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Social Distortion
Live In Orange County DVD
Time Bomb Records
$$$$

This is the first full-length concert released from Social D which already makes it a must-have for every fan. The DVD was recorded on Jan 19, 2003 in the middle of the band’s record-breaking 20 consecutive sold out shows at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Their setlist is taking the viewers from Mommy’s Little Monster to White Light, White Heat, White Trash. It covers Social D’s extensive 25yrs history. But the real highlight for every fan are the 2 brand new songs that will be on their next record which will be released later this year. The songs are called I Wasn"t Born to Follow (typical Social D sound) and Footprints On My Ceiling (very slow, very snuggely) . Here’s the track listing:
Making believe-1945-Sick Boy-Telling Them-Bad Luck-Footprints On My Ceiling-Don’t Drag Me Down-I Wasn’t Born To Follow-Another State Of Mind-The Creeps-Mommy’s Little Monster-Mass Hysteria-99 To life-Ring Of Fire-Story Of My Life
There are also a lot of special features on the DVD where you can get an inside view on what Mike Ness and his band mates are like off stage. You should definitely take a look at Cruizin’ The ’36 where Mike Ness is talking about dog food while he is cruising around town.
What else can I say? Social D rulz!

-Sabine

www.socialdistortion.com

Red Planet
We Know How It Goes
Gearhead Records
$$$$

Now this band is unique!!! Their songs take you through all the decades of rock music without losing their own special recognizable style! Wow!! I think this band is going to be BIG! You can hear their influences: Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Boys and also real rock bands like Thin Lizzy. Poppy, rocky, punky sound Red Planet got it all and they play their way through all these genres in an extremely charming way. If you don’t like this band you must be either deaf or a drug fucked techno DJ.

-Sabine

www.gearheadmagazine.com

The Dragons
Rock’N’Roll Kamikaze
Gearhead Records
$$$$

Maybe you have to use the words of Justin Hawkins when he was asked to explain what his band The Darkness was all about: "Men what do rock, baby!". They sound like a mix of Zeke, if you slow those guys 50% down, Motorhead, Nashville Pussy and good old rock’n’roll. They are the perfect Gearhead band and once again Michelle &co proofed that they only sign the best bands in the punkROCK scene. Rock’N’Roll Kamikaze was originally released in the Dragons former label Junk Records in 2001. Unfortunately due to the previous label’s poor distribution and eventual bankruptcy , this masterpiece was never given a proper release until now. What can I say? Another awesome Gearhead release!

-Sabine

www.gearheadmagazine.com

The Skulls
Night Of The Living Skulls DVD, CD
Finger Records
$$$$

The Skulls are simply amazing. I already had the pleasure to see them performing live on stage and I can tell you one thing: they are one of the best live acts around. Their frontman, Billy Bones, is a living legend and he’s rocking the stage with the same wild energy as he did almost 30 years ago when the original Skulls entered the punk scene in ’77. But the "new" Skulls are probably even better than the original ones. Their guitarist, Kevin Preston, is a very skilled musician and he’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff with his guitar like playing solos with his tongue… and there’s another legend on bass: James Hardslug, Adicts member. So, if you have not had the chance so far to witness the freakin’ four on stage this DVD is giving you the opportunity to see the Skulls live and in full effect. The DVD contains a live show at El Rey Theatre in their hometown of Los Angeles, a skate-pool jam session performed during Team Goon’s Milkman’s 9th b-day and a lot of interviews that give you an inside view on the Skulls’ history and their environment (friends, record label,…). And I have a nice anecdote for you: after the interview I did with the Skulls in Duesseldorf, Germany a while ago, I gave Billy Bones my b/w Betty Page ring (because he liked it so much) and he is wearing that ring on his right hand during the shows and interviews that are featured on the DVD. Hehe. The DVD comes along with an audio CD so you can also listen to their live sound while you are driving in your car. Great band, great DVD, go and get it!

