Amulet - Danger! Danger! CD (Columbia Records (Sony?!)
Well, another proof that those Norwegians keep making some of the best rock music in the world.
Amulet kick of this album with a spooky piano tune which sounds like a horrormovie you have seen but can't really pin out. And the rest of the album explores the world of heavy metal, hardcore punk, pop punk, hard rock, prog rock and plain rock'n'roll all in one. Normally I would run screaming away from that kind of mish-mash but in this case it actually works rather well.
There's a lot of good songs on Danger! Danger! But "Fast Times Flow" and "Nine Lives" are particulary ear-smoothing and in-your-face rockers. And the last song "Friday Night Forever" has a chorus that you easily could imagine 10.000 stadion rock audiences shout a long to. Yeeeeah!

Danger! Danger! is partly produced by Knut Schreiner alias Euroboy from Turbonegro and sometimes the arrangements and vocal harmonies have some of the same distinctive sound ...And it sounds great! The band is very skillful and tight and I can't tell whether the guys are hardcore straight-edge vegans, anarchists, whatever but they do sound like very angry young men! And why shouldn't they in this fucked-up world anyway...

The CD booklet has awesome graphic work. Great Photoshop work (I hope!) on the band members showing wounds and bruises. Shit, that nearly cut-off finger is scary!

I'll give Danger! Danger 3 out of 5 razorblades but when I have listened to it a bit more I'll probably give it at least 4. This one grows!

JT

Asbest - Nyt Blod ep 7"
Raw pissed off punk/hardcore, Youth Of Today meets Discharge? Pretty generic stuff with not-so-great gruff vocals. Very personal and depressed lyrics sung in Danish. Not bad, it's just not my cup of tea. Blue vinyl. hjernespind@hotmail.com

Jens

Atom Rhumba - Backbone Ritmo CD (Munster)
Half of the 10 songs has a unique and groovy feel not unlike a mix of Captain Beefheart and Sly & The Family Stone, especially "Eskimo Bones" and "Constant Deja Vu". The rest of the tunes are more rootsrock orientated ("One Bit Momery" is pure Flying Burrito Brothers), while others like "Abstract Blues" and "Just Stop" come across like Tom Waits and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion caught in a surreal food fight. As you probably guessed this is highly eclectic rock'n'roll which draws influences from many different flavors of music. The Spanish combo ain't rookies to the scene since "Backbone Ritmo" is their 4th album, and the previous "Chasin' The Onagro" release was produced by no other than Gories/Dirtbombs main man Mick Collins. Definitely the most original release I've heard for this issue. This is mucho addictive music you can hear again and again and still find new nuances. Viva Espania! http://www.munster-records.com
http://www.atomrhumba.com

Jens

Black Label Society - Hangover Music Vol. VI ( Spitfire Music)
Well, the mighty Zakk Wylde has come up with a really incredible CD this time with an amazing variety of material. If you are only familiar with Zakk's Black Label Society records, then this record will come as shock. It is much more closely aligned with his solo record from some years back, Book of Shadows, being mostly acoustic guitar. While the BLS records pummel you into submission with heavy as hell guitar riffs and dark mean lyrics and shredding guitars, this record kills you gently! The opening number, Crazy or High is fantastic. A mixture of acoustic guitars and heavy riffs. Queen of Sorrow has a slide guitar and reminds of the Allman Brothers at time, but Zakk mixes in some ripping solos and heavy riffs to make it his own. They lyrics on the record are still quite dark and powerful and sung with amazing passion by Zakk, who possesses a truly unique voice. Steppin' Stone is a very dark and tortured song. Wow…Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a piano ballad with some powerful vocals. Takillya is a Spanish guitar piece that leads into Won't Find it Here. This song finds Zakk singing very softly but with a lot of feeling. She deserves a Free Ride is a very mellow track. After this, Zakk gets angry with House of Doom but it has some amazing guitars this one and one of the heaviest songs on the CD. Zakk sings a bit like Axel Rose on this song. What a great rocker this song is! I really love the acoustic guitar and the vibe of the song Layne, but the stand out track on this CD, and the best song Zakk has ever written is No Other. I can't stop playing this track. So much passion is burning in Zakk's vocals and playing. Woman don't Cry features Zakk's longest and most intense guitar playing on the CD, despite being a southern rock style ballad. Ok.. those southern rockers also have some ripping burning solos at times. A cover of Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale is played purely on piano and passionate. The CD ends with Fear.
http://www.zakkwylde.com

