E.P.’s are an odd critter, I have always said. Too many times I will get a full length release and wish the band had just done an E.P. instead. Bad songs, or even mediocre ones, can really kill a bands release. Obviously. So when you get an album with 4 or 5 outstanding songs, and a bunch of “eh” tunes, obviously you wish the band would just do an E.P. and leave you wanting more.

Then there are those E.P.’s that give you 4 or 5 tunes and do leave you wanting more. Needing more. Really wishing the band had given you those extra songs, even if they did possibly give you some “eh” tracks…just so you KNOW…dammit.

This latter case is the case with the new release from Staci T. Rat. That would be Staci T. Rat from Chop Suicide fame. It’s a 4 song slab that strolls on into your life and leaves your feet tapping by the end and checking the time on it in hopes that maybe, just maybe, there is one more tune to spin.

Sound wise we are talking a bit of a “Classic Rock” sound…kind of. It’s also a little bit of a more laid back version of The Sea Hags maybe. It’s tough to nail down, as Staci also does a good job of mixing the styles up just enough that he makes you realize he isn’t a one trick pony, especially if you listen to this and then check out his band Chop Suicide. The man wears numerous hats of the Rock and Roll variety.

Opening number “Seven Years” is kind of a straight RnR tune with a unique take on the vocal melody. It kind of flows along in a manner you don’t expect. The vocals is where the tune is “laid back”, but still full of attitude. Not “lazy”, “laid back”. Towards the end the tune kicks it up for the harmonica solo, as performed by the legendary Charlie Harper from U.K. Subs, and the guitar solo.

Track 2 “Dead End Town” is a pretty rockin’, jammin’ tune with a KILLER guitar riff. This one is sung by Chop Suicide’s Danyell (she also provides backing vocals though the CD) and she sounds fantastic. Staci found a gem with her, that’s for sure.

Track 3 is probably the most “Classic Rock”, in my opinion. “Another Time” is an acoustic number where the vocals help bring it in those Classic Rock areas. Ridiculously catchy.

Track 4, “We All Laugh At You” is a pure ripper. Outstanding way to end the CD without a doubt, as it hits you in the gut and wears you out perfectly. The song features a killer vocal turn from The Pariahs Mike Pariah. By the time he hits the second verse he is just burning.  The saxophone accents are a wonderful touch also.

And that is where the damn thing ends. Burning your ears and leaving you want “just one more song of that style”. I’ve been craving some BBQ as of late, so I am going to consider this type of thing the half slab of ribs of the music world! Ya get just a taste of Heaven…then it’s gone…but you know there is more out there…you just need to wait a little longer…

Without a doubt, it is indeed the year of the rat!!!

Oh…wait…

www.stacitrat.com
www.myspace.com/stacitrat
www.trashpit.co.uk

Review by: Carl Isonhart

The Riverwinds – S/T

In the 80’s we called this stuff “College Rock”, in the 90’s we called this stuff “Alternative”, now I guess we call it “American Rock n Roll”. Whatever you call it, it’s Countrified Rock and Roll, Rock and Roll with a touch of twang. It’s the type of stuff done by The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, The Replacements (in the end), Whiskeytown and Ryan Adams. You know the stuff, it’s also called “Alt Country” (the preferred term by the fans I do believe) and if you enjoy it, then these guys are for you. If you don’t like it, but like Pop and or Country, then you probably just don’t know you like this stuff and haven’t been properly introduced. Hey! I have a CD to introduce you to it with!

Yeah, just as I write that song 4 (“Up All Night”) rolls on and makes me have to say that these guys also play pretty straight up Rock at times. Pretty damn cool song with some really nice lead guitar parts. Killer tone on that puppy.

Pretty good stuff though I am not a huge fan of the “Alt Country” scene, but I will give this some future spins for sure and I am sure on numerous times I will sit there thinking “damn…I like this”.

www.myspace.com/theriverwinds

Review by: Carl Isonhart

Zen Boy & Karma Girl – Earth Vs. Zen Boy & Karma Girl

O.K., this shit showing up in my mailbox is prime example of people NOT looking over my sites and especially NOT having checked out the actual ‘zine. Why the fuck anybody would send something like this my way is beyond me. Maybe they saw that I like comic books and since they are doing some comic theme here with their cover that they could trick me. Hell, they tricked me enough to listen to this.

So what is it? Welp, kind of spacey, hippy-ish, acoustic bullshit. Yeah, it’s Folk. I hate Folk.

Nope, will never listen to this one again and nothing could get me to. Ugh. If you like acoustic, hippy-ish bullshit, you might like it. I on the other hand, can’t stand it.

www.zenboyandkarmagirl.com

Review by: Carl Isonhart

Omni – Ghosts

This is the type of stuff that is kind of tough to review. Mainly trying to come up with some way of explaining it, which in a way sounds like a good thing, but if you hear it you say “oh, they’re that style”. It’s that “Alternative/Metal/Industrial-feel” stuff. Kind of artsy, distorted guitars, but never too distorted. No riffs that jump out at you and make you say “FUCK YEAH”, but still full of talent. Ya get it? Tool maybe? Never been a fan, but that is who I think of when I hear this type of stuff.

I will say this, song 4 is playing now and I am not so sure I remember songs 1-3 having been on. Damn. It’s all kind of running together for me.

Song 5 kind of sums it all up. It’s an atmospheric thing with a bass line lightly playing, while sounds go all over the place and the singer lightly sings at times. These guys are running close on the modern Progressive Rock realm. I’m going to say if you like early Porcupine Tree, give this one a shot.

Song 7 is another atmospheric piece, this time centering on the guitar. Cool sounding guitar. Kind of nice.
It’s not bad, and would go good in the background, but it just isn’t “clicking” for me. 15 years ago, while on my Progressive Rock kick, I would have loved these guys. I’m making attempts at finding my appreciation for Prog again (stay tuned for future article on the journey), so maybe if that works I will revisit this and see how all goes then. Oh yeah…I know you’re excited.

www.myspace.com/omniband
www.omni-music.com

Review by: Carl Isonhart

The Movements – The World, The Flesh and The Devil

First off, this CD should be heard for no other reason than how fucking cool and bad ass the opening track is! It’s such a brilliantly constructed track with killer drums, guitar riff, vocals, everything. It moves at such a frenetic pace and just rolls along. The layering and construction is truly quite original and is a great example of how to take something old and wrap it into something fresh. It’s a very psychedelia style number, but still very modern. It’s a wonderful beginning to the disc for sure.

At time Garage Band like, at times Psychedelic, at times Proggy (very lightly) and at times bordering on Punk, but always blasting through your speakers will full energy. The problem I have had in the past with certain Psychedelic bands is that they might give you one song with energy, catch your ear, and then get quite mellow for everything else. The Movements never forsake their energy and always keep things moving, even on a track like “The Fun Ain’t For Free”, which starts slow and builds to a slow burn. You never feel like these guys are relaxing, their just biding their time waiting to explode all over the place.

The promo material mentions that this album was written while vocalist David Henriksson was laid up in a hospital bed fighting cancer. It would seem that David poured a lot of his energy and heart into this stuff, and the other members of the band did the same and decided to really give it all they have. The end result is a wonderful release.

