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3 Speed Automati c- No Mans Land (SA333)
3 Speed Automatic (3SA) are a new Dutch band that like to
ROCK! The band come flying out of the speakers in heavy form
with the opening number Splitting the Atom and you can tell
they mean business with ripping fast Eddie Clarke like wah
solos and in your face ROCK. No Mans Land is next. I like
the heavy in your face guitar sound of this band. Guido loves
his wah. Painkiller has a very spacey wah guitar sound and
hard driving groove. These guys rock out in the same way as
Nebula do fans of Nebula would probably enjoy this as Guido
goes for the throat with his guitar soloing as well. Does
somebody Know brings things down with some spaced out slow
going beginnings and is a slow heavy song with some Hammond
organ as well, way in the background. 2nd Coming starts slow
but then attempts to rip your head off with its nasty guitar
riff and 70's style Motorhead influence. The CD ends with
Walk on the Sun and excellent heavy psychedelic rock song.
Wow…. A really cool band and I look forward to hearing
more from these guys!
www.3sa.nl
Scott
Aimona - S/T (CD EP)
The Danish garage scene is seeing a lot of Aim-rips, Aimology
formerly known as Aim, and now Aimona - it's a tricky business
trying to keep names separated, but at least they don't sound
anything like each other. These four guys want to rock - no
doubt about that; and all four instruments (because the lead
singer really is a rock'n'roll vocalist) fuse together and
create that special, but hardly unique rock sensation. The
three tracks on the CD are well written, and with energy pouring
out of grooves, this is a demo that will keep vibrating in
your CD player even after it stopped playing. These guys are
ready to punch out of the CD and attack you with a menacing
guitar, punching bass, thumping drum and a vocal that reeks
of whiskey. But they keep attacking you with something your
ready for! The first track "Disappoint you girl"
is an almost standard effort at a garage rock love song. A
pulsing guitar hovering over three or four chords, picking
up at the chorus section and finally escaping from the monotonous
thumping of the verse - its an almost too standard way of
making songs, but it works as long as your lyrics can carry
the weight of the song. One line goes "Men are pigs when
you really get us to know" - you can bitch a lot about
the importance of lyrics, but that sure as hell isn't Cohen!
The second on the other hand is promising, power pop rocking
song called "You know what's coming" - and if they
keep making tunes like this - what's coming is airplay. They
sound a little like Jet though, having some of the same energy
as "Are you gonna be my girl" without actually sounding
like it - good lyrics, nice drive - excellent song. The third
song has an odd repetitive guitar riff a la Dizzy Mizz Lizzy,
but sets itself out a little compared to the other songs.
You never actually end up with an idea of what these guys
want to play - and probably on purpose. This is a three song,
three moods EP, which needs work and all, but shows that you
can get far with energy and live performance - I for one am
going to see these guys on stage!
www.aimona.dk
Kristian
Aimology - S/T (CD EP)
Aimology, the artist formerly known as Aim, who - as we all
remember - won Live Contest 2003, eventually got sued for
their name and lost their lead singer - but are now back,
bigger and more dressed in white than before! And boy howdy
this EP shows promises of innovative rock'n'roll right here
in little old Copenhagen! The new lead singer is a foxy lady
by the name Veronica d'Souza, and she makes all the difference
between Aim and Aimology, mostly because she IS the only difference.
Adam, Gregers and R.R are still the musical backbone of this
beat monster, and manage to give in to the music, and still
control the beast that is rock'n'roll… Ok I may have
gotten carried away, but this is really good! Three tracks
- full steam ahead. First track "Ride me down" has
an energetic guitar chorus, with Veronica wrapping her voice
around you, and a verse with only a bass riff, which emphasizes
the dampened almost secretive singing. The track has a weird
drum section, almost a little too simple, but it works. The
guitar solo is a real 50's Chuck Berry I-can-see-him-dancing-along-on-one-leg-while-playing
solo - and it rocks! The second track "Cut out doll"
begins as a staccato track with the lead singer almost talking
over the track, and finally exploding into the chorus with
a nice little bass riff hidden in there. An all together down
to earth track compared to the two others, but still with
power - and that special energy that makes you tap your foot
even though the beat isn't that distinctive. And of course,
no Aimology song is complete without guitar intermezzos and
solos. On this track the solo isn't as successful as on the
other two tracks though, breaking the staccato feel of the
song with a noise solo makes you blink once or twice. Third
and final track - wow what a tune! It's a wonder songs like
these are never played in the radio, especially this one titled
"Play"! The song is about a love affair with TV
- seen it before? Maybe, but you've never heard it sung so
skilfully, with such energy, over such a fucking great tune!
It's groovy, it's soulful, it's noisy, it's loud - it's all
you ever wanted in a modern 60's rock recreation, borrowing
heavily on what ever they can get their hands on, but having
their own distinctive style. If these guys finish an album,
go buy it!
www.aimology.com
Kristian
Asteroid B-612 - The Greenback blues CD (Off The Hip)
Fast shuffling blues from Sydney Australia, recorded live
at a session in WFMU East Orange NJ - did I mention its fast
shuffle? This is good fast blues, no doubt about that - and
it's got a nice live feel to it (go figure), but I don't care
who these guys are, they have one of the worst sounding lead
singers I've ever heard! They've somehow managed to turn down
the guitar/bass/drums - well everything, except the lead singer
- kind of stuffing it directly into my face that he sounds
like he shouldn't have had that last whiskey and cigar! But
it grows on you, and at the end, you don't really care how
he sings, just because the tracks are actually pretty nice!
