Category: REVIEWS

New Album Review: CCR Headcleaner- Tear Down the Wall

Brent Smith June 20, 2016

Tear Down the Wall is something else. That’s not an empty idiom. The San Francisco mind-ravaging outfit CCR Headcleaner gives us its strangest trip yet, and in today’s saturation of garage racket, it’s not easy to make such a conspicuous deviation. In only 8 tracks, the hardcore psych noise of Tear Down the Wall is heavy enough to leave you with a biting LSD hangover, but still terse enough to be hungry for more. Taking more hits is a given. Tear Down the Wall is out via In The Red Records June 17th, though I figured at first it was something coming out of the Sacred Bones camp, which would’ve been just as well, as CCR has toured with Fuzz, Human Eye, and Destruction Unit alike. I was reminded a bit of Metz, just more unhinged (if you can buy it), or the heady savagery of the Butthole Surfers, just more revved up on the thrash. All the songs are inhabited by ominous melodies and minor vocals that could score a Jim Jarmusch film set in decrepit Detroit. Though chaos is the name of the game, the songs are nonetheless stitched together with keen methodology; short bursts of crunchy insanity, and long,

New Album Review: GOGGS is Damn Good Gravy on The Ty Segall Catalog

Danny Baraz June 13, 2016

Ty Segall’s new project GØGGS doesn’t feel like a side project. GOGGS is being touted as “Ty’s new Punk Album” by many publicists and suits and probably just relayed simply that way by frontman, Chris Shaw in a non ambiguous and lyrical manner. And it’s punk. Not like Bad Brains or Black Flag punk but it’s punk rock like Fugazi and Parquet Courts; It dares you to put a label on what they do. When you attach the punk moniker to your music, authenticity is the single biggest pre requisite and that comes from the purity of your intentions with your music. GOGGS innovate in the increasingly nebulous punk rock genre by experimenting with and finding a unique and original guitar and production tone and organizing the bands thoughts into an appropriately confrontational demeanor. Charles Moothart went vintage effect pedal shopping and created something special. Sharp guitar tones with jagged, distorted edges and high mid range. It has an “early catalog Ty Segall” tonal vibe ala Melted and Twins but it’s more abrasive and percussive. It is the most prominent feature on this album and I say that in a good way. The bulbous bottom end bass guitar by committee, (Segall, Moothart,

New Album Review: Death Grips- Bottomless Pit

Danny Baraz May 13, 2016

It seems that Death Grips have finally made it through the other side of their artistic adolescence. They have spent their entire careers rejecting and rebelling against “basic bitch-dom” in their relationship with fans, labels and music critics and up to this point, they’ve been as erratic as a pubescent teenager. Not unlike an adolescent Jesus in the lost books of the bible, Death Grips are using their power and influence to blind the bullies, even as their artistic output is as regular as a sensible diet that is high in fiber. While Death Grips toyed with unorthodox styles of music and career choices, there was no drop off in output. Their latest release, “Bottomless Pit” is their 5th, full length studio album and 9th release altogether and between the release of JennyDeath and BP, Death Grips have been showing up for every show as well as maintaining a regular tour schedule. Are Death Grips assimilating into a more traditional career path? That remains to be seen but being a Death Grips fan continues to be an interactive scavenger hunt for sound and imagery, as fans are always an integral part of their artistic output. In the past, they have

New Album Review: NOTHING- Tired of Tomorrow

Rob Shepyer May 9, 2016

“And never have I felt so deeply at one and the same time so detached from myself and so present in the world.” – Albert Camus This is a review of Tired of Tomorrow by Philadelphia band, NOTHING being released on May 13th on Relapse Records. I like any band described as lush, an adjective commonly attached to Shoegaze, a style of rock that uses copious amounts of distortion to make melodic walls of ethereal sound. The name Shoegaze was attached to these artists because one reporter noticed they stared down at the stage rather than at the audience. Nothing, with their blending of ambient and punk, is a band that doesn’t make me want to gaze at my shoes but rather gaze up at the night sky as if it’s the fourth of July and I just broke up with my girlfriend and I’m watching fireworks with tear glazed eyes, smiling because I’m still alive. Nothing, made up of Domenic Palermo (guitar/vocals), Brandon Setta (guitar/vocals), Kyle Kimball (drums), Nick Bassett (bass), brings elements of punk, hardcore, and alternative to Shoegaze that line its wall of sound with razor wire. I listen to them and think of bands like Husker

