The Clash's EP, The Cost of Living

Released on May 11, 1979, The Clash’s EP, The Cost of Living, marked a turning point in the band’s career. The EP mixed punk rock and American rock, which was later evident on The Clash’s later work. Front man, Joe Strummer sings a cover by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets. The cover stayed in the band’s normal set list for the remainder of the band’s career.

Track 1: I Fought the Law- The song was originally recorded by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets. The Clash’s cover of the song sounds very anthem-like as Strummer sings, “I fought the law and the law won”.

            Track 2: Groovy Times- The track is anthem-like, just like the previous track. The chorus consists of Strummer repeating the line, “groovy times” over and over.

            Track 3: Gates of the West- The most punk rock-like track off the whole record, “Gates of the West” guarantees hand banging. The track also has a melodic element, brought upon by the chorus.

            Track 4: Capital Radio- Strummer starts off the song yelling his lyrics over the guitar riff. The bridge consists of a few spoken word lines by Strummer talking about how the band will never get radio airplay if they keep the band’s sound as is.

Fun House by The Stooges

Punk rock band, The Stooges released their sophomore album, Fun House, on July 7, 1970. Although the record was commercially unsuccessful upon release, Iggy Pop and his band have received critical acclaim over the years and the record has been said by many to be “a punk rock masterpiece”.

Track 1: Down on the Street- This tune is drenched in Pop’s blues influence. It has loud guitars during the chorus, yelling and pounding drums.

            Track 2: Loose- The rawest song on the record, “Loose” is reminiscent of Mudhoney’s “I Like it Small”. The brilliant guitar solo during the bridge segues right back into the final chorus.

            Track 3: T.V. Eye- The track begins with a few screams by Pop before the first verse starts. The chorus consists of Pop singing “She got a T.V. eye on me”. The main riff is very memorable and the track is very anthem-like.

            Track 4: Dirt- This lengthy—almost seven minutes long— jam sounds almost like an improvisational track by the band. Pop’s fiery vocals move the song along the bluesy, bass ridden riff.

            Track 5: 1970- After the bluesy “Dirt”, “1970” starts off the B-side with more the signature “punk rock sound” that Pop helped to create. The riff is fast and distorted. The saxophone solo during the bridges drives the song to a entirely different dimension.

            Track 6: Fun House- The title track of the record is the longest song on the record and begins with the saxophone from the previous track, “1970”. “Hold me tight/Calling from the fun house,” Pop screams with his fiery vocals. The saxophone is played throughout the entire track, proving that punk rock is more than just loud guitars and distortion.

            Track 7: L.A. Blues- The finale of Fun House has all of the intensity and rawness of the rest of the songs on the record, but “L.A. Blues” brings it up a level. The track begins with headache inducing (in a good way) guitar feedback and a brilliant drum solo. The song has no vocals, just a constant “growl” by Pop. The instrumental track is a great finale for Fun House.

Sonic Youth 4 Tunna Brix

Alternative rock band, Sonic Youth recorded four songs in 1988 for John Peel’s radio program. Released in 1990, the live EP, entitled 4 Tunna Brix contains three covers of songs by The Fall and a cover of a song by The Kinks. The band is comprised of Kim Gordon (vocals, bass), her husband, Thurston Moore (vocals, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals, guitar), and Steve Shelley (drums).

Track 1: My New House- The song has Sonic Youth’s New York punk scene sound on it and sounds like a cover Iggy Pop would do. The end of the song contains shrieks, wails, and screams, just like any good punk rock song should.

Track 2: Rowche Rumble- The song sounds like a Mudhoney song, lyrically and instrumentally. The vocals also sound dreary, which odd because the instrumental tracks are really fast.

Track 3:Psycho Mafia- The track is the third and last song Sonic Youth covered by The Fall. The song starts with feedback, and then turns into a full-on punk rock song. Not a memorable cover, but still a great cover.

Track 4: Victoria- As the finale of their set, Sonic Youth covered “Victoria” by The Kinks. The song starts out with shrieks and yelling, as expected, but then turns into a sing along—almost folksy sing along. The track is odd to hear on a rock record, but is still enjoyable.

Mumford and Sons:Live From Bull Moose

Indie-folk rock band, Mumford and Sons released a 10-inch EP for 2013’s Record Store Day this past April, The EP is titled Live From Bull Moose and is a live recording on the band’s gig at The Bull Moose in New Hampshire. There were only 4,000 copies released on vinyl and 6,000 on CD.

Track 1: I Will Wait- The song is a folk rock jam session with mandolins, acoustic guitars, banjos and just about every obscure instrument imaginable. The live version sounds very similar to the studio version, from the vocals to the instruments.

Track 2: Ghosts That We Knew- The track is off the band’s sophomore album, Babel, just like the prior song, “I Will Wait”. This track is slowed down and raw, showcasing lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, Marcus Mumford’s raspy vocals. “So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light ‘cause oh they gave me such a fright,” Mumford sings over a mandolin being softly strummed.

Track 3: Where Are You Now- Yet another track off Babel,“Where Are You Now” sounds better live than the studio version. The energy that Mumford and Sons bring to the stage for live performances cannot be portrayed over a mass produced studio recording. The song itself however is mediocre and nothing memorable, just a bit dreary.

Track 4: Awake My Soul- The final track of the EP is an older song off the band’s 2009 debut record, Sigh No More. It has a different tone than the songs off Babel; it’s much more folksy, and area-like. After Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons gained much critical acclaim and that acclaim followed them to Babel. Although the band changed their sound a bit, the record still sounds like a Mumford and Sons record.

Superfuzz Bigmuff EP

          Seattle grunge band, Mudhoney released an EP, titled Superfuzz Bigmuff in October of 1988. The name of the EP was derived from the band’s favorite guitar pedals, the Super Fuzz and the Big Muff. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Matt Lukin, and drummer Dan Peters.

             Track 1: Need- The opening riff sounds almost too similar to Nirvana’s “Rape Me”, off their 1993 record, In Utero. If anything though, Nirvana copied off Mudhoney, for the latter’s record was released over five years prior to the release of In Utero.

            Track 2: Chain the Door- This track sounds like a 33 1/3-rpm record being played on 45-rpm. Arm makes his vocals and guitar track very fast, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Also worth mentioning: Peters’ drum fills are incredible.            

Track 3: Mudride- The pedal used on this track is evident- it is a Super Fuzz. The pedal makes the guitar very distorted and is concealed by Arm’s slow dreary vocals proclaiming, “I have a mouth full of dirt”. The bridge has a feedback ridden guitar solo for about a minute long.

Track 4: No One Has- The track starts with a thumping bass track by Lukin and some drum fills by Peters. Arm’s shrieks and wails throughout the song make it sound like the song was recorded in one take, which once again, isn’t a bad thing.

Track 5: If I Think- A definite standout from the EP, “If I Think” is the first softer song on the record –during the verses. The choruses are explosive, but the verses show that Arm can sing, not only scream and shriek.

Track 6: In ‘n’ Out of Grace- The song starts with a sample of the eulogy from the 1966 movie, The Wild Angels. Once the song starts, it sounds like a typical Mudhoney song, with fuzzy, distorted guitars and crashing cymbals. It is not the most memorable Mudhoney song, but it leaves listeners with a good taste in their mouths.