Busy Signals

Ive been pretty busy lately so havent had to much time for the blog. School lets out soon so expect a lot more in about a month or so. Well Ill leave you guys with this for now.


This Chicago-based quintet clearly believes in the notion that "old punk is best punk," and for a bunch of young whippersnappers, they roar through a set of tunes in the 1977 manner with as much snot, firepower, and élan as you could hope for. The Busy Signals are a long, long way from reinventing the wheel on their self-titled debut, but they know how rock & roll works and lay it out with skill and confidence. Lead singer Analucia (no last names for this bunch) shows a healthy portion of Chrissie Hynde-style attitude and equally impressive vocal chops, while Kevin and Eric both deliver top-shelf guitar firepower without getting in one another's path. The rhythm section keeps things fast and lean (the album zips by in less than 24 minutes) and drives these tunes like the proverbial Airmobile; "Matter of Time," "Plastic Girl," or "Stereo" would have sounded pretty swell on any random Sire Records LP released between 1977 and 1979. Blast from the past? Not quite, but The Busy Signals sure get the first part of that equation right. - amg

The Busy Signals - The Busy Signals

Earthshakers, Yeah!

Ever tire of listening to your roommates or neighbors playing crappy indie punk and classic rock junk, well I got the perfect record for you and them........

If ever there was an album that ought to have "Light Fuse, Run Away" printed on the label, it's We Told You Not to Cross Us, the debut long-player from Columbia, MO's the Revelators. A power trio with better things to do than look for a bass player, hard-wailing vocalist Jeremiah, guitar mangler Schooley, and drum punisher Mark come roaring out of the box with "Ain't Got a Thing," a raging slice of blues-punk that sounds like an unholy cross between Howlin' Wolf and Black Flag, and the album never lets up for the next half hour. If the band occasionally downshifts into lower gear, it's usually a matter of going from 110 mph to 95 (like on the swaggering "Just Fine" or the ill-tempered "Ain't That Hatin' You Baby"), and on the album's one bona fide slow song, "Hillbilly Wolf," the boys show that they can reign themselves in without losing a drop of their intensity. But while these guys run fast and hit hard enough to impress the most jaded punk purist, the deep blues and country influences of their Southern heritage are never far from the forefront, and while "These Callused Hands" never got them a gig at Farm Aid, as an anthem for the independent farmer I'll take it over anything John Mellencamp ever put on plastic (The Revelators are the only punk band I know of who scheduled their tours around the planting and harvesting seasons on their family's farms — really!). We Told You Not to Cross Us makes it clear the Revelators are that rare example of a "roots rock" band whose roots run deep and whose rock is hard, fast, and frantic. Hear it and be amazed. - AMG

The Revelators - We Told You Not To Cross Us...