the Famines

The third offering from berserker garage duo Famines is to-date the best showcase of their ferocious double amp massacre. With Mammoth Cave recording pioneer Paul Lawton at the helm, the low-end split guitar destruction and relentless drum-pattern rampage burst through with brilliant crunch and clamor. The grooves on this 7? can barely contain Garrett’s E-Honda drummery, so play it loud and watch your needle dance to the rhythm of the heat. Sleeve design by Raymond Biesinger. GRIPGRIPGRIP. - Weirdcanada.com

Imagine, if you will, a much-anticipated yet unadvertised show in a crumbling brownstone in Buffalo or Baltimore, with MAYYORS opening for LIGHTNING BOLT and a reunited BASEBALL FURIES. This Edmonton, Alberta, two-piece would finagle their way into the second slot and take the crowd completely by surprise with their brand of fuzzed-out stompy garage rock that would get the boys and girls in their torn blue jeans and Converse stomping and shaking like some sort of dystopian Footloose, as the David Yow-esque singer would perform a vertical slither of sorts, occasionally taking random people in the crowd by the hand and dancing with them without missing a beat. Please play the Bay Area, and play somewhere cool like a condemned shack on Treasure Island and not a goddamn bar. (Dan) - Maximum Rock N' Roll

A little sleeper single of Canuck 2-piece punk rock fury. Not mind blowing, but still a solid charmer in my book. Has that sneak up from the unknown attack that made me like The Sess rekkid a year or so ago. "Syllables" is quick and blown with crisp production, but without a hint of reverb. That’s like a Mojito on a summer day. Ahhh. Refweshing. I think I shoulda’ saved the Rib Cages comparison from last issue for this record. "Got Lies…" is the flip and it’s where the true magic resides. Bombastic quiet/loud dynamics with some serious pounding going on underneath the muted mumbling. Like if Steve Albini was to produce (or even play) with a BFTG band…you could have this. I think I like it a lot. Simple but effective trickery, kids. (Robert Vertigo) - Terminal Boredom

If The Who had come of age in the 21st century, this is what “My Generation” might have sounded like. The mighty, very British-sounding racket that ensues here is all the more impressive when you realize it’s being made by two guys from Edmonton. (John Sakamoto) - the Toronto Star

When the lights came up and the audience refused to leave, Famines drummer Garrett Kruger started pounding on a kit set up side-stage ... a mob of roughly 20 people hoisted Kruger into the air, still beating on his snare and tom, and marched down Hastings Street chanting, "We're never gonna stop!" (Adrian Mack) - the Georgia Strait