The Cutthroat Brothers ft Mike Watt – The King Is Dead (Hound Gawd! Records)

The Cutthroat Brothers ft Mike Watt – The King Is Dead (Hound Gawd! Records)

The album “The King Is Dead” by The Cutthroat Brothers and mike watt (recorded by Jack Endino; with artwork by Raymond Pettibon) right off the bat is an absolute fuckin’ joy from top to bottom, start to finish its wall to wall bangers.  If the king is indeed dead this’ll wake him up!

I’ve been a fan of the cutthroat duo so far and loved everything they’ve done thus far and the lockdown live release well needs a vinyl press considering how bloody good it was and sounded.  Then this banger creepy crawls without bells and whistles or fanfare with added Mike Watt delivering some low-end power that really elevates these tunes into the something special category.  Basically it’s the last studio album but with the Watt factor that was lost in the interweb ether but turned up after the album had been cut.

 

As soon as ‘Killing Time’ kicks in with a swagger and a truckload of attitude, these boys come out swinging like the wanderer’s gang with baseball bats lashing out and jumping like a cat on a hot tin roof and before the second chorus has passed you’ll be joining in on the “killing Time”.  After such an energetic opener that swagger turns into a strut as ‘Medicine’ is buzzin like a lunatic on class A’s.

 

The title track is a throbbing brooding throwback to better times. Watt adds a phat sound that is a sonic jump and an already big-sounding band goes supersonic.  It adds something special and the loose blues of the menacing title track is epic in sound and feel.  When the band raises the tempo it raises the menace and my speakers start to shake rattle and roll.

These guys go through the gears and show off a play on the variations of what we call Rock and Roll and the melodic catchy ‘Out Of Control’ has a slice of power pop with its main course for what is one of the records high points as it did on the bands sophomore record but as it was meant to sound.  Released for RSD this is a fantastic slice of Garage Rock n Roll that any self-respecting rocker will want to hear.  If you can find a copy then do so and play it loud!

Buy Here

Hound Gawd! Records Facebook

Author: Dom Daley

AFI – ‘Bodies’ (Rise Records)

AFI – ‘Bodies’ (Rise Records)
Checking out what feels like the my first listen of an AFI album in over fifteen years, it seems this Warped Tour caterpillar has come out of the cocoon a full on goth death’s head moth with layers of lush 80s pop to boot. Finally completing the inevitable metamorphosis they began at the turn of this century.
AFI always seem to have a bit of a mixed legacy, somewhat down to their Hardcore roots and their association with Dexter Holland’s Nitro label. The band has come a long way since then and doesn’t get the credit which is due to them a lot of the time. The group has a strong stakehold in the dark 80s revival of the early noughties, making waves long before Emo raised it’s fringed head. Perhaps a classic problem for this bands place in the world: Too young and fresh for the original Misfits fiends and too much like the old guard for the younger Emotionally Melodic Hardcore ones.
Album number 11 kicks off with Banshees tinged number ‘twisted tongues’ with everything from the urgent drum beats to the stirring guitar lines, setting up the listener for this tour de force of goth emblazoned post punk. If there were any trepidation in the groups genuineness, track two completely kicks the doors down. Sounding like a forgotten relic from the Modern English back catalogue coupled with the irresistible singalong vocal delivery of frontman Davey Havok.

The band manages to dip it’s toe into more mainstream waters whilst maintaining their integrity, particularly with some cleaner production and electronic beats. Imagine the Killers during their more respectable runs had a creative epiphany when listening to a shit load of Bauhaus.
The main takeaway from this record is that the band has clearly shown growth without losing identity. The album is accessible without compromise and the band has shown different angles of their sound without falling into pitfalls or being pigeonholed. The strength of songs such as ‘no eyes’ and ‘looking tragic’, the brooding of tracks ‘back from the flesh’ and ‘tied to a tree’ show the potential to reach a whole new audience who may have put AFI in a box a long time ago without considering the groups ability to adapt within their skill set.
I for one have been pleasantly surprised by Bodies and cannot wait to coerce my friends into rolling the dice on this not so hidden gem. Give it a listen and surprise yourself. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Buy Here
Author: Dan Kasm

