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Shady Bug

Shady Bug | Lemon Lime | 3hive.com
Shady Bug | Lemon Lime | 3hive.com

St. Louis four-piece, Shady Bug, pack quite the punch on their sophomore release Lemon Lime (out now via Exploding In Sound Records). The band’s formula throughout Lemon Lime is lull you into a groove with jangly guitar melodies that float around singer/guitarist Hannah Rainey’s vocals before unexpectedly punching you in the mouth with a brass knuckled fist of blistering distortion. Each song has you waiting for that punch to happen and it’s so good when it does.

Check out “Whining” below for a taste, you’ll be glad that you did, just remember to duck. Enjoy.

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Leggy

Leggy | Let Me Know Your Moon | 3hive.com
Leggy | Let Me Know Your Moon | 3hive.com

Cincinnati 3-piece Leggy have been cranking out the solid gold, garage-pop/rock goods since 2014 and their brand new full length, Let Me Know Your Moon is no exception. The shredded guitar licks, chugging bass lines, pounding drums and powerful vocals that we’ve come to expect from a Leggy release are all there and better than ever. Give “Not What You Need” and “Taffy” spins below to hear for yourself.

You can pick yourself up a copy of Let Me Know Your Moon on your preferred format from Leggy’s Bandcamp page. Enjoy.

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The Exbats

The Exbats | E Is For Exbats | 3hive.com
The Exbats | E Is For Exbats | 3hive.com

Arizona’s The Exbats consist of father-daughter dynamic duo Inez and Kenny McClain with the Resonars’ Matt Rendon rounding out the band on bass. They play solid, crunchy, pop-punk tunes. I think you’ll like them. Their new album, E Is For Exbats is not really a new album at all, it’s a compilation of their first two cassette releases put to vinyl for the first time via Burger Records. Check out “Everybody Loves My Mom” below for a taste.

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Sam’s Faves of 2018

It’s time for my annual blog post…

Without further ado, my favorite albums of 2018:

Khruangbin Con Todo El Mundo (Dead Oceans)
Durand Jones & the Indications self-titled (Dead Oceans)
Bodega Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture?)
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris Everything’s Fine (Mello Music Group)
Janelle Monae Dirty Computer (Bad Boy)
Altin Gun On (Bongo Joe)
Smokescreens Used to Yesterday (Slumberland)
Idles Joy As an Act of Resistance (Partisan)
Low Double Negative (Sub Pop)
Cut Chemist Die Cut (A Stable Sound)

I encourage you to enjoy these on vinyl (link will go here as soon as I get off my butt and update the online store).

And because 2018 offered so much more music than can fit neatly in a Top 10 list, here are my 23 favorite songs of the past year…

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Pinch Points

PINCH POINTS | MECHANICAL INJURY | 3hive.com

PINCH POINTS | MECHANICAL INJURY | 3hive.com

Melbourne’s Pinch Points’ new EP Mechanical Injury has sprung me from my summer slackerdom. It’s pounding, choppy, angular, post-punk (mostly punk) goodness is as good as it gets. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, but their execution is spot on.

Mechanical Injury is one of my favorite releases of 2018. It’s so good it has had me looking into starting my own label and begging Pinch Points to let me release it on vinyl, but after learning to read, it appears I am too late. Bummer.

Mechanical Injury is available now digitally via Pinch Points’ Bandcamp page and will be released someday by Six Tonnes De Chair and Custom Made Music. Enjoy.

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Lithics

Lithics | Mating Surfaces | 3hive.com

Lithics | Mating Surfaces | 3hive.com

Portland OR quartet, Lithics, bring the heat and melt faces on their new album Mating Surfaces. Their razor-sharp, tinnitus-causing, post-punk hooks you right at the needle drop of opening track “Excuse Generator” (below) and doesn’t let go for 29 minutes, leaving you exhausted – yet begging for more.

Mating Surfaces is out now via Kill Rock Stars. Enjoy.

