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Merman Records “Sea Creature Series Vol#1” – 4/5 Merman Records is a new label that hails from the mighty tundra of Canada. If you’ve been under a rock for the last 3 or 4 years you might not realize that Canada is a hot bed of great punk rock. The best that gets churned out of Canadian music factory currently is Pop Punk and that is what Merman Records is all about. Merman Records introduces themselves with style and quality with this bouncy 4 band / 4 song split 7
www.mermanrecords.com

The Neutron Bombs (Chicago, Illinois) “Not Listening” has an old school Pop Punk sound filled with machine gun vocals with tight leads. Oddly this band hails from the of the Pop Punk breeding grounds of Chicago, IL, but the singer of The Neutron Bombs, Ken O.’s (ex- Battalion of Saints, Methadones, Beer Goggles) voice sounds like a grizzled old European punk rocker. This song drips with a foul odor of sweaty influence of bands such as; Stiff Little Fingers, Slaughter and the Dogs, & The Dickies. This song definitely made me look them up to hear some more of what they have to offer.
www.myspace.com/theneutronbombs

Regal Beagle (Los Angeles, California) “Party Again” – Regal Beagle often get compared to The Queers, but not this time. “Party Again” has plenty of their signature bouncy upbeat sound, but this time around there’s a slightly edgier sound that gives the song an upbeat Screeching Weasel feel. I’ve heard a bunch of Regal Beagle’s songs (which I like), but this is probably my favorite song they’ve done so far.
www.myspace.com/regalbeagle

The Roman Line (Toronto, Canada) “Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease” – This song has the style of a combination of a Bouncing Souls and Face to Face song from the mid 90’s. The instruments in this song are great, I love the whole combination (The bass lines are amazing in the song). The Lyrics (especially the chorus) on the other hand are pretty weak and kind of ruin the song for me. Not necessarily a bad song, just not something that makes me want to check The Roman Line out. That being said I have some Roman Line songs and I enjoy those songs more than “Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease”.
www.myspace.com/theromanline

Fear Of Lipstick (New Brunswich, N.B) – “Did ya’ know” – A Mid speed, Whoa – oh filled little diddy with poppy hooks and a few nice sarcastic one liners thrown through out the lyrics to “up da p0nx”…ie… “Did ya know if you keep talkin’ shit, your teeth will end up brown” & “This city’s dead and look who’s got the gun”. This song is a nice example of Fear of Lipstick that reintroduced me to a band that I thought I didn’t like and proved me wrong.
www.myspace.com/fearoflipstick1234

Available for purchase at www.mermanrecords.com