Echo & the Bunnymen “The Killing Moon” 1984. 12″ single. The lead single from their fourth LP Ocean Rain and one of their best-charting, going to #9 in the UK. Gorgeously neo-psychedelic post-punk with an exotic sound inspired by Russian balalaika music. The 12″ single has two versions, the single version plus the “All Night Version” which is much longer and brilliant. I especially love the increased length of the track and the intensification of the cello solo. Also on this release is a hard-rocking live version of my all-time favorite Echo song “Do It Clean,” recorded on July 18th, 1983 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the final encore of their set. The vocals are soaring (with a Jim Morrison-esque meets James Brown breakdown at the bridge), the beat relentless, the guitar shredding and bending. Simply amazing. I wish they had played this version when we saw them play last year at the Pabst Theater. The entire Albert Hall concert can be seen here.

The Limboos “Off the Loop” 2024. Penniman Records. Madrid, Spain-based garage-soul, exotic r&b, psychedelic pop. Basically the kitchen sink of genres. Off the Loop is the 5-piece group’s fourth LP. I’m completely unfamiliar with this band – the album was a gift from some Spanish travels – so I can’t say anything about how it compares to their previous material. According to their Bandcamp page, on Off the Loop “they inaugurate a new cycle that confirms the restlessness and nonconformity of the band in the search for their own sound. How to define ‘Off the Loop’? The nine songs and 35 minutes of music included here reflect this broad perspective: lysergic passages, baroque pop, and beautifully crafted psychedelia intertwine with cinematic atmospheres, fuzz guitars, galactic keyboards and unique arrangements. In short, The Limboos’ sound has reached a place you never suspected.” My top pick is the almost-title track “In the Loop” which has a funky psych-garage vibe, followed by the hard, blues rocker “Stranded (I’m Moving On)” which also has more than a nod to psychedelia to it (love that 60’s organ sound). “Hangin’ Up” has a really laid-back soul-meets-psych groove and “Red Line” is a pretty decent ass-shaker.

Lambrini Girls “Who Let the Dogs Out” 2025. City Slang Records, on limited edition “Gay Smurf Dick” blue vinyl. Blistering raucous punk rock from the Brighton duo; their debut full length record. Holy shit this is f**king great! Self-described “party music for gay angry sluts,” Who Let the Dogs Out is non-stop ripping energy, anger and fun. Also highly danceable (like mosh-pit thrashable) and hilarious. My favorite song is “Big Dick Energy” because oh my god, yes, I also am irritated as f**k by that energy too, especially at shows. Other standouts: the opener “Bad Apple” grabs you by throat and you know these women will not let you go; “No Homo” is catchy as hell, and “Nothing Tastes as Good as It Feels” has a killer hook and is an angry, not so subtle nod to the weight-loss industry motto “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” And that’s just Side 1! On Side 2 I love the noisy, buzzy of both “Scarcity is Fake (Communist Propaganda)” and “Love” and “Cuntology 101” wins best song title as well as funniest on the LP. Kicking ourselves for missing a show they played locally awhile back (flew totally under the radar) and they’re skipping Milwaukee on their current tour, only playing Chicago and Minneapolis. I have a feeling these ladies are monsters in concert.