New Album Review: Wild Wing- The Glory Forever

Brent Smith April 4, 2016

Wild Wing has undergone a peculiar mutation in the last three years. Their first self-titled EP spilled into their second, Another Victory for the Forces of Darkness, both heavy on the combative wit and long instrumental rambling. Songs like “O, Cuntry!” and “Wild Wing Nightmare” are tapped into an unruly swamp sound not felt since the days of Creedence (less finger-pointing protest songs; more working class bar brawl songs). I’m straining to name another hillbilly punk act, but I honestly can’t think of one. Wild Wing pulls off a surfer redneck jive like no one else; cheeky like The Butthole Surfers but not as abstract. If L.A. were to ever have a backwoods sound, now is the time. The band’s first LP The Glory Forever (its cover depicting a native chief stabbing a white soldier in the heart atop bodies of his slain people) is the declaration of a new, weird California sound—the kind that opts out of both Coachella and Stagecoach for a thrash alleyway hoedown on a radioactive beach. If the Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia sold their souls via reality TV contracts and uprooted to Hollywood, Wild Wing is who would play their barn-burning welcoming

New Album Review: Black Mountain- IV

Danny Baraz April 1, 2016

Black Mountain and their body of work could be the soundtrack to both an acid party and a mass suicide for some death cult. There is majick in their music. Track listings are components to epic incantations. Songs weave together to solve some kind of ancient mystery and their forthcoming release of “IV” is the latest transmission of some alien language that has been attempting to communicate with intelligence on our planet for a decade. Fat guitar tones and throwback analog synthesizers communicate to listeners in a familiar language about the future of their lives on this planet. All hyperbole aside, Black Mountain’s “IV” album released today (April 1st) on the JAGJAGUWAR label is a rock and roll masterpiece that summons a classic sound as it simultaneously scales new peaks. Wait, was that more hyperbole? It’s just difficult to downplay that this album contains, by far, the best riffs of the year, definitely of the decade and maybe the best riffs of this young century. The first single and song one off of IV, “Mothers of the Sun” eclipses 8 minutes of playtime and encapsulates the entire album perfectly. It flips from a sparsity of notes to masterful riffery with ease as it

FEELS record release party at Basic Flowers

New Album Review: 1 Week With FEELS Debut LP from Castle Face Records

Danny Baraz March 1, 2016

Last Wednesday night I got an advanced copy of FEELS self titled LP from Castle Face Records. Last Thursday night I went to the FEELS record release party at a Downtown DIY venue called Basic Flowers. I hate the unfairness of reviewing a living, breathing work of art in one or two listens. That will not be the case here. FEELS hard work and countless shows and supporting slots on various tours in 2015 ingrained them in the rock and roll ecosystem in Los Angeles and in my head. So when I heard rumblings of a forthcoming full length, I was ready when it dropped in my lap. In rock and roll, the live show separates the bad bands from the good bands and the great bands from the rest. FEELS puts on a GREAT live show and now I can confirm that FEELS makes GREAT albums. Well, at least one so far. I have spent enough time with the new FEELS record now to know that the love is real. I’ve gotten past the butterfly stage in this relationship and gotten completely comfortable with the material and it’s depth. This album is a master blend of growing musicianship and

Janky Smooth’s Top 20 Artists to Watch in 2016

Danny Baraz January 15, 2016

In identifying Janky Smooth’s Artists to Watch in 2016, there were a number of factors to take into consideration. There are different levels and plateaus musicians can ascend to in their careers. There is the release of their first EP/7”. There is the release of their debut album and of course, the all-important sophomore LP. Any predicted success after those milestones is hardly a prediction unless it involves a comeback. When we define our artists to watch in 2016, it is using any and all of these criteria to identify buzz worthy bands. We want to help our readers get the jump on artists before corporate money corrupts their artistic process too much. While there are bands in this list based in cities other than Los Angeles, LA is our home base and seeing these bands live is a part of the process of selection. If you can’t do it live, you can’t do it! This is Janky Smooth’s List of Artists to Watch in 2016 20. Cavanaugh- Collaboration between Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti Time & Materials by Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti) 19. So Pitted- Punk/Post Punk Seattle Group on Sub Pop Records neo by

