Godspeed is, at last count, a ten piece outfit from Canada. This double CD plays like an epic soundtrack. The songs are rich in dynamics but are rhythmically quite trite. After about the first fifteen minutes or so, it’s pretty clear that (on this release at least) Godspeed is a one-trick pony. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a neat trick and, despite the fact that they come from the renegade U.S. province of Canada, I do recommend this album. Essentially, what they do is take four or five chords, repeat them endlessly, and gradually add more instruments until the song crescendos in a wall of sound, then begin removing sounds from the mix until they are back to quiet again. I have heard this band described as Phish for the punk rock set. I could picture a greasy-haired rocker with nerd glasses excitedly talking about how last night in Detroit they played a 40-minute version of the same song, but used a vibraphone instead of piano.
This debut full-lengther from Tucson’s the Drags clocks in at under 20 minutes. But this LP offers more in that scant amount of time than most big time rockers give us during their entire careers. Each song is a insane 3 chord punk blast. The bands best moments are “Who’s Got the Electricity” “Leopard Skin” and “Explosives” The song “Cannible” rocks so hard I’m willing to excuse their spelling of the word cannibal.
This band was perhaps the best kept R’n’R secret in the nation. Hailing from the not-so-exciting Peoria, IL, these guys have turned out some unbelievably great songs. Their previous CD (Corvette Summer) had a definite Beatles flavor to it with a raw edge. This new CD leans a bit less on the beatleque quality but maintains the same excellent song writing. The songs here are catchy, not-too-serious, but not-too-stupid, plus they rock with the best of ’em. Always a treat!
The Doll Rods’ debut LP delivers with the same energy as their previous 7″s. Drums (well maybe a floor tom and a snare), 2 guitars, and some pure rock energy are what comprise this Detroit three-piece. Partially produced by Jon Spenser, this album bares little resemblance to that bass-less band (at least their current stuff). The songs are stripped down to their barest of essentials, one of which seems to be a general lack of high fidelity. The album’s best moments are “Psycho Kitty” and “Raw”. The latter features synchronized limbo moves in their live shows. The LP boasts a wonderful, yet unnecessary gatefold sleeve.
This is a wonderful single by Deke (of Untamed Youth/Dave and Deke Combo/GoNuts Fame). Most of the songs are rockabilly with the exception of the wonderful Link Wray meets Les Paul “Double Zombie” instrumental. The single also boasts a nice hard sleeve designed but Johnny Bartlett of the Phantom Surfers.
Great hillbilly tunes. These are perhaps some of the most talented hicks around.
Do you like G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band? Do you view Paul Shaffer as a musical Legend? Then maybe you’ll enjoy the Crown Royal’s new Estrus long-player. This is a collection of sax-driven instrumentals that are just a bit too funky for my taste. It’s not awful but it’s not that great either.
This is the second CD collection of this duo’s hilarious Candid Microphone style man-on-the-street interviews from the mid sixties. This collection isn’t quite as solid as the last CD, Coyle and Sharpe on the Loose, but it contains some great bits nonetheless. My personal favorite is “Threeism” in which Coyle and Sharpe try to convince a man to combine with them and live as a single unit, making all decisions collectively. They follow the guy onto the bus while Mal Sharpe speaks of Threeism in a biblical tone, the victim trys his best to get away.
This is a killer single from Planet Pimp. This group is headed by two screaming chicks that know how to rawk! The songs titles are: “pop-a-wheelie cop-a-feelie”, “Teabaggin'”, “French One”, and “Go Away Geek!” Go Away Geek is hilarious and the single is worth it just for that song.
I finally bought this CD after hearing so many good things about it from various sources. I found this CD for cheap, and it contains both the MONO and STEREO mixes of the record. Although the CD is too mellow to be called a rock album by my standards, it is still very infectious. The production is lush and and inventive (for the time it was released… 1966!). It predates all the hippy stuff the Beatles did by almost 2 years! The liner notes are extensive and help put the whole thing in context.
