The Spits “The Spits” 2009. Thrift Store Records. All of their LP’s are unhelpfully self-titled; this one is unofficially known as The Spits IV. Formed in ’93, from Michigan and now based in Seattle, The Spits play snappy, snotty classic punk in the spirit of the Ramones (see the tracks “Tonight“and “Live in a Van” in particular) but with a seriously lo-fi/shitty (intentionally, I think) sound – no Spector wall of sound on this album! The vocals are tinny, the backing vocals harsh and the mix way off but in the spirit of punk it totally works. The Spits (IV) is a tight and fun record. My top tracks include the punky anthemic “Rip Up the Streets” (but man is the guitar muddy as hell on this one), the buzzy “Police,” the weird and melodic “Alienize” and the rocker “Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya.” I have no idea if The Spits actually recorded this video for “Alienize” but it’s way weirder than the song.