Scott

Bloodjunkies - Maladies CD (People Like You)
These LA ghouls kinda recall Coffinshakers, Ghoultown, and Social Distortion ("Prison Bound" period) with a bit of Ricochets' brand of soul thrown in. Rootsy goth folk punk? There's plenty of acoustic ballads mixed with fast twangy rockers and the band has a great organ player in Omar Cabral. This combined with the excellent atmospheric vocals of Shaun Kama (Danzig has nothing on this guy!) really make Bloodjunkies stand out as a highly original combo with a very broad appeal. We also get some cool covers of New Model Army ("51st State") and Johnny Cash ("Thirteen"). "Maladies" is a fuckin' killer album, darkly romantic and decadent, which I'd imagine the lesbian vampires of Jean Rollin would love to sink their fangs into! Definitely the most eclectic release from People Like You yet.
http://www.peoplelikeyou.de
http://www.blood-junkies.com

Jens

The Breakup Society - James at 35 CD (Get Hip)
A concept album about a guy suffering mid-life crisis desperately trying to get laid, this record is about as winning as your drunk uncle hitting on your girlfriend. Pathetic and carrering between pretentiousness and complacent self-loathing, this is one abominable little record from an apparently very sad man. The music sounds like Soft Boys or early Elvis Coestello, but lacking the bite and wit of the former, this is one of those records your aforementioned uncle would hail as a forgotten masterpiece and praise for hours on end. http://www.thebreakupsociety.com
http://www.gethip.com

Jon A

The Defectors - Live At Gutter Island LP (Bad Afro)
One of Denmark's most festive and energetic live acts, it was inevitable that DR (The Danish Broadcasting Corporation) should continue the line of vinyl-only live releases of Bad Afro bands, which has previously seen releases of Baby Woodrose and The Burnouts, with The Defectors. Recorded at last year's Gutter Island Festival, only songs from the two first albums are featured here, but since that includes the classic "C'Mon! C'Mon!" that's OK, girl. The sound is fine, the band is at their best, most of Mort's Niels Hausgaard-sheenanigans have been cut out (fun live, probably would have been a bore on record), and you get their brilliant take on "Paint It, Black", one of everybody's all-time favourite songs. Along with Danish hatecore band Mugshot and 70's rootsy Africa, The Defectors do one of the best takes on this song, and that alone makes this album necessary in your record collection.
http://www.thedefectors.com
http://www.badafro.dk

Jon A

Devil in Miss Jones -Shocktrooper/Mush-Room 7" (Sounds of Subterrania)
Two track 7" by this magnificent German punk quartet. Their personal mix of Dead Kennedys, NoMeansNo and early Clash is some of the best of its kind. I was lucky enough to see them two days in a row a couple of years back and they blew me away with two very different shows that both had more nerve and intensity than most bands ever manage to produce. This is a very good 7" but I'd rather recommend their "Headbanger" 10" also on SOS or any of the two other 10"s these guys have produced. Their style is so multi-faceted and varied that two tracks really don't do them justice. That said: this is a perfect little fucker!
http://www.sounsdofsubterrania.com

(SN)

Die Hunns - Long Legs LP & CD versions (People Like You)
I never cared too much about U.S. Bombs even though people kept on saying: "But Duane Peters is a punkrock legend and a pro-skater etc." But Die Hunns, now featuring sexy rock goddess Corey Parks (ex-Nashville Pussy bassist) on backing vocals, is a completely different ballgame. Bloody brilliant Sex Pistols-style rock'n'roll which is both gutsy and catchy as hell, "Long Legs" is simply a bonafide punkrock classic. These LA rockers are some tricky bastards since the vinyl version has 3 tracks not on the CD and vice versa. The CD also has a groovy music video, "Hate & Love", where Die Hunns disrupt a posh party. Highlight: Corey shoves her ample bust in some senior citizen woman's face! Do I need both versions you ask? I have to say yes cuz the quality of the songs are just so damn high. "Long Legs" has some cool covers of Undertones, Sex Pistols and Wipers. And go see'em live and get your rocks off!
http://www.diehunns.com
http://www.peoplelikeyou.de

