Got these in the post the other day from Brassneck Records. First time I've bought from that distro, and my order arrived quickly and with free stickers and a poster which is always a bonus! So onto the records themselves -

New Mexican Disaster Squad "Don't Believe"
I bought this without ever having heard a note of their music. The only reason I bought it was due to the band No Friends, which a few members of this band are in along with Tony Foresta, lead singer of Municipal Waste. To my delight, they sound exactly like No Friends pretty much. Hardcore punk without the bullshit posturing and breakdowns, just heads down, fast, fun tunes. I really enjoy the artwork of the release as well, not your cliche punk/hardcore black and white artwork with guns or brass knuckles or whatever the shit is in that month. I discovered that Horse Bites did the artwork, which wasn't much of a surprise - he has quite a distinctive style and an awesome use of colours. He also happens to be the drummer in the band!
I've got a few vinyl releases from No Idea Records now, and they pretty much all seem to be along the same lines as this one. A weird mix of colours for the record which looks pretty cool, and means each one is a bit different. Certainly more interesting than a plain coloured record at least!
If you're into bands like Kid Dynamite, Paint It Black, Dillinger Four then you'll probably find something to enjoy here! Sadly they've broken up now (I'm always late to the party) but you can still check their music out here - http://www.myspace.com/newmexicandisastersquad

The Lawrence Arms "Buttsweat & Tears"
Back when I was first getting into more punk music, The Lawrence Arms were a name I'd hear often from various friends and on internet message boards but for some reason I just never checked them out. A little while ago I took a chance and bought a couple of their CDs from a dude on punktastic and immediately regretted not giving them a try sooner. They're also one of the rare bands that I feel get better with each release, I'm sure many will argue with me on this point but I'll take their latest release "Oh Calcutta!" over their first couple of albums any day.
This EP was their first release in 3 years, and whilst its a shame to only get 4 new songs after all this time at least it's something I guess.
One of my favourite things about this band are the vocals. Not the usual gruff style you expect from this music, I suppose they can be a bit off putting to begin with but when it clicks you couldn't imagine the music without them. I suppose it also marks them out as something a little different from the usual fair. Their vocalist recently played a one-off solo show in Southampton, I had a ticket but was gutted when I had to miss it due to work. Perhaps it wasn't such a band thing, I read in Kill Your Own that it was a bit of a drunken shambles!
Don't be a fool like me, if you're into the No Idea/Fat Wreck/Epitaph style bands then give them a go http://www.myspace.com/thelawrencearms