Assistant’s Certain Memoriesand Goodbye Wudaokou’s Anything Of Ushave been two of the most well-received albums of 2025. So it’s not surprising
these Subjangle label mates and supporters of each other’s music have decided
to combine their talents to each release a brand-new song as part of a (very)
limited edition vinyl split single (30 copies total!!) on Bandcamp.
Not many do bittersweet better than Assistant and on their
newest song “Flowers” the lyrics of a lost relationship are set against a pop
tune. “When we meet should we choose somewhere
neutral/It won’t be fruitful if the memories are brutal/And will we hug or just
there, awkwardly?”
Unlike the Assistant song which imagines an eventual meeting
of lovers, the Goodbye Wudaokou track “Sky Lantern” has no such thoughts and makes
clear the two sides of the same coin these bands share. The Bandcamp page describes the song as “Intimate, mournful” and I couldn’t say it better myself. “You only exist in
the memory of a kiss/You only exist in the sun-whitened photographs/The ones I
still cannot bear to see.”
Last year the UK’s The Jack Rubies released two songs that
fit perfectly with the Halloween spirt we’re celebrating right now. But both
“Poltergeist” and “Phantom” were also metaphors for a relationship on the
skids.
The band’s latest release, the great sounding “Are We Being
Recorded?” (Big Stir Records) is even scarier because it deals with a real
threat to more than just a couple of kids on the outs. The surveillance state is tracking our every move and there’s a real menace from hackers trying to get into our
phones and computers. Even the algorithms
attached to the streaming services we use to watch our favorite programs and
listen to our favorite tunes gather information in order to suggest what we
should do next.
“You’re in my home sniffing ‘round/What have you found? Mr.
Smith and Jones/Not your real names of course” sings the band’s Ian Smith (if
that’s his real name). They go on to demand his real location but they
already know and will delete his social media accounts.
Speaking of hooks and harmonies, this Big Stir collection contains
21 tracks from the label’s artists. I could list my favorites but I'll just let the members of The Armoires tell you all about it.
This is rocknroll. It’s a four-piece from Michigan playing both
kinds of love songs within an inch of their lives.
SideXSide, the new EP by The Needmores (Lenny Grassa on
vocals and guitar, Jason Neckrock on guitar, Jason Bowes on bass, and Eric Klisz
on drums) is the follow-up to the debut single “Lookin’” that they gifted to us
earlier this year.
And like the best rock and roll there’s both joy and
heartbreak. The title song hits the ground running and the joy is non-stop: “Side
by side/Anytime with you is fine/When you’re zoomin’ round the room/Singin’
that fine tune/Not sure what you sing/But it shoots me to the moon.”
The coin flips for impending heartbreak on “Let It Ride:” ” Three
times you left me waitin’/Two times you stood me up/I’m here anticipating time
in the sun/Gonna make it happen/It’s gonna take some time/Then I’m gonna let it
ride.” (He thinks he's going to be fine when he breaks up with her but it doesn't really work that way.)