Jens

Digger & The Pussycats - Young, Tight And Alright CD (Spooky Records)
If Gun Club, Oblivians, Cramps and Revelators is yer kind of poison then look no further cuz this 2-headed Aussie monster will blow the lid off yer skull, baby! From the first punk blast of "Motorbike" followed by a shitraw take on Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down", you know you're in the company of two youngsters with a true sweaty passion for keeping rock'n'roll raw and exciting. They also got an irrisistable knack for writing catchy songs combined with an outerwordly sonic onslaught, just listen to "10-car Pile-Up" and "100 Degrees"! They also cover songs by Supercharger and The Make-Up. Sam Agostino (vocals, guitar) and Andy Moore (drums, vocals) have got a special place in my heart since I saw'em in London on my 40th birthday, and believe me, Digger & The Pussycats is NOT a band you wanna miss. Some thug throw a bottle at Sam and cut his chin open, but our brave Aussie motherfuckers just kept on playing (with blood pouring down Sam's guitar) even though they knew they were gonna spent the nite at some crummy hospital - NOW THAT TAKES SOME FUCKIN' GUTS! And later 8 stitches. Lowcut # 16 will feature an interview with this sensational 2-piece. http://www.spookyrecords.com

Jens

Eagles Of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal CD (Southern/VME)
The band name and album title is quite misleading here. It's actually Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age fame having a ball in the studio with a few friends. It can be hard to stomach the high pitched vocals but other than that this is fucking groovy. A bit like QOTSA playing Rolling Stones if that is possible to imagine. It's obvious that the boys are having fun and it gives the whole album a very loose feeling. Recommended.

Don K

Evil Army - Conquer Human Life 7" (Contaminated)
Alijca from Contaminated Records (and a handful of cool bands) was raving on about how cool this hard core punk outfit from Memphis is: Like original crossover stuff from the 80s with all the power and authenticity of the likes of early D.R.I., Adrenalin O.D. and even Legacy (pre-Testament). And it is true that it sounds like those bands - with a dash of "Show No Mercy" style Slayer - but I really don't think it lives up to "Dirty Rotten LP" or "The Wacky Hi-Jinx of A.O.D" or those early Legacy demos. Those 80s masterpieces are rawer, faster and way more intense and even though Evil Army is a good band in its own respect, it's not really a band that gets me too excited. I might be wrong, because I'm not that much into this kinda stuff, but I'm fairly convinced that there are loads of bands like this here in Europe and especially Japan that plays the same kinda stuff, only way better. Check out some of Alijca's own bands: Lost Sounds. Mouserocket (see review elsewhere) or the now defunct the Clears. http://www.contaminatedrecords.com/index.html

(SN)

Fifty Foot Combo - Ghent-Bxl LP/CD (Drunkabilly)
I'm not averse to surf music per se, I've even found myself digging some of it on occasions, like Jaffa De Luxe, but a lot of the time I find myself yearning for a singer to freshen things up a bit. Not that instrumental rock music is a bad thing as such, a lot of clever things are done in that field (the Thrill Jockey label, the whole 70's krautrock thing), it's just that surf is not that clever really, and it has a tendency to wear out on me, lapse over into elevator music. That said, FFC are one of the better acts on that peculiar scene, having gone on for 10 years, and this album, produced by Theo Van Rock of Rollins Band fame, has some fine melodies on it, I just long for someone screaming over the whole thing to spice things up some. That, or a stripper. That would be cool.
http://www.fiftyfootcombo.com
http://www.drunkabilly.com

Jon A

Gorilla Angreb - Astma/+3 7" (Kick'n'Punch)
Late 70s style punkrock not unlike Vice Squad or X-ray Spex, maybe it's due to Mai's singing who also reminds me a bit of Exene of X. There's plenty of melody and hooks (I just love "Mit Lille Sorte Æg"!) in the tunes of this Copenhagen group, but they are definitely a better band live I think because Mai's voice needs to be a bit more, dare I say, ballsy in the studio recordings. Still, it's a damn solid release from a band who's evolving each time I see'em live. I'm really looking forward to hear more from Gorilla Angreb who just been on a tour in Iceland where people really dug'em. Yellow vinyl. kicknpunch@wildmail.com

Jens

The Hi-Frequencies - The Hi-Frequencies CD (Teen Regime Records)
This is the third album from The Hi-Frequencies, released in 2002 - but it
might as well have been 1959 or 1962 - this is almost a little too retro…
The fourteen track CD takes you back to a Midwestern High School in the
early 1960's, and you can easily picture yourself dancing away at
homecoming, or sitting drinking a malted milk in the local ice cream shop -
its scary business!
But once you recover from the fact that this CD has a Buddy Holly cover
song, which is almost better than the original (ducks to avoid bottles), you
are left with an odd mixture of slightly similar surf sounding rock 'n roll
classics. If your into Dick Dale, this'll be for you - not a lot of singing,
just surf riffs, and a drummer who knows his way around a piece of leather
and two sticks. The guitars aren't really that special, its all been heard
before, but from time to time the drummer manages to infuse a degree of
blues and jazz into the otherwise painstakingly honest high school songs,
giving them that final twist. This is a CD which sounds so original, and
true to its historical context, you actually need to judge it as such - so
as a vintage CD, this gets four blades. On the other side, if they release
two more records just as vintage as this one, I'm not convinced they can
keep it on 4 blades based on their skill as musicians alone. So four small
blades it is.
http://www.hifrequencies.com

