project The Kidnappers. After a brief hiatus since 2010's Will Protect You they're back with this EP on Secret Mission Records.

On A-Side "Pills" strange little bass line starts the groove for these guitars to clang feedback out then to follow, going from that weird see saw to a thicker open groove and blown out distorted vocals revisiting that stunted, stumbly punk sound. There's a lot of the free roam garage sound from the early days of the stuff, the straight forward desires of the Dictators or The Dolls. Using blunt instruments with no finese to carve a path of classic punk. "I got a pain in my head / take pills until I'm dead" "East Berlin/Ost-Berlin" all the rough distortion comes in from the right side, splitting the channels up like the country used to be...fast and ripping tight chords like the german equivalent of 53rd and 3rd, the stutter bursts of Joey style lyrics and guitars. They seem to stick to this raw stripped down stuff that makes them lose their mind. A brief stop in the buzz always makes the return that much louder and frantic. Power pop punk that we should be hearing more of from that part of the world.

B-Side "Diamonds" blasts away with sweet glam chords with lyrics about wanting to get into fights. The bass line running groovy scales behind this fuzzy distortion like '70s flashier stuff. I'm starting to think they're The Cheap Time of Germany or The Hunx of Hamburg. Complete chaos over a screamy solo doesn't hurt things either, blasting away all of the candy coating for a minute. Essentially a real bad ass song about his diamond steel and what that's going to do in said fight but delivered the only way someone who's really looking forward to the best night of their lives would be.

Get this single from Secret Mission Records, plenty more full lengths from these guys once you get a taste.

Cozy on Secret Mission Records

I really like the dudes on the cover of Cozy’s “Kiss Me Dummy” these fisted riffs and over the top Dictators snotty punk vocal you can barely understand cuts through the chunky bubblegum garage rock thats taking place and with that cover this thing should be flying off the shelves. Kiss me dummy? Perfect lyrics. New York Dolls taken to this ridiculous place that comes back around and becomes punk again because it's so insane. Handclaps and KICK DRUM. Ooooo's mirror the sustained chord strikes. Real party rock that’s silly and just fun, like an extreme Jeff Novak, a little glam distorted buttery solo and back onto the handclaps kick stomp that they smartly make go on forever. Who wouldn't like this kind of drunken mess attitude and most of all vests. Guys, I'm impressed. I also like that it's important they all touch each other on the cover, well thought out.

B-Side’s “Show and Tell" opens on that lonely kick and a vocal ‘ba ba ba’ melody that he just made up. Big chords in that crunchy '70s overdrive nailing this Saturday night sound, especially the vocals. “I’ll show you mine / you show me yours” definitely talking about getting naked. I always admired those bands that can get away with songs like this, not just get away with but take the most ridiculous thing that should be impossible to take seriously and then they sell it so hard that you have to have a good time. They go into a show knowing they have to win you over. They don't walk in thinking the audience is lucky to have gotten a ticket. They’re glad to play for you and want to make sure you love it...and your little sister is going to hang this sleeve on the wall and agonize over who's cuter.

Get it from Secret Mission Records

Modern Pets on Secret Mission Records

Berlin seems like the perfect setting for this kind of massive blown out punk. A progressive city with plenty of weird underground stuff going on and you don't need a lot of money to live day to day. It's what I imagine London was like people taking over those huge brownstones and warehouse rehearsal spaces in the late '70s. It's the perfect breeding ground for punk rock. I don't know if it's still like that today but Modern Pets sure make it sound good.

A-Side's "B.I.Y.S." opens with thundery drums and an electric scratch down the fretboard exploding out of a squat alley into multiple layered guitar solo's and a hyper swerving melody. They get right to the chorus screaming "You Scum! / Party!" in that cleanly produced party punk detail. Layered and cranked to the edges of this compression they go as hard as possible getting into heavy foundation riffs for higher end solo distortion to work treble magic just under the surface. They insult you while forcing you to party. Either that or it's in the enduring English way of calling each other 'Cunts' constantly and not breaking into a fight. This thing is dense with speed packing every second with winding riffs and a doubled up chorus of vocals from everyone. I'm sort of getting an Andrew WK feel from this minus any dance/electronic sound at all but maybe that's because of his obsession with partying. They're not obsessed it's just punk house Berlin.

