now that the blog is hopefully sorted i guess its time to crack on with the backlog.
here’s some of the finer stuff thats due to hit the release schedule in the next few weeks.
the wolfmen – jackie says
tracklisting : jackie says, up all nighter, needle in the camels eye, if you talk like that
well this ones a turn up for the books. the wolfmen is the return of one marco pirrioni to the world of rock-n-roll. who he many of you may be wondering. check your credits for the adam and the ants classics. marco was the guitarist/songwriter. so this is a rather big deal for many people out there. so, given that marco is no longer the man of youthful folly is the music as necessary in 2006 as it was nearly 30 years ago. in a word, yes. in more words, too fucking right it is.
alongside marco is another ex-ants member, chris constantinou, and the 2 of them have managed to make a 4 track ep sound as vital as anything else in the pile. the music jumps out and gives it that good old fashioned r-n-r swagger, no lo-fi production, no haircuts. weirdly, the opening ‘jackie says’ has a lot of similarity to black rebel motorcyle clubs more fun moments, with its twang-esque riffs, snarled lips, glam infused attitude. glorious in so many ways. amazingly, the rest of the ep matches this opening gambit, and even manages to drop a damn fine cover version of an old roxy music track.
out on limited edition 10″ via the damaged goods label.
more detail : here
goose – black gloves
if you want to get your hands on this, you’ll have to move sharpish. it’s another of those damn limited 7″ singles that everyone seems to love, which in this case is well worthy of the stress and trouble of tracking down. despite the pretty dreadful name (which in my mind incurs images of an alt.americana band for some reason), goose are a new signing to the ongoing skint label. the band seem intent on being the soundtrack to the biggest beat (ho ho !) fuelled party in town. a daft punk vs gary numan synth line leads the funk, backed by a big stomping chant filled beat and doesn’t let go for the next few minutes. dance music that genuinely rocks. out now.
more detail : here
the bronx – historys stranglers
a homage to all things related to the men in back ? i think not, instead this 4 piece band from la have decided to forge ahead in the world of hard hitting in-yer-face garage rock. its got naughty words in the ‘my vocals are about to crack at any moment so i’d better make the most of it!’ screamed lyrics, and it’s rather large in its intentions. recorded live in a converted drug rehab clinic, the bronx are a rock band through and through. the nugget of detail that involves them playing black flag in a forthcoming movies is just the natural icing on the cake.
more detail : here
peter bjorn and john (featuring victoria bergsman) – young folks
patience is, as is often said, a bloody well needed virtue. i say this because the opening 1 minute 30 seconds of this had me leaping for the ‘eject’ button. thankfully, i became distracted and let it continue playing. i mean, whistling in the opening bars !? please – have a word. however, get past this slight hiccup in taste, the fey indie pop duos melodies blend with the ramshakle production, and all becomes well with the world. it’s very slight, and somewhat strange with the implied school days innocence. but the chorus, ‘we dont care about the old folks’, has a hook that will drag you in whether you want it to or not.
not sure if i could cope a whole album of this, but in a short non-sharp pop moment like this its rather welcome.
more detail : here
the blood arm – suspicious character
opening a track with the line ‘i like all the girls and all the girls like me’ takes some nerve, add in the fact that the music is a funky and low riding makes this a perfect swampy comapanion to the recent archie bronson album. ok, towards the end, the band seem to rely too much on the one central factor of that addictive wonderful line, but somehow its still all good fun.
more detail : here
more later ..
mark e