VINNIE LIKES MUSIC!

GOTOHELLS: This month was good to my ears. Very good. For starters, there are the Gotohells. Say it with me: “Go-to-hells.” That wasn’t so bad now, was it? It’s so rock ‘n’ roll of them to have such a cool name. So punk rock, too. And appropriate. The Gotohells are a punk band with their shitkicking boots knee deep in country-fried rock ‘n’ roll, to be exact. Their new disc (Vagrant Records), Rock ‘N’ Roll America packs the spit-n-swagger punch of a true rock record, with punk’s full-speed ahead energy. And they have naughty little song titles like “Drink Poison, Wrestle Snakes,” (my favorite) and “Lock Up Your Daughters.” It has all the piss and vinegar of their previous releases, with that Budweiser-swilling sound found in Rocket From the Crypt’s more contemporary stuff. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good time record.
MYSTIC: Then there’s Mystic. Her album doesn’t come out until April, but the kind folks at Goodvibe Recordings (Slum Village, Bahamadia, etc.) sent me a promo cassette. Mystic flows with a KRS-One-like ferocity over head-bobbable beats. It reminds me a lot of Black Star or Polyrhythm Addicts. They have flow with substance, but their beats don’t suffer because of it. It makes your speakers happy, and your head smarter. Her album is called Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom, and some of the more interesting tracks are the eerie “Ghetto Birds” and “W” featuring Planet Asia.
THE SLACKERS: And lastly, the Slackers. I’ll admit. I’m biased. They’re probably my favorite band out now. So it’s no big surprise that I like their new record (Hellcat Records), Wasted Days. It’s exactly what I expected it to be, and I expect the unexpected from them. They’re rooted in the traditional ska and rocksteady rhythms, and they keep them here. But they’ve also mixed in a shitload of additional styles, from New Orleans jazz (“Please Decide”) to Curtis Mayfield-esque soul (“Made Up My Mind”). It’s old timey-sounding, with bizarre instrument combinations and playful production techniques. Plus there’s a sweet cover of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” at the end. And if none of this grabs you, then listen to Q-Maxx’s “Sermon.” It’s all about the power of music. It’s all about shakin’ your ass.