On their earlier effort, The Delarcos favored a more chaotic approach. On their new record, Irradiate, the band ventures into a more controlled storm of sounds. The group, the home of Nathan Strejcek (The Teen Idles, Youth Brigade), is bringing a new vibe to D.C. post-punk, and a new label with Punkish Records.
Opener "Pair of Dice" recalls X-Ray Spex, with Mike Lastort's saxophone holding a center spot in the tune, while the spry "Spoilers" feels more like Pere Ubu to this listener. That one, and the languid "Can't Reach My Angel Wings" add in a dash of Eighties Beefheart, with the mix of instruments and vocals from Jon Hamblin working up a neat art-rock fury.
Produced by Brooke Delarco and mixed by Tom Lyle (Government Issue), Irradiate is out now via Punkish Records and the link below.
More details on The Delarcos via the band's Facebook page.
Sparklebot is a power-trio or sorts, with a crisp guitar-centered attack. Their new one, EVOLVEr was recoded by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Government Issue, Channels, Office of Future Plans). And while this doesn't sound like Jawbox, the hooks here have a nice crunch to them.
With John Hord's winsome delivery and guitar-lines, and muscular bass from Greg Bennett (The Jet Age), Sparklebot roar through their brand of power-pop. "A Little Life" punches far about its weight class, while the clever "Ginger Snaps" made me think of The Pursuit of Happiness a bit. The drums from Alex DeSeabra add a punk heft to "April Skies", one of the tunes where Robbins contributes guitar. The overall sound of this album is a brisk kind of pop punk, and it's highly recommended for fans of catchy, radio-friendly stuff like this.
EVOLEr by Sparkelbot is out now via the link below.
More details on the Sparklebot Facebook page.