Album Review: Ex Hex- Rips

Ex Hex

Rips

**** out of *****

This trio from Washington DC's newest album Rips is an energetic mix of 60's fuzz garage rock, 80's glam attitude, and power pop that as a whole ends up retro-ly exciting. 

Right from the start the warbling guitars and tambourine vibrate through the fantastic disk opener "Don't Wanna Lose" as Mary Timony, Laura Harris, and Betsy Wright keep a tight pocket but sound vibrant and daring; the disk highlight and a great example of what is in store on Rips.

"Beast" bops over to the pop side of things behind a meaty riff from Timony (who shines here) while Wright's bass lines propel the upbeat "You Fell Apart" into pop-punk territory. Things never get overly aggressive though or too far away from that radio friendly vibe as Harris' drumming is restrained, content to keep the pace,"Waterfall" being an example of a tune that could have slammed punk but stays pop.

"How You Got That Girl" could have been an MTV staple back in '82 with it's "Jessie's Girl" sounding chorus while "Hot and Cold" recalls another classic from that era, "My Best Friends Girl". While these are two mainstream analogies, Ex Hex isn't pure bubblegum, but certainly striving in that ear friendly direction. "New Kid" would fit in a Ramones or Joan Jett setlist and "Radio On" is probably the best of the groups style; a tune people as diverse as Pat Benatar or The Turtles would both be proud to have written or perform, a neat trick.

The only downside is that all twelve songs are clearly in that vein and style that there isn't much variety in the 12 offerings. "War Paint" sticks around a bit to long and a track like "Waste Your Time" ends up sounding second rate behind all the other jams in this same style, while not being a bad song in itself.

Overall Ex Hex have crafted a great summer listen with Rips for the fall/winter that will hopefully get people thinking about convertibles and beaches while they bundle up and bounce around to these infectious tunes.  
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A really fun listen that makes me wish summer was still here in NYC. Sucks I was out of town when this band came through this past weekend (stupid weddings), would have loved to have seen them....oh well, next time.   

Support the band here, buy the album here and peep some video below:

Live Review: Ex Hex @ Bowery Ballroom NYC 4/4/19

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Ex Hex's recent set at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday April 4th, 2019.

RtBE likes this band, while we weren't super high on their newest record, their first is one of favorite of the last decade. RtBE loves live music which is adventurous and takes chances. Ex Hex's show on Thursday was not that. If you like the tunes, you will like them live, if you want more oomph, solos, jams, covers, that will not be found. Odds are we will give them another shot live, but for now we will go back to Rips when we want our fix.

Support the band, read the review and peep some video below:
 

Full Show Friday: Ex Hex - Landmark Music Festival 9/26/15

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Ex Hex!

Here is Ex Hex (who we dig greatly), from Landmark Music Fest in Washington D.C. back in 2015. 

Pro Sound, Pro Video. Enjoy!

Album Review: Ex Hex - It's Real

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Ex Hex's second release, titled It's Real.

RtBE absolutely loved their debut album and ranked it in our 2014 wrap up (that was a hell of a year for music). In truth It's Real has less oomph and excitement but is still pretty solid rock and roll. Also it should be noted that the multi color vinyl is absolutely killer, glad it will be spinning at the RtBE clubhouse.

Support the band, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Year In Review 2014- Top Ten Albums Part 2 (10-6)

Here is Part 2 of RtBE's Top Ten Albums of 2014.  (Part 1 was here if you missed it) We are continuing our Year In Review for 2014 and lots of goodies still to come...

In the instance that RtBE have reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review, just click on the Band name and title to get there. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so expect some overlap. 

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen to the full way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us. We will also remove ourselves from the rankings but we wouldn't mind if you gave it a listen.

After the jump you will see our list for numbers 10-6, this year seemed to be top heavy with a few really amazing releases and then a sizable gap. These are all excellent and worth your hard earned money and hard drive space, so without further ado Click that read more link.

Live Streams: Pickathon - A Concert A Day for 60 Days

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure. Also you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Pickathon A Concert A Day for 60 Days

The Pickathon archives have announced they will dip into their festivals archives and produce a show a day for the next 60 days. Today kicks it off at 1PM Pacific with an RtBE favorite, The Drive By Truckers.

