THE SPITS Pain 7” EP

THE SPITS

Pain 7” EP

Slovenly Recordings/Thriftstore Records 702-89 2009

http://www.thespits.com/index.html

I love this 7”. Possibly their best, or 2nd to it. (The perceived best here being their other 4 song 7” to date: 2001’s 19 Million A.C!) Starts with “Army Bound”, a great keyboard driven song about the chaos and destruction of war (that was also on our Mongrel Zine Volume 2 CD Comp that came with Issue 5, to compliment the band’s interview). “Pain”, recorded by Lo Spider, is my favourite on here, a Sabbath cum punk rocker in capable hands, Sean Wood is a Riffmaster! The Spit-o-lizer has never sounded more fucked. “Beat You Up” ends this EP perfectly. This is part of a series of 7”s with custom-printed, custom die-cut dust sleeves on Slovenly’s new Thee 45 Series! Thee series includes releases by Los Vigilantes, King Automatic, Digger & the Pussycats, and more each limited to 300 or 500 pressing. (Bob Scott)

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY RAN IN MONGREL ZINE #8. BUY IT HERE

THE SPITS School’s Out LP

THE SPITS
School’s Out LP
2009 Thriftstore Records
www.thespits.com
Anticipation for a 4th LP from The Spits has messed with blood pressure across the globe but Erin and Sean Wood (bass & guitar, vocals), drummer Lance, and Ernie Quintero back on keyboards finally give us cause for relief and celebration! Released on their own label Thriftstore Records, the album has a hilarious fucked up mutant kid cover! The insert is a “yearbook” from 19 Million A.C.: The skip-out-of-class version of a school annual. This record is a quick fix as usual because all of The Spits studio albums are short and sweet and always leaving me wanting more like a squirming wizened junkie! Great sound on this instant classic 12” 45rpm album. Tough belts of weird street punk punctuated by silences that are as precise as edits in a Scorsese film. The chill-inducing “Police” is among the best songs they’ve ever done with its buzzsaw/blender guitars, extremely creepy paranoid keyboards and an infectious, unforgettable chorus: “Police, they want to lock us down – we’re going underground!” More subdued songs such as “Flags” and “Alienize” are skullfuckingly psychedelic. The Spits write brilliant, funny, and angst-ridden songs that match up to the best stuff from The Ramones (an obvious influence). What a good cheap high! School’s Out comes in vinyl and CD format, and there is a downloadable version too. (Bob Scott)

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY RAN IN MONGREL ZINE #7. BUY IT HERE