replacements - color me obsessed

THE REPLACEMENTS were one of the greatest underground rock n roll bands of the 80s, and maybe one of the best bands ever.....their albums, SORRY MA, STINK and LET IT BE are forever cemented in my list of top LPs of all time.......

so when i heard that they were finally getting the documentary treatment, i was more than stoked...  COLOR ME OBSESSED is riotously fun oral history about one of the only rock bands that matter.... the film follows the REPLACEMENTS from their unruly start as young punks through their drunken heyday as college radio heroes to their unceremonious breakup at a show in chicago and their influence on just about everyone who started a band in their wake.......

you won't find a band with more rock n roll stories than the 'mats...... 
that's for sure....

so go ahead and watch the entirety of 
COLOR ME OBSESSED below.....

and as a added bonus, click here to download THE SHIT HITS THE FANS live album 
(a tape only release) from 1985 on TWIN/TONE.

drunk pixels - mind spiders // the novice

this past weekend, chicago got a double shot of MARKED MEN related punk rock side projects in one helluva show at the EMPTY BOTTLE......who could ask more than to see both MIND SPIDERS and THE NOVICE in one drunk riotous evening....?????

so just in case you weren't there, 
watch the loud rock n roll fury below......
(thanks to sei jin as always....)

MIND SPIDERS.......




THE NOVICE.......

cobwebbs - all around

The latest and greatest psych rumblings from down under are from a relatively new up-and-coming band from Brisbane, Australia called COBWEBBS..... a band that'll for sure knock you over with their fuzz soaked dark psych wall of noise.....

COBWEBBS has been making a name for themselves this year with a slew of hot no-fi psychedelic rock releases....singles on ANTI-FADE and SATURNO as well as a cassette split with HEIROPHANTS, an appearance on a tape comp for ANTI-FADE and a demos lp COMMUNION................and now to top of their stellar year, COBWEBBS have a new garage burning long player on LOST RACE records entitled ALL AROUND. 

dudes, this new album from COBWEBBS is one of the most entrancing slabs of droning space rocking psych I've heard all year.  An lp that just missed the deadline for inclusion as one of the best albums of the year, a list it certainly would've made......

COBWEBBS up the ante with their particularly dark shoegazed, feedback drenched and swampy psych rock n roll.  yes that perfect mixture of scientists, michael yonkers and spacemen 3 psych howl to get yer blood boiling and yer mind expanding......

for those looking for a new band to take you further into the fuzzed out eerie corners of your soul, look no further that ALL AROUND.  this lp is more than just highly recommended.  It's fucking necessary for fans of hazy psych rock.  (yes just as necessary as yer blue cheer, jesus & mary chain or loop albums, and ALL AROUND is what i might call a new classic.....)

Forget your UFO CLUB, NIGHT BEATS, COSMONAUTS and BLACK ANGELS lps that you've been hyping up....... this is the one lp you'll spin all year long.  i promise.  

Listen to ALL AROUND below. 
  And grab it from LOST RACE or PERMANENT RECORDS now.  100 copies is all that were pressed. So don't sleep on it. 


for further acid fried adventures 
listen to COMMUNION, their demos lp, here -

and watch COBWEBBS live below-

best albums of xx12....

I always find it difficult to trim the best lps of the year down to a few highlights....so much good music keeps getting released every year.....(yeah by the way, rock n roll will never die.......)

so as is the tradition, TINY GROOVES choose it's favorite 30 lps of the year........ all are essential and highly recommended releases....... some no doubt you will be familiar with, others you might've missed.    all you need to own now........

so without further ado.....

TINY GROOVES' BEST ALBUMS OF XX12......

1.    Ty Segall - Twins (Drag City)
2.    Chrome Cranks - Ain't No Lie In Blood (Bang!)
3.    Disappears - Pre Language (Kranky)
4.    Terry Malts - Killing Time (Slumberland)
5.    Cheap Time - Wallpaper Music (In The Red)
6.    Tyvek - On Triple Beams (In The Red)
7.    Slug Guts - Playin' In Time With The Deadbeat (Sacred Bones)
8.    Running - Asshole Savant (Captcha)
9.    Obnox - Rojo (Permanent)
10.  Puffy Areolas - 1982: Dishonorable Discharge (Hozac)

11.  The Oh Sees - Putrifiers II (In The Red)
12.  Spacin - Deep Thuds (Richie)
13.  Mmoss - Only Children (Trouble In Mind)
14.  The Legs - Aaaa The New Memphis Legs (Goner)
15.  Guilty Pleasures - Summer Strange (Dusty Medical)
16.  Ty Segall / White Fence - Hair (Drag City)
17.  Mallard - Yes On Blood (Castle Face)
18.  Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse (In The Red)
19.  Mind Spiders - Meltdown (Dirtnap)
20.  Glow Kit - S/T (P Trash / FDH)