Kristian

Incontrollados - Hvem vil det gavne/+7 ep 7" (Kick'n'Punch/Maximum Overdrive)
This Copenhagen hardcore combo is not as metallish as many and the (Danish) lyrics are sung rather than growled which is nice. The songs are mostly political and anti-corporate but there are few personal ones like "Det Er OK At Være Grim". Still, it got a tad too generic for me listening though all 8 tracks which sounded exactly the same. I've heard that kinda 80s style hardcore (reminded a me bit of Røvsvett, remember them?) too many times I guess. Great youthful energy though.
http://www.incontrollados.homestead.com

Jens

Jet Jaguar - Billion Year Spree (Akivator Records 7)
This is the 3rd CD but the Space Rock band, Jet Jaguar, and their best yet. The band record the tracks in their own home studio called the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This CD is split into three parts; The Air Age, The Space Age and The Hyperspace Age, each with 5 songs. The CD is a mixture of instrumental tracks and tracks with vocals. The vocals all tend to be highly affected and all the drums are made by machines… The CD is highly influenced by Bob Calvert and Hawkwind and dedicated to Bob. If you want to take a deep space flight into the unknown and enjoy the music of bands like Chrome, Farflung, F/i, Hawkwind, then I highly recommend taking the ride as this is a great psychedelic space rock journey.

Scott

Kreisor - Graveyard of your Mind (Rubric Records)
The band used to be called Aytobach Kreisor and has produced one EP and full length CD prior to this release. The band have really changed their approach to songs on this effort and went for a more psychedelic sound this time and also more focused on rocking! The CD opens with the excellent Reloader, with its classic rock approach and phased out guitar and vocals. Trilight is the bands radio friendly bouncy rock number. Work, is a hard hitting Motorhead like song. The bands cover version of Waiting for the Sun by the Doors is quite cool. Lazarus begins with a drum solo and then really takes off at high speed and has a great riff, harkening back to Captain Beyond. The end of the CD has several songs go for a more psychedelic rock sound with the mix and layered guitars. Graveyard of your Mind really reminds you of the early 70s sound of bands like Lucifer's Friend and Black Widow. There is a great mixture of material on this CD and shows that the band have really grown and expanded. The band are currently looking for a new bass player (as Zito had to leave due to hearing problems), as well as a second guitarist and keyboard player.
http://www.rubricrecords.com

Scott

The Last Vegas - Lick 'Em and Leave 'Em CD (Get Hip)
Chicago hard rockers, The Last Vegas do exactly what they are here to do -
rock your ass off! They don't muck about, there are almost never any quiet
intros - it's either jump straight into the rock and pump action, or
feedback straight into a hammering drum solo - this will make your legs
twitch. Their sound isn't very unique though, it's a mixture of slightly Led
Zeppelin inspired blues rock, fuelled by the same drive as AC/DC or Guns 'n
Roses have shown us so many times. But it works, the drummer must be getting the workout of his life, and even though it's not very technical drumming -
it sure is hard and loud! The vocal is classic, this guy was made for hard
rock, and with lyrics that sometimes sound like they could have been sung by
Iggy Pop, you can have no objections there! The guitar is typical 70s hard
rock, the more the better, and if it's loud - it doesn't matter exactly what
your playing. Sadly it does, and some times The Last Vegas just don't cut
it, when you think your hearing the same track for the third time in a row,
you start to wonder if that trucker blues drive shouldn't be replaced by
something a little different? But then again, ZZ Top made it big with that
exact same guitar riff - so why shouldn't these guys be able to do it? For a
debut album this isn't half bad, so three razors for these wailing banshees.
http://www.gethip.com