This is actually one of those CD’s that is really tough to review, as it really needs to be picked apart piece by piece to really give you the reader a full idea of just what the hell this thing is all about. There is so damn much going on at all times, and even though a song such as “I Am You” might be a rather bizarre little number, it breaks into these horn (?) parts that are so catchy it is ridiculous, and it proves that no matter what you might think a song is going to be like, it just might eventually turn into something else entirely. You could almost write a book about an album of this sort. Wild stuff, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anybody looking for high energy, yet something rather adventurous.

www.themovements.com

Review by: Carl Isonhart

The Spittin’ Cobras – Year Of The Cobra

O.K., the rat and the cobra will have to fight it out over whose fucking year it is. Seriously…how weird is it that I get these two CD’s at damn near the same time?

O.K., let me ask you all a simple question:

WHO WANTS TO ROCK LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER???

Yeah, if you raised your hand, and you don’t own this CD, you might want to get this thing, as I would say this is a good way to find your way down the path of “ROCKING LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER”!

The Spittin’ Cobras are pretty much the equivilant of turning your amps up as loud as they will go, getting the biggest fucking drum kit you can find, getting somebody who can scream their ass off, then having them punch you square in the face! I know that last part doesn’t sound like fun…but yeah, that;s kind of how you feel after this thing finishes. You just kind of sit down and say “HOLY FUCK! WHAT JUST HIT ME”???? Then you look down, see the case laying at your feet, smile, laugh, and say “oh yeah…I’ve been rocked like a motherfucker”!!!

By the way…one of these guys is from KMFDM. That blows my mind. Absolutely blows my mind. Nothing against KMFDM, but no way would I expect one of them to turn this type of stuff out. No way.

Oh…and Jules from The Yo-Yo’s is in this band! That one also blows my mind.

So, whose year is it exactly then? Is it the year of the rat or the year of the cobra? I have no fucking idea…but I think it is the year of Carl, because I am winning by receiving these two CD’s in the mail! GO ME!!!

The Spittin’ Cobras play fast, loud, high energy Rock and Roll. Songs such as “Criminal Mastermind” make me think of what Wolfsbane would play if they did a lot of speed. Other times they make me think of Zeke, but with longer songs.

The band though really comes into their own track 5, “Throw Your Horns” where they show just how brilliant they can be. The energy, writing, vocals, every aspect comes together for a true ROCK anthem. This is a song where you can see an audience going out of their minds when it is unleashed live.

They close the whole thing out with a cover of Rainbow’s “Long Live Rock and Roll”. Yeah, with bands like this, I think we can all expect RnR to live a LONG full life! Just get ahold of this thing and hope to God these guys wander your way live soon, as I am sure they deliver one hell of a live show!

www.myspace.com/thespittincobrasrock

Review by: Carl Isonhart

Cactus – Tropical Terror

This is what happened to Grunge, in my opinion. Bit more Punk than what the old stuff was, and a bit more catchy. The old attitude is still the same, but the realization of “hooks” is more prevalent. But it is still all too manic and, I don’t know…”off”?

The second song “Daddy” is a fairly catchy little tune with a nice chorus, but song three “Perverted Shark” is that Grungy 90’s fucked up type of thing. Screaming vocals at times…manic drumming, fucked up riffs. Eh…kind of gets annoying.

4 songs into it and I am getting a little tired of it all. I’m sick of the guy screaming in the background. Maybe that is it…it’s like Grunge hanging with System Of A Down and a Scream-o band. Somewhere in here there is a cool band, but for now, I’ll pass.

Review by: Carl Isonhart

Echo Screen – Goodbye Old Life

I was going into this expecting Emo or something of that sort and was prepared to dislike it. But ya know what? It caught me by surprise and was not really what I was expecting. A bit more on the mellow side than I normally like, and bit more “jangly”, but man, these vocals really get inside your head!

Make no mistake about it though, these guys so share a lot with modern bands, sounding at times a little like All-American Rejects. But there is no doubt there is an ear to the past. The last song, “The Sun” reminds me of Ben Folds a bit, and there are dashes of Billy Joel at times through the disc, by means of Ben Folds…by means of All-American.

Song 2, “The Ballad Of Jack Shepard (Battle Chorus)” is really the stand-out track with a very good vocal performance on it. The song has that 80’s Political band feel to it, kind of a mix of U2, The Alarm and Ultravox, but brought a bit more modern. Full of atmosphere, full of soaring vocals, just a tune you can picture an arena singing along with the “Oh-ah-Oohhs”. It is a very strong tune without a doubt.

Echo Screen pretty much straddles numerous styles and they do it with a great skill and great ease. Strong musicianship, strong vocals, great melodies, and a very strong songwriting ability. It’s bands like this that make you realize that Pop does have a future as long as people listen up.

www.myspace.com/echoscreen

Review by: Carl Isonhart

Antares – Gentlemen…Start Your Engines

According to the band’s MySpace page, Antares hails from Appletown, British Indian Ocean Territory. I have no idea where that is. Not that it matters – the trio’s spiritual home is clearly some cheap dive in Hell, where the booze is laced with angel dust and the bar fights always end in blood. Gentlemen…Start Your Engines blazes away like a forest fire ignited by napalm, barely stopping to catch a breath of foul air. Peel back the teethgrinding aggression, though, and you’ll find actual riffs and real tunes hanging on for dear life. “Seek You Down in Hell,” “Nightmare (On St. John Street)” and the instrumental “Start Your Engines” sound like garage rock after being sodomized by Metallica. (That’s 80s Metallica, mind you.) Plus the band should receive some kind of “Let It All Hang Out” award for honesty for the song “Hard Cock Blues.” Frontdude PY could use a little dynamics in his scream, but he’s a hell of a picker – his six-string slashing helps put the tunes on a level above most punk thrashers. Antares is all gassed up with everywhere to go.

(Zodiac Killer)
http://www.myspace.com/antarespeedrock
http://www.myspace.com/zodiackillerrecords

Review by: Michael Toland

The Hitchhikers – Intellectual Properties of the Minimal Mind

Hitchhikers singer/bassist Mitch Cartwright used to be in the Humpers, and it probably goes without saying that this particular apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Intellectual Properties of the Minimal Mind spits out snotty punk & roll fireballs like a dragon with acid reflux, sparing no one, least of all itself. “10 Days On the Road,” “Nothinmatron” and “Somethin’ for Nothin’” rock furiously and bitch mightily, as classic a combo as a Les Paul and a Marshall Stack. The quartet occasionally takes time out for a pop song like “On the Phone,” but it ain’t pop as Maroon 5 knows it, with the sneering lines “Did you really think you could make it without me/So sad to hear you crying on the phone.” Bad attitude + killer riffs + freight train drive – as the song says, “That’s Rock N’ Roll.”

