The opening track “Song of the Samurai” establishes the vital statistics of this band: speed, guitar pyrotechnics -- stuff I like but not necessarily standout features. Good song, but there’s more to this band. Cherokee Astro generate a good momentum but also a good sense of warmth and emotion in here.

The Exotics have two LPs under their belt: 1996's Go Go Guitars and 2009's The Lost Room as well as a few EPs. A retrospective album like this works in a time sense at over 20 years, but it's still pretty easy to pick up the complete collection too. Their bandcamp says this has a few new and remixed tracks, but I haven't figured out which ones those are.

This is the third LP from Wisconsin's The Revomatics (second studio LP). I've only heard "Live at Lucky Joe's Tiki Room" but it was a blast the whole way through. From the previews, this seems like a slight departure: darker, more mysterious, more thunderous.  Now I've got no issue with bands trying to go straight for a sound from the early 60's and leaving it at that, but it's also cool to hear a band push themselves and work out a sound of their own.