The other day I ran across a post on the Extreme Noise Records’ (a killer punk and metal shop in Minneapolis) Facebook page about the recent reissue of Matt Gimmick’s 1979 7″ Detroit Renaissance ’79. It looked interesting so I popped over to the label’s Bandcamp page HERE and gave it a listen… and the next thing I knew I had about a half dozen records on the way here from Chicago because, quite frankly, I can’t help myself.

Matt Gimmick – Detroit Renaissance ’79 (1979)

This four-song burner has a definite Stooges feel, which makes sense given that Gimmick was from Detroit and that two of the tracks, “Rag” and “Ya Don’t Want My Name”, were in fact previously unreleased Stooges tunes that Gimmick and the boys learned by watching a live performance. The title track is recorded hot, a bit fried out at the top end and lacking bottom, like the buzz of an amphetamine come-down. The whole thing crackles and tears at your eardrums like an itch you just can’t scratch.

The Anemic Boyfriends – “Fake I.D.” b/w “Bad Girls In Love” (1981)

I got a fake I.D.
It’s got a picture of me,
Says nineteen-fifty-three,
Does it look like me?

This little gem of young female punk rock is a two-song masterpiece. Basic teen angst, storytelling lyrics, and a completely unadulterated presentation. Straight rock with punk attitude. I’m bored, I’m 15 years old, and I want to party. Who can’t relate to that? ‘Cause I want to get drunk and dance. Of course you do. And bad girls need love too, right? Of the three records in this batch, this one is by far my favorite.

Mary Monday & the Bitches – “I Gave My Punk Jacket To Rickie” b/w “Popgun” (1977)

I can’t offer any new insights into the brief life of Mary Monday. Pretty much every post about her online has the exact same stuff in it. But like so many others in the early punk scene, she burned bright and died young. “I Gave My Punk Jacket To Rickie” opens with a true classic riff, the vocals kicking in like a demented version of Toni Basil’s “Mickey”, a track it pre-dates by about half a decade. The beat on “Popgun” is relentless, the middle of the song consumed by a very un-punk-like burner of a guitar solo. Killer stuff.