Quick Piss

“Rock ‘N’ Roll Impotence”

Independent

Short, fast and raw, the songs on Des Moines (slightly pop) punk band Quick Piss’ new album cling to the essential truth that a good punk song needs to be just over or under 2 minutes. Vocalist Stone Mills seems like he would be comfortable stepping into the shoes of whoever is fronting Black Flag these days, belting lyrics with the right mix of intensity and unintelligible words. Quick Piss recorded “Rock ‘N’ Roll Impotence” at The Sonic Factory, with Poison Control Center’s Patrick Tape Fleming producing and Matt Sepanic engineering. They were smart not to let too much polish sneak in. This album captures that crazy energy and sometimes perplexing catchiness of a Quick Piss show. It’s not perfect, but it is an accurate representation of a distinctive local band.■

Thee Oh Sees

“A Weird Exits”

Castle Face Exits

“A Weird Exits,” starts strong, with the driving “Dead Man’s Gun,” followed by the rocking “Ticklish Warrior,” but just as things seem to be going smoothly, the album trips over itself with the boring “Jammed Entrance” before righting itself with the catchy “Plastic Plant.” That sums up the San Francisco psychedelic rock band’s 17th album in a nutshell. As soon as things seem to be in a groove, the album derails itself for a song or two. The album’s highs are great, but maybe the highs behind the scenes prevented a cohesive final project. Slightly tighter songs and losing a track or two would have resulted in a stronger album. ■