CD Reviews

Various Artists

‘JDR Winter Mixtape’

Jeffery Drag Records

Nashville-based Jeffery Drag has fairly quickly established itself as one of the finer establishments for all the various flavors of punk music on the market today. As a nice, little primer into its stable of talent, JDR has put together its “Winter Mixtape” full of previously unreleased tracks, demos and selections from upcoming albums. The result is a satisfying mix of punk styles that has a little something for everyone. Opening act Bad Cop (“Mama Said”) is melodic, guitar-driven and reminiscent of New York proto-punk acts like Television. Contrast that with the track from Ghost Dance, “Nasty Nuevo,” which owes more to the wall-of-noise sound of the mid-’80s Pacific Northwest. The best track on the album, however, may be Majestico’s offering, “Boom Boom,” which is a nod to late-model Clash, with a psychedelic hint. CV

“JDR Winter Mixtape” is available for free download at www.jefferydragrecords.com.

The Murrays

‘The Ghost of Abner Peeler’

Monumental Records

After a 52-second intro track that does its level best to creep you out, “The Ghost of Abner Peeler” settles into a satisfying sound that’s almost-but-not-quite California surfer rock but then seems to lose steam around the midway point. “The Queen” and “Midnight Surf” kick off the album well and are the two best tracks. It’s after the seventh track — “The King” — when the album loses its traction and turns into a by-the-numbers garage rock album. It’s still all well done, and there’s definitely stuff to like (“Pretty Factory” stands out), but the second half of the album just fails to live up to the expectations set by the first. If “Abner Peeler” had been released as two EPs, they would both be great. But a singular listening experience, it makes for uneven ground. CV

“The Ghost of Abner Peeler” is available through www.monumentalrecords.net/The_Murrays.html.