Just A Provocation

Joy & The Hit Kids “Run Away” – Bless the good people who assembled the second In Kraut compilation for unearthing this brilliant late 60s German soul gem. The song moves at such a brisk pace that it sounds impatient, as though the drummer of the Hit Kids just couldn’t wait to get to all the best parts, and believe me, there’s no shortage of them in this song. Can fans should note that the In Kraut 2 comp also includes the only single by The Inner Space, an early incarnation of the band about a year before the release of Monster Movie. (Click here to buy it from Marina.)

The Blood Brothers “Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes” – It would seem that the new Blood Brothers record is doomed to being misunderstood in its time if just because it can be so tricky to figure out exactly what the hell they are trying to do a lot of the time, especially when they step away from their shrieking gimmick long enough to give us tracks like this. “Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes” cycles through a bass groove not too far removed from “Emotional Rescue,” a chorus that sounds like their version of an anthemic power ballad, and ends on an extended psychedelic instrumental section that I assume is the “Exotic Foxholes” portion of the program. The band are at their best when they get ambitious and mix their gut-punching rage and unrestrained anguish with arrangements that aren’t an obvious match, setting up appealing tensions and venturing well beyond the monochromatic musical palette of most hardcore acts. (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

Elsewhere: My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site, with mp3s from Teddybears & Annie, 120 Days, and the Evens.