(Zodiac Killer)
http://www.zodiackillerrecords.com
http://www.thehitchhikers.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Space Cretins – Direct From the Superfreak Highway

Seattle’s Paul Diamond Blow is a legend within his city limits, and no wonder: ain’t nobody else that I know of in the Pacific Northwest with this much glitter trailing in his wake. His latest outfit Space Cretins is a rifftastic glampunk freight train, or, more accurately, rocket ship. Blow and his space monkeys slam out the usual ultra-catchy, Ramones/Detroit-happy punk pop, with the twist of overloading on the sci-fi space opera metaphors. Thus “Rockets On,” “Master Blaster,” the groan-worthy “Rocket Roll” and, of course, “Let’s Get Spaced Out.” It might be too much for some, but the tunes hit too hard, Blow sings it all too well (he’s got one of the gritty voices that determined his life path when he hit puberty) and the group is having way too much fuckin’ fun for Direct From the Superfreak Highway to be anything but a glitzy, good time supernova. The closing “Merry Christmas Baby” (not the Ramones song) is a bit of a headscratcher, but it’s as catchy as everything else on the album, so what the hell.

(self-released)
http://www.myspace.com/spacecretins

Review by: Michael Toland

The Stone Foxes – s/t

Young, white blues rockers are forever compared to the White Stripes and the Black Keys these days. The Stone Foxes will no doubt get the same treatment - indeed, at the group’s rawest and bluesiest, there’s a definite Keys vibe. But passing these San Francisco boys off as wannabes is lazy thinking. The group’s true inspirations lie further back in music history, back to the down-and-dirty club days of the 60s British blues boom, before the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones went pop. Like their forebears, the quartet attacks their tunes (mostly originals, but Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf covers as well) with all the vigor of young men with a lot of talent and too little action. (Sexual frustration is the perennial inspiration for the blues.) The Foxes display an unfortunate tendency toward excess – “Under the Gun” is way too fucking long, and who told them a drum solo was a good idea? But the group mostly keeps its cuts short,  whether sleazy and savage like “Beneath Mt. Sinai,” “Walk On Down” and “Lookin’ Pretty Good” or tender and tough like “Mercury,” “Tin Stars” and “Black Rolling Thunder.” Best of all, while this record is strong enough to attract notice, the Foxes have left themselves plenty of room to grow.

(self-released)
http://www.myspace.com/thestonefoxes

Review by: Michael Toland

Lime Spiders – Live At The Esplanade

This is without a doubt a “must have” item for fans of Australia’s Lime Spiders. I mean come on…22 fucking tracks live!?! That’s simply what you call a “no brainer”! Being a bit of a fan myself, take it from me, you other fans want this one for sure!

Recorded live in 1998 this disc covers the bands career and offers up some stellar versions of the songs with great sound quality, great energy, just all around killer stuff. Mixed in with the classic Spiders tracks are also tunes like a cover of the Dead Boys “Ain’t Nothing To Do”, which is a fine version of a brilliant song and new songs “The Dead Boys” and “Society Of Soul”.

The Lime Spiders started out as a throwback 60’s style garage band, but eventually started adding other influences into the mix, with big guitars and eventually even a little bit of a Glam touch.

I think if I was to actually make a complaint about this release, it would be that through out all of these songs, all of these tracks covering their career, my single favorite Spiders track is nowhere to be found. Seriously, am I the only one who loves the track “Rock Star”???

www.nicotinerecords.com
www.limespidersmusic.com

Review by Carl Isonhart

The Accidents – The Beechcraft Bonanza / Frutti Di Bosco

Time for me to hang my head in utter shame, time to crawl back under my rock and think about just what the hell I am doing with this here fanzine. How can I possibly be telling you fine folks what to listen to, what music to buy, when I have let a band of such greatness as The Accidents slip right on by me!?! Seriously, this is amazing stuff, and it appears these guys have numerous full length releases out all ready.

What we do have here though seems to be a missing batch of tracks from this Swedish quartet. Apparently the first three tracks, the ones attributed to the “Frutti Di Bosco” name, are a single that has been attempting to see light of day for a little while now. While the last three songs I have no idea about. But yes, this is 6 songs of full on high energy Rockabilly, 50’s style Rock and Roll running full head on into some blistering Punk.

Opening track “High Powered Rifle” kicks us off with a stunning straight up Rockabilly style riff played at breakneck speeds that would make Eddie Cochran and Chet Atkins both smile with pride. The song launches us off and we just are not let go from there.

Songs 2 and 3 (“Insomnia”, I.O.C.) carry more of a Punk vibe than the first track, but the love of straight up 50’s RnR is still there all over the dang place.

But for as good as those three opening tracks are, for me it is the final three (“You Belong To Me”, “Midnight In Bhopal”, and “Left For Dead”) that steal the show on this disc. Not much different than what came before it, but just a little more hook going on.

All in all though, this is a brilliant disc that just grabs you by the hand and takes you out racing through the streets for a hell of a fun time. This is the stuff that gets kids hooked on Punk, and that keeps us older guys sticking around. It’s timeless, high energy, just a ton of fun. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

www.nicotinerecords.com
www.theaccidents.net

Review by Carl Isonhart

The Manikins – Crocodiles

Power Pop is such an odd creature for me. Sometimes it is the greatest sounding style of music to grace the earth, and at other times I can easily do without it, and I am not even talking about from band to band. I’m talking about the exact same song. I think it might be due to how Poppy the stuff is. Hell, I don’t think anything on the face of the earth sounds as sweet as a perfectly executed Power Pop track.

This brings us to The Manikins debut release “Crocodiles” from Full Breach Kicks.

The Manikins play your standard Power Pop, and they play it very well. You get your Fender Telecaster sounding clean channeled guitars, playing the standard jangle. Catchy backing vocals and harmonies all the stuff you have come to expect, and executed quite nicely. Think The Byrds hanging out in the late 70’s Punk scene and you get an idea.

“She Speaks Perfect French” shows the other side of the band when the 60’s feel kind of fades and the band takes on a bit of a Doo-Wop 50’s style.

This is a great disc, and on the right day I would say this is the perfect disc for what you might need. Strong Power Pop like this is hard to replace and hard to beat.

www.fullbreach77.com

Review by Carl Isonhart

The Ronnie Rockets – That Ain’t Nothin’ But Right

Straight up Rockabilly out of France is what we have here for the most part. Well, I guess you could say Rockabilly, if we were to pigeon-hole the poor guys. Think Rockabilly running on a surf-high from time to time.

Opening with a cool instrumental in the Link Wray tradition (more on that comparison later), and right from here you can tell these guys are pretty true to what they are doing. It’s all slap bass, killer clean guitar sound with some cool vibrato going on. The drums wail away right along with the thumping bass.

Song 2, “Satisfy Me”, pretty much gives you what the majority of the disc is like. Whilst these guys never try to get overly flashy on the guitar, ala Setzer, the playing is rock solid, and where they probably beat many of the other modern

Rockabilly styled bands I have been running across, is that vocalist Guig’s really works well on these tracks. Full of heart and energy, which is missing at times it seems as of late.

Make no mistake about it though, the guitar work is actually quite nice and steps up when they really need it to. I guess you could say there isn’t any flash just for flash sake, it always seems to come in when you really want it to.

You want killer tracks? Give the track “Hey!” a whirl. Starting with a nice Bluesy acoustic riff, then moving on into a killer swinging Blues meets Country feel. This song is why it’s damn hard to just say these guys are “Rockabilly”, as they incorporate more styles into their tunes, but still hold true to a vision.