21.  Ono - Albino (Moniker)
22.  Useless Eaters - C'est Bon! (Southpaw)
23.  Intelligence - Everyone's Got It Easy But Me (In The Red)
24.  White Fence - Family Perfume Vol. 1 & 2 (Woodsist)
25.  Paint Fumes - Uck Life (Slovenly)
26.  Woollen Kits - Four Girls (Trouble In Mind)
27.  Cosmonauts - If You Wanna Die Then I Wanna Die (Burger)
28.  Hellshovel - Hated By The Sun (Slovenly)
29.  Mean Jeans - On Mars (Dirtnap)
30.  Vincas - Blood Bleeds (Douchemaster)

best 7 inches / reissues / concerts / etc of xx12

i'll start you off with a handful of my favorites from 2012, then we'll get to the top albums......below are lists comprising everything from the best 7 inches to the most in yer face tapes of the year....... as well as TINY GROOVES' picks for best reissues and concerts from this rock n roll filled year....... there's been so much music to sift through in 2012, these lists can't include everything, but anything that gets mentioned below is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and should be sought after........   

so here we go..........  
  (stay tuned tomorrow for the best lps of xx12)


Best 7 inches -

1.  Lazy - Party City (Moniker)
2.  Fuzz - This Time I Got A Reason (Trouble In Mind)
3.  Nobunny - MaximumRocknRoll EP (Goner)
4.  Sonny Vincent and the Bad Reactions - Replica (Trend is Dead)
5.  Living Eyes - Ways to Make a Living (Anti Fade)
6.  Wymyn's Prysyn - Payday (Scavenger of Death)
7.  GG King - Joyless Masturbation (Total Punk)
8.  Nones - Shake Your Brain (Hozac)
9.  Obnox - Masonic Reducer (12XU)
10.  Unholy Two - Cut The Music (12XU)

Best Tapes (Cassette Only Releases) -

1.  Cops - Demo (Scavenger Of Death)
2.  Charles Albright - The First Four Years (Sacremento)
3.  Catacombz - Mother Tongue 2 (self released)
4.  Running - Change the World (Rotted Tooth)
5.  Strange Attractor - Unreleased Songs + Popular Favorites (Hosehead)

Best Concerts  -

1.  Hozac's Black Out Fest with Video / Roky Erickson / Spider Fever / and many more
2.  Ty Segall / White Fence / Strange Boys / Bitchin Bajas @ Lincoln Hall
3.  Sonny Vincent and the Bad Reactions @ Burlington
4.  The Oh Sees / Blind Shake / The Mallard / Terrible Twos @ Empty Bottle
5.  King Khan & BBQ / Paint Fumes / Bazooka @ Empty Bottle
6.  Cave / Tyvek / Running @ Hideout
7.  High Tension Wires / Apache Dropout / Yolks @ Burlington
8.  Royal Headache / OBN IIIs / Football @ Burlington
9.  Bad Sports @ Burlington
10.  Puffy Areolas @ Burlington
11.  Running @ Rainbo Club
12.  Mind Spiders @ Burlington
13.  Moniker Records Showcase with ONO / Lazy / Hecks / and more @ Empty Bottle
14.  Feedtime / Nones @ Empty Bottle
15.  Mean Jeans / Hollywood @ Crown Tap

Best Reissue LPs -

1.  Monoshock - Walk to the Fire (SS Records)
2.  FU 2 - Punk Rock (1-2-3-4 Go!)
3.  Consumers - All My Friends Are Dead (In The Red)
4.  ONO - Machines That Kill People (Priority Male / Galactic Archives)
5.  Bizarros - Complete Collection 76-80 (Windian)
6.  Pussy Galore - Exile On Main Street (Shove)
7.  Loop - Heaven's End (Fire)
8.  Feedtime - Aberrant Years (Sub Pop)
9.  Catholic Boys - Psychic Voodoo Mind Control (Dusty Medical)
10.  Royal Trux - Accelerator (Drag City)

Best Reissue Singles -

1.  Testors - Time Is Mine (Windian)
2.  Pussy Galore - Feel Good About Your Body EP (Shove)
3.  Link Wray - Big City After Dark (Sundazed)
4.  Captain Beefheart - Abba Zabba (Sundazed)
5.  Crime - Hotwire My Heart (Kitten Charmer)

Best Box Set -

Windian Subscription Series Volume 1
  with Heavy Times, Terry Malts and more

Record Label of the Year -

In The Red.......more than their fair share of stellar releases this year.
what can i say, but IN THE RED is a perennial favorite here at TINY GROOVES...... 

