Sweden has been pumping out great underground rock ‘n’ roll for quite some time now, including guitar noodlers the Hellacopters, garage punk experimentalists Regulations and hardcore purists Amdi Petersen’s Arme, not to mention its most high-profile punk rock export, the crowd-pleasing Hives.

Add Poppets to the list, a lo-fi, drum machine-based duo that consists of former Heartattacks front man Magnus Andersson and his girlfriend, Lina. Over the course of four tight, catchy tunes, the fearless pair serves up a stripped-down, pop punk landscape that is definitely one of the best releases yet from Sacramento’s primo Plastic Idol Records. With another seven-inch available on Austria’s Bachelor Records and a forthcoming one slated for San Francisco’s Bubbledumb Records, Poppets are one hard-working band. Reward them for their efforts by picking up a copy of the latest EP – after all, only 300 copies were pressed.

–Jason Gelt

Photo: Plastic Idol Records

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

The Barbaras is the latest band to grace Memphis’ premiere garage rock label, Goner Records. Their debut three-song 7-inch EP, which defies conventional categorization, is a beautiful little slice of lo-fi pop that exits your speakers like sunshine and honey mixed together on an August afternoon.

What’s the recipe? A twist of soul, a squeeze of ’50s falsetto, a dash of warm and fuzzy production value and a jigger of joyful bubblegum sensibility, shake it up and pour it in your ears. The effect is better than a vodka lemon drop.

Featuring members of Jay Reatard’s backup band as well as members of Memphis psych-folk act Kazalok and garage-punks Boston Chinks, the Barbaras is a seasoned act worth keeping an eye on. The songs are not only well-crafted but also free and easy, mixing influences as diverse as Del Shannon and the 1910 Fruitgum Company for an effect that is distinctly fresh and modern as well as old and wise. Rumor has it they’ll be releasing an album on In the Red Records in the not-to-distant future, but for now you can sample the pleasures of the Barbaras for free on their MySpace page.

And by all means, if you own a turntable, check out the 7-inch. 

– Jason Gelt

Photo: Goner Records

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

We live in an age when many goods and services – from groceries to books and music – can be secured online without ever having to leave the comfort of one’s own home. The infrastructure of mom and pop shops has taken a hit, particularly in the book and music market, as online retailers like Amazon, eBay and iTunes gain prominence.

All the more reason for Record Store Day, an event that shines a spotlight on the importance of independent record shops both as unique resources of music knowledge and as community hubs for human interaction. As Nick Hornby, author of the novel “High Fidelity,” – a loving homage to the quirky joys of old-fashioned record shops — opines on the Record Store Day website, “Yes, yes, I know. It’s easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what’s playing on your favorite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that’s what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody.”

Asked about the importance of the celebration, Bob Say, owner of the Valley’s Freakbeat Records, says, “We want to let people know that real record stores – neighborhood record stores – still exist. We’re still here. We’re still selling records – we’re selling lots of records, both vinyl and CDs.”

On Saturday hundreds of record shops from across the world link spiritually to celebrate the culture of music stores. Several L.A. area retailers are joining in the fun, featuring an exciting array of sales, events and live performances. Visit the store nearest you to lend your dollars to the cause of keeping independent record stores alive and well in the 21^st Century. Here is a handful of highlights:

Amoeba Music in Hollywood will host live DJ sets from Peanut Butter Wolf and the Donnas, with special sales and giveaways throughout the day.

Fingerprints (562-433-4996) in Long Beach will host Rob Halford from Judas Priest for a signing from 4pm-6pm. After that the shop closes and Limbeck plays at 6pm, Silversun Pickups at 8pm. You must be on a list to attend those shows; call or show up to get on the list but be aware that Limbeck’s list is still open today and Silversun’s reopens at 1pm tomorrow. Also, there will be a line-up for tickets to a Portishead presale and rehearsal show give-away at 10:30am (drawing at 11am). Plus Coachella ticket give-aways and all sorts of sales.

Freakbeat Records in Sherman Oaks will mark all 99 cent LPs and CDs down to a quarter. Everything else in the store will be 10% off the sticker price. There will also be giveaways of free CDs, posters and more.

Melrose Avenue’s punk rock specialty store, Headline Records, is offering a free Club Card – which entitles customers to 25% off all merchandise — with a minimum $10 purchase.

–Jason Gelt

Photo: Record Store Day

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

The stuck-in-a-punk-rut folks over at Maximumrocknroll will probably huff and puff about MouseRocket’s sophomore release, “Pretty Loud,” the way they did about the recent Black Sunday split LP, but hey, that’s their loss – and a big, fat gain for anyone who likes no-nonsense music created with heart and soul.