View this post on Instagram

Watch our @pickathon #AConcertADay premiere live at 1PM PT on 4/8 with @RecordingAcademy @MusiCares hosted by @dbtph at @facebook or the @amazonmusic channel on @Twitch or on @Pickathon @Youtube channel 🤘

A post shared by Drive-By Truckers (@dbtrockshow) on Apr 7, 2020 at 3:34pm PDT

We caught DBT a few weeks back before the Covid lock down and they were awesome. Main Trucker Patterson Hood will be live as well to discuss this set. More info regarding this from the announcement:

Each day for the next 60 days, starting April 8, Pickathon Presents A Concert A Day will premiere a full recorded concert from past festivals. Featuring renowned artists across many genres giving career-best performances, these concerts from Pickathons past will stream with unprecedented direct support from the Recording Academy, Amazon Music, and YouTube. At the A Concert A Day Facebook Event, the Recording Academy will host each concert premiere daily, joined either by the performing artist or a renowned journalist. The host will answer fan questions live and comment on the performance. Amazon Music will stream the concert through its channel on Twitch, and the concerts will also premiere on Pickathon's YouTube channel and be featured as part of YouTube's Stay Home #WithMe initiative. After reaching out for help, Pickathon was overwhelmed by the response, welcoming the support of partners like the Recording Academy, Amazon Music, BandsinTown, Bandcamp, and YouTube who collaborated in one common effort to support A Concert A Day. All donations received during the livestream will go directly to MusiCares COVID-10 Relief Fund to help musicians in need.

Pickathon presents A Concert A Day

Week 1 Schedule: 

Wed, April 8 - Drive-By Truckers (Mt. Hood Stage, 2017)
Thurs, April 9 - Ex Hex (Treeline Stage, 2015)
Fri, April 10 - Tyler Childers (Woods, 2019)
Sat, April 11 - Charles Bradley (Mt. Hood Stage, 2017)
Sun, April 12 - Tank & The Bangas (Woods Stage, 2017)
Mon, April 13 - Damien Jurado (Lucky Barn, 2019)
Tues, April 14 - People Under the Stairs (Woods Stage, 2014)
Wed, April 15 - DakhaBrakha (Mt. Hood, 2018)

Never before presented in full, these live concerts come from Pickathon's extensive vault of content. Filmed in multi-camera HD by an army of audiovisual specialists each year, they're part of Pickathon's movement from an annual festival to a year-round content creation company driven by some of the most creative minds in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Stages at Pickathon are planned like independent films, with architects and visual artists creating one-of-a-kind experiences that drive the artists to career best performances which are rendered in multi-camera HD and subsequently released year round. 

Championing artists, fostering community, and innovating new ways of experiencing and discovering music have been the cornerstone of Pickathon's identity for over 20 years. Now is the time to band together in support of touring musicians, to spread hope, and to enjoy A Concert A Day.

Later this week more RtBE favorites like Ex Hex and Charles Bradley take the stage. This is a great project, so check it out and support all the artists.  Here is some live DBT to get ready for today's set:

Album Review: Bat Fangs - Queen Of My World

Bat Fangs

Queen Of My World

***and1/2 out of *****

The combo of Betsy Wright (Ex-Hex) and Laura King (Flesh Wounds/Speed Stick) return for their second installment of Bat Fangs. Queen Of My World plunges into catchy, 80's based hard rock with efforts that ring out with passion and get stuck in your ear with ease. 

The strutting heavy opener "Action" gives a swaggering start to the record as Wrights vocals and guitar accentuate Kings metal drumming. First single and title track is a doozy as the band pulls into Joan Jett station and puts their own spin on 'a dime in the jukebox' around a ripping solo from Wright promoting the track to the top of the heap. 

"Talk Tough" brings in arena rock ready choruses and pop rock appeal with glory while "Lightning Hand" delivers riffs the way of Ted Nugent thundering with a stranglehold around the fret board. The stomping "Never Coming Down" shows Wright's pyrotechnic work on guitar while still delivering the sweet woah-oh-oh-oh's.   

The one outlier here is the longest effort "Psychic Eye" which doesn't seem sure if it is stoner rock, a ballad, psych or prog rock. It dabbles in all of these fields and never commits to any of them, failing in the end, but doing so in interesting fashion. 

The duo are clearly in their element when they just plow straight ahead with the leather jacket wearing, switchblade cutting "Supernatural" and the screeching "In The Water" while the distorted instrumental folk rock finale "Into The Weave" works its way into a monstrous ending. Both Wright and King seem to be enjoying themselves with their retro rocking style on the fun Queen Of My World. 

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Support the artist, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

Year In Review 2016 - Top 10 Albums Part 3

Another great year is finishing up for @RockBodElec and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE Presents the Best of 2016 Top Ten Albums numbers 5-1:

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation, just click on the name and title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us.

Today we start our top ten, in retrospect it was a year with a lot of good albums but few great ones, sorta like 2011 which overall was the weakest year of releases since we started this site. This year just may beat that one when it comes to just OK albums as opposed to all-time greats, time will tell. Click that Read More button to get started with numbers 5-1 today. 