Savages at FYF 2015 by Taylor Wong-Top 10 Concerts of 2015

Year In Review: Top 10 Concerts of 2015 Rated by Contributors

Danny Baraz December 18, 2015

Since the beginning of time, mankind grabbed whatever it could find to tap out and amplify the rhythm in our souls. From the most tribal roots of humanity, those rhythms brought us to our feet and inspired us into spastic soliloquies and baby making motions. Before the advent of the recording studio, there was only one way to hear music- LIVE. For true music snobs and purists, if you can’t do it live, you can’t do it. That is my segway into Janky Smooth’s Top 10 Concerts of 2015. Janky Smooth contributors attended 100’s of shows this year. Selecting the top 10 concerts of 2015 was quite a challenge. Most of the concerts we attended were in Los Angeles so while new labels, venues and promoters are taking advantage of the music explosion taking place all over the globe, Los Angeles continues to be it’s music capital. I often complain about the low energy of concert attendees in the city of my birth and while a handful of bands have been skipping Los Angeles on their tour schedules for this reason and opt for Pomona or Orange County, there’s no denying that if you hype up a Los Angeles crowd, you

Kevin Parker Shredding at Hollywood Forever Cemetery- Top 10 Concerts of 2015 shot by David Evanko

Year in Review: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Rated by Contributors

Danny Baraz December 15, 2015

Every year has a song or songs that define it. That song that will always remind you of the best summer ever, the worst summer ever, the year your child was born, the year you graduated high school, the year you dropped out of high school. A song that paints a picture in your mind. Songs you love. Songs you hate. Both can be just as powerful. This is Janky Smooth’s list of the Top 10 Songs of 2015 as rated by our regular contributors. Rating the Top 10 Songs of 2015 is much more difficult than rating the Top 10 Albums of 2015. Masterpiece albums are much more rare than the single flash of inspiration required to create one, catchy 3-5 minute arrangement. Top 10 Songs of 2015 Justin Cornwall- Author: Top 10 Songs of 2015 Beck- Dreams Tame Impala- Let it Happen Chemical Brothers ft. Beck- Wide Open Robert DeLong- Long Way Down RATATAT- Cream on Chrome Bob Moses- Tearing Me Up Best Coast- California Nights Romare- Love Song Kendrick Lamar- King Kunta Disclosure ft Lorde- Magnets Top Post: Sylvan Esso Moves the Fonda for Day 3 of 30 Days in L.A. David Evanko- Photographer: Top 10 Songs

Year in Review: Top 10 Albums of 2015 Rated by Contributors

Danny Baraz December 14, 2015

10 years from now, we might look back at the Top 10 Albums of 2015 as the year the “new music industry” became a viable business model. As the battle rages to fine tune some of the sticky points around streaming services, vinyl sales soar at the same time bands and artists offer free downloads, surrendering the traditional model and entrusting their legacy to future generations. With so many different ways to deliver musical products to consumers, our Top 10 Albums of 2015 list will include LP’s, EP’s and Mixtapes. We are not a hive mind at Janky Smooth so you will find albums we didn’t publish favorable reviews on in our contributors top 10 list. We here at Janky Smooth feel blessed to stand on the precipice with you and gaze upon the vast landscape of music that is exploding from all corners of the world. Top 10 Albums/EP’s/Mixtapes of 2015 Johnny Ramos- Photographer: Top 10 Albums of 2015 Tame Impala – Currents Beach House – Depression Cherry Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color Death Grips – The Powers That B Toro Y Moi – What For? Turnover – Peripheral Vision Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love Hot Chip –

Jaco Pastorius Doc Gets West Coast Premiere at The Ace Theater Los Angeles

Danny Baraz November 24, 2015

No matter how much you practice, you’ll never, ever be able to play bass like Jaco Pastorius. Even if you break your thumbs to bend like Jaco’s, you’ll never be able to reach those notes because he pulled them from the sky. Jaco Pastorius was touched with a gift. A gift that can’t be found under a Xmas tree. A gift that made him super human, as far as the bass guitar was concerned and fragile in the ways that being “different” exposes one’s human frailty- drawing that fine line that is always associated with his type of genius. Sunday night at the opulent Ace Theater and Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, the culmination of 6 years of filmmaking resulted in a packed house for a star-studded, west coast premiere of the film “Jaco”. The theater was filled with legendary musicians, even as the AMA’s were taking place up the street at The Microsoft Theater. Incredibly, even though Jaco Pastorius was nominated for two Grammy’s for his self titled debut solo album in 1977, Pastorius never won an industry wide award. So, as One Direction was winning their Artist of the Year accolades only a few blocks away, producer and