PUNCHBAG – I AM OBSESSED E.P.

Well, this isn’t Punchbag’s first go around. I Am Obsessed (Mute) is the duo’s second E.P. release. Straight-forward pop indulgence from the south London brother & sister Clara Bach (vocals) and Anders Bach (bass/synth/production). At times, sure, the band slinks along with radio-friendly appeal – see  “Pile Of Clothes,” which seems to take its lead from the Andy Bell school, and “What’s In My Bag – but the band is deliberate in its delivery in some moments, with over-the-top explosiveness. “Playing God” is completely unexpected as it quietly wanders across its wavy seascape before its unexpected turn through its chorus, if you can call it that. It shouldn’t work, but it’s FANTASTIC! and completely unapologetic. It’s wild though, as the group moves into a quick and frantic motion, as anime come to life, and I can’t seem to get that image out of my head. The title track seems like the best of everything the group has to offer; it’s majestic, sometimes hushed, and at others, extravagantly overblown. Punchbag is a little more than intriguing, leaving much to the imagination, fascinating in every direction it moves in.

SPARKLER – GLIDEWINDER

Occasionally, we try. The need is there, but people do seem to make comparisons as simple as wondering why this Red Delicious is different than that of a Golden Delicious. In the end, you realize, it’s still just an apple. Wearing your proverbial influences on your sleeve is one thing, but attempting to rewrite history… we leave that to the U.S. government, knowing that in the end it’s still flawed in more ways than one. But comparisons might be hasty.

Out today is the full-length album Glidewinder (A La Carte Records) by San Diego’s Sparkler, which has an ever-shifting line-up apparently, but is led by vocalists/guitarists Christopher Sennes and Tron. This is the band’s sophomore release, and it leans heavily not only on a specific style but also on a specific timeframe. From the sounds of it, this is where Sparkler is living right now, somewhere between 1989 and 1991, and I state that without any hesitation. We’ll address the elephant in the room, but first, the band’s release is filled with numbers that swirl in the ether. I keep going back to the album again and again, and it seems I’m having a recurring dream featuring Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher, as guitar notes shift form & bend time and time again. It seems this is purposeful, and listening to “Methadone Jesus,” it’s mimicry down to its last note. The sonic explosion where everything seems to move on repeat flourishes around those guitars and the steady pummeling behind it. Don’t be swayed by my descriptions of what’s happening here because it would be so much worse if the music were poorly executed.

The tracks are strong and do stand with quality through execution. Some of us may have stormed the weather that rained down upon us when MBV wrapped performance spaces with its music, so you might want to prepare yourself for the same here. “Untitled” is a little different though as guitars ring out much clearer while the melody draws you in. Tron’s cooing wraps itself around light-handed guitars with a rhythm that seems delicate all around. Yes, the band is intriguing, and it’s clear there are more sides to it, and this shows the chops to move differently as the group drifts off in just over 5 minutes. Even with its closer “Pruning,” Sparkler’s effective guitar delays capture something special, allowing the song to take on a much more ethereal aspect. It allows those gently strummed notes to ring out. It’s all methodical, and we get it. One thing though, it’s natural, instinctual almost, and nothing is mechanical about it.

Whatever you do, don’t go and write off Sparker’s Glidewider, there’s something fascinating about the way the tracks move, never standing still, always attempting to corrupt your senses with its beauty.

IGUANA DEATH CULT – GUNS OUT

A monkey wrench can throw you off once in a while, but for some, the ability to move forward is a fortunate aspect of their own lives. While we all may become comfortable working a certain way, a change of pace might be what is needed. This isn’t about Southern Death Cult, this isn’t even about Death Cult, or even the Cult. No. This is about Iguana Death Cult.

It’s been three years since the Dutch outfit released a full-length album, and in that time, it has undergone a personnel shift, with Ari (drums) and Jus (bass) leaving after 10 years to pursue other endeavors in 2024. The group has resolidified itself with drummer Uri Rennert and bassist Jimmy de Kok and has just released its fourth long-player, Guns Out (Greenway Records). That’s what we’re here to discuss, not rehash the past but instead focus on the present and future. Just to be clear, comparably speaking from one album to the next, this version of the Iguana Death Cult seems to have changed more than just membership.

The band has moved farther away from the mainstream and has embraced a much more intense garage rock ideology or style. There’s always that one track, that one with the infernal intensity that’s stuck on repeat. Here it’s “I Like It It’s Nice,” grounded with a juicy repetitive bass throb that pulls on a few notes with Jeroen Reek’s repeating the same words again and again, which changes with the dynamic shift of the chorus. Guitars flurry all around it at this point, with bursting percussion.  It’s intense, and there’s no denying that. “Swinging At Ghosts differs a bit here… well, maybe more than a bit, but its frantic pace is accentuated at points with those underlying keyboards. The band seems to have come into its own, finding new life after its previous releases. It’s the art of reinvention, and it’s intriguing.

Where would we be here without the group’s obvious shifting punk antics? “Reckless Running,” a caterwaul of instruments wrapped up in a singular melody, is par for the course. The band leaves no room to catch your breath, nor would you want to, but Reek’s vocals help this one time warp back to the 70s heyday of the punk explosion. The fiery track is relentless and just that good. Then there’s the movement of powerful “Need A Friend,” with a rhythm that allows guitars to spit and sputter through the chorus. The band allows the harmonizing vocals within the chorus to erupt and capture the moment into something we’ve never truly heard from the band in the past. The closing “Deflated” is the only track that throws things off, a quieter number, led by a bossa nova-like rhythm that the band makes the most of. It’s a sweet track nonetheless.

In the end, The Iguana Death Cult flirts with pop melodies but never leaves its proverbial garage, and on Guns Out, the band leaves nothing to chance. Oh, the members know exactly what they were doing, and that’s creating a fucking masterpiece with its most memorable release to date.