CHIXDIGGIT! – Safeways Here We Come (Fat Wreck): There’s a singular phrase in the promo sheet for this seven song MCD/12″ that really says everything you need to know about CHIXDIGGIT – “unforgettable melodies”. While one wouldn’t work without the other, the band’s style of mid-to-blazin’ pop-punk is dominated by a kind of high-pitch vocals that turn the band’s clever lyrical word play into songs that sit two decks up from the outfield wall of catchiness. Never a band to take itself too serious, the 44 second “Hot N Horny” is perfectly juvenile while opener “Miso Ramen” reminds you of what SCREECHING WEASEL was like before Ben got old and cranky. CHIXDIGGIT are the kind of band that could make sitting in traffic an enjoyable activity if it’s their music on the stereo.

MOTHER OF MERCY – IV: Symptoms of Existence (Bridge Nine): Although they are one of Bridge Nine’s lower profile bands, their sound is a lot closer to the label’s hardcore roots than most might realize. The group’s metallic sound is partly rooted in mid-90s crunch and reminds me a lot of bands that came around after the Victory Records dominated sound of that time, sort of a post-EARTH CRISIS, ANOTHER VICTIM, BLOODLET kind of thing. Symptoms rarely has a song that pushes more than 2:30, and the vocals are pure guttural howl and shout. The band’s sound is caustic and reckless, but the pro recording style gives it plenty of modern polish. Fans of 108, early HOPE CON and all things mid-90s have a lot to like with MOTHER OF MERCY.