Leather Lungs – Leather Lungs Do The Wobbly H [2014; self-released]

With ~8 minutes over three tracks, the Leather Lungs blister through their garage punk rock with a surprising amount of character for such a quick run. Humor is evident without overpowering the musical efforts, and as the instrumental “Blast Beach” shows, they can put some serious riffs to work. While the brevity of the release is regrettable, it does keep the band from over-indulging, and as their debut (EP?), that’s a good point to hit. Fast and dirty, with plenty of fun to its raw-sounding ruckus.

Various Artists – Garage Daze: American Garage Rock from the 1960’s [2017; ORG Music, Rhino Custom Products]

This compilation spotlights over a dozen underknown garage rock groups, several of them with just one or two singles to their name, but highly cool across the board. Blendings of surf, funk, pop, traditional rock & roll, and psychedelic are on display, with high enthusiasm helping sand over the general roughness of the production. The songs go by quickly enough that their similarities blend together a bit, but the sharpness of the riffs and choruses, along with the good humor, pop up some distinction to balance out the bleed-over of the electric guitar tones. Some Beatles-like experimentation with Eastern flavors crops up occasionally, but rarely as more than just a glazing over the regular rock foundations. All in all, a nice tour through some obscure tunes, and a neat touchstone for historical context.

The Baron Four – Walking Out / Can’t Find My Way [2015; State Records]

The A-side of this single bursts out in a blast of retro UK garage rock, strutting guitar lines and bleary vocals complementing sharp drum-work and an insistent bass presence. Raucous and stylish, it makes its point in two minutes and change before passing to the B-side, which eases back on the energy. “Can’t Find My Way” keeps most of the instrument treatments intact from “Walking Out”, but with more of a flourish on the guitar’s lead progression and a vaguely psych-y wash over the rhythms, it makes for a nice recovery and counter-point to the rawness of the first track. A solid pair, and a good showcasing of the group’s style.

The Ar-Kaics – Always The Same / Let Me In [2015; Market Square Records]

The A-side track of this single pops out into a brash slice of British garage rock, retro-flavored without getting bogged down in emulation. Twangy guitar tones complement the low-key bass, snappy drum-work, and intentionally nasal vocals for a fun little groove at moderate speed, traded off to the B-side for a mellower dig through similar style. “Let Me In” takes on a colder and more plaintive tone, with more isolated handling of the guitar’s quavering notes and feedback, and while it makes for an odd switch from the energy of the first, both sides show the band operating in strong form.