Some of them are bluesier, some more punkish… Not at
all a bad live CD, and a few hit potentials (if you run that
kind of radio station that is) on there too…
www.offthehip.com.au
Kristian
Alabama Thunderpussy - Rise Again CD (Relapse/Target)
This was originally released in 1998 on the sadly defunct
and prolific Man's Ruin label, so Relapse has been kind enough
to re-master and re-release this out-of-print album with two
extra tracks. If heavy-as-fuck Stoner Doom Metal is your thang
then pick up this slap of evil sludge which reminded me a
bit of early Saint Vitus. When it comes to Stonerrock I kinda
prefer the more uptempo stuff like Nebula or Winnebago Deal,
but Alabama Thunderpussy is a mighty fine and talented combo
with several great albums in their catalogue. Man, these fuckers
are some scary lookin' guntootin' greasy longhaired redneck
hippies, so you might not wanna invite'em over for tofu and
a nite of easy listening Smiths records, okay?
http://www.relapse.com
Jens
Baby Woodrose - Dropout! CD (Bad Afro Records)
3rd album from the Danish fuzz giants and this time the trio
is paying tribute to those who inspired them, BIG TIME! The
birth of this cover album started with 4 songs ("The
World Ain't Round It's Square"/The Savages, "Dropout
Boogie"/Captain Beefheart, "Not Right"/Stooges
& "A Child Of A Few Hours"/The West Coast Pop
Art Experimental Band) recorded during the "Money For
Soul" sessions which was planned as an EP. But then BW
started playing other covers live and they got together again
with producer Ralph Rjeily to record 6 more songs and project
"Dropout!" became a reality. And thank god for that
since this is an excellent album of not just strictly by-the-numbers
cover versions, every song gets that groovy Woodrose touch,
especially "Dropout Boogie" stands out with some
stunning fat riffs from Lorenzo. Roky Erickson would be damn
proud of their treatment of "I Don't Ever Want To Come
Down" and so would Arthur Lee be of "Can't Explain"
(the first single of "Dropout!"). The only track
that doesn't gives the original a run for its money, in my
opinion, is The Saints' "This Perfect Day", I prefer
the original. All in all a fuckin' great release which perfectly
serves as a cool garagerock mini-jukebox at any party. It's
also a supersexy teaser for the next album for which the boys
have already have written 24 original songs! (see interview
elsewhere in this issue)
http://www.babywoodrose.com
Jens
Blackloud- Mysterious Waves (Blackcloud Records)
This is a solo project by a very creative individual named
James Burton. The music is mostly created using only bass
guitar (and effects) and a drum machine. A few synthesizers
are thrown in on the more spaced out compositions. The material
is a great mixture of weird but cool music. The opening track
reminds me of Brian Eno (early 70's). You can hear influences
from mostly psychedelic music (far out lyrics!), Eno, the
Residents. This is a unique listening experience that draws
you back. There is a companion CD to this one that was recorded
during the same sessions in 2003 called 6th, 6th, 6th and
features some more heavy rock like material and is not as
spaced out. Nice artwork and all the lyrics are included in
the package!
For more information you can visit the Blackloud web site
at: http://www.blackloud.com
Email at: jamesblackloud@blackloud.com
Scott
Black Nasa - Deuce (Meteorcity MCY-033)
Black Nasa is or maybe I should say was the side project of
Chris Kosnik of the Atomic Bitchwax, as TAB, is maybe not
his main band anymore. Shababdoo opens the CD and is the only
psych rock track on the CD and an instrumental, very much
like the Bitchwax. Colony starts with a mysterious intro and
slowly develops into a more groovy pop song. Kamikaze is quite
similar in nature to Colony but has a slide guitar intro.
Some would say this is clearly influenced by QOTSA for sure!
Light is a really great song. The vocals remind me of Ozzy
a bit and the phased out guitar with slide is very cool. Thanks
Anyway is a very short 2½ minute foot stomping rocker.
Hut Nut starts as a cool acoustic bluesy number but rocks
out. I liked this instrumental song a lot! Boozer again features
the slide guitar is a pretty straight on rocker. Talking Candles
is a really cool song with dark moods. New World is like old
school AC/DC meets ZZTop and is one of the radio friendly
songs. The CD ends with the strange rap thing, You Be Illin'.
The CD is packed with short nuggets of ROCK, with a more commercial
edge. There are still some heavier songs and instrumentals
that remind one of TAB. No denying it! There are a few outstanding
songs on the CD and if you liked the first Black Nasa CD,
check this one out!
www.meteorcity.com
Scott
Cathedral - The Serpents Gold (Earache MOSH 233)
Cathedral were a unique band that started out in the early
90's as a slow as sludge DOOM metal band. The band was great
at constantly evolving their sound and production of their
LPs. The band produced many great records. This is a 2½
hour compilation of the best of the Earache year releases.
We don't get any tracks from Statik Majick or Twilight Songs
7" but most all of their catalogue is represented. What
is most interesting is the 2nd CD of nearly all unreleased
tracks. Imprisoned in Flesh from Ethereal Mirror was originally
an instrumental that you get here as Hide and Seek. Next is
the Demo for Neophytes for Serpent Eve. Heavy, slow stuff…
Cool. Violet Breath is also an Ethereal Mirror outtake and
very raw with psychedelic effected vocals but a great guitar
riff! This is a different version of Night of the Seagulls
and I liked it better. It has some cool added stuff to make
it more interesting. Magic Mountain is from 92' and probably
the first example of a more rock and roll song that the band
would produce on later albums but not this year. Great added
touch with the flute soloing. A live version of Funeral Request
with two members of Pentagram (Victor Griffin) is damn heavy!
The Old Oake Tree, also an Ethereal Mirror outtake, has a
rough vocal but it pretty much Candlemass like at times. The
Schizoid Puppeteer you only heard if you got the Dark Passages
II compilation CD, as this was an exclusive track and 12 minutes
long. Now you can hear it. Wild wah guitar soloing on this
one! Remember Witchfinder General? Well, the band did a cover
version of Rabies. Cool. A rare live version of Blue Light
from Japan is presented. Not the strongest song on the Carnival
Bizarre record but cool to hear it. The bonus CD ends with
a track from the bands 2nd demo in 1991, Commiserating the
Celebration of Life. If you don't own any Cathedral you must
own this. If you have their back catalogue, this is a worthwhile
purchase for the high quality of the bonus material.
www.earache.com
Scott
Cherry Overdrive - Demo 2004 (Denmark)
Cherry Overdrive is an all female ROCK band from Copenhagen,
Denmark. The band features Lene on guitar and lead vocals
(also from the Davolinas), Jeanne on drums, Cecilia on lead
guitar and Jirasol on bass and e-bow. Sharks begins the demo
CD and is a building song with a cool almost surf like riff.