Though it isn’t my favorite track on the disc, I do have to say that any CD with a track titled “Wild Shakin’ Boobies” on it is worth a purchase. Seriously, that’s just a great, silly title.

Personally, I also want to see this guys doing “Lady Dynamite” live. It has that feel on CD of being a barnstormer live. You can just feel the floor jumping through the roof with that number. It’s a high energy out of every single instrument moving at a speed that throws you forward but allows the band to stay out of being sloppy.

Getting back to the Link Wray comparison, well, track 7 is a cover of Link’s track “Slinky”. Now I can’t claim to being overly familiar with this tune in particular, but I can’t imagine this version is anything other than lovingly done, and done well.

“Dead End Street” is a haunting acoustic number with a slide guitar over the top to add to the haunting aspects. The harmonica also helps to create the mood.

Final track “Ghostly Sleepwalkers” might be the hardest one to describe on the disc. Yeah, it’s in the same style, more or less, but it sounds more like it is coming from a straight Rock band. Stepping away from the shuffling drumming and heading for a more straight forward beat, with the bass playing a more standard rhythm, it’s a cool track and leads one to wonder if this is a sign of what is to come in the future for these guys.

The Ronnie Rockets are a band that is easily accessible for Rockabilly fans, 50’s RnR fans, and just fans of great Rock and Roll. Killer guitar, killer tone, solid songs, you really can’t ask for too much more.

www.myspace.com/theronnierockets

Review by Carl Isonhart

Walter Lure – Live In Berlin

This one is almost silly to review. Seriously, if you know who Walter is, then you all ready know if you need this or not, for the most part. The only question will be “how is the sound”?

The sound on this disc is actually pretty dang good. Nice full sound, but no doubt live. You have the rough spots and vocal drops to let you know you are definitely listening to a disc with no overdubs, and really, that is the only true way to hear this sort of stuff. The charm is the imperfections that lead to the perfection of it all. Walter sounds like he has been to hell and back with his voice full of scratches, but again, this is actually enhancing these songs. It does appear that these songs were recorded through out Walter’s European tour he did a few years ago, and possibly the best were then put here, as the quality does change from time to time.

The backing band is also quite good on it, who they are, I have no idea, but job well done!
For my money, and I know this isn’t the popular opinion at all, but Walter was what made the Heartbreakers work. He was the better guitarist, singer, everything. So for me, a disc like this is always welcomed. “One Track Mind”, “Let Go” and even the Johnny standards “Too Much Junkie Business” and “Born To Lose” are represented here and all sound great.

If you are unfamiliar with Walter, by the way, or even Johnny Thunders or the Heartbreakers, then you won’t be going wrong by grabbing this. One of the first ways I encountered those guys was on the Heartbreakers “Live At Max’s Kansas City” album. These songs are almost best heard on the live album format, as the “warts and all” approach drives the tracks home a bit better than the tamed studio versions. So you new folks out there, looking for some trashy RnR can’t really go wrong with this.

www.nicotinerecords.com

Review by Carl Isonhart

Baby Scream – Ups and Downs

Though a bit more mellow than I usually listen to, there has always been something about Baby Scream that I just love. Partially it might be a slight bias to them being the first interview I did for Sonic Ruin. But I am also willing to bet that the main reason for a love of this band is the attention paid to song writing and just how well mainman Juan knows what he is aiming for, and how well he achieves those goals.

The sound of Baby Scream is along the lines of Chamber Strings. It’s that old Todd Rundgren Pop style. That mellow, hooky stuff that just seeps into your head, haunting you for you whole damn day. Songs you hum to yourself as you drift off to sleep.

Songs 1 through three are mellow, yet hooky. Song 4, “Everyday (I Die A Little Bit)”, however opens things up and Juan proves to all of us that he can rock out with the best of them. Guitars raging, drums open and moving quick, and a voice full of snottiness of the finest order. I tell ya, I could go for a track or two more of these types of numbers. Knowing the band has a Trash/Punk/Glam interest to them its nice to this style show up, and even nicer to hear it done so well.
Back to mellow town, “One More Chance” leads one to think of post Beatles John Lennon.

Now though, no matter what I have said about the mellow stuff, and my loving the driving track number 4, there is no doubt in my mind that the stand out track on this release comes along at number 8 in the form of “Morning Light”. This is the type of stuff that you lay down as a band, listen back to and just stare at the speakers in amazement that you pulled something off this good. Seriously, this track alone makes the whole CD worth whatever you might pay. Wonderful groove, wonderful production with a guitar that cuts through exactly as it should, and a keyboard that would make Ian MacLagan proud. This is a band hitting perfectly, in all aspects. Outstanding track.

After that track we move into a different recording session called Planet Michael. Though not as polished as the previous 8 tracks, it is still the wonderful style we have fallen into for the preceding tracks.

“Walls Crumbling Down” rocks out pretty hard in all honesty, and sets the band into more of a Rock and Roll vibe. Killer tune for sure.

Track 12 took me by complete surprise. In my opinion the greatest band from to the U.S. is The Replacements. For me, they are right up there with Faces and The Damned. A greatness that might never be seen again. So when I saw “Skyway” listed on the back of the CD I was fearful it was the Mats song. But knowing Juan, I had a feeling it was.
And it is.

But the version Baby Scream pulls out here is brilliant. The type of cover that needs to be sent on to Paul Westerberg, and I am sure he would love it. Faithful as can be, but it still changes the song up quite a bit with a wonderful shuffling drum that I would bet Chris Mars would adore. Just a perfect cover to a great song.
In the end, this is a great CD. Strong writing, wonderful execution, and a heart beating inside that could warm everybody. Place this CD right alongside your Chamber Strings CD’s and cherish the wonderful things that are Baby Scream.

www.myspace.com/babyscream

Review by Carl Isonhart

Electric Frankenstein – Burn Bright, Burn Fast

Consider this more of a public service announcement than a review. Burn Bright, Burn Fast originally came out in 2005 on another record label. It either fell out of print or the ever-upright boys in EF didn’t like something on the business side and took their toys elsewhere. Whatever – the disk is back and record store shelves are all the richer for it. If you missed this album the first time around, you missed an energy-spewing, power rocking, ass-burning set of punk & roll that takes everything good about Electric Frankenstein and splatters it across the universe for all to witness. Just as awesome the second time around.  

(Zodiac Killer)
http://electricfrankenstein.com
http://myspace.com/zodiackillerrecords

Review by: Michael Toland

The Erotics – Rubbish

It probably goes without saying that a band like the Erotics isn’t going for a makeover every time it does a new record. Sure enough, on Rubbish the NYC sleazebags keep doing the gutter glam stomp in much the same way as they’ve always done it. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, as long as they do it well, which they do. If anything, bandleader Mike Trash has managed to somehow crank up both the glitter and the grit, dragging his growl through harsher gravel than usual but writing hooks as singalong catchy as ever. (Plus an assist from Bon Scott and the Young brothers on “Walk All Over You.”) His bug-eyed sneer rules “Terrorize You,” “Nobody Wants You Around” and “Get Away From Me (Mother F*cker),” though on that last he seems to want to temper his bad temper with an asterisk, a power pop melody and a pisstake Axl Rose harmony vocal. “Born to Let You Down,” “Dead Last in the Rat Race” and “Frustrated” at least acknowledge the feelings of other people, if only to flip ‘em off, but it’s enough humanity to keep Trash from coming across as a hollow thug. While the songwriting cooks, special kudos should also go to guitarist Rachel Toxic, who is really in touch with his inner guitar hero (the music category, not the video game). Oddly enough, I found Rubbish disappointing the first time I spun it, but it’s grown on me faster than any of the band’s other albums. Nice ‘n’ sleazy, just the way a gang called the Erotics oughta be.  

