Cementing The Seams

I briefly mentioned these guys before in that review of Dolcim's "Guillotine Ride". Sanctions are a hardcore band from Nashville, TN and comprise the other two dudes from Cease Upon The Capitol, and I love that band so it was only a matter of time before I gave Sanctions a thorough listen. Now, unlike Dolcim, Sanctions sound pretty much nothing like CUTC, but I suppose to the uninocculated, the harsh vocals and thrashy guitar could create some confusion. Sanctions are probably best described as crust punk, which, as far as genre names go, is remarkably concise and sounds basically like you'd think. It's equal parts punk and grind but Sanctions seem more the former than the latter. Their first full-length, 2007's "Home Sweet Home" is a positively raging record that displays Sanctions aptitude for writing simple yet powerful punk riffs and working them into crushing, chaotic 2 minute hardcore jams. Most recently they released a split 10" with fellow Nashville band Dawn. The 5 songs on their side prove that their debut was no fluke and that Sanctions are the real fucking deal. "Home Sweet Home" is available on CD and cassette (unfortunately no vinyl release) while the split is vinyl exclusive and comes packaged quite excellently, hand-numbered with lovely screen-printed inserts.

For Fans of: Cursed, Hammers, Trap Them, Cease Upon The Capitol (kind of)

Sanctions on Myspace

Ran across this today and figured it would be worth posting. Michigan power-pop trio Cheap Girls posted some new songs on their Myspace page as well as a blog-update revealing information about their upcoming sophomore release "My Roaring 20's". It's a follow up to their debut LP "Find Me A Drink Home" which was one of my top 5 releases of 2008.

Recently punk rock label Paper + Plastick remastered and re-released "Find Me..." on colored vinyl which can be ordered all over the place, I would suggest it.

For Fans of: Smoking Popes, The Long Winters

Cheap Girls on Myspace (again)

I read a bit of exciting news today via Vinyl Collective: Able Baker Fox have agreed to be included on a future installment of their Under The Influence singles series! If you're unfamiliar with Vinyl Collective and/or the Under The Influence series you should definitely check it out right here. Basically Vinyl Collective (and by proxy, Suburban Home Records) brings together artists from the punk community to release the occasional 2 song split 7" record on which each band covers a song (of their choice?). ABF will share the honor with punk rock act In The Red. Anyway, they have a streaming player up where you can listen to most of the songs that have been recorded for the series. Check out the current list of upcoming artists that will be involved in the series (you can expect to see artists like Bridge And Tunnel, Cheap Girls and Minus The Bear soon). And hell, why don't you buy some records while you're at it.