EAT SKULL is back and this time the Portland jangle poppers are going straighter than ever, having made with their third record, III, a full blown pop record of sorts. And a strangely awesome pop record at that. Much of the best pop (for these convoluted ears, hey I’m sorry I had lots of ear infections as a child) arrives not fully grown, but rather evolves out of a preexisting something, perhaps born of scuzz (as is the case here) or some other sub pop notion. There are songs here on III, songs that stand on their own, free of hyped up baloney business. Anyway, I am glad to see this band still kicking and evolving, and being good the entire way. Their two previous records are quality and very worth your time, so have fun with that if you are new this crew. WOODSIST put out III last month and it’s the band’s first record in 4 years. And like I said it’s full of actual songs you’ll enjoy. “Space Academy” is a bit of an anthemic stumbling rocker, full of soaring guitars that eventually just let go and, you guessed it, just float off into the dark matter. “Dead Horses” all jangling guitars and desperately off-pop vocals singing about “watching dead horses decompose” (I’d rather not thank you) is 2 and a half minutes of pure head bob and hip shake. Fun stuff from a band overtly displaying their pop, and doing it their way.
“DSM” showcases the many individual styles of Brockton’s Van Buren Records
It has been a fruitful 18 months for the Brockton super-collective Van Buren Records. Their two 2021 records, Bad For Press and Black Wall…