The new release is a smooth, poppy album that bursts with a smart blend of sunny energy and moody edginess. The stellar quintet is fronted by unstoppable powerhouse Alicja Trout (of Black Sunday, River City Tanlines and Lost Sounds fame) and Robby Grant of Big Ass Truck on guitar, with support from Hemant Gupta on bass, Robert Barnett on drums and the totally awesome Jonathan Kirkscey (from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra) on cello. Trout has never been loath to take chances with her music and this outing is no exception. The album’s 11 top-notch cuts, to be released on Tic Tac Totally! Records on April 29^th (mark that calendar!), run the gamut from raw and jangly to crisp and electronic. Standouts include the epic “On the Way Downtown,” the dreamy “Aphrodite” and the slow-building “Never Stand a Chance.” There’s also a great countrified version of “I’m Set on You,” which originally appeared on Mouserocket’s debut Empty Records LP in 2004. With its gentle mix of ethereal and gritty, this record is the perfect soundtrack for summer 2008. Purchasers of the LP also receive a free CD version of the album for maximum musical flexibility.

– Jason Gelt

Photo: Tic Tac Totally! Records

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here. 

Few things make a record collector’s eyes sparkle as brightly as a novelty vinyl release. Picture discs, records shaped like hearts and pumpkins, colored vinyl, hand-numbered editions, reverse-playing songs at the end of a record (as with the Black Lips’ “Good Bad Not Evil” LP), scratch-and-sniff record sleeves —  it’s all been done.

Enter the crown prince of Memphis garage rock, Jay Reatard, who recently caused quite a stir by getting himself signed to major label Matador Records. Love him or hate him, he’s still poised — at the tender age of 27 – to become the next superstar of garage rock, the questionable mainstream marketability of his name notwithstanding. The insanely prolific Reatard (he’s been in at least nine bands) and his new record company are creating vinyl history by releasing six limited-edition seven inches in 2008, approximately one every other month.

Shrouded in secrecy, the production numbers are so low that those wishing to pre-order the record are only allowed one copy apiece. The first single, “See/Saw,” backed with “Screaming Hand” – both cuts recorded at Reatard’s own Shattered Records studio — is currently available for pre-order from Matador, and it hits record stores Tuesday. Those not afflicted by the collector bug can easily avoid the mad rush for the limited collector’s edition releases and wait out the storm for an eventual full-length CD/LP compilation of the singles near the end of the year.

– Jason Gelt

Photo: Matador Records

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

“Is this the new Amy Winehouse album?” a houseguest recently sneered, noting the Budos Band LP spinning on my turntable.

Never mind the fact that the Budos Band sounds absolutely nothing like Amy Winehouse. The Afro-funk and soul-jazz-powered instrumental outfit features nary a vocal, female or otherwise. Just a supersized 12-piece band using a focused onslaught of guitars, bass, brass, congas, bongos, a flute, even a cowbell. Still, the mere fact that several members of the band — including trumpeter Dave Guy and guitarist Thomas Brenneck, not to mention the album’s redoubtable producer, Bosco Mann — had the nerve to act as the troubled pop star’s backup band on “Back to Black” is enough to earn irrational scorn from the world’s legion of Winehouse-haters.

I understand. I don’t want to hear “Rehab” ever again — or at least not for a solid decade or so. But that won’t stop me from singing the praises of the Budos Band, one of the most exciting and downright groovy acts to hit wax in quite a while. Released by Brooklyn-based Daptone Records, which is almost single-handedly reviving old-school soul with such stellar acts as Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and the Sugarman 3, this is the Budos Band’s second album since 2005. The sophomore outing is smooth, driving and robust, taking the funky instrumental aesthetic of the first album and pumping it up to near-mythic proportions. The band’s sound conjures up a world of spectral spaces and dangerous natural wonders, reflected by the evocative album cover art that hearkens back to the grand old gravy-smothered days of ’70s soul and funk. Switch on your swag lamp, sit back with a Hennessy on ice and let yourself be enveloped in a warm, rich world of soulful sound that may make you just a little bit wistful for the 20^th century.

– Jason Gelt

Photo: Daptone Records

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

It’s a bit of a mystery why Detroit fuzz-masters the Dirtbombs have never achieved the recognition and filthy lucre they so richly deserve. Helmed by Mick Collins – whose musical prowess has spanned two decades and shaped influential acts like ’90s garage icons the Gories and Blacktop and the funk-struttin’ Voltaire Brothers – the signature rhythm-based Dirtbombs sound is defined by two drummers, two bass players and Collins’ driving guitar work and soulful vocals.

Hampered by an ever-shifting lineup (we’re on the 17^th variation), the band has nevertheless managed to produce four incredible albums in the last 10 years, the most recent being “We Have You Surrounded,” which is nearly five years on the heels of the last album, “Dangerous Magical Noise.”