Kristian

Los Retardos - Fresh Trash LP (Rocking Retard Prod.)
12 new songs about alcohol and broken hearts (as usual, haha) from these Copenhagen beer punks. Lead vocalist/bassist Simon Raun 'sings' a bit more on this release than previous ones which suits the tunes nicely. It's great to have live faves like "Hell Yeah Alright Let's Go" finally put on record and "Lalleglade #3 & #4" are great instrumentals who deserve some vocals in my opinion. It's still Ramones/Social D. inspired sing along punkrock with some great guest musicans like Barry Beringer on piano in "Might As Well Admit" (a great fuckin' song), "A Dude's Gotta Do" (an ol' Cevin Coldheart tune, when the hell are we gonna see Simon's acoustic alterego live?) and No Hope For The Kids do backing vocals on "It's Drinking Time". The album cover is a photo of the most rare bird in the world, some weird looking ugly fucker. Los Retardos has just been to Germany and Poland playing with Die Hunns etc. but they still need a permanent drummer since Diego moved to Holland, so email them if you think you can handle the sticks, okay? Yellow vinyl. http://www.losretardos.com

Jens

Marvel - Bedlam at the Embassy 7" (Black JuJu)
R'n'r bands with cartoon alter egos is a concept that really should have died with Kiss or The Osbournes, but this third 7" from Marvel is actually cool. Their sound may not be the weapon of mass destruction the accompanying cartoon suggests, but the simple, proto-Scandinavian r'n'r is fresh and up-beat enough to save their asses and let them get away with all the superhero-imagery and chestbeating bravado.
http://www.marvel.nu
http://come.to/blackjuju

Jon A

Mouserocket - Missing Teeth 7" (Contaminated)
Strange semi-psychedelic indie pop led by Alicja of the Lost Sounds fame (?) Three laid-back and groovy songs - two originals and "Alone Again Or" by Love: Clinging guitars, friendly vocals and occasional cello. Really nice stuff - it's easy to see why it's so easy to fall in love with that woman! Imagine the Breeders playing Sebadoh covers in a good mood. A full-length album is coming out on Empty soon, and if it's anything like this, I'm sure it's going to be as hot as Asia Argento's bum. Maybe hotter even…and that is pretty fucking hot!
http://www.mouserocket.com

(SN)

Nifters - Cognitive Eclipse ep CD (Black Juju)
Hmmm....this sounds somewhat stonerrock-ish, but then again maybe not. Wellcrafted Swedish hardrock with some great riffs and those generic choruses you heard a billion times before. A mixed bag but "Schlaraffenland" does include some dialogue from "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas", nice touch. Not bad, there's plenty of potential, but I don't think I will listen to this CD over and over again. If it had been released 10 years ago I'd probably have liked it more, I dunno...
http://thenifters.com
http://come.to/blackjuju.com

Jens

Outrage - Cause for Pause (Victor Japan)
Outrage is an old Japanese band, with the first release back in the mid-80s. The band has changed radically over the years and I have not heard all of the bands releases but most. The band made a dramatic shift from sounding like classic Metallica and doing it as good as the original (listen to the amazing Black Clouds CD!) to a much more hardcore-metal sound. The band has for some years been stripped down to a 3 piece and the last several releases have been very aggressive and influenced by the Ramones! This one is no different, except the band attempt to throw in a bit of stoner rock into their sound, not very successfully. The CD was recorded at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California. The CD has a funny 25 minute video from the recording sessions as well as the production video they produced for the song Deadbeat. The CD opens very fast with Bleed Out followed by what is to be the single, Deadbeat. The do mix things up with strange numbers like Cat & Nines and the cover of I can see for Miles by the Who which is pretty funny. The main weakness of the band is that the bassist who handles the lead vocals can't sing. He is really pretty awful. The sound on the CD is pretty cool with a great production and cool guitars and pounding drums and bass. I got this from a friend in Japan and I am guessing this is pretty hard to come by if you want to hear some very fast Japanese-hardcore-metal-stoner hybrid stuff, try to hunt this one down!
http://outrage.mite.ne.jp

Scott

Ponys - st 7" (Contaminated)
This is the first 7" by this Chicago quartet. It's In the Red's new signing and a damn fine one too. This is the only record I've heard the Ponys, but being on ItR I knew it had to be good…and it is! Three stoner head noise rock anthems combining all the garage rock qualities of early Stooges with the drug feel of Spacemen 3 and Sonic Youth, and with a certain fucked up attitude to finish the whole thing off in good style. Slow grinding song with occasional loud, noisy, wah-wah solos like in the early 80s and some seriously late 70s Manchestery vocals…Ian Curtis forever! "When I was young I used to live in fear"…this actually sounds quite a lot like early Joy Division or rather Warsaw stuff. Super cool rock paranoia. Man, I look forward to hearing the LP!
http://www.contaminatedrecords.com