(Trashpit)
http://eroticrocknroll.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Kevin K and the St. Pete Allstars – Palm Trees and Humidity

If Kevin K’s name isn’t in the dictionary in the entry marked “prolific,” dammit, it should be. For Palm Trees and Humidity, he apparently got tired of waiting for the studio to open up, as he simply sequestered himself in a Florida garage with his buddies and an 8-track and banged out a dozen of his typical rock ‘n’ poppers. The tunes are his usual basic three and four-chorders, with simple licks, bullshitless lyrics and winsome melodies that suit both his wispy voice and his beautifully crunchy guitar sound. The production is the “hit ‘record’ and let rip” variety, but it’s still clear as a bell, and really, what more do you need for stripped-down rock & roll? He could record in a 64-track digital studio with Howard Benson and he’d still sound like the glorious bastard child of Alex Chilton and Johnny Ramone. And thank whatever deity you like for that. I’ll take “Nine Lives,” “Mr. Ruckus” and “Pleased to Meet Me” over anything on the radio any day of the damn week. May Kevin K never learn a fifth chord or find a real budget.

(Kicking)
http://myspace.com/kevinkrock
http://www.kickingrecords.com

Review by: Michael Toland

The Atomic Bitchwax – 4

What we have with 4 is what is known in the entertainment industry as sustained upward momentum. Three years since proving with their album 3 that they didn’t need no stinkin’ side project badge (originally pinned on due to the presence of Monster Magnet picker Ed Mundell, since replaced by ex-Core leader Finn Ryan) to justify their existence, the Atomic Bitchwax manages to best their own best effort. Ryan, new drummer Bob Pantella and bassist/keyboardist/driving force Chris Kosnik don’t exactly redefine power rock here, but their combination of bonghit boogie and Motor City madness has never been so graceful, so ribcage-grabbing, so frickin’ potent. As usual in these cases, credit sharper songwriting and arrangements; singalong melodies float out of the trio’s knotty instrumental attack, and Kosnik and Ryan’s mic mangling has never been so mightily musical. Ripsnorting ragers like “Sometime Wednesday,” “Daisy Chain” and “Run” rock like a Transformer dancing a crazed fandango, while still sprouting catchy choruses. Instrumentals “Giant” and “Super Computer” proudly wave their braintickling riffs right in your snout. The songs are so good that the Bitchwaxing of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine,” while perfectly enjoyable, feels unnecessary. This, my friends, is what we mean when we scream “Rawk!”

(MeteorCity)
http://www.theatomicbitchwax.com
http://www.meteorcity.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Bubblegum Screw – St. Valentines Day Massacre

I have to keep checking the info on this disc to make sure I am getting this right. This is a new release, and this is not from New York or Detroit. I swear to God man, between the production, writing style, singing, everything, you could make an argument for this being a lost 1979 New York Underground band. Yeah, this would have been big at Max’s Kansas City…no doubt. There or the obvious choice of CBGB’s. Heck, this actually sounds like outtakes from We Have Come For Your Children by Dead Boys in the production department and Mark Thorn does a pretty good Stiv. These guys are from London and a further proof that you just can’t tell where a band hails from anymore.

Bubblegum screw might fool some people though, don’t go into this expecting to hear Bubblegum Pop, Punk, or Glam. There is little “Bubblegum” here. The band plays a swaggering style of ’79 Punk pretty much, with maybe a touch of the Glam in the backing vocals. Heck, song number 2 (“Feel The Pain”) even carries shades of the Dead Kennedy’s track “Government Flu” to it. This is a good thing.
 
If this thing had come out in 1979, make no mistake about it, the final track “Rock N Roll Loser” would be the anthem for many. Power, attitude, swagger, it has a lot going for it. It’s not so different from the rest of the tunes on here, but it just sticks in your head a little bit longer and has that certain something that makes a song a classic.

If you need some Trash, give the Bubblegum Screw a shot, I’ll bet ya a piece of Bazooka that you’ll be happy you did!

http://www.myspace.com/bubblegumscrew

The Hellacopters - Head Off

So Head Off is the last Hellacopters studio album. (Until the inevitable reunion, that is.) How does one of the last decade’s best rock & roll bands choose to ride off into the sunset? With, um, a covers album. Sounds like the band is breaking up because leader Nicke Andersson is bereft of ideas, don’t it?

But let’s be fair: the only ideas the Swedish quintet ever really considered was rockin’, rollin’ and rockin-and-rollin. Andersson and his buds have never been shy about borrowing tunes from the garage/punk/heavy/action rock catalog anyway – their own oeuvre is littered with cover tunes. (Hell, if you want to be uncharitable about it, most of Andersson’s originals are rewrites of Sonic Rendezvous Band’s “City Slang” anyway.) When it comes to the proverbial good rockin’ tonight, originality gets tossed in the back seat, away from energy, commitment and soul.

The ‘copters have never had any problems there, and since they know where their likeminded international compatriots keep their treasure boxes, they easily choose tunes that slide right into their setlist with no one the wiser. (Except that Andersson’s track-by-track explanation on their MySpace site gives the game away.) Borrowing from the catalogs of fellow Swedes, Australians and Americans, the band merrily makes any tune they borrow their own. It’s hard to pick highlights from such a consistently air-guitar worthy platter, but Asteroid B-612’s “I Just Don’t Know About Girls,” the Humpers’ “(I’m) Watching You,” the Peepshows’ “Midnight Angels” and the BellRays’ “Making Up For Lost Time” seem particularly suited to the ‘copters’ riff-blasting talents. Cuts nicked from Dead Moon, the Robots, “Demons” and the Royal Cream ain’t far behind.

Which points to the secret ingredient here: The Hellacopters don’t pick songs that they can mangle into their own distinctive Nordic rock & roll shape – they choose tunes that already sound like they wrote ‘em themselves. Strong selections and even stronger performances make Head Off easily the equal of any other record in the ‘copters’ collection of superlative slabs. Pat yerselves on the backs on the way out, dudes – ya done damn good.

(Wild Kingdom/Psychout)
http://www.hellacopters.com
http://myspace.com/hellacopters
blog: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=20187358

Review by: Michael Toland

Prima Donna - After Hours (Acetate)

Somewhere along the line “glam” became shorthand for “hairspray-addled dickweeds who think Kiss set the standard for half-assed songwriting.” Hey, man, how about those 80s? Who needs a sense of rock & roll history when cocaine and Aquanet are all that’s required to get the strippers to give you a private show and share their makeup tips?

