Magic Dirt

[This review was originally published in Badaboom Gramaphone #3 and appears here with permission.] Magic Dirt, from Geelong, Australia, is a musical Reese’s Cup.  The band’s punk contains a liberal dose of pop melodicism, while its pop tunes are spiced with a healthy amount of noise.  At its best — as on Life Was Better‘s “Amoxycillin,” which…

Ass Baboons of Venus

Ass Baboons of Venus are defined as much by their song titles as anything else: the Japanese group has written such gems as “I Am a Bicycle Seat,” “Teenage Public Hair Collection,” “You’ve Failed Again, You Arrogant Twat,” “Nipple Rocket Revenge” and “Mango Allergy Dirge.” ABOV turns out a dead-on parody of the Cramps as that…