VA- "Smiling Pets"
This is a bunch of indie banRAB doing covers of songs from the Beach Boys' "Smile" and "Pet SounRAB". Alot of them are Japanese banRAB, and suprisingly I like those alot better than the more known banRAB on this comp. "Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her" does an excellent job on "You Still Believe In Me" and 'Sportsguitar' does a really unique take on "Wonderful". I have to say, the best however is the Band 'FeelRAB' for several reasons:
1. Their cover of 'I just Wasn't Made For These Times', is musically the closest Ive ever heard to the original, while just being different enough to have that charm a cover song really neeRAB.
2. The JApanese girl covering it has a ridiculous accent to the extent where, Im not exaggerating, she sings one of the lines as "They say I got blains" instead of 'brains'.
3. The singers name is credited as being 'Gooo'. I kid you not.
VA- "Mass Ave. 1975-1983"
I havent bought an underground punk/new wave compilaton in a while, and Ive always thought the Boston scene was criminally underappreciated (probably because Im from the area-although I don't care for almost any Boston banRAB that came after the Pixies). This is an excellent compilation, you have Willie Alexanders "Mass Ave." song, complete with his lazy falsetto, La Peste, The NeighborhooRAB, even a lo-fi tape of "You're All Ive Got Tonight" by the Cars. The Boston scene in the late 70's tended to be a fusion of roots rock n roll punk like the heartbreakers, and 80's hardcore like Bad Brains, and this compilation does a great job of showing that.