Don't trash my Tale is a fast paced rock and roll number and
has that raw R&R energy of early Girlschool. Lene has
a very distinctive and captivating voice at times. Transparent
is a dark Nick Cave like ballad song but the band really stretches
it out with a cool bass solo and instrumental interactions
with all members. Story of a Girl with No Name, is a crazy
song.. How do you describe it. The track is built on the bass
line but then just freaks out. Freak rock…by girls…
cool…
.lkhvillum@get2net.dk
Scott
The Devastations - 7" (Bang! Records)
Australian rock has a special place in my heart…often
it just sounds a little different and dusty than most other
rock music in the world. I really dug the debut album by The
Devastations but this 7" is not quite as good. It contains
covers of The Beasts Of Bourbon (another fave of mine) and
Bob Dylan. The Low Road by The Beasts is definitely the best
here while Tomorrow Is A Long Time by Dylan doesn't really
do it for me.
Don K
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine (Relapse Records)
The band has moved quite a bit forward since the debut in
1997. This is the bands 5th release and the first since their
work with Mike Patton. The band have not held anything back
on this release and let their aggression flow out full force.
The 11 songs here (are split into 99 tracks to prevent MP3
ripping!) are mostly high speed complex aggressive songs.
The band reminds me a lot of a more aggressive, non-humorous
Mr. Bungle with some complex speed metal thrown in. I think
if you liked their previous work, his one will get you off
as well!
www.relapse.com
www.dillingerescapeplan.com
Scott
The Dirty Switches - S/T CD (Cargo/Longhorn)
Just as you thought London was dead and gone in that endless
flood of dickless MTV bedwetter-rock these testosterone-crazed
motherfuckers come along to stir up trouble. If Columbian
Neckties were Australians or if The Saints and The Real Kids
had a lovechild, this is probably what it'd sound like; full-on
unashamed primal booze-driven punk'n'roll! Ragers like "Evil
In Me", "Frank's Tune" (both echos Von Zippers),
"Bad Luck Loser", "More", "Truck
Fuck" will surely git yer blood pumpin' while "Cold
Hearted Woman" is pure Radio Birdman/Stooges territory.
If yer girlfriend is the least bit PC ya might wanna hide
the cd cover from her since it's packed with sleazy vintage
b&w pics of top heavy amazons wrestlin' their cute asses
off! The inside beaver shot is maybe a tad too much, but hey,
this sex pig ain't complaining, haha. I recently visited London
for the first time in 8 years and it was a tasty rock'n'roll
surpise compared to last time, and with bands like The Dirty
Switches ol' Union Jack is back on track (hey, that rhymes!).
http://thedirtyswitches.com
Jens
District - Don't Mess With The Hard Punx CD (People Like
You/Target)
Melodic German retro-punk with '77 influences of especially
British bands like Buzzcocks, Adverts and some not so happening
Clash-ish reggae touches. It's not terrible original and Marc
De Burgh's (also in The Revolvers) semi-weird vocals are certainly
an acquired taste, but District does have an undeniable knack
for catchy songwriting. A promising band who's been at it
a couple of years. Also with members of Public Toys. http://www.peoplelikeyou.de
Jens
The Flakes - Straight Jacket 7" (Black Juju Records)
Swedish pop-punkers The Flakes have been around for a while.
On and off since 1993, where the band formed, off again in
1996, back up in 2001 and now here they are in 2004 with a
pop-punk single that might actually blow your socks off! The
four man strong band plays some nice melodic pop music, with
an underlying influence from punk - which to begin with reminded
me a little too much of "America Pie - The Soundtrack",
and other high school soundtracks of your life you just kind
of wanted to leave in the 90's. The first track "She's
so natural" is the worst one in that regard, with a serious
punk rhythm to begin with, and some harmonisations that are
actually pretty nice, but add to that 90's feel. But move
back that pickup and play it again, and again, and ….
It actually does grow on you, the way non-obvious pop songs
should. The second track "Acquired Taste" sounds
more like something from this millennium - an odd guitar intro
sets the mood for this surprising track, which may not have
a vocal track as good as the other two cuts, but makes up
for it in both musical innovation, and harmonisation. The
third track almost seamlessly fits on top of the second one:
"Straight Jacket" is an upbeat, high tempo song
about, well a straightjacket… Its only 1.25m and thus
the shortest of the three, but it's the track where The Flakes,
in my honest opinion, show off their skills both as musicians
and advocates for their kind of musical style. All in all,
this is more a pop record than it is an underground punk record
- so if you like sporting your cut military uniform and three
colour hairdo, this probably isn't something you'd want to
play for your friends. But if you like the feel of early punk
music, and enjoy your hearing so much that you want to keep
it - this may be right up your ally. It sure did grow on me,
that's for sure….
www.the-flakes.com
Kristian
Ford T - '04 Rocks CDS
These Danish fellas sure didn't like my first review of a
CD single, but so it goes. This time their brand of hardrock
has better production and better songs, but still (they'll
hate me for this) the Danish accent on the vocals is thicker
than ever and the lyrics are embarrassingly banal. I love
r'n'r cliches as much as the next guy but please put some
charm and wit to into it, okay? It can take years to master
your r'n'r craftmanship, and I'm sure these rockers will surprise
me on the next release.