Despite having an average age of 22 or so, the dudes in Prima Donna, shockingly, remember a time before Motley Crüe somehow became an icon. I don’t know how these kids ended up with New York Dolls and Ziggy Stardust in their collections – hip older siblings? Hip parents? Hip grandparents??? – but I ain’t arguin’. And not just the cream of the 70s glam slop – the saxophones and old-fashioned rock & roll melodies on After Hours (the quintet’s second album, following the self-released Kiss Kiss) hint at a grounding in that most forgotten of classic rock decades, the 50s (Same as Bowie and the Dolls, in fact). Riffs fly fast, furious and free, but the Primas keep the rhythms danceable in that old-fashioned, R&B-derived way that was forgotten practically the day the drum machine was invented.

Mind you, singer/main songwriter Kevin Tyler Preston is just as hormonally blitzed as those assholes from the 80s. Sex is never far from the lad’s mind, as is made clear by “Dummy Luv,” “Demoted” and “I Don’t Want You to Love Me.” But his greasy grasp on heady rock & roll hooks, his youthful yawp and the band’s obvious glee in blasting them out of the speakers goes a long way to making the horny libretto seem naughty instead of nasty. In other words, After Hours is just plain fun, with singalong songs that don’t get old before the bridge comes around. “Life moves real fast when you’re a wild youngblood,” Preston declares at one point. Exactly.

http://www.primadonnarocks.com
http://www.acetate.com

Review by: Michael Toland

The Quireboys - Homewreckers & Heartbreakers (JCPL)

I’ve always felt a little sorry for the Quireboys. In late 80s America the London combo was lumped in with the hair metal bands, for which their image seemed, at first, to fit. Never mind that the band has always had more in common with the Faces and the Rolling Stones than Poison. (The Dogs D’amour suffered a similar fate.) So it was one classic album (A Bit of What You Fancy), a lackluster follow-up, and out.

Except that wasn’t the end of the story. The band reconvened in the early aughts, knocking out two solid slabs (This is Rock ‘n’ Roll and Well Oiled) that hinted at a return to future greatness. Well, open the door and move the furniture to the walls, because Homewreckers & Heartbreakers is that return. Taking cues from singer Spike’s recent solo album It’s a Treat to Be Alive, the ‘boys swirl folk and soul into their blues-based rock & roll debauchery, with more relaxed tempos and incorporation of pedal steel, mandolin and lots of fiddle and slide guitar. Shimmering, soulful cuts like “Late Nite Saturday Call,” “Hello” and “One For the Road” display the clear influence (beyond Spike’s gravelly singing) of those classic early 70s Rod Stewart records.

Don’t get the idea, however, that the band has forgotten how to rock. “Hall of Shame,” “Josephine” and “I Love This Dirty Town” kick out the jams the Stones left behind 30 years ago, and “Blackwater” hits a heavy blues groove. The guitar wrangling by Guy Griffin and Paul Guerin is particularly fine here, but the glue holding everything together is Spike’s voice, which has never been better. There aren’t many singers who can take a clichéd line like “Keep on believin’” and keep it from sounding like a hackneyed rock Hallmark card. I hesitate to say that Homewreckers & Heartbreakers betters the youthful explosion of the group’s great debut, but the versatility, confidence and plain ol’ soul found here emphasize that even a bunch of reprobates like the Quireboys can wear maturity well.

http://www.thequireboys.com
http://www.jerkincrocus.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Suzy Wong And The Honkeys – 22

Let me start by saying that I think this thing is called 22. This is just an educated guess. The cover is a black and white cover with the band name scrawled on top and an odd painting/drawing/photo of a person who has their neck split and the blood is forming the number “22”. Not sure what the number means or anything, but what the heck, there was no press material in the envelope so it gets to be named “22”.
When the CD started to play my initial thought was “whoa…does this suck”. Seriously, the tune (“Pills”) is a noisy creature with a 1980’s 4-track tape sounding production with a female voice that jumps from screaming to a whiny type of voice. It reminded me of those terrible Punk bands from the 80’s that seriously did suck and purposely created the noise to hide their lack of talent. You know the bands, they were usually your best friends in high school and forced you to listen to them and make you lie to them about liking their tunes.
But before the first song was even done I was starting to change my mind. First thing that started that change was the realization that the drumming was actually pretty friggin’ tight. That type of thing never happened in those old bands. So I started the CD over and paid closer attention. This time I caught on to it that any noise and oddness going on was 100% deliberate. These folks were not half assed musicians, but instead they are people who actually know their instruments. Or so it seems. Could this be a band actually trying to recapture that whole 80’s vibe thing, yet doing it right? The extreme DYI of the disc would lead one to believe so, including the lack of the press materials. Plus remember the 4-Track recording? Well, the music even has drop-outs on it like the old tapes always had.
Musically make no mistake about it, this is acquired taste territory. It’s noisy, sloppy, and completely insane sounding. But that isn’t to say there are not redeeming qualities (though to some the “noisy, sloppy and completely insane sounding” is all the redemption needed). In fact there are breaks in the songs “Alcohol” and “Robot” that are such brilliant riffs and hooks that I wish they had created an entire song using that riff.
So be forewarned, this is crazy stuff indeed, but to folks with certain tastes, this is a fun band with some crazy stuff going on.

http://www.myspace.com/suzywongandthehonkeys

If nothing else, The Devil Rides Out will be getting money from me for both of the previous Volumes. Why? Well, because Volume III is the final part of a nifty cover that when placed together is a hot chick lying on her back. Oh, sure, it might just be an excuse to have a picture of a hot chick in my house…but it isn’t. I just think it’s a cool cover. Yeah.
But what about the music, swanky hot 60’s style cover chicks aside…how is the music?
The Devil Rides Out more or less are of the Stoner Rock world. Problem with saying that though is that there are numerous different facets of the genre to fit into, as is the case with damn near every genre now. So, think BIG fuzzy guitars tuned REALLY low with a growly vocal, not a Death Metal growl, but more a Punk / Crossover yell. No Ozzy impersonator with this band.
The opening track “Slow Gun” lost me right away with the out of tune sounding note run riff. In my car the whole thing sounded a bit of a mess. But later, after throwing on the headphones (and even more so after numerous other subsequent listens) I found the rest of the song to carry a fine drive to it. I’m still not crazy about the note run, but the rest of the song rocks pretty damn nice.
“Fiftyonepercent” has a killer riff on it with a great pace to it. Even with the break down section it still moves cool and doesn’t have a let up.
The only track on here I could take or leave it probably “Meet Joe Blues”, a slow Bluesy type of thing. I can see the reason for it, as the riff itself sounds pretty cool with the tone and production on the guitars, it’s just kind of a lackluster track. Now this probably shows how little I know about the style and this is probably the “signature” track.
Song 3, “The Shape Of A Heart” is standout track for me though. It’s got a killer riff, cool vocals, great pace, just a killer track all around.
I like “Volume III” enough that I am definitely interested in hearing the first two volumes, not just putting the cool cover lay-outs together. Not being a big Stoner Rock guy I can’t really tell you how it fits with the genre. But I can tell you I like it enough that the disc will more than likely find its way onto my iPod, with the exception of possibly “Meet Joe Blues”…but who knows…I might come around a bit more to that track.
Oh hell, I just listened to “Meet Joe Blues” again. O.K., the weakest aspect is the vocal track. Sorry, they just sound a little forced. But the last minute of the song with the backing vocals and slide work is pretty friggin’ great. So…yeah…it will also make the transfer to the Pod for that part.
Oh, and I don’t believe for a second this thing was really recorded in Hell. That just seems a little unrealistic. Ya know?

