Shang-A-Lang - Waiting For The End

Shang-A-Lang hail(ed) from Las Cruces, New Mexico and purveyed the power trio punk rock that the bearded Razorcake massive eats up with a spoon. I have been known to tenure in those ranks, but Shang-A-Lang never really caught on with me.


Waiting For The End is evidently the band swan song. I though the split they released with Jonesin' was pretty ok, but I never heard the full-length or any other of the million splits they dropped. Historically, that would mean total obsession with their last release and/or having just missed them play live, but for better of worse that is not the case with Waiting For The End. Five songs, with the closing Stinky Shoes probably being the best of the lot. I like them kinda ok, but think I'll stick to the Old Neighbors. This is evidently a joint release between seven (?!) labels, so either get your Google on or investigate via the Shang-A-Lang web presence.

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Grabass Charlestons - Razorcake Sister Series 7"

So this is the sister 7" to the Arrivals 7" that is so popular here at JS-NYC HQ. I have a couple Grabass records that I enjoy, but they never got the love that Gunmoll or The Tim Version enjoy around here. Listening to this, I think some revisitation is in order. Four songs here, one of which is a pretty ripping cover of The Arrivals chestnut -1. All pretty aces. Trust me, there are far worse ways to spend $4 in this days and age. Pick it up from Razorcake via this handy link. There is a package deal, too. West Coast residents should prepare their livers for their imminent tour with Dillinger Four. Get the skinny on that from the Grabass web presence here.

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The Arrivals - Razorcake Sister Series

Ah, The Arrivals. How I love thee! How I miss the delicious time we spent at Insubordination Fest just a couple of months ago. You talked up Tenement, who didn't make it to Baltimore, but ripped more than their fair share of ass for a bunch of youngsters at Lost & Found a couple weeks later, and said nice things about maybe coming out in East in the Fall. Here's hoping, as their entry into The Razorcake sister series is one hell of a tease. Their split is with the Grabass Charlestons, but the sisterdom manifests itself in seperate slabs of 7" delight. We'll get to the Grabass soon enough, but in the meantime it's going to be hard for me to stop talking about the four selections the good folk of Razorcake have afforded us. Let's sally forth, shall we?

Things open with My Generation. which only assets the fact that there is a strong argument to made for The Arrivals being this generation's domestic incarnation of The Who. While one of the four songs on the record is a cover, this isn't it, as much as I would like to hear Paddy rip off a bass solo or three. It does sound a lot like early Who and that ain't bad. At all.

Things segue nicely into I Wouldn't Dare, a tune that neatly nicks the riff from Boris The Spider and grafts it on to an early Replacements vibe. Over way too soon at 2:40.

Bachelor number three is Drill Baby Drill. The longest song at 3 minutes, and perhaps my least favorite, but in the same way that beef tacos are my least favorite, or handjobs my least favorite form of release. Not a bad thing, even in lowest common denominator form.

The closer is the cover. As the series is shared with Grabass Charlestons, it is a cover of said same's Ask Mark Twain. While it rips, and has a pretty bad ass bridge, I'm going to throw my love behind the first two tracks, but again don't sell the stellar taco/handjob metaphor short.

Pick up The Arrivals half of the series here from the good folk of Razorcake. Consider subscribing as well, as they are perhaps the only bastion of independent music still worth reading. West Coast readers would do well to take in the D4/Arrivals/Grabass show with the mighty fucking Tiltwheel in a couple weeks. Yowza!

xo

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