http://www.fordt.dk
Jens
Ghost Rocket - Demo 2004 (Denmark)
Ghost Rocket is the new band from Morten Aron, formally of
On Trial. He has released two solo records in the past years
but this is his first new band project. The demo contains
two tracks that are probably going to be released on a 7"
record later this year. This is one rocking 60's inspired
psychedelic rock quartet! Drug Freedom starts the CD and has
a very raw garage production and nasty guitar sound. This
is down and dirty psych fuzz rock! One Million times is a
more catchy song with great 60's organ and reminds me of real
authentic 60's stuff. Did we uncover a really rare 60's record
called Ghost Rocket… could be……
Scott
Hidria Spacefolk - Balansia (Silence Records SLC-020)
This is the bands 3rd studio album and shows a nice progression
in the bands all instrumental and very psychedelic space rock
approach. The bands have once again pulled in several guest
musicians to spice the music up. The dual guitars of Sami
and Mikko combined with the spaced out synthesizers of Janne
and the tight tight playing of Kimmo and Teemu on bass and
drums gives the music a special drive. While one will hook
into the Ozric Tentacles inspiration, the band create their
own unique sound. Kokkola starts the CD off at a fast pace
as the guitars mix in and out and weave a complex sound over
the landscape and Janne mixes in a wide varieties of synth
sounds. The melody develops into a really happy dancing section
before going back out into space again. One section of this
reminds me of classic Steve Hillage jamming. The complex jams
the band goes through but keep returning to one melodic guitar
theme is really cool. Brilliant song. Modus Operand Hermetik
starts with some really cool synth sounds as the beat slowly
builds and the guitars and drums kick in. This track features
cello, and trumpet. One section is really Russian inspired
I feel. The trumpet solo is really Mexican inspired which
gives the song a unique and unexpected turn. This is deeply
tranced out music of a highly psychedelic kind. Astrobah,
the bass is really deep and shakes the floor as the guitars
really take over on this track as we shoot out into space…
The vibraphone adds a nice touch to this song as well. Pajas
slows things down a little and in the middle section gets
very spaced out and but slowly builds up again as the guitars
let it rip and the band takes off. A guest slide guitar solo
is provided by Andy M.Coy. Pako Originaux begins with some
spacey looping guitars and is very Steve Hillage inspired
and in fact used to be called Steve. This track just blows
me away every time. The CD ends with the 14 minutes Tarapita
and again features the guest trumpet. This one is a long amazing
journey that starts with some highly effect voices, Indian
percussion and acoustic guitars before the adventure begins
and it gets more and more intense until the end, where we
go back to where we began the trip! This modern day Finnish
raga music for the 21st century. The thing that is so amazing
about these tracks is that they evolve continuously throughout
with the band occasionally returning to a specific theme but
you find something new in each and every song every time you
hear this. Really incredible! The very unique packaging is
fantastic with a great artwork. Perhaps the bands best effort
yet!
http://www.hidriaspacefolk.st
Scott
High Road NO. 28- Dynamic Introspection (Australia 2002)
This A ustralian band is quite interesting. The bands is a
duo of Andrew Cantwell on drums, vocals and samples and Philip
Brien on guitar, bass and samples. There is a great use of
samples and heavy tunes that reminds of Ministry at times.
The CD opens with Anxiety Disorder NOS. This is a really great
song with some ripping guitar while samples discuss problems
with the brain. The vocals remind me of someone but I can't
place it. Just below the Surface slows it down a bit and is
a dark depressing number with mostly stoned spoken lyrics.
Great mood piece. Does this remind me of the way the guy from
Dayglo abortions or the Boneless Ones sang on a few songs???
Dissociative Paraxysm is another aggressive almost metal crossover
type song. It is nearly 10 minutes long and quite a journey
as well. Again some great guitar playing on this stuff! Time
Desolation completely changes things and is a great instrumental
acoustic number. The CD ends with Intransigent. The most intense
and powerful song on the CD. This is cool stuff and I can't
wait to hear the debut album. Watch out!!!!!!!!!!! The band
are currently working on their debut CD and playing out live
in Australia. The CD is available for $5. PO Box 502, Parramatta,
NSW 2124, Australia
www.geocities.com/highroadno28
Scott
High-School Motherfuckers - Want some?! CD (Shotgun generation
records)
Uhm - well its punk… and that's about it really. The
band started out as a Ramones tribute band, and they probably
should have just stayed there, because they sound like something
in between a The Ramones Jam Band, and Good Charlotte if they
had just a little clue about music, because hey I'm not saying
these guys play bad - its good music to just sit there to,
or head bang to, or stab each other at an anarchist party
or what ever it is they do - but it didn't get my foot a-rocking,
and that means I'm to the shelf a walking… The only thing
I'll be picking up this record for is their "OK"
rendition of Blitzkrieg Bop by their super heroes.
www.highschoolmotherfuckers.fr.fm
Kristian
HotGuitars - Confessions (Badvugum BV-7)
Yet another Circle or ex-circle member side project. Here,
is featured, the duo of Jyrki Laiho & T-mu Korpipää.
This is a short EP with 4 tracks and features only guitars
and banjo with some soundediting in the form of computer beats
(I guess). Budapest Bukkake is 8 minutes of a pounding beat
with crazy guitars layered over the top. Pretty much a noise
fest! What are they doing to those guitars?? Strangulation…Laxitive
Liquid Oxygen has a rudimentary beat over which one guitar
player skanks and the other tortures his guitar. Linedancing
75 Leonard Ave features a tortured banjo. In the veins of
the wicked judases, jesuses and the confidential mileage ends
the CD. What is the point?
www.badvugum.com
Scott
The Illegal Movers - Buzzpunkpowerpoprockactiondeluxe CD (Middle
Class Pig)
The looong title sorta sez it all; catchy Dictators hardrock
mixed with Ramones and Campus Tramps. In fact the first track,
"Rock Action Deluxe", could easily been on the classic
"Go Girl Crazy" record and noone would've known
the difference. The 'Movers is purely get-a-6pack-n-crank-up-the-volume
party punk with not too serious lyrics; the "You gotta
lot a class/Stick your thumb up my ass" (!?!) line from
"Shake It Wild" kills me everytime! My only complaint
is that the 10 tracks only last 21 bloody minutes which is
a bit on the short side, but then again, it is to the point
with no arty farty messin' around. The last tune "Wrestlin'
'N' Rock'n'Roll" shows their connection with another
fine English band, yeah ya guessed it, the glorious Coyote
Men, so check out my review of the 2 band's split cd in the
bottom of this page.
http://www.middleclasspig.com
http://www.illegalmovers.com
Jens
Knockers - 7" (High School Rejected)
Yet another "Rejected at the High School Dance"
cover and two Goddamn mother fucking great originals. This
Canadian quartet sounds like a slower, more bluesy version
of the Dirtys and it's gotta be one of the best - if not thee
best - High School Reject release so far. Their version of
the Mean Red Spiders song is quite amazing. Raw sound, raw
songs and plenty of raw nerve, this is the best 7" I've
heard this year…man, it's good! Make sure you get a copy.
