Local post-punk rockers the Trims are set to release a new EP, Delete You After, this Friday with a release party at the Blank Club.

While the band has always been known for its late 70s/80s retro alt -rock sound, influenced by bands like Joy Division and early cuts from the Cure, this new EP has a more modern twist, capturing the essence of groups like the Killers, the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand, who themselves were highly influenced by 80s post-punk but with a more dance-rock edge.

The shift is due in part to the band working with producer Steve Murr, who has an impressive resume, including Smashmouth, J.Dash, Young Science and Pounders.

“We felt that we had hit a plateau with our sound as far as recording so we decided to bring in a producer to help shape the songs with an outsider’s perspective,” says lead singer/guitarist Gabe Maciel. “Working with Steve was not work at all, but rather a sharing of ideas with someone who became less of a producer and more of an extended member of the band.”

Some of the key changes that Murr brought to the table was the use of keyboards, which the Trims have never recorded with before, as well as suggesting they speed up their songs. Both of these elements give the songs a stronger dance feel and less of an overt rock sound.

http://youtu.be/TJbCXY_EsVg

Murr also helped the Trims pull off the bigger guitar sound they always wanted. Although they’ve been able to achieve a large sonic wall of guitars in their concerts, they haven’t yet been able to translate that power to their recordings.

“We tracked guitars in a way that would capture that same tone and emotion you would hear live,” says guitarist Bryan Aguirre.

For people who haven’t seen the Trims live in awhile, they’ve added a visual component to the show, putting on coordinated color lightning as they play.

“We feel that the lighting reflects visually what’s going on musically,” Maciel says. “We have always wanted to give people the most bang for their buck. If you come out to see us and pay money, we want to bring an arena style performance to a small club and give our fans a show they deserve and will never forget.”

The Trims play April 26 at the Blank Club at 9pm. Tickets are $8. More info.

Few local bands have married musical sophistication with sweaty garage punk quite as seamlessly as San Jose’s Hard Girls. Their new album Isn’t it Worse, available for download and cassette, but not vinyl until early next year, is their best recording to date. It’s 28 minutes of unique and accessible punk rock.

We caught up with Mike Huguenor (guitar/vocals) to find out his favorite releases of 2012.

Swans – The Seer
Not since Pharoah Sanders’ heyday has a record sounded quite as cosmic or so specifically designed to reach out toward the infinite. But where Pharoah and others did so in the hope of something reaching back, the fundamental lack of the returned gesture is essential to this record. It is a testament to the creation of music as supplanting religion or religiousity: pure ecstatic creation that is its own end, devoid of ideology. Also note that the vinyl track order for this record is vastly superior to the CD/Digital version (in case you needed a reason to buy the vinyl beyond the profoundly haunting artwork). Get this record and be glad that you did, even if it sometimes frightens you.

Sebadoh – Secret EP
Unbelievably, not only did Swans write and release the best album of their entire 30 year career in 2012, but Sebahoh, completely under the radar, released their first new set of songs in 13 years. It’s an extremely good EP that not only features a couple great Barlow songs, but also has what are (to my ears) Jake Loewenstein’s best songs of all time—n particular the uncharacteristically composed “I Don’t Mind.”

The Intelligence – Everybody’s Got it Easy But Me
Few bands sound inspired by The Fall. They either sound like they want to be The Fall, or like The Fall is the absolute last thing they would ever want to sound. Seattle’s The Intelligence is one of the few bands to take clear influence from them, and their new album is full of disparate, motivated and determined urgency. The “trick,” which occurs toward the end of opener “I Like LA” is one of the most inspired bits of proof that punk lives—it just doesn’t call itself punk anymore.

Julia Holter – Ekstasis
It bothers me when people feel the need to say “female-fronted” or “chanteuse” when describing a female singer. No one ever describes a regular guy-rock band as “male-fronted,” or “chanteur” do they? Holter’s Ekstasis is a bizarre and inspiring mix of modern composition, digital-experimental and reverb heavy pop. Like “Everybody’s Got it Easy But Me” it is a record that is packed full of interesting ideas. Also, a fantastic album title.

Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Unlike the record-of-ideas, this album would be on my year end list even if it only consisted of “Hey Jane” and “Little Girl.” Sometimes you’re sick of “IDEAS” and really friggin great songs are all you want. Those are two really great songs from this male-fronted rock band.

Tearjerker – Hiding
It being 2012 and all, a little bit of “Chill Wave” is impossible to avoid (better than “Vapor Wave,” right?). Tearjerker’s 2011 single “So Dead” is one of my favorite rock songs of the past few years, and this EP is the Toronto band’s strongest release yet. All four songs carry themselves with a great self-assurance, and match the intensity of “So Dead” with their earlier work’s chiiiiiiiiill.

