Theme for the post: Crimes!!! The members of these bands arne't really criminals but they've got crime themed names. As I'm lazy today, some of these blurbs will be reviews from other sources.

1. The Little Killers are a killer lo-fi garage band from NYC. Here's a review of their debut self-titled:

If Root Beer was a genre, The Little Killers would be the Kings of Root Beer! Because their rock and roll goes "Chug-a-Lug-a-Chug-a-Lug-a etc.!" The guitars, bass and drums lock into a chuggling distorted heavy fuzzy garage punk rock groove in every song, with a '60s scum rocker man-voice spitting, drooling, dribbling and allowing saliva to drip down his shirt with such headbouncing originals as "Butterfingers," "Spider" and "Choppin' Block."...

-Citizine Magazine

From Little Killers (Crypt, 2003): Volume Jenna Lee Messin' Around Available from the great Crypt Records

Little Killers Myspace

2. Thug Murder are a now defunct all girl punk band from Japan. Loud, abrasive street punk with charmingly incoherent "English-as-a-second-language" vocals and soccer type chants, they're no Shonen Knife. Lead singer Ryoko is now with the band, Last Target, but I haven't heard anything from them yet.

From The 13th Round (TKO, 2000): Calling I Fought the Law (Clash cover) Strike Out Double Fist

3. The Kidnappers are a garage band from Hamburg. Many compare them to Teengenerate, and certainly their debut, Ransome Notes & Telephone Calls on Alien Snatch really captured the band. Their latest effort, Neon Signs, incorporates more of a pop sound, which some people aren't really that into (their Now Wave review was pretty mediocre), but I dig it, although not as much as Ransom Notes

The first Kidnappers LP on Alien Snatch was like a kick to the balls. Like a mid-fi Teengenerate, Ransom Notes and Telephone Calls was about as tuneful and catchy as garage punk comes. Neon Signs is their Rip Off Records debut, and veers from garage punk territory into the realm of power pop.

-Wrecked Kids

From Ransom Notes & Telephone Calls (Alien Snatch, 2003): A Bit Of Your Love Teenage Fever Available from Alien Snatch

From Neon Signs (Rip Off, 2006): Street Where I Live Goodbye Again Available from Rip Off Records

The Kidnappers Website
The Kidnappers Myspace

In the week to come, look out for some tunes from the DOT DASH FESTIVAL bands. Definitely don't miss out on that if you're in the NYC area! Check out my sidebar for more info or go to http://www.dotdashnyc.com

First off, I noticed a little while back Killed By Death Records posted my banner on their site, so thanks to them! Go visit them, it's definitely one of the best MP3 blogs out there! http://www.kbdrecords.com

Also, another bit of plug. I recently did some cartooning & stuff of The Briefs, and they've posted it on their site. It's under the latest news headline on their webpage, so check it out if you wanna. The site is http://www.thebriefs.com. Here's a preview:



Alright, back to the real reason for this post. Today's theme: bands with B-movie themed names. Okay, not exactly the greatest theme in the world, but I'm posting great bands, so shut up.

1. The Mummies are probably one of my all time favorite garage bands - I wish I could have seen them before they broke up in 1992, after only 4 years. (They actually re-united in '93 or '94) If you YouTube these guys, you can see how awesome they are as a live act, all dressed in mummy suits to live up to their name. They were quite the purists, only releasing their stuff on vinyl until a couple years ago when they issued a couple of re-releases and comps on CD. One of their LPs has the great title, Fuck CDs! It's the Mummies.

These are a couple of tracks from Never Been Caught. Really great lo-fi garage rock, with surf sounds. The Mummies are one of the bands you have to listen to if you don't already!

From Never Been Caught (Telstar, 1992): (You Must Fight To Live) On the Planet of the Apes Battle of Iron Eyes Cody She Lied Jezebel You can get this one from Telstar or off Goner.

2. The Radiators from Space from Ireland are often hailed as on the of the nation's first punk bands. Formed in 1976, they released the classic album, TV Tube Heart under Chiswick. The album featured the hit, "Television Screen", which landed them in the Top 20 on the Irish charts. The band dropped the "from space" part of their name to be come simply The Radiators, before their second album was released and eventually broke up in 1981. Guitarist Philip Chevron later joined The Pogues.