The wait was well worth it, however. The new album on In the Red Records features stark cover art from punk rock icon Gary Panter and explodes with churning energy and bombastic Detroit style. A host of original new tunes join two covers to create a rock ’n' soul package that’s hard to beat. “It’s Not Fun Until They See You Cry” and “Wreck My Flow” stand out particularly, with the inspired Sparks cover “Sherlock Holmes” and Dead Moon’s anthem “Fire in the Western World” demonstrating the Dirtbombs varied musical influences.

–Jason Gelt

Mark your calendar: The Dirtbombs storm the Troubadour on May 17.

Photo: The Dirtbombs

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here. 

“For Rent.”

The sign in the front window of Don’s Music was irrefutable. A few minutes previous, strolling along Eagle Rock Boulevard, I’d counted my lucky stars at living within walking distance of a shop like this.

Although sales of vinyl are up as the CD market flounders, L.A.’s record store family has dwindled of late. R.I.P., Aaron’s, Rhino Records and House of Records, to name three. Amoeba remains the biggest game in town, although its sprawling size, surly security force and byzantine organization sap it of the modest charm contained within cozier quarters.

Don’s is the definition of snug, like the record stores I remember from childhood — cluttered, unruly spaces helmed by iconoclastic and equally unruly dudes with more eclectic vision and taste than marketing or customer service skills, where hours could be spent scouring for obscure and dusty treasures.

Housed for three years at 4873 Eagle Rock Blvd., Don’s is jam-packed with thousands of new and used records of every category, not to mention CDs, guitars and assorted music-related ephemera. Visiting is like slipping on a comfortable old pair of slippers. Regulars banter with Don about music and the state of the world and pet the store cat, 13, who is usually found napping atop a record bin.

“No,” I thought. “Not Don’s!” I was about to squeeze out a tear or two when the door to the shop next door opened and Don himself emerged into the twilight, spattered with white paint.

I gestured at the sign. “You’re not…”

“Nope,” Don replied. “Just moving. Right next door, as a matter of fact. It’s bigger.”

After I heaved a sigh of relief, he showed me around his new digs. Formerly a beauty shop, it was big, open and bare. The blood-red walls will soon display art courtesy of Don’s creative friends, and the battered floor will be painted metallic gold. Best of all, there will also be a lot more room for record bins and, hopefully, the biggest disco ball Don can find.

Eyeing empty curtain brackets above the front window, he mused, “Maybe some red velvet curtains. That might be a little too crazy.” The grand opening in the new digs is tentatively set for March 30, good news for record addicts the city over.

– Photo and post by Jason Gelt

Read more of the Magnanimous Collector here.

When other 1960s youth were growing out their hair, turning on, tuning in and dropping out, rural Oregon’s all-kid Christian rock band the Click Kids were, as the back of their impossible-to-find LP states, dedicated “to the winning of souls and the encouragement of other young people to give their talent to the work of the Lord.” Click, by the way, stands for Christ Living in Christian Kids. Stryper, eat your heart out! Thanks to the recent vinyl-only compilation “God in the Garage,” on Gabriel’s Trumpet Records, a new generation of lost souls — or just souls in search of righteous (and bizarre) garage music — can revel in the good word of the Kids.

For sure, the songs are silly, featuring lyrics such as “Run Samson run/You’re gonna lose your hair/You’re gonna go to prison/And die down there,” but the music is actually pretty good. Catchy, funny and yes, kinda rockin.’ It’s not often I awake in the middle of the night with a song running through my head, but the Click Kids have wormed their way into my subconsciousness on several occasions with hits such as “Fugitive From God” and “Happy Happy Christians.” Plus, it’s hard to argue with a teen band that traveled around proselytizing with a van emblazoned with the words, “Jesus Is a Soul Man.”

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Alicja Trout might just be the most prolific woman in underground rock. Her list of band credits is as long as the track listings on your average album. Add to that her credits as a producer and guest artist and you practically have a short story. She’s also a talented visual artist who’s had a hand in designing many of her own record sleeves. In addition to once jamming with late lamented Love frontman Arthur Lee, Trout was a core member of Memphis synth-punk legends The Lost Sounds and Nervous Patterns (both collaborations with recent Matador signee Jay Reatard), and still releases stellar records with her kick-out-the-jams rock ‘n’ roll outfit River City Tanlines and her self-described dark wave band Black Sunday, which Trout launched as a conduit for experimental urges that didn’t gel with her other band’s output. She also runs her own label – Contaminated Records – and has produced a slew of recordings for a variety of punk and garage acts at her Tronic Graveyard studio.

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