Replay Records Delivers 2012 Boxset
This is a boxset Replay Lounge put out in 2013 possibly that collects all four 7"s released in 2012. I don't think the newly found label had planned this from the beginning of 2012 or anything, but rather, it was a creative way to move some product. You get 7"s, a koozie, a sticker, a download of the Cheap Beer comp. and it's all packaged in a hand printed personal pizza box that's designed around Lawrence's best, crappy, pizza place,
Pizza Shuttle.
As awesome as I think this whole package is, I'm saddened because it's leading me to believe the following: 1.) It's 2014 and these are still available for purchase, they limited the boxsets to 100. That means, Replay Records was sitting on at least 100 records of each release. 2.) Since they got a good amount of stock on hand, the label might be in danger of disappearing. They haven't released anything in a while. 3.) This is a great deal. All this cool stuff for $20 and it's still available. Fucking, go buy this at
Replay Records.
As for the music, it's all worth the investment, you really can't go wrong. Great artwork and cool labels to boot. Only issue I have with Replay Records is they press their stuff on some shitty vinyl, things are off center, the center holes are too narrow, and you can just look at the grooves and see cheapness. However, they sell cheap beer at an awesome bar and release punk rock records, I'm not sure I should expect them to sell audiophile grade vinyl releases. As for the tunes and bands, here's a quick breakdown:
Up The Academy - Gimme Gimme B/W Pretty Bird - Loud, thunderous garage punk. Gets the award for best artwork as the sleeve is hand pressed on a cut out from a 12 pack of cheap beer.
The Hips/Hospital Ships Split - Yoo Hoo's Binoculars B/W Come Back to Life - The Hips play some drunken stoner-groove. It's well done, but at times I feel it drives too far down a well-worn path filled with hippies and bands from Austin, TX. The Hospital Ships are primarily Lawrence, Kansan, Jordan Grieger, doing bedroom pop odes to the Flaming Lips (he took the name from a Lips' lyric). At least, that's what you always hear. I think his tune here is the best of the bunch. Definitely a homespun, bedroom feel, in which you do hear a Wayne Coyne vocal strain, but it's so twee and great. I really need to invest in the releases available on Graveface Records where Hospital Ships have found a home.
Rooftop Vigilantes/Mannequin Men Split - Automatic Trash and Trouble Making Words B/W What's Yer Favorite Colour and Dark Cemetery -
I already talked about this, it's still awesome.
Mouthbreathers - Die Alone B/W Validation - First, great band name. The first tune is drawn out and dark. It's a little too stuck in idle for metal and it's certainly too focused to be punk. I suppose they may be going for a post-rock sound, that is until "Die Alone" turns into an all out garage-rock raver. "Validation" on the flip side is more fuzzed out garage punk, reveling that this band was just playing around on all the previous build up.