From TV Tube Heart (Chiswick, 1977): Television Screen Electric Shares Roxy Girl Blitzin' At the Ritz

The Radiators reformed in 2004 and just finished mastering an album. I haven't heard their new stuff yet, but they're supposed to be posting a couple tracks on their myspace.

The Radiators Website
The Radiators Myspace

3. From the home of garage rock, Detroit, MI, the Gore Gore Girls take their name from a very gory HG Lewis 1972 movie about strippers being mutilated. A self-proclaimed mixture between the Stooges and the Ronettes, they actually live up their wods, managing to mix rockin' garage with some Phil Spector-style catchy pop. I saw them open for The Undertones last year at Maxwell's and I can say that they put on a great live show too, '60s girl group style in matching outfits, go go boots and choreographed moves.

Here's some from their Strange Girls debut LP and a 7" they did of a Little Eva & a Dixie Cups cover, which shows off their '60s girl pop influence.

	From Strange Girls (Get Hip, 2000): Hunt You Down Lovin' Machine Hard Enough
	From the Keep Your Hands Off My Baby 7" (Get Hip, 2002): Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Little Eva Cover) I'm Gonna Get You Yet (Dixie Cups Cover) Both are available from Get Hip.

Gore Gore Girls Website
Gore Gore Girls Myspace

I went to see Electric Six at the Warsaw last night (great band to see live, by the way), but what really blew me away were the openers for the act, Les Sans Culottes.

Les Sans Culottes are a fake French band (meaning they pretend they're French but they're really all New Yorkers) who sing awesome 60's pop straight from the French yé-yé scene. Eight members with rather ridiculous names, (for example, Edith Pisoff and Johnny Dieppe), they put on an extremely fun show with lots of hot pants, go go boots & dancing and French douchebaggery. They played an awesome cover of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking", all in French.

From Faux Realism (Aeronaut Records, 2002): Ecole de Merde Non Merci, Oncle Sam Apollinaire

Here's a video off their website which I put on YouTube. The track is "Je Suis Content" off their 1999 self-titled album.



Les Sans Culottes Official Site
Les Sans Culottes Myspace

Oh yeah, Happy Bastille Day!

Ugh, I've been so crappy with updating, but to continue with the all-girl theme of last post, here's some girl fronted trios whose names end in -ettes. Predictably enough, these ladies all play a variety of sixties (or sixties-inspired) R&B and soul. Coordinated dancing is a must.

1. The name "The Dansettes" does not only refer to the three lovely New York ladies who sing really authentic sounding sixties soul - with harmonies, oohs, ahhs and all - but also to their four man back up band. I heard the Dansettes put on a really tight show, but I guess I'll have to find out for myself when I go see them open for The Black Hollies and The Dirtbombs at Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) on July 29.

From their 2005 7" Oh My!: Oh My! Money Tree I've Got a Feeling (I'm only posting two tracks because this is their only release so far, so you need to go get it!)

The Dansettes Official Page
The Dansettes Myspace
Oh My! is available at Hammondbeat Records.

2. Heading over to the other side of the pond now, The Pipettes from the UK are a less soulful, more 60s pop trio. They've got a little bit of disco influence in them too, which is not particularly my bag, and they seem to be in danger of sounding a bit too much like the British girl pop bands of the 90s and now, but despite this, they're pretty decent. Cute, fun stuff. Their older stuff, like this 7", ABC, is far better - and more sixties - than their newer releases.

From 2005's ABC 7" off Transgressive Records: ABC Simon Says Judy

The Pipettes Official Page
The Pipettes Myspace Page

3. Of course, I can't leave you without posting any Ronettes stuff. The Ronettes are possibly the ultimate 60s girl pop group, thanks to legendary producer Phil Spector. Lead singer Veronica (aka Ronnie) eventually married Spector, but they had a very bitter divorce five years later. Anyways, this stuff's pretty classic - the band achieved a great deal of success with their hit, "Be My Baby". The Ronettes eventually broke up in 1966 but Veronica later launched a solo effort under the name, Ronnie Spector.

From The Best of The Ronettes: Be My Baby Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love? (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up