Raime – Quarter Turns Over a Living Line
If you are familiar with the work of Bohren und der Club of Gore (you are familiar with the work of Bohren und der Club of Gore, right?), then this record may sound a touch familiar to you, albeit in a good way. Akira Yamaoka and Nurse With Wound also spring to mind when listening to this vastly-empty-pitch-dark-hallway of an album. Raime takes goth to its logical extreme by devoiding the record of all human touches, like the animate-inanimate quarter of the album’s title.

Liars – Wixiw
Not sure if this is a “Hey, it’s the Iinternet!” kind of thing to purposefully transition from rock(ish) instrumentation to full electronic, but even thought it is more subdued, this is definitely Liars’ most interesting record since the double-whammy of “They Were Wrong, So We Drowned” and “Drum’s Not Dead.” The videos from this album are also consistently haunting and great.

Who would have thought that three guys sitting around watching the Damon Wayans military comedy Major Payne would be make for such a good music video?

San Jose’s Hard Girls take this ridiculous concept as the basis for their new video. It starts with some overt over-the-top comedic elements—the band members sitting on the couch gleefully emulating Wayans’s every move—and quickly progresses into all-out Apocalypse Now mental breakdowns.

The video, which was directed by Bob Vielma (Boboso, Shinobu), contains a level of absurdity that is almost the complete opposite of Hard Girls’ serious, nuanced music, which for some reason fits perfectly. Hard Girls have for the past couple years pushed the bounds of punk into new realms, mixing influences from Pavement, Silkworm and Swans into a raw, energetic package. Their musicianship is complex and innovative and yet contains the simple purity of sweaty, driving rock beats and guttural, honest vocals.

Bass player Morgan Herrell sings lead vocals on “Major Payne.” His voice has the cracking, hoarse quality of Blake Schwarzenbach’s early work with Jawbreaker, only with greater control and a better sense of pitch. “Major Payne” starts at a furious, upbeat tempo and is layered with interesting, experimental post-punk chords. After a minute and a half of being a relatively pop-oriented punk song, it departs into a tense, instrumental space-jam for the remaining two and a half minutes.

This video is a taste of Hard Girls, long-anticipated album, Isn’t it Worse, which is set to be released on Really Records this December.

Sometimes it’s difficult for a band to find their target audience. Rich Ajlouny and Anthony Gullicksen of San Jose’s Stock Foto found it in the place they least expected: Santana Row.

“There were these 16 and 17-year-old girls from a prom or something, and they loved it. We were surprised by that, because we played two sets and they came back later, dancing on the lawn. So, we knew then what the demographic could be,” Ajlouny says.

Stock Foto’s music is an amalgamation of stripped-down rock sensibility, with roots in post-punk.

“We want something fun, something people can dance to,” Ajlouny says. “Something that’s nostalgic, retro and yet forward thinking. Something that will remind people of the best post-punk new wave era of the ’80s, and something that will not only rejuvenate them, but inspire the young kids who wish they were alive then.”

The local group has been playing the downtown area’s venues lately, but with the enlightenment from the Santana Row show, has been shifting their focus.

“It seems like the younger crowd does like it and that’s the crowd that really gets addicted to a band,” Gullicksen says.
This, however, doesn’t mean they’re going to change their style of music.

“We’re doing a rock and roll thing,” Ajlouny says. “I want it to be pure rock and roll. It’s guitar, bass and drums. I think the lyrics are funny. The melodies are catchy. The tempo is fast.”

“The volume is loud,” Gullicksen jokes.

“There’s something retro and familiar about us–meat and potatoes rock and roll, ala Replacements,” Ajlouny says.
Stock Foto has recorded a couple demos, but they still have yet to make an album.

“We’re thinking about upgrading to some better equipment to record, maybe go into a studio. I’ve been using this old Roland 1680 digital recorder from ’98, and it’s starting to crap out on me,” Ajlouny says.

But their live set is what keeps them going. They feed off the audience and get inspired by the people who come see them.
“We want people to walk away thinking, ‘Wow, you don’t hear that every day anymore.’ I base the success of a show by how many people were dancing. Luckily, at every single show, people are dancing,” Gullicksen says.

“I want people to feel exhilaration and be impressed by the melodies,” Ajlouny says. “A lot of people go to shows and don’t expect it to be good. They’re just politely standing by. I want people to come up to us and express exactly how they were feeling.”