Bee Thousand Twelve

To quote a renowned Tantric saint, "a year has passed since I broke my nose" (or something like that). I started fullkicks last December with a look back at 2011 and have enjoyed writing about rock n roll in 2012, an exciting year to be a fan of my kind of stuff. Rather than rehash in detail the fine music that inspired my gushings over the past 12 months (see brief best-of 2012 list below), I am going to talk about a record that totally rocked my recent days. 

The final entry into my mightily enjoyed '12 releases is a full blast confection:

"I hereby call to order this meeting of the
Loyal Order of Ass Kicking Rock n Rollers!"

The Audacity Mellow Cruiser 
(Burger Records - killer label)

Right off the hop, I gotta say this album sports the coolest cover in like for-fuckin-evs. If this image of a Party Viking surveying the vastness with a solitary fist in the air doesn’t hit you with a righteous call to get down, you are flatlining. This Grand PooBeer is preparing to plunder the washed heathens - heavied with herb, proverb & copious amounts of kickassitude!

From opening track “Indian Chief”, Mellow Cruisers is major league party punk, overstuffed with bratty pop hooks and shout-along choruses. The raw production, rousing performances and singer Kyle Gibson's Westerbergian howl recall early Replacements and the songwriting is consistently above the bar throughout. To deliver a full-length, legit all-killer/no-filler genre album is so difficult & thus rare. Think about your favourite records. Even some of your closest held, "desert island" LPs have a "One Good Dose of Thunder" that you learn to love like hot chicks learn to love Seth Rogen in silly movies. Not here, these Orange County kids, who once backed the studly King Tuff, keep the hits coming. “Punk Confusion”, “Subway Girl”, “Persecuted” and the ridiculously catchy & aptly named “Funspot" are all kicking tunes that would be highlights on anyone’s album. The songs that elevate Mellow Cruisers to superb are “Ears and Eyes” with its scruffy but precision tempo changes and “Chili" - where the band's key weapons cross streams and blast into a tumbling groove with snarling guitars and Gibson's gutting out his best lyrics: “founding fathers in their graves they're finding it hard to believe / In the United States of shock where you're turning off your clock / Removing constitution so we can have some fun tonight”. Mellow Cruisers is not merely a party record. It's a loud rock n roll record made by some California kids so the party is happening, but the prevailing lyrical themes are freedom and specifically what it means to be young and free in America. Can't wait to see where they go next. Set closer "Extensions" recalls the Mats' "Valentine" before fading out and riding off into the abyss. A triumphant journey concluded. I'll drink to that. Every damn time.

As for the year in review, while many sites/blogs present themselves as broad in scope - and somehow “indie” whatever that means anymore - here on fullkicks, we do not feign inclusion. Rather, we generally ignore the output of huggy “collectives” of lovey dovers with hand stitched shoes. I have nothing against that music, it just gets tons of blog snog & I prefer to rock out with the cock a little further out. These are the albums that loved how I loved them this year:

Full Point Kicks 2012
1. Guided by Voices Let's Go Eat The Factory / Class Clown Spots A UFO / Bears For Lunch
I reviewed the first two Guided By Voices releases, but its hard to keep up! Just a few words about Bears For Lunch. It's just may be the best of their 3 LPs in 2012, and that is no easy feat. Overall, the quality and quantity of material GBV put out this year was truly remarkable and they've blown through any idea of a typical career arc at this point. The unprecedented hit streak continued on Bears with classic opening thumper "King Arthur The Red". Poppy Pollard tunes like the chugging "Hangover Child" and "The Challenge Is Much More" aim to please and hit their marks. Two acoustic standouts are Tobe Sprout's Chris Bell-like "Waking Up The Stars" and Pollard's lovely throwback "You Can Fly Anything Right". The shiniest gem of all for me is lo-fi banger "Dome Rust". It's perfect. Really, these guys owned 2012. 
2. King Tuff King Tuff
3. Dinosaur Jr I Bet on Sky
4. Swearin' Swearin'
5. Tie Nude Beach II & Audacity Mellow Cruisers (see above!)

With honourable mentions to Torche, Mountain Goats, Gentleman Jesse, Hunx, Craig Finn, Divine Fits and Royal Headache all of whom put out great stuff in 2012.

And one last thing:

One night in Toronto in late 1993, I was fortunate to catch two power pop titans at pretty much the top of their games: The Lemonheads toured their crack (sorry) new album Come On Feel The Lemonheads with Redd Kross who were working Phaseshifter. It was a great show - Evan Dando had the best non-Juliana Hatfield LH lineup with Aussie collaborator Tom Morgan on bass, and Redd Kross just killed. Already veterans at the time, RK scorched through their set (I remember in particular “Monolith” standing out as a huge song, it's one I still catch a rise off of). Well in 2012, I reacquainted myself with both artists. The Lemonheads came to Toronto opening for The Psychedelic Furs. The show was billed to include once-going-concern Juliana H on bass & b/vocals and I was excited. Unfortunately, she bailed on the tour and the show was pretty dismal. But at the very least, they are apparently recording a new  record with Ryan Adams producing. Redd Kross put out their first album in 15 years called Researching The Blues which was pretty great and featured the truly stellar "Stay Away From Downtown", one of the 2 or 3 best songs of the year. Check it out immediately!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year kids!