The D4 - Out Of My Head

The Sony Music Japan SICP-736 printing of Out Of My Head captures the raw, sweat-soaked energy of the early 2000s garage rock revival at its absolute absolute zenith. By building upon the baseline 12 tracks with the rare studio cuts "Rocknrule" and "Diamond, Ruby, Stone," this expanded version transforms a lean, mean punk-rock statement into an essential archival piece. The crown jewel for regional collectors remains the localized version of "Sake Bomb," which pays brilliant homage to the band's ferocious underground Japanese fan base. The entire record benefits from a stellar mix that balances the screeching dual guitars of Dion Lunadon and Jimmy Christmas without losing the thunderous low-end driving the rhythm section.

From a physical presentation perspective, this Japanese import elevates standard jewel case editions with high-end collector details. It comes bundled with a traditional vertical OBI strip wrapping the spine and an expanded booklet housing full English lyrics alongside Japanese lyric translations and localized music commentary. Rather than overstuffing the compact disc with repetitive live bootlegs or digital compression padding, the engineering preserves a premium audio bit-rate across all 15 selections. It stands as the definitive, hardest-hitting physical version of a classic Kiwi rock-and-roll masterclass.

The D4 - 6Twenty One

Take the Nuggets-era psychedelic garage guitar attack of the Seeds, the Standells, or the Amboy Dukes, add some Stooges proto-metal and early Brit pub-punk from Eddie & the Hot Rods, then turn it up to 11. Welcome to the D4's world. Unkempt, grimy, and noisy as hell, this New Zealand quartet isn't doing anything that hasn't been done before; they're just doing it louder, faster, and with a heart full of soul. These 13 songs (and three videos) encompass all that any lover of '60s garage rock slobbers for. Jack-knife guitars spar with nasal, half sung/shouted vocals and a nonstop nothin'-left-to-lose attitude you thought died with the last great Iggy Pop album. The D4 weren't the only band revisiting this raunchy retro sound in 2002, but on 6Twenty they do it as well, if not better, than as anyone else. Not a hint of pretence makes even the most formulaic tunes and lyrics ("Little Baby," "Party," "Come On!") seem inspired if not quite inspirational. Like the Ramones, this is rock meant to sucker punch listeners in their guts, firing on all six cylinders in a volcanic volley of hooky riffs and simplistic choruses you'll swear you've heard before. Hot, sweaty, and frantic, the D4 have learned their lessons well. It ain't nothin' but a party so enjoy it now and think about it later.