Pronto!
(SN)
The Locomotions - S/T CD (Dead Beat Records)
THIS SHIT IS HOTTER THAN A PRISON BABE IN A JACK HILL FLICK!
In-ya-face shitraw punkrawk not unlike some unreleased gem
off Crypt or Ripoff Records. This sensational Stockholm 'all
star' group consists of singer/guitarist Martin Savage (Black,
Dixie Buzzards etc.) plus Loco Lopes & Topi The Kat of
Sons Of Cyrus, and they sure mean business, DAMN STRAIGHT!
The Locomotions is the best new combo I've heard in years
from Sweden, every track of their debut album totally rips.
The songs are mostly fast and wonderfully frantic but some
like "Stockholm City Girls" has that timeless Real
Kids feel. And just you wait till you hear their delirious
take on Dirtbombs' "Headlights On", class all the
way. Positively the best album I've heard for this issue,
believe me, it's so good it's fuckin' ridiculous!! http://www.dead-beat-records.com
Jens
Lothar - Quality Time CD (Lorna Records)
This is a tricky one. Lothar is a Finish - quoting their press
material - "garage/punkrock/psychedelic/rock'n'roll (whatever!)"
band that's all about "having fun and drinking beer"…
Good for them…. The only problem is, they actually try
and be all of the above things, and on some of the tracks
- all at once. That makes for one confused CD!! Some of the
tracks on there are great psych tracks, but on some of the
tracks - like "The Deal" ,"Plane Crash",
and "My Kind of Girl" they try and mix a cool organ/clockenspiel/piano
thing they have going, with some heavy guitar/singing, and
that just doesn't turn out good for them! The other tracks,
"Karzan", "Boulevard of broken hear 'n' vinyl"
are great psych tracks, with just the right amount of guitar
so as not to kill off the synthesizer and effects … For
those two tracks I give them a big 4 out of 5 blades, but
for the other three (especially the two of them), I just can't
muster more than a 2 out of 5… so in all fairness, this
CD is good, if you can bear with them on some of the odder
tracks. Keep on going, I say. www.nic.fi/~lothar
Kristian
The Lucky Punch - Kick Up A Hullabaloo CD (Royal Sound)
By-the-numbers hardrock/punkrock (is it still called 'action
rock'?) with some acoustic or boogie rock flavors. It's not
bad, tracks like "A Hell Of A Ride" and "Far
Out" have great riffs and the press release states that
this Munich band should appeal to fans of Peepshows, Hellacopters,
Backyard Babies & Sewergrooves which is rather truthful
advertising, but still, I've heard zillions of records which
sounded EXACTLY like this. If that's yer bag, go for it.The
vinyl version has an extra track.
http://theluckyounch.com
Jens
Magnified Eye - Transitions (Denmark 2004)
Magnified are a groove rock band placed in the Stoner rock
category who hail from Århus in Denmark. This is the
bands 2nd full length release and shows a maturity of the
sound. The band strings the eleven tracks together with short
instrumental-acoustic pieces to tell one story. The CD begins
with a soundtrack from a horror movie before the first track,
Fiend blasts out of your speakers. The band immediately attaches
to you with a great dark groove. I really like the way the
harmony guitar comes out of the sound at you. There is many
more interesting sounds mixed into the sound and better lead
guitar work on this CD compared to the debut. A short acoustic
piece called Dawn of the Muse leads into Among Heathens. Among
Heathens is a heavy rock anthem and includes some cool harmonica,
but mostly mixed far to the background. The title track, Transitions
is next. It begins with a cool bass line and some strange
noises. It is a number highly influenced by QOTSA but the
band mix a lot of cool sounds and weird stuff into the mix
and I really like the bass sound and wah guitar. Soulflame,
a song the band have been playing live for some time is next
and
is a real headbanger. The acoustic piece before the best song
on the CD, Jezebel is excellent. Jezebel brings things down
to start and Torben sings like the guy from TOOL. Actually
this song is quite TOOL inspired but done very well. "I
want to dig your heart out with a spoon". Religious Children
come in Herds follows and did not really grab me. Pretty standard
ME song. In Circles has a very interesting vocal beginning
and guitar riff before the band rock on and again features
the harmonica, mixed well to the background. A cool song.
W.U.T.T. is a short bluesy number with just vocals and harmonica,
Interesting! Out of the Shadows features the harmonica of
Magnus prominently to give this song a different flavour.
Pledge of Secrecy is a nice 1½ minute electric guitar
instrumental before we get carried away with Drain the Lizard,
a very different melodic song. Marooned begins very slowly
and Torben really delivers his most passionate vocals on the
record and Magnus contributes some cool harmonica as well.
A slower more pounding song. The CD ends with the excellent
short bluesy Songs of Sweet Dreams. The way the drums are
mixed with the strummed guitar is really cool. Magnified Eye
is an excellent band and I enjoyed this CD very much it certainly
is a transition and progression of the band. Check this one
out. If you liked the first CD you will love this one as well.
www.magnifiedeye.com
Scott
Maximum RNR - S/T CD
Canadian loud ass motherfuckers Maximum RNR keep the (fading?)
loud overdrive guitar sound alive with this DIY release. These
guys have played with some impressive people (Bog Log, Detroit
Cobras, Not by Choice etc.) but I don't see the innovation.
