Monorchist DQ’D
DQ’D’s cover features a nice-looking gentleman placing his hand oh-so-kindly up a dog’s—well, if you have a good imagination, you get the picture. Inside, the band invites listeners to fill out a form, entering pets into an obscure dog show of sorts for a mere $5. The album itself is straight up simple punk- and garage rock with a fiery feminine touch, courtesy of Kourtney Farnsworth, whose delivery clearly does not “play well with others.” Singer Kourtney Farnsworth almost has too good of a voice, but the fact that the instruments are a bit dirty and imperfect actually help balance the Monorchist sound. MySpace.com/Monorchist
Ghostowne Dust ‘n Bones
“Dust ‘n Bones,” the first track off Bones [disclosure: City Weekly’s Steven Wells fronts Ghostowne], had me thinking it’d be the perfect song for an episode of Deadwood, but then it quickly shifted over to “The Workin’ Man Blues,” a number whose vocals are somewhere between Bret Michaels and Kid Rock. Then the album takes a sharp turn down twangy road with “Raise Some Hell” before crisscrossing an eclectic mix of dirty rock & roll, country, blues and rockabilly that would make for good drinking and dancing times at the bar. Ghostowne.com
I Am The H.M.S.
Bring your headbanging and devil’s horns out of the closet. The band formerly known as Almost Undone is back with a new album, a new male singer (replacing the former female lead) and a name change that leaves much to the imagination. Opening track “IO” starts out quietly with psychedelic overtones building anticipation before immediately segueing over to “Two Cities,” a heavy, Tool-esque number. The slow stoner-rock element paired with larger-than-life guitar and drums bordering almost on the edge of metal paired with on-key screaming vocals that can successfully hit the notes the singer is looking for brings it all home. H.M.S. is an excellent shift in tone for these rockers. IAmThe.org