(SN)

Precious Bodyfluid - Can you Deliver (A Play with yourself Production)
Precious Bodyfluid is a band that has been around for some years now playing on the local Copenhagen scene. The band features On Trial vocalist, Bo on lead vocals and guitar as well as Kjeld on drums (ex-Gas Giant) and Niels on guitar and Peter on bass. The band has produced this 3 song EP. It was recorded in December 2002 and mixed throughout 2003. The CD begins with the hard drivin' and melodic Tzunami. Bo is a fantastic and unique singer and this music has the same drive as On Trial but is not psychedelic in nature at all and more melodic hard rock with strong playing. Can You Deliver is a mood rocker and the guitar line reminds me a bit of Neil Young. For all I know brings it down and is an acoustic ballad that freaks out a bit in the middle and if it stayed in that dark place, could be an On Trial song. A great demo CD. I look forward to hearing more from this band!
http://www.precious.dk

Scott

QOPH - Pyrola (Nasoni Records 026)
QOPH is a difficult band to describe. It is some sort of progressive-psychedelic rock. This was released on CD on the bands own label but I am reviewing the double LP version which has 3 additional tracks and a slightly different song order. One major change you will notice, if you had heard the bands debut from 1998, is that the band now sings in English and not Swedish. The LP begins with a long 10 min track about the drummer's trip to North Korea. This song is a long crazy journey and harkens back to tracks like Gentle Giant used to make but this band does not have a vocal approach like that. The mid section of this and most songs on the LP, the band experiment and often freakout with great jams of guitars and moog or mellotron on some tracks. The singer reminds me of Sting on this first track when he sings in the high register. Amazing song. Half of Everything goes back to the blues roots of the band and reminds me a bit of a stranger Jethro Tull.

Side B begins with Woodrose (the song that starts the CD version). It begins with a rumbling bass and mysterious feeling with flute and vocals. The heavy part soon kicks in and the band is off for another unique musical workout! Travel Candy is a stripped down instrumental tune with a guest Theremin player, making those scary ghost like sounds mixing in with the spacey guitar. Fantastic playing by the whole band. Stand my Ground, according to the biography is influenced by Santana and the Allman Brothers. I could not really hear this except in the very cool jam in the middle of the track and the great moog synth solo. I wish this track was expanded, perhaps in the live setting. Side C begins with Moontripper, again featuring Nicklas Barker (Anekdoten) on mellotron (as on Korea) and is built on a heavy bluesy riff. The band really plays some cool stuff in the mid section of this song. Fractions is a 14 minute epic with guest moog and sitar players.

Side D features the unreleased material by the band. Resh is from 1998 and probably from the debut CD sessions. It also features guest slide guitar player, Jimmy Wahlsteen. This is a pretty psychedelic song with effected vocals and hard rocking. Will the Sun be back Tomorrow goes all the way back to 1996 and also features Jimmy on guitar and mandolin. A very cool psychedelic blues rocker. The LP ends with Anticipations, a very cool song with a ska like riff on the mandolin. You have to check out this band. A really unique sound they create with strange dynamics and arrangements and the will to experiment. A rewarding experience!
http://www.qoph.nu
http://www.nasoni-records.com

Scott

Rainy Day Saints - Saturday's Haze CD (Get Hip)
Cheap Trick meets The Nazz meets early Flaming Lips? Powerpop psych rock with an indie feel? Rainy Day Saints is Dave Swanson's (Guided By Voices, New Salem Witch Hunters etc.) creation since he plays all instruments and sings! There's some truly great tunes on "Saturday's Haze" but many of them sound somewhat the same. Fans of wellcrafted 70s rock, powerpop and loud guitars will love this album cuz Mr. Swanson is one talented motherfucker. Some of it is a tad too sweet for my taste though since I prefer steak over icecream.
http://www.gethip.com
http://www.rainydaysaints.com

Jens

Rateofdepress - Bleach the Sky CD (Casket/Target Distribution)
The press material for this band alone hits way over the mark, talking about "turning the tide in modern day metal" and how "disaster struck" when the singer contracted pharyngitis. What it really comes down to is a fair load of midtempo hatecore reminiscent of Agnostic Front. Unfortunately it's overlaid with the same annoying "sensitive" gothic backing vocals and melodic parts that occasionally blemished Slipknot, and that's really the worst clue you take from Slipknot, even the masks would have been better. Plus it makes them sound a bit like Danish Stomped, which is not at all a good thing. One thing Rateofdepress could have learned from Slipknot is the power of speed: A handful of fast songs or even just fast parts spread over the record alone would have gotten them an extra razorblade despite those horrible backing vocals.
http://www.rateofdepress.com