Best Tape Label -

Hosehead

Best Singles Label -

Total Punk

Best Record Store Day Release -

Trouble In Mind's 4 way covers split with
Mikal Cronin, Paperhead, Apache Dropout and Liminanas

Best Live Record -

Black Lips - Live At Third Man Records (Third Man)

Best Rock n Roll Venues -

Empty Bottle
and the Burlington

Best Reunited Band of 2012 -

Chrome Cranks

Best Chicago Band -

Running

Best Chicago Record Label -

Trouble in Mind

Best Record Store - 

Permanent Records..... of course

Best Rock n Roll Blog / Magazine (that's not Tiny Grooves ) -

GET BENT !




AND DON'T FORGET YOU'RE THE BEST TOO.....
THANKS FOR READING ALL THIS YEAR,
MORE ROCK N ROLL FUN IS IN STORE FOR 2013.........

without you loving TINY GROOVES,
this blog wouldn't have made it through the past four years.......

cheater slicks - reality is a grape

THE CHEATER SLICKS are back with another noisy slab of garage punk entitled REALITY IS A GRAPE, out now on COLUMBUS DISCOUNT RECORDS.....

these atonal / wall of feedback / guitar-crunching garage rockers from ohio have been destroying minds with their fierce brand of distorto punk for over 20 years and have never released a long player that's worth passing up...... (one of the few bands you can say that about)

the slicks just won't fucking calm down......or retire, which is fine by me, i hope they never do..... REALITY IS A GRAPE is just as blown out loud and raw as their classic IN THE RED albums from the 90s, DON'T LIKE YOU, FORGIVE THEE and REFRIED DREAMS to name a few.......(lps you ought to hunt down....) 

the formula has always been simple and powerful, TWO GUITARS, NO BASS AND ONE DRUMMER PUMMELING WITH AGGRO SPEAKER-BUSTING NO-FI GARAGE BENT RUST BELT PUNK PSYCHOSIS.....  always more low profile then THE GORIES and THE OBLIVIANS, but no less loved,  THE CHEATER SLICKS are recommended for those who need their punk TRASHY CONFRONTATIONAL AND DEMENTED AS FUCK, ie. those whose record collections include many CRYPT, IN THE RED, SYMPATHY, RIP OFF and ESTRUS lps.........

there's something mind altering about a band that both strips down and amplifies the basic structure of rock n roll at the same time......THE CHEATER SLICKS aren't for everyone, but anyone in search of rambunctious misanthropic and noisy rock n roll NEEDS to have their numerous albums stacked next to their turntable.   AS HIGHLY FUCKING RECOMMENDED AS THEY COME........    

SO LISTEN TO SOME CHOICE CUTS OF REALITY IS A GRAPE BELOW......and grab yer copy now, before it's gone for good. 





AND WATCH THE SLICKS ROCK PERMANENT RECORDS CHICAGO THIS FALL WITH SONGS OFF THEIR NEW LONG PLAYER......

gr - a reverse age

GR is the solo moniker of gregory raimo, guitarist of the fabulous french psych/noise outfit, GUNSLINGERS...... a band incidentally you ought to know about......

he just released a new album entitled A REVERSE AGE on MEXICAN SUMMER and it's killer slab of psych rock explosiveness......

mixing equal parts in MICHAEL YONKERS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, LAST EXIT, CHROME, DNA, TELEVISION, FLOWER TRAVELIN BAND and BLUE CHEER, GR hits all cylinders with his angular noise bent psych rock mayhem..........  blues chords, garage rock riffage and free jazz drumming all stretched and distended into one noisy fray meant to both menace and enlighten..... you'll get lost in the aggression and guitar soloing and by the time the tone arm returns to its place after the b side, you might just be another person completely.......  

seriously one of the most heady psych jams of the year.......fans of LIGHTNING BOLT, BIRDS OF MAYA, SUN FLARE, PURLING HISS, KING BLOOD, HIGH RISE and MONOSHOCK will need to dig their teeth deep into the grooves of REVERSE AGE........

it's hands down recommended.....

STREAM SONG CLIPS FROM A REVERSE AGE BELOW.....



AND LISTEN TO LOW BORN FROM THE LP BELOW.......



WATCH THE VIDEO FOR GR's "THE INTERCESSOR SPEAKS" (off a previous lp) BELOW.......