Just a quickie today! This is going to be a section devoted to looking back at those lost songs and great tracks we’ve forgotten about or missed altogether! That being said….

Here’s one of the most hands-down hooky tracks that has been produced out of the Triangle in the last few years. It was home recorded in a basement (or bedroom) to fairly cheapish equipment by some super enthusiastic high school kids a couple years back. It’s influenced by the Ergs/Modern Machines brand of pop punk/rock’n'roll. There’s even a bit of early-era Alkaline Trio influence keepin up appearances. It’d also be a shame to not mention that they were using that same punchy/catchy prescription the Marked Men were known to employ. This is the Begin-Agains, a sadly all-too-quick flash of a band that would get booked an almost every DIY show a year or two ago. Keep in mind though, this is NOT just for those of us that like the punk or the poppy punk, this truly is one of the best kept secrets of the local indie & pop music scene from the last 3 years.

The Begin-Agains – Breadcrumbs

Today, Ben Carr is finishing up his senior year of high school over at Durham Tech. Already his new band, a duo with drummer Ian Rose called Last Year’s Men, has opened up for the King Khan & BBQ Show over at the 506 to great praise. I’ve also got about half of that show recorded to cassette if anyone wants to hear it. That was actually only their second show playing out up to that point! It’s amazingly well-written and melodic throwback garage in the vein of BBQ (Mark Sultan) with nods to the great Greg Cartwright. These influences inherently make the songs heavily influenced by 60s fratrock and Phil Spector-era pop resulting in great fuzzy, reverb-drenched hook-laden garage pop. See ‘em!

EDIT: Catch Last Year’s Men tour kickoff show on Saturday, March 6th at 404 Broad St. in Carrboro! (with Madeline Ava.)

I’ve got so much stuff sitting in here. Stuff that’s been here for a couple hours, stuff that’s been here for a couple years. This is stock at random.

I ventured allllll the way across my narrow room over to the 7″ bin, closed my eyes and grabbed into the stacks. All of that stuff I have in fact ordered at some point in my running-Bull-City-Records career, but most of it I have no recollection of. Soooo. Let’s get to rediscovering. I’ll listen to it first, get an idea of it and then do some research on it. Then comes lots of blabbering!

First test:

LHS – Death Metal in Jerusalem 7″ (Bony Orbit Records)

Bold move. The record starts off with a trashy, loud cover of the Sonics’ “The Witch.” They even lengthen it a little bit by interspersing noisy breakdowns and freakouts (with saxophone!!) further separating the parts. Yelps stretch out of the singer landing him somewhere in the vast no man’s land between vocalists Gerry Roslie (Sonics) and Jello Biafra. Pretty awesome, chaotic version. I don’t know why you’d start off your 7″ with a cover these days though. However, it did pull me in.

The next track sounds exactly like it came out of 80s California. It’s titled “Straight Edge Punk” and it sounds like it could easily be off the first Suicidal Tendencies LP. The singer even brings a little Circle Jerks style humor into the track. Fast, loose and chaotic once again with lyrics slurred and quickly spoken over the driving music. I can see the thrash kids blaring this bowl-side.

I’m kinda really getting into this now on its second go-round. If you’re a fan of the Brutal Knights or the Dustheads (which you should be), then you’d definitely dig this. It’s fast, scuzzy punk with skater and stoner tendencies. A little Black Flag with a little 70s heavy rock. Good stuff actually.

It does not look like they’re from Jerusalem though. Sorry. Nor do they branch of into Death Metal. Those two things aside, that’s one awesome 7″ title. It’s recorded in Cocoa Beach, FL in 2006. If it had not of mentioned that on the sleeve, I would be checking the internet right now to see if it was some lost gem from the 80s. There’s the usual ‘Thank Yous,’ but included after that are the always welcomed ‘Fuck Yous.’ Highlights from this section: Charles Darwin and corn whiskey. Oh yeah, if you had not deduced by now, their name is the Libyan Hit Squad. Obviously.

Time to close up shop! ‘Til later!