Jon A

Rosetta West - X Decendent (Private Release)
This is the 5th release by Joseph Demagore's band, Rosetta West since their debut in 1996. Joseph is backed by the same group of folks as on previous CDs, in Orpheus Jones on bass (4 tracks), Mike Weaver on Drums, Jay Daniels on Bass and Nathan Q. Scratch on percussion (3 tracks). The CD is a real mixture of low fi acoustic and electric down and dirty blues-swamp boogie-rock. The CD begins with the most excellent Swamp Boogie track Blue Honey. A great riff and cool vocals. Slow Train goes for a simple repeated acoustic guitar riff and vocals with a bass line and simple percussion. Great stuff.. A really cool cover of Shakin' All Over by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates is featured in the in middle of the CD. Children is another powerfully sung blues number with some really nice acoustic guitar. Deeper than Magic is a really cool slow mystery song. The CD ends with Inferno, which is basically a guitar effects soundscape. This is not music performed to perfection in a sterile environment but harkens back to the days of the old black blues artists sitting on the porch pouring out their hearts and souls and getting the evil out… That is what I hear in this music… I hope you do as well. What can I say…. If you have not heard Rosetta West, go find one of the CDs. You can contact the band at: Rosetta West, P.O. Box 807, Geneva, IL 60134, USA. This album and the other 4 are available at the above address for $10 each.

Scott

Shutdown 66 - Welcome to Dumpsville CD (Get Hip)
Australian hard hitters, Shutdown 66 deliver one hell of a punch on this,
their debut album. It's traditional fast rock 'n roll with a blues twist,
well more than a twist - its blues rock, but pitched up to twice the speed,
and with the lead singer Nicky Shutdown screaming the lyrics. You may wonder about this CD the first time you put it on, but assimilation is inevitable: this record was made to be loved, and it's not as hard as you might first think. Nicky Shutdown has a voice which sounds freakishly similar to Mick Jagger in his early years, actually - some of the tracks could have been on an early Rolling Stones album, if they were calmed down a bit. But they aren't calm, and even though the riffs and hooks are cool, the melodies are catchy, the lead singer has a voice which fits right in - you still end up
feeling satisfied, but put back by the clash of musical styles. You have a
blues rocking tune, a guitarist who thinks its fun to play some surf riffs
on top of that, a Soledad style lead singer with a punkish attitude, and a
drummer who could have been replaced by a machine, or maybe even a dog with sticks tied to its tail. Now with that out of the way - this record is still
way cool, so it's three well grown blades for these Aussie lads. http://www.gethip.com

Kristian

Eddie Spaghetti - The Sauce CD (Abstract/Target)
The Must've Have Been High album by The Supersuckers suggested that Eddie and the boys had a passion for country music and now Mr Spaghetti launches his first solo album pretty much in the same direction. 12 country/roots songs about drinking including covers of Kris Kristoffersen, Willie Nelson and many others plus a few penned by Eddie Spaghetti himself. Must've Have Been High is a favourite among many of The Lowcutters and I am happy to announce that The Sauce is equally as cool. Loose, laid back and probably some of the best hangover music besides Billie Holiday. The title is a hint to Bloody Mary by the way.

Don K

The Specimens - Fast & Loose CD (Shock Records) + 6 track CD
Aussie rock'n'roll bands seldom disappoint me, I don't know why. Maybe it's because their ancestors were undesirable outlaws that the British Empire put on the other side of the world. This probably gave their r'n'r acts a more hardass attitude than most English groups, I guess. Anyway, The Specimens are another fine example of primal raunch'n'roll from down under. Think Devil Dogs, B-Movie Rats & Didjits meet Aussie r'n'r heroes like Radio Birdman, Cosmic Psychos & AC/DC and you got and idea of what this 4-piece is about. I like any of the 10 tracks of their 'official' album, especially "Roll Of The Dice" which has some great tambourine playing. The 6 new recordings are equally as strong, no frills greasy motorpunk. There's some really neat harp playing in "What Ya Wanna Do?". They were formed in 2001 in the dirty back alleys of StKilda, Melbourne, and they're packin' way more fiery heat than fellow countrymen like Jet, believe me!
http://www.thespecimens.com