This is good solid loud-as-a-motherfucker music, with sing-along
choruses and nice riffs to keep you occupied… So strap
into your bike, line up the shooters, and gather your friends
for a good old leather pants drinking party, this is the music
you play when you want some action. Some of the tracks have
a lot going for them, repetitive blues riffs give some of
the tracks an edge over the usual one-two-three-lets-go driven
heavy rock, and you can hear that these guys know what they
are doing. It's not something that will revolutionize the
heavy rock world, but it's another stone in the wall - and
its one of the prettier ones. I'm just having a hard time
getting too excited over this…
www.maximumrnr.com
Kristian
The Micragirls - Primitive Homeorgan Blast 7" (Trashcan)
The title of this 4-track 7" is pretty much spot on.
Finnish girl trio blasting out primitive garage trash with
what sounds like homemade organs and musical skills below
average. I actually dig The Micragirls who have some of that
well-known Finnish madness and charm that we all love so much.
Having said that this is unfortunately their weakest release
yet and the song My My Microboy is down right annoying. I
prefer the two first singles although it might just be the
purist in me playing tricks on me. Wrapped in another cool
sleeve by Grafik Wunderboy.
Don K
Dennis Most & The Instigators - Vampire City CD (Trash
2001)
Captain Trip Records sent us the "Live At The El Cid,
December 1976" cd for last issue and I must admit I was
pretty clueless about this Indiana rock legend. After some
research I found out that Mr. Most started his reign of 'punky-garagy-psychedelic
speed metal' with a band called Punk as early as in 1972!
Now is that fuckin' proto-punk or what? I don't really get
the 'speed metal' part which he coined 10 years before it
even existed since these new recordings (not that different
from the 1976 live cd) is classic fast aggressive punkrock
mixed with some vintage Alice Cooper and MC5 influences. Midwest
people in the early 70s must've been pretty perplexed by this
ahead-of-his-time punkrocker, so it's fuckin' neat to see
Dennis getting the respect he deserves over 30 years later.
Apparently Jello Biafra is a big fan and so will you be after
hearing "Vampire City".
http://www.dennismostinstigator.com
http://www.trash2001.de
Jens
Napalm Death - Leaders not Followers Part. 2 (Century
Media)
This is the bands follow up to their part on released in 1999,
where they perform covers songs by bands that they hold close
to their hearts. There are some more mainstream names that
the band cover like Hellhammer, Cryptic Slaughter, Discharge,
Kreator, Sepultura, and Agnostic Front, as well as pretty
obscure bands like Attitude Adjustment, Dayglo Abortions,
Hirax and Anti-Cimex. The longest song on this intense CD
is 4:40 and the shortest only 28 seconds (Hirax), while most
are in the 2 minute range. I really like the sound production
on this CD. They really went for a raw but clear sound to
capture that energy of the original. 19 songs in all and it
never lets up. Fun stuff…
www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com
Scott
The New Strychnines - The New Original Sonic Sound CD (R'n'R
Inc.)
Hey!, does Mark Arm, Steve Turner and Dan Peters from Mudhoney,
Big Kahuna from Girl Trouble, Tom Price from Monkeywrench,
Graig Florey and Scott McCaughly from Young Fresh Fellows
as a group covering the The Sonics song book sound like your
thing? Well, look no further then. The New Strychnines originally
founded in 2000 as an all-star The Sonics cover band to play
at the Seattle Experience Music Project where The Kingsmen
and The Wailers also performed. The Sonics wouldn't reform
and that is where these guys came in. Later they decided to
put the covers on tape and this is the result. The idea may
sound a little dodgy but it actually works and it's cool hearing
Mark Arm screaming his guts out. The Sonics have been covered
to death a long time ago but seldom better than on this record.
Don K
Pothead - Live in Berlin (Janitor Records 011)
Pothead is a lead by an American duo (Brad and Jeff) who transplanted
themselves from Seattle to Berlin in the early 90's and stayed.
They are joined by Sebastian on drums. While relatively unknown
outside of Germany, the band have built up a large and dedicated
following in Germany. This is the bands first live release
and it was recorded at a special concert in Berlin in December
2003 on the Tuf Luv tour. It contains 19 tracks in 75 minutes
and while a lot of songs from Tuf Luv are featured (Rock Child,
Dr. De Structo, Stadium, Troop, Constantinople). The band
dips into it's back catalogue of 8 previous CDs as early as
94-96' with Black War (Rumley Oil Pull Tractor), Stop and
Y-Road from Learn to Hypnotize. No songs from Burning Bridges
were featured but all other releases are represented. A new
song (?) The Long Road (Live Jam) is also included. The sound
is excellent and you really get the feel of the live gig.
The band has a guest keyboard player on Festung. As it is
not mentioned that she plays piano on Stadium, I can only
assume that they played to a backing track (with piano and
harmonica) on this song, which I think is strange in a live
setting. The band's CDs have a huge variety from really heavy
riffing stuff to melodic ballads and you get a strong sampling
of both but mostly rocking out! This is a great live CD to
complement your Pothead collection or get your first taste
of the band.
This is a great band I highly recommend you go check out their
web page as they have a lot of MP3s you can hear as well as
streaming live and production videos to check out. Cool web
page.
www.pothead.de
Scott
The Protestants - Passionately Riffing 45 for the Jukebox
in your Heart 7" (If Society)
My first encounter with The Protestants out of Kallio Rock
City in Helsinki and the experience is mixed. The Tools is
a great, quirky guitar rock song with swirling guitars and
although it basically is a straight rock song the effects
and sound makes the result different and stand out from the
pack. If they continue in this vain I definitely wanna hear
more…but the flipside is pretty weak which draws the
whole thing down. Still, it's Friday and I am feeling loose…I'll
give it 4 blades.
