Devil’s Brigade
Self-Titled
Hellcat
Street: 08.31
Devil’s Brigade = Rancid + Asmodeus + Anti-Nowhere League
After teasing fans for years, Rancid bassist Matt Freeman is finally releasing a full-length of his pyschobilly-geared side project, Devil’s Brigade. Along with longtime songwriting partner Tim Armstrong on guitar, Freeman entered the studio with DJ Bonebrake of the legendary punk band X and banged out a vicious punk rock n’ roll record. The opening track, “I’m Movin’ Through,” lets you know you’ve entered Matt Freeman’s world of dark, harsh vocals accompanied by equally ominous yet furious guitar work and rhythms. Half this record is the fruit of a musical that Armstrong and Freeman have been working on about the history surrounding the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. “Bridge of Gold” stands out because of its folk arrangement and light-hearted bounce. Freeman moves seamlessly from electric to upright bass and pulls back on his instrumental virtuosity to let the songs take center stage. A must for any Rancid fan, this record will also appeal to psychobilly fans and punks alike. Check ’em out live on the inaugural tour with the Street Dogs, which hits town Oct. 22. –James Orme

Early Graves
Goner
Ironclad Recordings
Street: 06.22
Early Graves = Cursed + Minor Threat + Behold
Goner is the grievous final statement for vocalist Makh Daniels.  On August 2, he was tragically killed in a van accident while driving from Oregon to Nevada.  Fortunately, we have Goner to remember/acquaint ourselves with the man behind the snarl.  From the punk/thrash brevity of “Rot” and “Bastard Tears” to the more deliberate and crafted “May Day” and “Wraiths,” Early Graves has given us an album’s worth of un-skippable tracks.  Listening to Goner is like being willfully pummeled––when you listen to it, you’re just asking for an aural beating, and Goner will make a masochist out of you.  I’m sure the irony of the band’s seemingly prophetic name isn’t lost on the band during this dismal time.  If you’re able to help with the funeral costs, donations to the Daniels family can be made through PayPal under ripMakhDaniels@gmail.com. –Andrew Roy

El-P
WEAREALLGOINGTOBURNINHELLMEGAMIXXX3
Gold Dust
Street: 08.03
El-P = Lazerbeak + eDit + Blockhead
El-P may be best known as head of Company Flow and founder of Definitive Jux, but he’s mostly focusing on this solo career these days, and it shows in his latest release. This instrumental compilation shows the swarm of ideas that must be mashing around inside this man’s head all the time. These songs are dark and brooding, anger seething under a surface of slick production. Car-alarm melodies, distorted fuzz and evil-robot-digital blips combine over chest-thumping beats. Aside from a remix or two, including Kidz in the Hall’s “Driving Down The Block,” all this music is original and never-before-released. The album sounds like the Fight Club soundtrack, but meaner and set really far in the future. “How to Serve Man” is a frenetic, video-game-esque buzz, while “Honda Redux” is a bombastic booty-shaker complete with laser guns. Fans of solo producers will enjoy this fine example of beats made for beats’ sake. –Rio Connelly

Electric Sunset
Self-titled
K Records
Street: 09.12
Electric Sunset = Miike Snow + Palace of Buddies
I never thought I’d get tired of this style-pulsing, reverberated-to-all-shit-dance-electronica with pop hooksand I’m still not, but it begins to grate a bit. Take this self-titled release: with the advent of easy-to-use music production software, we’re beginning to lose some necessary “real” instrument touches. But Electric Sunset walks that very thin dividing line between real guitar and real keyboards, and the new reality of everything being made in a magic electronic box. 80s synthesizer sensibilities emerge on tracks like “Morning City,” where this San Francisco group’s synth alternates with the sounds of a clean guitar, and that is where this album walks that line the best. I could do without so much vocal reverb, though. Unless you’re very high, it hurts, and the pulsing bass begins to nauseate. Nine tracks isn’t too much, though—glad to see a tight release with concise, precise ideas. –JP

Eternal Summers
Silver
Kanine Records
Street Date: 09.28
Eternal Summers = Au Revoir Simone + Beat Happening
In the middle of what feels sometimes like a weirdo indie-pop season, Eternal Summers lives up to their name with hazy guitar and minimalist drums alongside dreamy vocals best for lazy-ing around the house and soaking up some rays in the backyard. Cheerier than Beach House and less rock n’ roll than Avi Buffalo, Eternal Summers falls somewhere near Fossil Cities' dim guitars and Belle and Sebastian's vibrance. The duo have been compared to indie darlings Beat Happening and the newer Dum Dum Girls with their lo-fi, consistent sound. The title track is solid rock, while tracks like "Salty" and "Eternal" feel like you're floating in the warm ocean without a care in the world. Nicole Yun's voice fills your ears with sugary vocals that carry you gently from song to song, contrasting with the dynamic guitar and punchy drums. They've joked in recent interviews at their "dream-punk" classification, but that's almost an accurate description. More dream than punk, although there's something very punk about their simple, albeit beach-y sounds. The bouncy, sweet songs of Silver are sure to carry you through the rest of summer and help settle you nicely into fall. –Kyla G.