Album Review: Mary Timony - Untame the Tiger

Hey all, got a review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here:

It is of Mary Timony's Untame the Tiger.

RtBE have dug Timony for a while, loving Ex Hex and Wild Flag. 

Support the artist, buy the album, read the review, peep some videos below:

Bat Fangs Releasing New Record, Queen Of My World, Title Track Out Now

Betsy Wright on guitar and vocals, and drummer Laura King are back as Bat Fangs and their newest album Queen Of My World will be out next month on Don Giovanni Records.

The duo who play in Ex Hex and Mac McCaughn and Speed Stick respectively, will release this, their second album on October 29th. 

The title track and cool video can be heard/viewed below. RtBE are looking forward to this full length release. 

nyctaper Recent Highlights and Summer Schedule

We just found out that this month the great site nyctaper turns 8 years old, happy anniversary/birthday/web-offspring/whatever fellas. With that we thought it was long past time to check in with the fantastic nyctaper and see their upcoming taping schedule.

The site always gets great shows, we had no idea that Yo La Tengo went incognito as the Condo Fucks, but you can check out their most recent set here from when they played Cake Shop.

We have re-found our love for Built to Spill with their recent excellent album so we will def be checking out the taped show from Charleston, SC that the band played and the site caught. Can't wait to hear the band's take on Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand", wait, either can you? Then let's dig into it:

While not the caliber of their Cortez live cover, especially with Doug's odd lyrics change, the music is pretty damn spot on.  We may have to go see them next go round.

We have always loved Acid Mothers Temple freak out rock and roll but have never got to see them, we can now hear their set though thanks to nyctaper from Mercury Lounge.

Hooray For The Riff Raff played our favorite NYC venue, Bowery Ballroom and of course nyctaper caught it. We reviewed the album last year and missed the show...here's a chance to catch up.

Finally, one group we really want to see next NYC show is Ex-Hex, we loved their album and nyctaper now has a show from South Carolina to check out the ladies live set.

As always keep up the great work nyctaper, and for fans you can support the site through it's paypal account.

New Single/Video from Semihelix "Slower Pace"

The Austin, TX based pop punk outfit Semihelix have a new video for their catchy jam "Slower Pace"

 The group has flashes of Elastica, Ex Hex and more.  Good stuff from the trio of Geannie Friedman (guitar and vocals), Mike Cota (bass), and Valdemar Barrera (drums).

Check out the quick effort below:

Year In Review 2019 - Favorite Albums Part 1: The Just Misses and Let Downs

Another great year is finishing up for @RockBodElec and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE Presents the Best of 2019 Favorite Albums Part One: The Just Misses & Let Downs:

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation, just click on the name and title and you can read it. As always RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20, so expect some overlap.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but complete releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for RtBE.

Today we are going to focus on the "Just Misses" of our top ten and unfortunately the "Let Downs" released this year. Obviously these are just our personal preferences, feel free to voice your opinion in the comments. Expect second installment (#10-6) soon, but for now click on the green "Read More" below:

Year In Review 2014 - Top Ten Albums - Part 3 (5-1)

Another great year is finishing up for Rock The Body Electric and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so without further verbiage RtBE Presents it's third part of the Best of 2013 Top Ten Albums (5-1):

Part 1 and 2 if you missed them

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation, just click on the name and title and you can read it.  RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so expect some overlap. 

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen to the all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us. We will remove ourselves from the rankings but we wouldn't mind if you gave it a listen.

This year in the ranking there were a host of good albums but few that are great. We think these 5 form a clear distinction with numbers 10-5, which you can read about here. These top 5 albums all are a major step above those in our opinion and it just happened to be that 5 stood out, some years it is 3 others none really. Just the way it goes and it makes us happy to be able to create music and get a chance to write about: 

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's: Numbers 30-21

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we worked that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here comes RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place and haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably be ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

We will break this down over five parts, doing ten albums a day. There were a ton of good records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed its rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8. For Reference, here is 50-41 40-31 and all of those are also listed at the bottom of this post.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we filled out that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here are RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place, some haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

There were a ton of top notch records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those if you would like.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed its rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's: Numbers 20-11

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we worked out that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here comes RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place and haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably be ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.

We will break this down over five parts, doing ten albums a day. There were a ton of good records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed it's rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. Here are numbers 20-11:

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's: Numbers 10-1

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we worked on that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here comes RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place and haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably be ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

We will break this down over five parts, doing ten albums a day. There were a ton of good records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed it's rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...