Talking Heads
Stop Making Sense (Sire)
2 LP, limited edition clear vinyl
Whether you're brand new to the wonderfully left-field world of New York art-punks the Talking Heads, or you're already comfortable in their quirky sphere of existence, this new double LP is for you.
"Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino.com and retail and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at Barnes and Noble," reads the press release. "Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos."
That clear vinyl Barnes and Noble exclusive is the version that we received, and it's stunning. The vinyl is simply gorgeous, and the notes by the four members are fascinating.
The music from the concert film of the same name is, of course, historic. "Psycho Killer," "Burning Down the House," "Once in a Lifetime" -- all are classic and all sound phenomenal here.
"Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band," they say. “'Genius Of Love' by Tom Tom Club, 'What A Day That Was' and 'Big Business' from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day."
Seized Up
Modify the Sacred (Pirates Press)
LP
Pirates Press Records can always be relied upon to release some stellar punk. We recently reviewed a bunch of Monster Squad reissues, and now they've offered up the new album from Bay Area hardcore troupe Seized Up.
"The songs on the record come from extremely personal and often dark places for singer and lyricist Clifford Dinsmore, such as the first single, 'Hanging in the Balance,'" they say via a press release. "He explains, 'In the time period I was fighting cancer, I was shacked up, feeling like a prisoner in my own house. Living in a semi-purgatory state, it felt like I was looking at the world from an outside view.'"
It certainly is an intense listening experience, and the aforementioned "Hanging in the Balance," plus "Force Fed Hate" and "United in Frustration" betray that feeling of hopelessness and cynicism.
That all comes through in the pissed music. This is a great record to play when you need to let off some steam.
Carnage Asada
Head on a Platter (Historical Records)
LP
Carnage Asada is more than the best punk rock band name in L.A. (although it definitely is that). It's also a supergroup of sorts, with members that have performed with the likes of Legal Weapon, Saccharine Trust, the Alice Bag Band and the BellRays. Not a bad pedigree, then!
Musically, there's a gloriously free, experimental element to Carnage Asada. Latin jazz smashes into Stooges-esque photo punk, to tremendous effect. "Germs Reborn" and "Two Little Brothers From East L.A." betray their SoCal roots, while side B really leans into the Latin elements that make the band so special.
"Head On A Platter was recorded at Wasatch Studios in Los Angeles, California, and engineered by David O. Jones and his son Sebastian Jones," reads the press release. "Frontman and lyricist George Murillo explains the title, Head On A Platter, saying: 'We, humans, have become so de-sensitized to violence and violent images. Now it’s okay to see a decapitated head on a platter and think, ‘Oh well, that’s normal.’ Death has become a cartoon. ‘The normalcy of death and violence.’"
