Brimstone Howl "Singles Collection" cassette
We're big fans of the Howl here at TB HQ, and it's been fun watching them bang it out for a few years. Shameless plug, but if you want some real insight into these guys, there's a great interview with them in Scratch'n'Sniff zine #2. Numerous singles and three LPs (four if you include that early CD-only thing) so far, and they have a good handle on their place in the underground hierarchy. I think they've done pretty well for themselves, and I imagine they could be contenders for something a little bigger than Alive/Total Energy, but I'm not sure what that would be...I think a lot of TB readers might find them too traditional. Not weird enough perhaps, and this may be the same thing that keeps them in the upper-middle-class of a Bomp offshoot label, but not quite on the hipster radar of your Pitchfork/Vice crowd that dig on the Black Lips and such. Or maybe it's because they haven't really written a complete knock-out of an LP (but still have penned two very good ones). Sometimes I think it's their "straightness" that causes them to stand out for me and actually makes them "weird" in their own right. Who knows. Fact is, they're one of the best true rock'n'roll bands on the planet, capable of writing catchy and honest songs that actually rock pretty fucking exceptionally. This cassette compiles most of their singles action, including bonafide smash hits like "Lynne", "In the Valley", "Uptight" and "Tunnel of Love"- fifteen tracks total, plus one unreleased cut. A lot of this material is probably still available on wax if you look close enough, and all of their seven-inches are worth owning if you ask me. Still, this is a handy compendium and a great intro to the band if you're unfamilair and a far better starting point than any of their full lengths. Honestly, I wouldn't mind having this pup on wax...pro tapes, with download, first pressing of 100 is (rightfully) sold out, but it's wisely been re-"pressed", albeit in a shorter run.(RK)
(Rainy Road Records // rainyroadrecords.com)

The Shanks "I'd Fuck Me" cassette
Part of the cornbelt Nebraska scene that birthed Brimstone Howl, Spread Eagles, Fag Cop and more Termbo favorites, The Shanks have perhaps been overlooked in comparison to some of their scene brethren, but have still dished good material here and there. A couple of singles on Boomchick (the flag waver for this little geographical niche, and a label that had a good but brief run) would have made one really good 7" if you combined the best songs (like "Cut Me" and "Dead Flowers"...), and I swear there was a split 7" or a tape or CDR in there somehwere...but their most recent EP on TTT ("Backstabber") was a great effort from start to finish and made me glad to see them back in the ring. This tape is all unreleased, from two different sessions, the A-Side sounding a little more polished, and the flip some rawer leftovers from a Brooks Hitt session at Boomchick HQ. Fifteen cuts of pissed off heartland punk rock, somewhere between the misogynistic Dead Boys-influenced slop of The Reatards and the darker and less weird moments of The Feelers. Dirtbag stuff like "Sex Feels So Good", "Throwaway Girls" and "I Got Fleas" really scratch that scumpunk itch if you're feeling the need. Sloppy shit with zero pop influence and maximum attitude problem. I'm not going to say this qualifies as great, but it's quite good for the form and I just listened to it three fucking times, so there's something there. 100 copies, pro tapes, and I really like the cover design.(RK)
(Rainy Road Records // rainyroadrecords.com)