http://www.myspace.com/thedevilridesoutband

The Octagon – Nothing But Change

This is without a doubt one of those bands that took me by total surprise. I wasn’t expecting anything like this from looking at the cover. The name of the band, the title of the album, the look of the cover, I was expecting something along the lines of Pungent Stench or something LOUD. But nope, these guys run with clean channel guitars, cool harmonies, but still standing firmly in an old sounding “Alternative” sound. If you were a fan of the any of the bands that fell out of Minneapolis or Boston in the late 80’s or early 90’s, then you might want to check these guys out. If you are from Lawrence, Kansas and wish to find a band similar to Kill Creek, check these guys out.
The title for the album, Nothing But Change, makes it’s showing in the brilliantly executed track “The Narrow Road To Oku”. That song alone makes this CD worth its price.
Songs like the wonderfully hooky “The Cutter”, “Wally And The Gang”, and especially the high energy and ridiculously powerful “The Ten Thousand” make this album worthy of repeat listens. Mellower, more artsy numbers such as “The Awakening” break it up enough to keep you on your toes.
I love this disc, I seriously do. It keeps growing on me the more I listen to it. If you have any liking for early Soul Asylum (from the …And The Horse The Rode In On era) or early Lemonheads, check this one out. Nobody makes this style music anymore really, and hearing these guys makes me realize what a damn shame that is. No this is not Glam, this is not Rockabilly, this is not loud Punk, this is something else and it’s so very cool.

http://www.myspace.com/theoctagon

So for those able to say “la la la la” to his rep, here’s the skinny. Burzum truly was one of the best black metal acts of the period. On the first half of this collection, the drum tracks actually keep time and avoid the rhythmless chaos of so many of Vikernes’ peers, the guitars choke on their own fuzz without covering up the actual chords and riffs and the melodies evoke classic metal majesty rather than incoherent thrash. Vikernes is fond of epic song lengths – “Def Som en Gang Var” hits the 10-minute mark – but the tracks’ drive and tunefulness keep things from getting boring. The second half moves into more ambient territory (in part because Vikernes was imprisoned by that time and had limited access to instruments), with the creepy edge explored by fellow traveler Mortiis. “Gebrechichket” blazes then-new trails by interweaving heavy guitars and synthesizers to evoke moody melodies that make it a signpost for current metalgazers like Alcest and Caina. Vikernes’ lyrics are in his native tongue and delivered in the usual raspy shriek of a vampire with a stake through his scrotum, so if his viewpoints bug you (assuming they’re even addressed in the first place), they’re easy to ignore. (Unless you speak Norwegian, of course.)

For all of the author’s real and alleged philosophical extremism, the work of Burzum is surprisingly accessible for folks beyond metalheads with a penchant for the blackened. Whether that’s enough to entice the curious to overlook Vikernes’ non-musical exploits is another matter, and a personal one at that. That’s what freedom of choice is all about, ain’t it?
http://www.burzum.org
(Candlelight) http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

Review by: Michael Toland

*Vikernes disputes most of the labels and accusations slapped on him, but that’s not saying much; few celebrity wackjobs are as adept at using verbal diarrhea to muddy the waters of his own grave as the Count. For details from both sides of the aisle, check out his Wikipedia page, the Burzum website or the book Lords of Chaos

ORANGE SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
Suffer + Bucketful of Brains
Get Off the Phone and Drive + It’s My Turn to Speak
I Spy + Lame Duck
By day, Will Psoma is a mild-mannered audio software engineer/sound designer, but by night he becomes…Orange Sunshine Superman! (Cue fanfare.) One glance at that band name and it probably goes without saying that Psoma’s musical tastes run towards 60s psychedelia and 70s guitar pop. The music on these 45s bears that out, all big, power pop hooks and folk rock jangle. But while his musicality may be fixed on the past, his libretto sits squarely in the present. “Suffer” and its flip “Bucketful of Brains” jab elbows in the ribs of organized religion, “Get Off the Phone” and “It’s My Turn to Speak” tackle the impatient, accelerated communication of the 21st century and “I Spy” and “Lame Duck” target a certain tunnel-visioned leader of the free world. Every tune is smart, funny (in an angry way) and loaded with hooks. If Psoma’s got more like this at home, it’s time for a full-length album.
http://www.myspace.com/orangesunshinesuperman
(Four-Way) http://www.fourwayrecords.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Rosetta West - Anymore
Joseph Demagore’s never-say-die attitude manifests itself once again, as he self-releases another Rosetta West record. The group’s third disk, Anymore keeps to the RW tradition of stripped-down blues rock. That’s not code for a White Stripes rip-off, by the way; there’s little flash to be found here, and the Led Zeppelin homages are subtle and serve the songs, instead being a raison d’etre. If there’s a specific blues-based obsession in this music, it’s the rough ‘n’ raucous power blues of the Northern Mississippi area – there are more hints of RL Burnside and T-Model Ford in the grooves of “Drop the Bomb” and “Found Myself Dead” than Chicago blues or the Yardbirds. Maybe it’s just because of the affinity for that music I’ve acquired over the last few years, or maybe it’s the sublime beauty of acoustic cuts like “Oh Death” and “Darlene,” or maybe it’s just because this is Demagore’s most accomplished set of songs and sharpest set of arrangements yet, but I find myself more taken with Anymore than anything the band’s yet done.   
http://www.myspace.com/rosettawest
(self-released)