Jens

Tiger Man - Naked Blues CD (Munster Records)
This is one fucked up blues record, they even write it on the press release,
though I don't think we mean it in the same way. The record is by Paulo
Furtado who, when playing all instruments like he is on this record, calls
himself: Tiger Man One Man Band. The blues is good mind you, no objections
there - just like most classic blues, it either comes out as it should, or
comes out as non-blues - blues is often that simple, either you play what
you're supposed to, or you don't - the science of blues. And this is very
"straight forward" modern electric blues, not a lot of surprises or leaks of
rock 'n roll or jazz - just blues, with kazoo and all. But the lyrics - or
rather, the way Tiger Man sings them, have me puzzled. He doesn't sound like a blues singer at all: he has this boyish voice, which he tries to twist and
tweak to make it sound more mature, aged by cigarettes and alcohol - only it
isn't. So what you have is basically a cool blues record, sung by a guy who
sounds more like an old pop singer than Muddy Waters, asking you to play
with him "doggy style" - now that's what I call fucked up… But still, it
works, and he gets the job done, but it wouldn't hurt him to smoke 40 cigs a
day for a few years. I'll give him 3 blades for the effort, but they aren't
the biggest three blades I've seen. Though taking into consideration he
plays all the instruments, this is a pretty good effort, and what the hell -
its blues!
http://www.munster-records.com

Kristian

WELTRAUMSTAUNEN - Weltraumwelt (Nasoni Records 029)
Weltraumstaunen is a German space rock band featuring Dave Schmidt (Sula Bassana, Liquid Visions, Growing Seeds, Zone Six) on bass, drums, synths, organ and guitar, as well as Andi Henrich (Jonas Flux) on guitars, vocals and drums (1 track). This record was recorded in April-May 2002 but just came out now in April 2004. It is a beautiful gatefold with a nice fold out insert with very informative liner notes, almost entirely in German. It contains 4 instrumental and 5 vocal tracks that are in general much shorter than the first record. The record begins with Black Doves I, which starts slow and spacey but gets very heavy in the middle. The Finnish band Circle comes to mind. Door's is a dark 60's inspired track. Hoffmannsmahl (Dwarves of Lore) really takes off into space rock territory and my favourite track on side A. Floating in Space is only guitar and synthesizers and is pretty far out into space. Wizard vs. Time is a short number closing side A and has some cool acoustic and electric wah guitar. Introfernale begins Side B with space sounds before heading into the hypnotic Weltraumwelt. This is a great free floating space rock song like CAN used to make. The 14 minute Farfisadelic is a long trip with piano, farfisa, organ, slide guitar and lots of effects! Black Doves II ends the LP much like it began! A trip well worth taking. If you like the music of the first record and the psychedelic rock produced by Dave Schmidt and the folks surrounding him, then you won't be disappointed with this record! Buy it!
http://www.nasoni-records.com

Scott

The Wonderfools - Doing Their Duty To The Nightlife CD (Wild Kingdom/Kick Music)
Think Turbonegro ("Apocalypse Dudes" period) and Hellacopters ("Paying The Dues" period) and you got an idea what Wonderfools is about. Yeah, I know that 100s of bands deal in that kinda hardrock/punkrock, but these Norsemen are just sooo damn good at it. "Fornication" has a cool riff-a-rama homage to Thin Lizzy, and great horny lyrics; "What you need is fornication!". HELL YEAH! The world's population of suckers definitely need more sex and less religion!! I sure hope these guys keep this line-up cuz they got a bizarre history of stealing each other's girlfriends and all sorts of drunken madness, haha.
http://www.kickmusic.dk

Jens

V/A Freeway Jackals Vs. The Hollywoods split 7" (Black Juju/45 Records)
'Psychobilly Mayhem Vs. Garage Surf'. First team in the ring is Freeway Jackals, a Swedish punk/psychobilly outfit which for a change is fronted by woman (Velocity Wilson), and they sure got the moves but doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. I guess they are fans of John Waters' "Cry Baby" with the "Down With The Drapes" tune. Pretty good stuff, I like it. Next contestant. I've seen The Hollywoods live and what sets them apart from other surfbands is their Nixon masks which were a fun novelty for like 10 minutes or so. Nothing special, they are probably more punkrock sounding than most instru-surf combos but that's it. Nice version of Misfits' "Angelfuck" though.
http://www.freewayjackals.com
http://www.lofidelity.net/hollywoods

Freeway Jackals
Hollywoods

Jens