nobunny - first blood (2010)

RIYL: Jay Reatard, King Kahn & BBQ Show, The Exploding Hearts

When I first saw local act Nobunny a few years back, his bunny-masked garage rock seemed like just a joke, and I didn't feel inclined to keep up with his output.  When I saw he had a new album out this year, I was pretty sure it was going to be another middle-of-the-road garage revival record- but I'm glad to say that I was way wrong about that.  I have a soft spot for catchy, power pop & doo-wop influenced garage rock a la Jay Reatard/King Kahn/Exploding Hearts, and this exactly that, done right.  Nobunny has a knack for catchy melodies, and he switches styles up often, making for a diverse and enjoyable set of songs that pretty much always hit their mark- "Breathe" is a slow-grooving T. Rex vamp, "Never Been Kissed" adds a frantically hammered piano into the mix, and "I Was On (The Bozo Show)" closes out the album with a take on the famous circus song "Entry of the Gladiators".  The lyrics are clever too, frequently funny and surprisingly dirty.  First Blood is so sunny and fun I almost forget that we are in the middle of a cold snap and I can see my breath inside of my house.  The album's 11 songs are over in less than 25 minutes, but there's a lot of memorable hooks packed into that short play time.

BTW- Number of times I resisted making bunny-related puns in writing this review: 5

sex church - 6 songs by sex church (2010)

RIYL: Blank Dogs, Vivian Girls, Crocodiles

Want more reverb-soaked dark garage rock in your life?  Of course you do!  With that in mind, consider checking out 6 Songs By Sex Church, by Vancouver band Sex Church (durrrrr).   Half anhedonistic plodders, half cynically upbeat rockers, these 6 songs (durrrrrrrr) mine much of the same turf as other like-minded groups like Blank Dogs and Crocodiles, but without sounding like faceless imitators.  In addition to the expected Joy Division and Jesus and Mary Chain influence, "The Floor" sounds like The Velvet Underground, at least until the song builds into a surging crescendo.  "Not Anymore" sounds partially like evil surf rock and a little like dark shoegaze a la A Place To Bury Strangers.  Another highlight, "Ghost", reminds me of the pop-fury of Jay Reatard, while the brief and shiny guitar coda sounds like Red Rhodes psychedelic slide guitar work or Abe Vigoda's tropical punk.  I love bands that combine catchiness with seething anger, and Sex Church are another great band in that vein.  Short, miserable and to the point.