Bakamono Sampler #1

(Bakamono)
by Scott Hefflon

Yet another great idea by Vigil (Suburban Home Records, Bakamono Records, Store and Mailorder, formerly of Hopeless Records) – ya get this CD for free when ordering anything from the store or through mail order (including online at www.Bakamono.net). With 28 tracks, over 70 minutes of punk, hardcore, ska, and more, this is a sweet deal. And there’s some damn fine stuff here, too (kinda repetitive seeing as I just reviewed Wankin’ in the Pit [Suburban Home] and The New Frontier [Soda Jerk] and a bunch of bands overlap, but you don’t have to worry about it unless you’re me. And if you think you are, you have more to worry about). Many of these songs are from recent records by bands you should’ve heard of, others are new (either unsigned or signed to a label so small they may as well be unsigned cuz ya gotta go to the guitarist’s house to get a copy of their record), and many, many are top notch. Plenty of contact info so you can reach yer faves. Sound quality fluctuates with band style, making a kinda jumpy end-to-end listening experience, but each song in and of itself probably sounds exactly the way it should. If you know what I mean. In closing, the first song, by my new favorites, Gamits, covers a song that’s long been on my list of “covers I want to hear before I die” – ABBA’s “Take A Chance on Me.” Not an easy undertaking by any means, and a fuckin’ awesome punkified version by any standard. Congrats guys. Bands contributing: Gamits, Fury 66, Decay, Still Left Standing, Dillinger Four, 78 Rpms, Your Mother, Donuts N Glory, Fairlanes, At The Drive In, Knowledge, OS101, Homeless Wonders, Thumbs, Turned Down, Facet, Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, Gutbucket, Alkaline Trio, Downway, Jeffries Fan Club, Nothing Cool, Reckless Abandon, Blackhead, All Out War, Full Frontal, Eclectics, and Dear Secret Diary.
(PO Box 40757 Denver, CO 80204)