B-Side's "Sweet Frustration" at least gives you a moment with frantic jangly chords before the scrape of heavy distortion feeling more post punk and deliberate. The out of control drunk left and the guitar stuff is sharper sawing away at the melody like the rapid bursts of vocal. They lay this all at the feet of the electric, it's the center of their world. The drums and bass are that background rhythm that's always fast, it's been there for years no matter what the situation, you get to take them for granted, but these guitars are finally going to put a melody to that manic energy. Their sweet frustration is over until the next single.

Get this from Secret Mission Records.

Moto on Secret Mission Records

It's my fault I haven't heard of Moto. As a band if you've been putting out records on various labels for the last thirty years and I haven't come across your stuff before, especially in the punk/garage genre...well I haven't been looking in the right places. No excuse.
M.o.t.o. or Masters of the Obvious, have been consistently fronted by Paul Caporino, the man holding that guitar on the sleeve about to beat you over the head. I like to think that 7" singles are inherently great because no one putting them out is in it for the money. I think that also goes for anyone whose been working this long and hard at their craft. He's made it pretty clear he's going to write and perform out of the love - well maybe that's the wrong word - the need to rock. You have to respect that kind of determination and endurance, I can even overlook his opinion on CD's. Countless bands will be gone after a year and Moto is still going to be putting out singles like this.

"Shitty Kids" is a massive power punk sound that's reminding me of the hyper clear crunch of Bob Mould on Copper Blue. Big distortions that are smooth and expansive about an old man pissed about kids drinking with him. I get it, you go to enough shows and enough things change and that's it man. The past was way better and you shitty kids will never understand, I actually can completely understand this sentiment. You know what else they don't understand? How they're going to feel the same way someday. I like the idea of punk getting annoyed at millennial culture, saying fuck it to THEM instead of the man. Enough already with the Facebook. On "I Think of You and Die" I can't get away from Paul's vocal having that Husker Du sense of melody. It's rough and even as catchy as this, put together at the same time together in a giant room. It's not like it's tracked separately and then scrubbed clean, this punk pop is crammed into every corner of the groove.

B-Side's "Guitars Are Like Clothes" has that nice acoustic start of later Bob, and with a single record they've covered the range of Husker's sound. Bands feel nakesd without guitars and they take this one step further not relying on the fast distortions to get that point across either. This is a slower, modest number that rolls along with an almost jangle and they contradict Paul wanting to brain me with his axe singing in his Hunx style that slowly makes it's way towards the exit. But then again who saw "Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely" coming on Candy Apple Grey. Bluesy and sentimental? Whon knew they had it in 'em.

Get this from Secret Mission Records on black vinyl looking like a reissue of something on Almost Ready.

The Raydios on Secret Mission Records

The Raydios are a punk four piece from Tokyo and are living proof that punk rock knows no geographical boundaries or god damn borders whatsoever. It will always be an attitude and volume no matter where you're from. This has to be the first Japanese garage single I've covered and it'll take a Metal Postcard Records of Japan to at least give me a starting point for that part of the world. That being said, Lead guitarist and vocalist Fink has been messing with this harder stuff for years already in Firestarter and Teengenerate. Needless to say not much of this stuff makes it over here and this is the first release for Secret Mission.

"No expectation" opens on chunky large distorted chords and this thing has that texture from reissue documents of the late seventies; big flying chords and the the huge effort in laying down these riffs drawn out, long in the tooth with some of that bluesy warped foundation. Lyrically Fink is inserting himself between versus, snarling and jabbing with unusual emphasis like this a chopped up chorus 'No expect / tations' Screaming polished solo that has this going places lesser punk wouldn't be able to. "School Trash" uses a solid weird progression that reminds me of the Ramones and Dictators stuff. This jittery repetition open things up that leaves Fink on vocals holding it back together. The melodies take over and the solos rip this open again with a bit of phaser that shows up. It's obviously created by guys who are paying close homage to this whole scene and to a serious level of craft.
B-Side " Faster" slows down to focus on the skittery crunch of this gutter electric while things go even further back into serious scuzz here, Fink sounds like a real creep hitchhiking on the side of the road at night, getting his kicks shooting animals. One of those guys who doesn't ever get scared or nervous simply because he's at the top of that creep food chain. Who's going to be worse than him? I like how greasy they just got on this B-Side, I like them even better when that polish has faded a bit and they draw from even further back references in a nostalgic reverb mirrorball prom like Nobunny or Hunx.

Pick this up from Secret Mission Records.

No samples of these tracks, they're exclusive to this one but here's some demo's on youtube: