Check this People………..new(ish) from Area Pirata Records (the home of Italian Garage Rock don’tcha know) four very similar, but also very very different Garage/Punk/Psych records that highlight how diverse the scene is. From surfer wig outs to more straight ahead Rock influences and everything in between, these records have it all.
Outta Phoenix but forged in the Garage /Punk/ Psych/ Mod scenes of New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Cincinnati , The 16 Eyes are new group comprised of Garage Rock veterans whose musical CV includes bands such as The Outta Place, The Optic Nerve, The Primeval Unknown, The Automatic Erasers, Odds & Sods, The Lone Wolves, The Tickets, Labor Party, Battered Suitcases, Jeff Dahl Band, 8Five Kalidocolor, Doc & The Pods, The Cybermen, The Freaks of Nature, The Primate 5, Sinister Six and The Glory Holes. Released on Area Pirata Records, the band’s debut record, Look, gathers together 13 sharp originals along with their frantic version of the much covered Eddie Holland song ‘Leaving Here’ and it’s a nuclear blast of British Beat/R&B influences that channels the amphetamine charged sound of The Who, The Kinks and The Yardbirds rippin’ it up down in the Soho clubs during the mid 60s. We know there are hundreds of bands that have tapped into the sound of the post-Mod, pre-Psychedelic Freakbeat era of British music, but The 16 Eyes just seem to do it better than most. Short and sweet sounds abound with most of the 14 tracks clocking in around the two minute mark, standard time for a Freakbeat classic, as The 16 Eyes strip their songs down to a pure 60s essence. For fans of the genre this record well worth your time, check it out here…………….
Killer Klown are an absolute riot. Jacked up on the maximum Garage/Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll sleaze of The Cramps and The Stooges, they have been tearing it up since the mid 90’s, mixing classic 60s Garage Rock influences with a snarling Punk attitude. Back with their first album in seven years following a line up change, Crappy Circus is a karnival of swirling 60s keys, manic Punk Rock riffing and crashing drums, neatly picking up where the last left off. There is nothing faintly fancy about this record………..timeless Rock ‘n’ Roll played as if Killer Klown’s lives depended on it. Essential listening if you like your Garage/Punk hard, fast and stupid. Available now on vinyl and D/L, check it out here………….
Channelling the great Surf bands from the early 60s, The Ghiblis play a strange blend of “Surf Exotica” that takes the primitive and obscure instrumental surf music of the 60s and mixes in the vibe of compilations such as Frolic Diners and Las Vegas Grind……….. add fezzes or wrestler masks, black tuxedos and a splash of Bloody Mary then shake all the ingredients and there you go………The Ventures playing all night sleazy strip joints circa 1963. Out now, their first release on Area Pirata Records is the knowingly kitsch Surfinia mini album that includes 4 original tracks and 2 covers. It’s the sound of early Southern Californian teen rebellion mixed with 60s Exotica all lovingly recreated by four guys from Italy………….Surf’s not quite up just yet. Check it out here………..
Veterans of dozens of Italian bands, Lupe Vélez collect together their wide range of influences on their new album Weird Tales. With a solid core of Garage/Punk kinetic energy running through the record, Lupe Vélez mix it up to keep it fresh with more straight ahead anthemic Hard Rock influences than most Garage rockers. Inspired on the whole more by British and Australian bands than by American Post Psychedelia, Weird Tales is a mixed bag of styles as Lupe Vélez attempt to find their own definitive voice. Although flirting with a more traditional Heavy Rock sound, there is some good stuff here……..the opening track ‘It Seems So Real’ features some tasty bottleneck playing in an cascade of tumbling drums while previous single cut ‘Mystic Man’ takes its cues from a more Post Punk/Ragga Rock hybrid than the rest of the record. Far too heavy for our delicate Psychedelic sensibilities and not really made for the discerning PsychHead but if you dig deep you will find some cool shit on Weird Tales. Check it out here………..
No comments:
Post a Comment