Tenement - Napalm Dream

How great are fucking Tenement?

Answer: really fucking great.

I can't believe it's been almost two years since they played Lost and Found, but a quick check of the JS-NYC archives confirms that date is correct. Listening to Napalm Dream, it's obvious that they made the best of the time, as this fucker rocks from note one to note last.

It hadn't sunk into my addled brain that Tenement are a duo currently and while I continue to be bummed that they have not made it out East in a bit, I will give them huge props for not trying to do some sort of White Stripes horseshit. Napalm Dream displays a gift for a hook that is pretty obviously influenced by Americas Finest Rock Band: The Figgs. As Tenement hail from Wisconsin, this should not be a surprise. I also hear a fair amount of Ben Deilly-era Lemonheads and other late 80s Boston ilk in their sound, which basically means my neighbors get to hear a whole lot of Tenement. But come on: hearing Tenement in a tenement is pretty fucking meta. It would appear that Napalm Dream is the initial salvo in what will be a bumper crop of new material. Here's hoping it comes with some touring, as the 13 songs here beg to be heard live. Keep track of all things Tenement via their social networking interface here. Get Tenement Dream here and see if you don't have Stupid World, Skyscraper or Running Into Mirrors in your head forever.

Consider yourself warned.

R

Pete Rock and Smif n' Wessun - Monumental

Anticipation was higher than a Duck Down tour bus when word came down through the interwebs that Pete Rock was pairing with the newly re-dubbed Smif and Wessun for an entire record. Mysterious machinations had allowed the Brownsville duo to return under their original moniker and most hoped this meant a return to heights of their classic early 90s material. Most will be pleased, I'd say.

A gang of guests spice up the proceedings on Monumental. The Duck Down OGC crew reps hard, with Buckshot, Sean P and Rock as well as new signing Black Rob making appearances, with Raekwon and Bun B and a mob of other hard rhymers. I wouldn't go so far as to call the record monumental, but Monumental definitely evokes a great time in hip hop that this crew can hopefully bring back into vogue.

Get Monumental here from Duck Down.

R

The Copyrights - North Sentinel Island

I've been a mark for The Copyrights for a while now, mostly since they wiped up the floor with me at Cake Shop a couple of years ago. Recent times have seen half the gents occupied with Dear Landlord, so Team Copyright has been sort of on blocks. The other half has been far from idle, tending to various domestic and professional matters. In drummer Luke McNeill's case, there was a law practice to tend to and the new Copyrights album to write. That task is accomplished, and now North Sentinel Island is here, courtesy of Red Scare Industries.

The Crutches 7" showed a slighter smoother version of the whoa-oh punk we've come to know and love from Carbondale's Finest, courtesy of a band three records in and abetted by Matt Allison. Ultimately, the songs are decent on North Sentinel Island, and I bet I'll enjoy tracks like Restless Head a lot more three beers in at a live show, but all in all it's still a little polished for my taste. I'm sure they are losing large amounts of collective sleep over that statement. North Sentinel Island is far from a bad record, but I would have liked a real banger ala Cashiers to really seal the deal for me. My niggles aside, you could do a whole lot worse for your punk rock dollar than North Sentinel Island. Get it here from Red Scare. Vinyl nerds should check It's Alive.

R

Restorations - The Key Studios Recordings

I first saw Restorations Thanksgiving weekend of 2008 when they opened for one of the 'secret' Thorns Of Life shows at Disgraceland at Philly. I liked what I heard and a bit of investigating turned up the fact that these gents were ex-members of Jena Berlin, who I also remember seeing accidentally and liking. It was a fair bit, at least a couple years, until the split with Rosetta rolled through, then an EP I totally missed, and most recently the self-titled black metal looking EP that came through this spring to much spinnage at JS-NYC HQ.

Internet trawling turned up this live session that Restorations recorded a couple weeks ago for Philly XPN2 radio presence. It's pretty amazing and seems to show that while the records are pretty aces, them boys can bring it to a pronounced degree live, as well.

Check it out here via this link.

R

Richard X. Heyman @ PopMatters

Ladies and Gents:

Those intrigued about my take on the new Richard X. Heyman double record called Tiers and Other Stories can slake that thirst at the PopMatters web presence.

Here's a link.

R

Let's Wrestle at Skyscraper

JS-NYC Massive:

Review of the new Let's Wrestle record up currently at the Skyscraper.

Check It.

R

Chris Mills at Skyscraper

All:

Chris Mills has a new record out called Heavy Years 2000-2010 on Ernest Jennings. Read me wax rhapsodic about it at the Skyscraper web presence.

Here's a link.

R