Review by: Michael Toland

Garfield’s Birthday - Let Them Eat Cake
There are two ways you can go when you’re a musician that owns a record label. You can make it a vehicle for your every musical/recorded whim, whether it’s worth hearing or not. Or you can treat it like a business, promote the music you love and eke out your own stuff whenever you have a sliver of a break in your schedule. Simon Felton, owner of Pink Hedgehog and co-leader of Garfields Birthday, follows the second path­ - he’s put out a lot of great stuff from the likes of Anton Barbeau, the Black Watch and Cheese, but at the cost of giving his own band short shrift. That’s fine, though; when he, brother Shane and drummer Adrian Payne get ‘round to finally putting out a record like “Let Them Eat Cake,” it’s all the (pardon the pun) sweeter. The album spills over with sparkling pop tunes built on chiming guitars, ear-tonguing melodies and the kind of close harmonies that seem to come only from siblings. Rock-poppers like “Mystery Boy,” “Punch & Judy Man” and “The Bastion of Teenage” bewitch with their effervescence, while the acoustic ballad “You Should Know Better By Now” is nigh irresistible. Interestingly for a pop group, the band saves its best songs for the second half of the record, making for an unusually rewarding listen.
http://www.garfieldsbirthday.com
(Pink Hedgehog) http://www.pinkhedgehog.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Ascend - Ample Fire Within
Greg Anderson can’t get enough of the drone, apparently. Besides co-leading drone metal demi-gods Sunn 0)) and running the thrum-heavy label Southern Lord, he’s formed Ascend, a side project with his old buddy Gentry Densley (who was in experimental rock band Iceburn a decade ago). To be fair, Ample Fire Within ain’t exactly Sunn 0)) II. For one thing, vocals feature far more prominently than they do in Anderson’s usual milieu, and Densley’s testosteronized Tom Waits grumble is a perfect match for the bowel-rumbling sonic wash. There’s also a barely but definitely definable jazz element in the mix, provided mostly by keyboardist/trombonist Steve Moore (the guy from Earth, not the guy from Zombi). Glacial tempos and rolling low-end riffs carry the (pardon the pun) heavy load, of course, but the little touches keep this from being another beating administered to a deceased equine.
http://www.myspace.com/ascendamountain
(Southern Lord) http://www.southernlord.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Blacklist Union - Blacklist Union
With their sleaze rock riffs, glampunk image, arena rock production and whiff of every kind of sin imaginable, Blacklist Union couldn’t come from anywhere but Hollywood. But the band doesn’t so much celebrate excess as wave goodbye to it in the rearview mirror. Union boss Tony West has survived addiction, being slimed by music industry dirtbags and the premature deaths of two women close to him (including the much-missed Bianca Butthole from Betty Blowtorch), learning experiences all. Scratch at that layer of grime and black eyeliner on West and you’ll find quite the sentimental streak, but never fear – he can pen tributes to his son (“Say Hello”) and his dead lovers (“Sixty Five Steps Away”) and still make ‘em rock. West beckons anyone with good intentions to “Come Inside” his world, but gives the finger to the “King of Fools” and various “Liars, Cheats & Thieves.” The title track both laments West’s drug-rat days and warns off the kind of folks with junkie souls. It’s not all serious business, though – West takes time out for a tongue-in-cheek (or somewhere) blowjob in “Kiss the Monkey.” Whether West is smiling or sneering, his forceful singing rides this tight-muscled tiger of glistening guitar rock with reins firmly in steady hand.
http://www.myspace.com/blacklistunion
(self-released) http://www.blacklistunion.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Review by: Michael Toland

Another year, another generous batch of plainspoken, turbocharged gems. Holdin’ Onto Trouble’s Hand is a working man’s rebel manifesto, with dispatches from an America no political party acknowledges exists. And make no mistake, kids, this is American music with a capital C (for culture, and yes, we do have one) – notes, chords and rhythms derived from the blues, country & western, folk music and 50s rock & roll, made by disciples of Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Ike Turner and the Ramones. If the Rolling Stones had grown up in the country from which their musical loves came and had never touched supermodels or heroin, their music might still have the power the Rankoutsiders’ does now. Only Jason & the Scorchers have ever danced this rootspunk two-stomp with as much grace.

Todd’s songwriting continues its consistency and variety here, exploring the inner workings of the blue (collar, state, mood, heart) as well as anybody this side of Merle Haggard. “If you find some kind of love,” Todd advises on “One More Tank of Gas,” “Hold onto it/Give me one more tank of gas/And I’ll chase after it” - the Todd philosophy in a nutshell. The band, particularly guitarist Nick Alexander (who joins Cowgirls axmen Michael Leigh and DD Weekday in Todd’s pantheon of great six-string discoveries), confidently follows the leader down any path, taken or not.

You want revved-up C&W? Try “Sometimes Trouble Has a Name.” You like the tear dropping into your beer to be quieter? There’s the mandolin-driven “Tonight I Said Your Name.” Think the Beach Boys needed a punk shot in the ass? Give “Long Love Letter” (written by Todd but sung by Alexander – see, it really is a band) a shot. Prefer folk troubadourism? The calmly sneering “King of Drugs,” performed by Todd solo on a banjo, or the head-shaking-sadly accusation of “Playin’ in the Dirt” are your meat. Like a little spritz of power pop melodicism? You’ll take a trip “All Around the World.” Want a good, empathic wallow? The folk-rocking introspection of “There’s Nothin’ For Me Here” is da man. Looking for a raging roots rock epic? The eight-plus minutes of “The December 12th Blues” will scratch your itch.

Or would you rather just rock the fuck out, while keeping a little class in your air guitar-waving thrills? That’s most of this incendiary album, baby – “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” “Dangerous Times – Dead Ahead,” “Secret Heart,” “Billion Dollars Cash,” “I Won’t Belong” (Todd’s mantra for 25+ years now), “Theda” and the title track will dropkick any Hot Topic sprat’s Avenged Sevenfold-loving ass back to school where he can learn about real rock & roll. With guts, brains and passion to spare, Todd and the Rankoutsiders accomplish it all while acting like adults, not like kids still young, dumb and full of…well, you know. If more albums like this are what Holdin’ Onto Trouble’s Hand gets us, I’m gonna keep my paw out constantly and shake on it every time.
http://www.pattodd.net
http://www.rankoutsiderrecords.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Review by: Michael Toland

Review by: Michael Toland

Review by: Michael Toland

Frontdude Derek Cristensen wails, growls and shouts like Steven Tyler could before MTVhab, as guitarists Curt Florczak and Matt Lake mix ‘n’ match riffs stolen from their favorite records and the rhythm section juggles its balls with the surefooted grace of a stampeding stallion. With just the right homebrew of proficiency and ‘tude, the title track gives corporate radio the bird while boasting the kind of guitar glory the airwaves used to worship. Cristensen musters a surprising scoop of soul on the ballad “Cold After Dark,” putting enough heartbreak into lines like “Your love will haunt me until the end” that the clichés matter less than the feel.

Not everything cooks with propane – the closer “Renegade” suffers from the kind of painfully uninspired lyrics with which most tunes with outlaw-synonymed titles get saddled, and “Simmer Down” does little but prove that Cristensen has no business trying to imitate the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson. But when the band is on, they’re fucking on, baby – “Bad Rain in Texas,” “Heaven” and “Flat On My Face” will make you believe in lighter-raising rock & roll again. Hopefully the B-Movie Rats won’t stay in the cellar for so long next time.
http://www.bmovierats.com
http://www.rankoutsiderrecords.com

Review by: Michael Toland

Review by: Ken Zalewski

The disk opens with the one-two punch of the powerhouse hipsway of “Groove On” and the good-humored raunch of “Big, Fat Sexy Mama,” both spiked with horns so perfect as to bring tears to Al Kooper’s eyes. The delicious combination of songwriting smarts and big ol’ six-string hooks makes both tunes easily the best things the band’s ever done. Those cuts would be hard to top, and Carlyle wisely doesn’t try, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other juicy bites of the Apple here. “Betrayed” injects a grungy power ballad with real spite and anger, “Can’t Get Through to You” kicks its way out the garage with steel-toed boots and “My Heart Still Aches For You” turns off the amps for a fiddle-laced, adrenalized two-step that takes the Pogues to a Texas honkytonk.

All that’s left is the band’s cover of Cale/Clapton’s “Cocaine;” whether or not this wah-wah and drum machine-infused pisstake will sit right depends on how overplayed you think the original classic rock dinosaur is. (Why “Cocaine” instead of including the great title tune, which so far exists only in privately distributed CD-r form?) But that doesn’t worry me much – I can forgive a combo as world-rockingly great as the Compulsions the occasional misstep, as long as they keep kicking my ass as does the rest of Demon Love.
http://www.thecompulsionsnyc.com

Review by: Michael Toland