This is still one of my favorite Black Dice albums, with all kinds of weird sounds and samples for a really vibrant, fulfilling listen. My favorite track is "Glazin" - such a cool little glistening ball of trippy sunshine.

People seem to be torn about these guys, with some accusing them of being unoriginal. If you're looking for a single that will reinvent the wheel, you won't find it here. If you're like me and only care about finding something loud, distorted and rocking to unwind to, however, then this will do the trick.

I'll share my thoughts on the LPs I got (all black vinyl) in the order I listened to them:

Souvenir's Young America - September Songs

I love it: it's an EP of melancholy, multi-layered instrumental post-rock in the vein of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. They use a variety of instruments (including guitars, synthesizer, drums and harmonica) for a somber, movie score-like sound that's right up my alley. It's a shame that it apparently wasn't that popular: I'd have definitely paid full-price for it if I knew about it.

mOck - mOck

I'd describe this album as indie/alternative rock that incorporates technical elements to keep things interesting: mellow math rock, I guess, with puzzling lyrics to boot. I'm not much into technical stuff anymore, but this was a pretty nice listen.

Strike First - Gospels For The Deceived

A blazing hardcore punk/metal crossover album. It's great if you're into that sort of thing, but I dunno: it doesn't do anything for me personally.

Hearing "Rebel Yell" in Tony Hawk's Underground was my first exposure to them, so years later I finally got this album. It's really fun, funky ska-punk without horns, and I enjoyed it throughout. Not much else to be said.

I don't know a word that they're saying since I don't speak Japanese, but it doesn't matter. This record rocks: absolutely furious, pummeling, thrashing high-speed hardcore. Not much else to say: awesome punk in a language that I don't know. Lots of fun.

I'll admit I'm no longer the total Fat-oholic that I used to be as a teen, but I still had a lot of fun with this great compilation (after all, this is the label responsible for my first punk show back in 2005.) It caters to fans of all of their eras, with the "greatest hits" disc being my favorite. The other two are cool as well, particularly the demo-and-rarity-filled second disc: I had no idea that Bracket had a damned-fine acoustic version of "Everyone Is Telling Me I’ll Never Win..." I'd suggest giving this comp a look, so you can spoil yourself with a Fat treasure-trove for a reasonable price.

Warning: do NOT listen to this in a situation that demands being confined to a seat and general stillness. That probably qualifies as a form of torture. This compilation demands absolute balls-to-the-wall, totally-adrenaline-rush slam-dancing. They play fast as hell: sloppy but far from amateurish. Exactly the style of punk that made my mouth water when I discovered it as a teen, and still does. Check it out.

One of the absolute finest punk albums ever. I could play it it while confined in a space shuttle lightyears away from earth, and I'd still feel like I'm spending a summer in SoCal, with nothing to do but skate by day and mosh by night. Awesome.

Just like their other albums, this one is an absolute powerviolence classic. I've always loved the fusion of punk and grindcore, and their surprising level of wit certainly doesn't hurt. Not much else needs to be said: it's Spazz. Loud, fast, weird, unique... I've got a particular fondness for that heavy bass.

I pretty much just got CD this because it's cheap and almost gone. I still love this song and its hot, fuzzed-out garage rock energy. The B-side is interesting as well, with some slower, more head-bobbing instrumentation. A pretty rad single overall.