This Normandy-bred group were high profile in their native country during the rise of punk rock and new wave, releasing a slew of charismatic garage-soaked LPs before François Mitterrand’s second term.

With delirious picking speeds, copious tremolo, and an expert knack for arrangement, Takeshi “Terry” Terauchi wowed surf-thirsty audiences in 1960s Japan, black Mosrite in hand and genial smile across his face. Terauchi’s frenzied instrumentals earned him a crowning as King of the Electric Guitar several decades ago. Alas, his rule has not yet extended to American shores. He’s one of Japan’s best kept secrets.

Between 1981 and 2002 Toronto’s cinema-centric feminist punk rock collective Fifth Column helped mold the sound and aesthetics of the riot grrrl movement via landmark releases like 1985’s To Sir With Hate and 1990’s All-Time Queens of The World. At the center of this group were always two multi-instrumentalists, Caroline Azar and G.B. Jones.

There’s a very specific burn to Ilegales (Illegals), the 1983 debut LP from the Spanish rock group of the same name. It’s a gently tense heat, romantically searing, and it rises mostly from leader Jorge Martinez’s astringent guitar and voice. The album has a dream-like feel overall, even when it nakedly incorporates elements of ska, rockabilly, jazz, and traditional domestic sounds.

Like David Hasselhoff, Heineken, and lederhosen before him, ALF experienced some of his greatest popularity in Germany when the sitcom began airing there in 1988. Germans were so thirsty for ALF right off the bat they spun him and the Tanners into a 43 episode radio show the year the series debuted. Even more incredible: ALF’s German voice actor Tommi Piper released two whole albums where he sings in character as ALF. The firs...

Round Eye’s most recent album, 2016’s Monster Vision, contains more traditional punk rock songwriting than the Lynchian bleat of their 2014 debut, but the general feel is still grimy, hot, and surreal. Craig recently took a moment to speak with No Recess! about life in China, punk in China, and recording with legendary Black Flag / SST Records founder Greg Ginn for the Libyan Hit Squad / Round Eye split EP Full Circle.

The Oslo Børs were one of Norway’s founding punk acts, though you might not guess it from their moniker (especially if you know anything about international finance) — Oslo Børs is also the name of the capital city’s stock exchange.

Lead guitarist Captain Poon (né Arne Skagen) took a moment recently to speak with No Recess! about Gluecifer’s surprise reformation. Specifically, the reunion’s strange genesis, what the group dynamic is like these days, his day job as a chef, and that controversial stage name.

Even in the annals of international rock ‘n’ roll curiosity record swapping, the BG Rock discs are not widely ballyhooed or shouted about. They should be, of course, for they provide a wonderful window into Bulgaria’s recent past, and they are fully engaging documents unto themselves.

No Recess! recently spoke with I.R.A. founding singer and guitarist David Viola to get a better idea of the band's history and lifestyle.