Teenage X "Drink! Dance! Destroy!" CD

Drink! Dance! Destroy! is an apt title for the debut full length from Toronto's Teenage X. These scene vets have been playing for a while now and have done time in bands like The Downbelows, Tijuana Bibles and The Threat among others.
The band is made up of Rich Gaskin on guitar, the husband-wife team of Sarah and Phil Page on vocals and bass and Mikey Hawdon of the Fairmounts fame, on drums.
The songs are:
The Signal
Fast Machine
Boom
Drink! Dance! Destroy!
Losin' It
Say What You Want
On the Outside
Chelsea Horror Hotel
Wasted
The record is a self-assured nine songs in a louder, faster, shorter 21 minutes and although there are traces of what they've done before present here, this is a group that's clearly come into its own. The punk rock sensibilities here are filtered through an early 80s New Wave/Power Pop filter that add some catchy bounce. The feel of this record had me thinking that some of these songs would fit well on the soundtrack of a circa 1982 teen coming of age comedy, especially on the song Losin' It.
It's easy to make comparisons to Blondie, Pat Benetar and Kim Wylde and you wouldn't be far off. The thing that makes this record unique though is that is doesn't come across as sounding retro. Page can really add some punk snotty-ness to her voice but she can actually sing as well. The songwriting is solid and because these guys can really play, most of what you hear will stick in your head without repeated listening. But if this is the kind of thing you like, then chances are you won't want to stop listening. Drink! Dance! Destroy! is bound to be your soundtrack for this summer.

Teenage X studio 3 session

Teenage X - The Signal
Teenage X - Fast Machine
Teenage X - Losin' It
Teenage X - .08
Teenage X - Wasted
Teenage X - Holiday Road
Teenage X - Chelsea Horror Hotel
Teenage X - Say What You Want
Teenage X - Boom

Radio - Sunday, June 5, 2011

Click for download

FROSTBACKS – I Hate the Bloody Queen (True North)

MUTATED EARTHLINGS - Pock Marked (Absolute Underground)
CRYSTAL MESS – Touch of Death (Self-Released)
THE ROLE MODELS – Our Scene (Absolute Underground)
CLASS OF 1984 – Gig Shoe (Bullitt)
DEATH SENTENCE – Nightmare (Lazy B)

TIMMY'S ORGANISM - Scum Revolution (Hozac)
THE SHRAPNELLES - HIV (Hozac)
WAX IDOLS - All You Human (Hozac)
DALAI LAMAS - I want You (Hozac)
THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLES - Led as One (Hozac)

WARHEAD – This World of Confusion (HG Fact)
FRAMTID – Curse (Self-Released)
FLOWERS OF FLESH AND BLOOD – A Bitter Pill (Tuneless)
URINARY TRACT INFECTION – Fake as Fuck (Schizophrenic)

DEVIL DOGS - Backstage (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
TEENAGE HEAD - Brand New Cadillac (Attic)
THE DIODES - Red Rubber Ball (Epic)
SOULSIDE - Ex- Lion Tamer (Sammich)
NIPDRIVERS - Have You Ever Been Mellow (Taang!)

THE SHIRKS – On Time (Grave Mistake)
DEAN DIRG – Cause I Can (Hardware)
ORDER – Nazo Nazo (HG Fact)
THE LOGJAMMERS – Hit 2 (No Patience)

FUCKED UP - Generation (Schizophrenic)
A.P.B. - Know My Name (N.R.K.)
THE TOASTERS - Teenage Tease (Bomb)
DEAD END -  Government vs. You and Me (NRK)
POINTED STICKS - Apologies (Bomb)

Demo Feature
TIED DOWN – Out of the Kitchen (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Tally (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Get Radified (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Anatomy (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Double Life (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Fifteen (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Native American Apparel (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Tied Down (Self-Released)
TIED DOWN – Anxiety (Self-Released)

End Program “Balatus” CD

This is the new END PROGRAM recording making it their third release. It rages like TRAGEDY and represents this city’s representation for the new wave of crust that bands like SAIGON DISTRESS SIGNAL and LIVING DARKNESS worked on developing. The songs are mostly structured around a fast punk beat that offsets d-beat with pensive doomy sounding parts. It’s crushing at the best of times and hits you hard. All I hear is a throwback to great bands of this genre like BEHIND ENEMY LINES and AUS ROTTEN. The songs on here are:

1. Not Enough
2. Confidence Man
3. Gold Medal Winners

4. Soldier
5. White Wolves
(High Art for the Low Down – theendprogram@live.ca)

Update: Saturday, June 4, 2011

More Studio 3 sessions have gone up which include:

-Saigon Distress Signal recorded a session in April 2005 that you can now hear at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2005/04/radio-sunday-april-3-2005.html.- Riot Brigade from Hamilton had a slight crossover sound. They recorded this awesome session at the old studio that you can now download at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2005/11/sunday-november-13-2005.html.
- Cobra Noir, who were from Montreal and had that emo-crust sound that the Swarm had at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2006/05/sunday-may-21-2006.html
- Boulevard Trash who were Toronto's answer to the Exploding Hearts recorded a session in 2006. There session is now up at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2006/06/sunday-june-25-2006.html.
- Brown Belt are a band from Barrie that has changed their name to Generation Hexed. The band is made up of ex-members of Sons of Ishmael, BSL, and Flecks of Drool. Their studio 3 session is available for download at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2006/08/sunday-august-13-2006.html.
- The Nymphets from Montreal showed up one night with Bob Burns and the Breakups so we recorded both bands live from the floor because we didn't have time to pre-record a proper session. But that's how we used to do it in the old days. Anyway the Nymphets session is up at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-june-24-2007.html. They remind me of a Ramones fans doing a lo fi hybrid of the Exploding Hearts and Jonathon Richmond.
- The Restarts from the UK played on the show when they were playing here for the "Outsider" tour. They recorded a session the night they landed and it is up here under the night we broadcast the session - http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2008/06/sunday-june-1-2008.html.
- a set of originals was recorded by the Screwed and can be pulled down at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunday-august-10-2008.html. The band is a set of scene veterans paying homage to the original wave of punk. The band features Steve Saint from the Sinisters, Steve Koch from the Viletones / Demics, John Borra of Neon Rome, and Cleave Anderson of Battered Wives / Tyranna fame.
- The Vatican Chainsaw Massacre session was recorded at the beginning of 2009. You can download the files from http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2009/01/sunday-january-18-2009.html.
- 63 Monroe are an incredible band from London, Ontario and part of the incredible story is that they are still active as a band. They recorded a session in September 21st, 2008 but the session was aired a few months later. You can get the session at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2009/02/sunday-february-1-2009.html.
- City Sweethearts recorded a session in 2009. They were a lot more polished, but they had guys in that band that were in Riot99 and Vicious Cycle, and Action and maybe Marvelous Darlings. They did some neat covers like the Monks and the Fun Things for this set. You can hear it at http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com/2009/07/sunday-july-6-2009.html.

V/A "Bloodstains Across British Columbia" LP

This is recent material, not punk rock archelogy like the name might suggest. This is reviewed in the issue of MRR #377 that came out in June 2011.

Strange Attractor CD

Strange Attractor from Sudbury get reviewed in the June issue of MRR #377.