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Droopies

Droopies | Responsible People | 3hive.com

Droopies | Responsible People | 3hive.com

Philadelphia 3-piece, Droopies, are the definition of the term power-trio. Their sophomore release Responsible People is packed with in-your-face hooks as they bounce between shoegazey punk rock and jangly psych-pop, with one common denominator: fuzz and lots of it. These guys get pretty big sound for there just being three of them.

Responsible People is out now digitally via Droopies Bandcamp page and on a limited cassette release through Funny / Not Funny Records. Give “Gone Wrong” (below) a spin, then go get your hands on a copy of this bad boy. Enjoy.

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Spiritual Cramp

Spiritual Cramp | Mass Hysteria | 3hive.com

Spiritual Cramp | Mass Hysteria | 3hive.com

San Francisco’s Spiritual Cramp are a refreshing throwback to the snotty rock ‘n roll and punk rock days of the 70’s and 80’s. Their debut EP Mass Hysteria is a real stomper. Check out the shimmery (dare I say Clash-like?) “Tenderloin” and the in your face “Wrecking Machine” below.

Mass Hysteria is out digitally via Spiritual Cramp’s Bandcamp page and on vinyl through Deathwish.

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Favorite Releases of 2017 (Todd’s List)

Here are my favorite albums/EPs from 2017, in no particular order…

Monster Rally Flowering Jungle (Gold Robot)

Spotting Spotting EP (self-released/Aarght)

The Rebel Set 4 Song EP (Hidden Volume)

Ty Segall Ty Segall (Drag City)

Molly Burch Please Be Mine (Captured Tracks)

Doug Tuttle Peace Potato (Trouble In Mind)

David Bowie No Plan EP (Columbia)

FRONDS Cold Across My Skin (Gold Robot)

Jake Xerxes Fussell What In The Natural World (Paradise of Bachelors)

Lilith Apology Plant (Disposable America)

Tall Friend Safely Nobody’s (Exploding In Sound)

Oh Sees Orc (Castle Face)

Bedouine Bedouine (Spacebomb)

UV-TV Glass (Deranged)

Destroyer ken (Merge)

Mountain States Whispers (Coaster)

Kevin Morby City Music (Dead Oceans)

Otoboke Beaver Love Is Short! (Damnably)

Century Palm Meet You (Deranged)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Soul of a Woman (Daptone)
RIP

Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)

Open Mike Eagle Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (Mello Music)

Milo Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! (self-released)

Michael Nau Some Twist (Suicide Squeeze)

Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)

Jack Cooper Sandgrown (Trouble In Mind)

Waxahatchee Out In The Storm (Merge)

OCS Memory of A Cut Off Head (Castle Face)

Once And Future Band Once And Future Band (Castle Face)

The Safes Tasty Waves (Hidden Volume)

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November 17 Mixtape: The Unrest Edition

November 17 Mixtape | 3hive.com

23 punk rock slabs dedicated to our favorite radio DJ – Sean Boy Walton. Enjoy.

1. 7 Seconds – Here’s Your Warning
2. T.S.O.L. – World War 3
3. The Lillingtons – I Saw The Apeman (On The Moon)
4. Hüsker Dü – I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About
5. The Replacements – Something To Dü
6. SAMIAM – Long Enough To Forget You
7. The Briefs – Year Long Summer
8. Ramones – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
9. Hard-Ons – Girl In The Sweater
10. The Undertones – Male Model
11. Descendents – Jean Is Dead
12. Adolescents – Self Destruct
13. Circle Jerks – Moral Majority
14. Misfits – Astro Zombies
15. Zodiac Killers – Radiation Beach
16. Bad Brains – Sailin’ On
17. Dead Milkmen – Tiny Town
18. The Marked Men – Doctor Dan
19. Rocket Reducers – Don’t Wanna Wake Up
20. Zig Zags – Sin Eaters
21. Bad Religion – Quality Or Quantity
22. Offspring – Hand Grenades
23. SNFU – Big Thumbs