Monday, May 23, 2011

Neptune Balance: "Caution"

Presenting "Caution", the debut track by Neptune Balance -- a beloved member of the Central Target family. An EP is in the works, but until then, listen to this until your ears start to bleep.

Find it here:
http://nep-bal.tumblr.com

Get some. You'll like it.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Keeping The Urge Alive: Dive, Captain, Dive!


It's 2011. And I just purchased a newly-recorded Urge Overkill album. On vinyl. When are we?

At 16, an older friend tipped me off to the joys of Urge's masterpiece - Saturation. I call it their masterpiece because to my mind, it's where their (too early for irony) '70s rock-god image-mongering met the effortless hooks of savvy ex-punks. They were loud, hooky, and catchy as the flu. Over the years, I've eventually come to the conclusion that I prefer the previous album The Supersonic Storybookfor it's alternative guitars and Exit The Dragon for its beautifully ragged Exile On Main Street "everything's-faling-apart" atmosphere.

As good as each of those are, Storybook is too ragged, and Dragon is too wiped-out to really register as "the one". No, for sheer summertime adrenaline, Saturation is the one to go with -- glossy and shiny as a new pair of sunglasses, and stomping like a mammoth. Riff after riff, thundering drums, and enough "whoo hoo hoo"s to get anyone smiling.