Don K
Red Warszawa - Return Of The Glidefedt CD (Gusten Fætter/Target)
This cd came with pubic hair and a cum-stained paper tissue
so I guess the 30-somethings of this Danish punkmetal vets
tried to make a 'gross out' statement of some sort. Total
Petrolium meets S.O.D.? I completely get why they got a huge
loyal cult audience in this country with their hilarious lyrics
and entertaining gigs, but it's still 'just' a novelty act
where the joke gets kinda stale after a couple listenings.
On this album they've tried a more varied input of genres
like techno and ballads and stuff, but I prefer my old worn
out "Speak English Or Die" record.
http://www.rw.dk
Jens
Ronja - Demo 2004 (Ronja 01)
Ronja is a stoner-biker rock band from Aalborg, Denmark. This
is their second effort and a more mature sound has arrived.
It has a nice heavy production sound, not too slick. The CD
opens with Atomic Takeaway. It is a typical stoner rock groove
and features the strong deep vocals of Jeppe and a cool pounding
ending to this song. THIS MUST BE PLAYED LOUD! Bonesmoker
is a great groove track and reminds me a lot of Magnified
Eye (also from Denmark) in the way that vocal is delivered.
Calling All Wheels starts with an engine sample but has an
excellent groove that sucks you in right away. This song will
have you singing along with the band, "Rollin' Rollin'
rock and and a rolling!". Biker Rock and Roll!!!!!!!!
The CD ends with Juice of Doom. It does not really become
very doomy until the end of the song. I can't wait to see
these guys live! A welcome band on the small Stoner rock scene
here in Denmark that includes only a few bands, unlike our
neighbour, Sweden! www.ronjaweb.dk
Scott
Seperates - Music to Scream By 10" (Radio Rebel)
Debut 10" from these German punk rock'n'rollers following
their pretty good 4-song 7" from last year. Not much
have changed really except the sound has become slightly more
clean, which I think is a shame cuz this includes 8 cool Jeff
Dahl/Dead Boys/Testors style punk rock tunes with the sound
of Dahl's "Vomit Wet Kiss" album this would've been
amazing. Sometimes they do get too generic and a few breaks
sounds almost retarded due to lack of technique, but when
they just rock on and play good solid mid-tempo rock'n'roll
it's really good. Sebastian is a great singer and lead-guitarist
and at least 6 of the songs here kick ass. Goes nice with
the 7" but I seriously hope they'll make things a bit
more raw for their next recordings. This is good 70s US punk
rock and it ought to sound that way…but hey, maybe that's
just typical me being a sucker for wild, noisy shit. Definitely
rocking all the same! www.the-separates.de
SN
The Specimens - The Quick And The Deaf CD (Sin)
I reviewed these hooligans' last album, "Fast & Loose"
in Lowcut # 16, and this is thankfully more of the same; lean
mean gasoline-soaked sonic hardrock/punk'n'roll executed in
that hardass Australian-style. And y'know what that mean?
Full-on Radio Birdman-AC/DC-Lime Spiders rock'n'roll mayhem,
of course! "The Quick And The Deaf" has better production
values than their debut and the songs are bit more varied,
a track like "Mary Jane" is a nice fuzzy departure.
"Kiss On The Lips" has a immortal riff which recalls
early Flamin Groovies (think "Flamingo"), only played
with the loudest drums I've heard this year, this song will
blow your speakers to bits so careful with the volume! ACE!
If bands like Young Heart Attack and Datsuns can make it big,
then these fuckers should be next line for global success
and fame. Buy me a beer when you tear Copenhagen apart, okay
mates? (see interview elsewhere in this issue)
http://www.thespecimens.com
Jens
Stalwart - Torment Nonplus (Badvugum BV-8)
Stalwart are a new Finnish band on the Bad Vugum label formed
out of the ashes of Paine and features members of Circle and
Moon Fog Prophet. This 23 minute EP features some very strange
noisy psychedelic stuff. Drunken Sincerity of Hesekiel is
a noisy affair with Theremin, noisy guitar and pounding drums.
Kindergarten Trad features vocals and is a driving spaced
out hypnotic strange song. The band mix an incredible range
of bizarre guitar abuse sounds and noises into the mix to
give the music a full on psychedelic head trip. Bizarre but
cool stuff. Central Sandras on black paint Porch is 2 minutes
of dissonant guitars and stuff. Layered Ironies starts with
a Circle like repetitive drum line and the guitars and bass
slowly filter in on the top as the song builds and the guitars
layer in and ranging from surf to metal to wammybar madness.
Variance and Valediction- Monologue ends the CD with a fast
paced mindblower.
www.badvugum.com
Scott
Sweatmaster - Song with No Words CD (Bad Afro Records)
Uh uh uh!!! They are back, and boy howdy are they back in
style! Finnish Sweatmaster, who got rave review for their
debut album "Sharp Cut" are back with a two track
preview of their upcoming album - "Song With No Words"
and "Dirty Little Things". You won't get surprised
with this EP; this is Sweatmaster all the way, although their
sound has matured a little compared to their first album.
But its staccato rock and roll all the way, like only Sweatmaster
could possible staccato! Both original tracks have me jumping
up and down waiting for their new album, because if this is
the kind of material they are going to be delivering, it's
another winner from Finland. The rest of the 8-track EP is
a collection of covers from artists Sweatmaster found inspirational.
Names like The Wipers, Music Machine, Misfits and Minor Threats
are given a proper sauna beating, and almost all of them end
up sounding like something you would buy an entire LP with!
A few of the covers seem a little more energetic than the
rest though - "Mystery" by The Wipers fits the guys
well, and could have been a B-side on their LP with some modification,
"She Cracked" by The Modern Lovers is just a beautiful
rendition of this otherwise quite slow song, supercharged
with 20000 volts of raw rock from Finland. All in all a good
EP, even though I would have liked a little more of Sweatmasters
own work, they have proved that they are capable of covering
completely different styles, and still be able to make it
sound like their own work. And again, I can't wait till 2005
when that album arrives! www.badafro.dk
Kristian
TV on the Radio - "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes"
CD (4AD/Touch & Go)
TV on the Radio were one of the nicer surprises for me at
this year's Roskilde Festival, providing a set of political
hardcore dub in the vein of Bad Brains and Saul Williams,
which it made one the festival's best shows for me personally.
