For our 2nd round of 2010 7″ releases,  we visit our neighbors to the north (and, uh, way east)  in Toronto.

Career Suicide‘s Cherry Beach EP was originally released as a UK-tour-only 7″, in a ridiculously limited pressing of like 200 or something.  The songs were just too good to be heard by that few people, though, so we’re excited to announce an expanded reissue of this underappreciated gem.  Ours will feature re-recorded, re-mastered, re-everythinged versions of 2 of the 3 songs on the original, with the addition of 2 brand new, never before heard songs. Career Suicide is hands-down our favorite hardcore band of the 2000’s, so we are very honored to be able to release something for them.

Young Governor is Ben Cook from Fucked Up. (Who share a member with Career Suicide. Incestuous, no?) When he contacted Dirtnap about releasing one of the 10 million or so 7″s they got coming out in the 010, it seemed like a no-brainer. Cindy’s Gonna Save Me is a fractured lo-fi pop gem, with perhaps a bit more of a 60’s influence than some Young Guv material. Haven’t heard the B-side yet, but there is no way it’s not going to rule.

Between these and the hugely anticipated (by us, anyways!) White Wires LP, Dirtnap should really consider opening a Canadian office.

GREEN VINYL OUTTA PRINT, BLACK STILL AVAILABLE. THE MEAN JEANS are the kids that live down the street that blare the Ramones and the Angry Samoans late at night while they are playing “Edward 40s Hands” (that’s the game where a 40 is duct-taped to each hand, making it difficult to urinate until they are consumed). They have 3 things in their refrigerator: ketchup, beer and slime. THE MEAN JEANS were born when, at the ripe ages of 23 and 24, Jeans Wilder (skins, vox and smokes) and Billy Jeans (vox, riffs and spliffs) started playing their parent’s DC-area basements in the winter of 2006. They grew another member, Howie Doodat (AKA Jean Jeans on the bass guitar), after moving to Portland a year later. They’ve been pounding out drunken headbanging seshes across the US since then. This doesn’t count the Chattanooga Tennessee stop, where high schoolers stole their spot and played Blink 182 songs for over an hour. The Miller High Life wasn’t getting them drunk at all, and the guy who “booked” the show was weeping in his sister’s arms. Now THE JEANS already have 14 combined-inches of wax under their belts with the Rehab Records released self-titled affair and the “License To Chill” 45 from their new home at Dirtnap Records (who you should congratulate for their 10th year on this planet). From what the band remembers, they recorded their own damn record with the help of ghost-producer, Billy Grippo. Qross has a killer hair-do and recorded Are You Serious as well as the Spits “Vol IV.” The 2” tapes that contained the sonic abuse of THE MEAN JEANS debut long-player were almost lost for eternity in Qross’ couch cushions but were uncovered by some girl named Courtney. The 13 garage pop tunes of Are You Serious harkens back to the Lookout! Records of the early ‘90s, when pop-punk meant snotty low-brow 3 chord goodness and not glossy soundtracks to mall strolls.

GOODNIGHT LOVING – “Nothing Conquers Us/Scary Bad”

Goddamn it, here’s a single that actually sounds like a single (quite a rarity these days). A-side is a catchy, anthemic, and well crafted bit of poppy rock with subtle touches of some other stuff (bubblegum? FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS?) evident. B-side is bouncy and appealing. This record made me happy. (DD)

THE ESTRANGED – “Type Foundry Session I” LP

Here we got it, you doom-and-gloom merchants, a platter of maximum discontent containing all of the ESTRANGED’s 7″ output. If ya ain’t familiar with soggy ol’ Portland’s purveyors of darkness and misery, then expect a big spoonful of the WIPERS, KILLING JOKE, BORN DEAD ICONS, WARSAW, and a load of mid-80’s Dischord Records. They are all of the above whilst still maintaining their very own solid identity. Eight beautifully depressing songs that are probably at this minute mimicking the equally miserable Portland weather. Brilliant. (SD)

Our 3 new 7″s (Goodnight Loving, Airfix Kits, Coconut Coolouts) just got some sweet write-ups on the Portland Mercury (local weekly paper) website.

http://endhits.portlandmercury.com/blogs/endhits/

Check ’em out, listen to the songs, and leave comments!