What a job Burger has done of putting together the double cassette compilation The Kitty Comp! 52 tracks by as many bands, and as far as I can tell all exclusive (or how about Matthew Sweet covering Fever B’s “This Sea Is My Life” and a Resonars jangle explosion called “I Didn’t Feel So Cold Then”). I’ve made several happy new aquaintances but best of the bunch I think, must be Thee Goochi Boiz from Denver, recorded by Jason Testasecca (who has played with and recorded a bunch of groups like Nobunny, Mandy + Jason and the excellent Harlem). Goochi Boiz’ only release so far is this debut tape that Burger put out last year, but it’s so great I have to post about it despite its lacking news value. Oops! contains 12 songs every bit as playful and inventive as Harlem’s 2010 album Hippies. But tather than that group’s edgy garage punch, this set is covered in a warm fuzztone that places Goochi Boiz somewhere inbetween Burnt Ones and the Unwed Teenage Mothers. With songs averaging 1½ minutes in length, it’s impossible to get enough of bubblegum hit “Banana Split”, powerpop ripper “This Gun’s For Hire” and the closing love song “You’re the One I Want”. The tape is still availabe from Burger, as well as streaming on bandcamp while they’re waiting for their new album Fast Food For the Teenage Soul to reach the shelves. It will contain their contribution to the comp, called “Why You Gotta Be Mean to Me” and which borrows a guitar line from Love. Francis Carr from the band was nice enough to send me some rough mixes of a few more new ones, and “You’re Melting” is simply too cool not to let you hear it.
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Another new name on the radar is The Be Helds, out of Montana. This year, they’ve put out what appears to be a self-released LP called Volume 1. The record is brimming with guitar-and-drums garage upheld by strong songwriting. While sharing the approach of say, White Mystery, their sound is more jangly and blues-based, maybe somewhat like Dead Ghosts. It’s quite a murky production, but oozing of good times with its pummeling drums, double vocals and the odd harmonica or whistling. I’m imagining this group would be a whole lot more fun live, but still, they’ve captured some of that nerve on these 10 songs. Buy and stream the whole record on bandcamp. Below is their track from The Kitty Comp, “Just Dreamin'”, which is a free download.
