Musings of a Punk Rock Father

I'm just a little behind schedule on things, but I'm running iTunes through its paces anyway. This week's is a pretty good mixture, at least as far as my collection goes, with the exception of repeating a band.

Damned - Noise, Noise, Noise from Machine Gun Ettiquette
I only reallty like the first three Damned records, "Damned, Damned, Damned" being the best. But this record has some decent songs, the most-well known probably being "Smash It Up," well-known because of the Offspring cover for the Batman Forever soundtrack.

Alice in Chains - Nutshell from Jar of Flies
Jar of Flies isn't my favorite AIC recording, but "No Excuses" is a god song.

New Bomb Turks - Tattoed Apathetic Boys from Destroy Oh-Boy
Every song on this record is good, as is the case with all Turks records. I also have a cool 7" where the Devil Dogs cover this song and the Turks do a medley of some Devil Dogs tunes.

This Train - She's a Rocket from The Emperor's New Band
I love the rockabilly/ punk rock/ swing/ country sound of This Train. They may be the best band you've never heard, and probably the best Christian band you've never heard.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion & Dub Narcotic Sound System - Calvin's On a Burner from Sideways Soul
A great collaboration between Jon Spencer and his raucous Blues Explosion and Calvin Johnson and his rag-tag rock group that dabbled in rap and raggae. Johnson's near spoken-word vocals collide with the Blues Explosion's instrumentation for a weird, brilliant record.

Pegboy - Hardlight from Strong Reaction
This is probably one of the top ten best records to come out of Chicago. With songs like the above as well as "Field of Darkness" and "Superstar," it has become practically a classic and essential punk rock record in the Windy City.

Electric Frankenstein - The Perfect Crime (Live) from Annie's Grave
I'm pretty sure Annie's Grave was a rcord of EF throwaway tracks just to help them get out of their deal with Victory, but an EF throwaway is better than most bands' final album selections. This live track closes out the album.

This Train - Magic Bean from The Emperor's New Band
See above.

Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush the Show (Remix) from Bring the Noise 2000
I will say it again: This b-sides and remix album (available for download on www.shutemdown.com) is a fantastic set of tracks.

The Humpers - Soul Surgeon from Positively Sick on 4th Street
The Humpers are always a fun ride. I really can't differentiate one album from the others, but I love all of the albums I own from this band.