-Sabine

www.theskulls.us
www.fingerrecords.com

Sahara Hotnights
Kiss & Tell
RCA Records
$$$$$

Ok, usually our rating system goes from $ to $$$$ but what can you do if you listen to a record that simply blows you away???! So I had to give them an extra $. Sahara Hotnights have always been my favourite all-girl band and when they released Jennie Bomb they showed everyone that they are the best girl band on this planet. They made the Donnas look like school girls that just don’t know how to rock. But the new record Kiss&Tell is probably the BEST RECORD released in 2004 by any male or female fronted band. EVERY SINGLE SONG on this record is a HIT! Not one lame song on it! They got there with this record where the Peepshows wanted to go with Refuge For Degenerates. But the songwriting qualities of Josephine Forsman and Jennie Asplund are just way better than those of their male competitors. This record sounds a lot poppier than Jennie Bomb and usually I prefer bands that emphasize their punky edge a little more. But the songs on Kiss & Tell are just so catchy and cool that I immediately fell in love with every single track. This is the perfect soundtrack if you are driving in your car, getting ready for the next party, waking up or simply enjoying life. What a grrreat record! Buy it, steal it, I don’t care how you do it but go and get this record as it is seriously the best release in 2004! Word!

-Sabine

www.saharahotnights.com

PJ Harvey
Uh Huh Her
Island Def Jam
$$$$

Uh Huh Her… again! Another masterpiece by the grande dame of songwriting. PJ Harvey seduces you with her sounds just to distort you in the next minute. The album shows a great complexity but she never leaves you completely alone and you never get the feeling that you, as a listener, are lost on this record. As always, her songs are very intense and you will have to face your own emotions while you are listening to this record. PJ Harvey showed once again that she is the best female songwriter around and also a skilled musician as she played every instrument on this record herself. She also produced the record which makes it more complete than records by other artist. Uh Huh Her sounds a little bit more like what PJ Harvey used to do at the beginning of her career. An extraordinary record by an extraordinary woman.

-Sabine

www.pjharvey.net

Only Crime
To The Nines
Fat Wreck
$$$

This is some kind of all-star band as it consists of: Russ Rankin (Good Riddance), Aaron Dalbec (Bane), Zach Blair (Gwar) and Donivan Blair (Hagfish, Armstrong). What could possibly go wrong with a line up like that? Absolutely nothing! ;-) They are doing , as expected, hardcore punk but with an obvious rock touch. And this is what makes this record special. You will get into it by the first time you listen to it on your stereo. Their sound is a lot more attractive and convincing than the one of the latest Good Riddance records. And they don’t sound like a Fat band at all. So, good job everyone!

-Sabine

www.fatwreck.com

V/A
The Only Constant is Change
Volcom Entertainment
$$$$

These two CDs contain 46 songs featuring 36 unreleased, live & B-side tracks from bands such as Pennywise, Rise Against, Death by Stereo, Piebald, Brazil and more. You have to have a certain affinity for HC to really enjoy this record. The first CD emphasizes the HC/metalcore aspect a little bit more and the second CD features more posthardcore/independent sounds. It is a really great compilation if you like HC and an unreleased track of one of my fav bands The Lonely Kings is on the second CD. This is a record you want to listen to while you are riding your skateboard or rushing down a snow covered mountain on your snowboard. This record simply sounds like Volcom clothes look. Different, raw and good!

-Sabine

www.volcoment.com

The Kicks
Hello Hong Kong
TVT Records
$$$

The cover artwork of the record reminds me a lot on a Levis ad but unfortunately the music sounds not as advanced as their great booklet looks. The Kicks are a garage rock – punk band whose influences are Cheap Trick and The Cars. But if I want to listen to a band that claims those bands to be its background I would rather buy myself a Red Planet LP. The Kicks are not bad though. They are just not innovative enough for my taste. But who knows, maybe their next record will blow me off my socks. They definitely have the potential to become a good punkrock band, all they need is a little more maturity. As an extra feature you can watch a couple of songs on your computer they filmed at a live show.

-Sabine

www.thekicks.net

Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Universal Records
$$$$$

One word to describe the Scissor Sisters: FUN. I was flipping through one of the magazines I subscribe to and saw their picture. I looked and went "Wow". Then after awhile, went back and read the article. I saw they had a song named "Laura" and HAD to check it out. By the way, they get a million brownie points for having a song named "Laura". The CD is full of disco type songs making this band possibly the Bee Gees of our time. They've taken over Europe, now it's time they take over the US. Highlights of the CD: Laura (of course!), Filthy/Gorgeous, It Can't Come Quickly Enough, Lovers In the Backseat...ok forget it. The whole cd is full of great hits.

-Laura Encarnado

www.scissorsisters.com