Apparently, though, a lot of those who knew them beforehand
(critics, of course) were disappointed with the show, and
listening the Brooklyn quintet's debut album you can see why,
because on record the music is much more experimental and,
I'm afraid, softer, less rock, than live. Still, TV on the
Radio are also cool on record, lots of distorted bass and
intervowen vocal lines over melodies that for some reason
keep reminding me of The Pixies or The Breeders, even though
the music doesn't in any other way - it's probably just because
it's all a bit askew and playful, and because I saw them at
the same festival as The Pixies. By far their best material
is the dub parts with heavy guitars like "King Eternal",
"Poppy", and "Bomb Yourself", but even
the more alternative rock-ish parts are likeable, and the
dig at barbershop in "Ambulance" is neat. Lest they
wimp out on their next album, this band could be on their
way to something unfathomably cool and defining.
http://www.4ad.com
http://www.tgrec.com
http://www.tvontheradio.com
Jon A
The Weaklings - Rock'n'Roll Owes Me CD-R (Dead Beat Records)
Two first albums by this Portland punk'n'roll combo gave me
a woody the size of Steven Seagal's ego so this fucker, their
first full length record in 5 years, is more than welcome
to terrorize my stereo. "Rock'n'Roll Owes Me" is
less speedy than previous album which actually suits the band
neatly since they this time go for a more glampunk-ish feel
not unlike Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers/Mott The
Hoople/Dead Boys (just listen to "On With The Show"!)
while still keeping that AC/DC hardrock touch ("Straight
Flush"). Bradley Wayne Shaker's voice has never been
better, oozin' with swagger and grit, and apparently he should
be a genuine Iggy animal on stage, so guys - get your fuckin'
behinds to Copenhagen, okay? If anyone fondly remembers the
wonderful Loose Lips this is THE release for you, baby! A
killer cover of Lords Of The New Church's "Little Boys
Play With Dolls" is only featured on the 11 track vinyl
version from Dead Beat, a 10 track cd is available from Wax
Vaccine Records, so now you know.
http://www.dead-beat-records.com
Jens
Weird War - If you can't bet 'em, bite 'em (Drag City
DC251)
First thing I should say… Damn this is cool!!!!!!! Artwork
is like the old classic Funkadelic records and the music is
highly influenced by that era as well. A cool story is told
and there is even a little cartoon game you can play inside!
Great funny lyrics, cool bass grooves and ass kicking funky
wah guitars make this one a winner. I just saw this band at
the Öyafestival in Oslo and they were the surprise of
the festival. The band will be touring Europe in October,
including a date here in Denmark. This is the bands 3rd release
not including the AK47 7" released under the name Scene
Creamers. The CD begins with a very Funkadelic inspired strange
track called Music for Masturbation. The thumping funky bass
line and killer psych acid rock guitars kick in with Grand
Fraud. The vocals are really cool. Tess is a strange acoustic
based track with weird samples, strange lyrics, bizarre drones.
The title track is next and an addictive one. It for sure
gets you going and singing a long. It begins with some samples
of barking dogs and then the phased out wah guitar and thumping
bass kicks in. Tight drumming supports this band. Moment in
Time is another knock you out song with its slow paced and
wah guitar which the whole song is built on. Store Bought
Pot follows is another slower song with bizarre sounding guitars
that weave around in the mix. AK47 is the bands single and
quite a fun groovy number. This one was great live! NDSP begins
with a backwards sample and some far out tortured guitars
that fade out and in and the band begins to chant the nuclear
diarrhea sexual Palestine lyrics and you wonder what is going
on. Chemical Rank features the bass player on lead vocals
as well as guests the dignificant worm. Lickin' Stick is a
killer song with a guest pianist and a fast funky groove with
trashy lyrics. The CD ends with the psychedelic ballad, One
by one. This is very cool and original funky, psychedelic
freak ROCK!
http://www.dragcity.com/bands/weirdwar.html
Scott
V/A - The Illegal Movers Vs. Coyote Men CD (Captains Of
Industry)
Split cds can be a tricky experience but there's no need to
worry when the bands suits each other so damn good as these
two do. '11 Rounds Of Sonic Sock 'n' Rock Au Go Go!', yes
indeed - first combo in the ring is Illegal Movers who continues
their Dictators punk'n'roll from "Buzzpunkpowerpoprockactiondeluxe"
album (see review elsewhere). Their 5 superb tunes have actually
a better production than the LP! The sensational Coyote Men
made a lotta noize during the late 90s with their hardboiled
wrestlin' rock'n'roll and now the masked gentlemen are back
with more rowdy beat punk. The 6 tracks really made me realize
how much I missed hearin' Helmut The Bruiser Von Schoen's
wacky and awesome voice. They do a hilarious version of "Little
Latin Lupe Lu" with Spanish lyrics. This is fun like
in F-U-N! And what's the picture on the cd cover? You guessed
it, two wrestlin' half naked chicks dukin' it out, of course.
http://www.captainsof.com
http://www.illegalmovers.com
Jens
V/A - Barra Head/The Menfolk - Split LP (Play/Rec)
Hmm, when Jon A moved to Spain for a year recently we also
lost our hardcore/emo reviewer temporarily. I am a pretty
bad substitute as my knowledge in this field is limited and
dated. But since both bands are Danish and it's on local based
Play/Rec I thought I better at least mention the record. Barra
Head reminds me of Fugazi when they play tough…..but
there's also a progressive indie rock vibe I can't really
get used to and the very slow parts are boring. But they are
good at what they do, that much I can tell. Menfolk is Big
Black territory…very pissed off actually. I am too mellow
for this kinda thing these days but they smash things up pretty
good.
Don K
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