I usually try and focus on contemporary music with these Hype Device columns. After all, the entire point is to bring some attention to under looked, but deserved bands. There will always be some groups and songs that are over looked; even with an entire collection of music that deserves to be heard, not all can be worshiped. Thus, this edition of Hype Device will focus on songs and artists that deserve some reparations (…of hype) to offset the deficiency of attention they received when they were releasing music. So hype we will. Retroactively, of course.

Check out mp3s from Wimple Witch, The Gerbils, Sons and Daughter, The Coral, and the Star Spangles “after the jump”

[mp3] Wimple Witch – “Save My Soul”

An band from northern England in the mid-1960’s, Wimple Witch released but a few singles in their short career. Described as “freak beat”, Save My Soul sounds like the early Kinks but with far more punk fury. The rave-up in the chorus of this song alone qualifies it for classic status, never mind its early exploitation of a softLOUDsoft dynamic. This is one of my top 5 favorite songs from the 1960s. Hell, if this had been released in 1977 then this would be one of my top 2 or 3 favorite punk songs. I honestly don’t know how this song has been so overlooked over the past 40+ years.

[mp3] The Gerbils – “Are You Underwater”

One of the reasons I love the Elephant 6 Collective so much (besides for Jeff Mangum) is that it was so deep with talent. Here is the first track from the second album of The Gerbils, the side project of Scott Spillane, the horn player from Neutral Milk Hotel. Hazy ’60’s indebted lo-fi pop, the entire album is a near masterpiece. Are You Underwater is a cacophonously noisy album opener of innocent indie-pop sensibilities. Great summer music.

[mp3] Sons and Daughters – “Johnny Cash”

My sophomore year of college I was a DJ for the University of Binghamton station for about four weeks. My greatest achievement was dropping an f-bomb on air at the end of my first ever time DJing solo as I exclaimed how happy I was about not accidently cursing on air all program. I was smooth. The greatest legacy, for me, of my short stint was getting a promo copy of the debut album from Scotland’s Sons and Daughters. Country/folk punk (the Johnny Cash title is apt, as this is what he would have sounded like had he been been apart of the first wave of punk) from Scotland might not be an obvious pick. Or an obvious anything. Well just listen to this and you’ll change your mind. These Scots show us how you do punk inspired roots music. Sadly, the band never again reached these heights.

[mp3] The Coral – “Dreaming Of You”

The Coral, another band from northern England, are still kicking, but the inclusion on this edition of Hype Device should not be taken as an insult or indictment of their career since. Rather, I’ve always loved this track from their 2003 debut. Almost a proto-Man Man song, one wonders what would have happened had this track been released today.

The Star Spangles – “Which One Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down”

Okay, so the Star Spangles don’t say anything that wasn’t already said by 1978. Doesn’t matter. Punk has never really been articulated any better than this. Also getting props from originating from near my hometown (they were from Brewster, NY), The Star Spangles call to mind similar bands such as The Exploding Hearts. Never amounting to much due to major label incompetence (or because they were a 1977 punk band at heart trying to make it on a major label in the early 2000’s), the Johnny Thunders-inspired Star Spangles at least left us with a handful of kick ass songs.

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