Velvet Insane – ‘Rock And Roll Glitter Suit’ (Wild Kingdom)

Velvet Insane – ‘Rock And Roll Glitter Suit’ (Wild Kingdom)

Formed in 2013 by guitarist Jesper Lindgren and describe themselves as a three-piece gang of rockers that reinvented glam rock by mixing the pop harmonies of the ’70s with the heavy sound of today. There have been changes in personnel and switches in record companies along the way but the band’s fortunes received a significant boost when they signed to a deal with Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution earlier this year but to deliver an album so dripping in retro goodness and smeared with sequins and guyliner you can almost smell the stage soaked sweat that’s infused in each and every groove.  A band slavishly dedicated to the lifestyle that to suggest they walk the walk would be an understatement and quite frankly offensive to their platform booties.

Sulo Karlsson of the Diamond Dogs produced and wrote the tracks together with the band and with a stroke of genius he infused their probably already awesome tunes that little bit of big brotherly know-how and class that he’s helped create a beast of a record and also drafting in some Hellacopters and Backyard Babies for good measure shows that these cats aren’t just pretty faces they know what it takes to rock and roll as well.

“It feels inspiring and exciting to have signed a deal with Wild Kingdom. After working our asses off for years jumping around on different record companies it feels like we finally found our home. Wild Kingdom got the distinct rock ’n’ roll vein that we all love. Together we have made this glammy high-energy rock ’n’ roll album that we feel very proud of. A wam bam beat that will knock you of your feet.” 

Its an album crammed full of cliches but acceptable ones and authenticity which is the all so important quality that gives this record the edge and makes it so enjoyable.  From the riff-a-Rama of ‘Backstreet Liberace’ with the aforementioned big-hitting friends  like Dregan and Andersson lending their enthusiasm and voices (n guitar skills) its class from the gang vocal chorus to the hook on the guitar to the scrumptious melody but what lifts this one is the horns and that party hard piano.  An absolute Glam-banger.

 

Its not rocket science what you’re buying into here its Rock(et) n Roll and big fat loud n proud Glam Rock n Roll done in the best possible taste. Sure there is a familiar edge with Sulo on board writing the songs but that a bonus (especially if you love a bit of Diamond Dogs) the opening party anthem of ‘Driving Down A Mountain’ sets the tone right from the off and it doesn’t relent until the final strains of track eleven fades into the rearview mirror.

 

‘Jaded Eyes’ would have been a TOTP regular with its power-pop muted riff and melody and that chorus. The more I play this album the more outrageous it gets and the more I love it.  ‘Sound Of Sirens’ is one your girlfriend will love and probably motivate her to get a poster of the band on her bedroom wall.

 

Hell they even get the acoustics out for the campfire swing of ‘Midnight Sunshine Serenade’ you keep waiting for it to break out and go big or go home but it doesn’t it remains understated and reflective. Bloody lovely.  Then to follow it with some Mott The Hoople inspire drum rolls and swagger before signing off with the big sing-a-long of ‘You’re The Revolution’ without a hint of coming across as corny or retro it’ll have you swaying to the rhythm waiting for the inevitable fire works to sign it off.

 

What a joyful record of wonderfully crafted rock and roll tunes that are delivered with passion and obvious love for what it is they do.  Now, where can I order one of these bloody Glitter Suits I want one so bad no damn it, I need one and so do you.  Quite simply buy this record.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

THE LOVELY EGGS WILL NOT BE BEATEN!

THE LOVELY EGGS WILL NOT BE BEATEN!

UK DATES RESCHEDULED FOR THE 7TH TIME

 

NEW SINGLE ‘I, MORON’ FEATURING IGGY POP RELEASED JULY 9TH VIA EGG RECORDS

 

NUMBER ONE SELLING NEW ALBUM ‘I AM MORON’ OUT NOW!

 

The Lovely Eggs do not give up. Ever. The proudly independent Northern psychedelic punk rock duo have now, since the beginning of the pandemic, rescheduled the tour originally intended to promote the release in April 2020 of their ‘I Am Moron’ album, a staggering seven times. And again, with the cancellation of ‘Freedom Day’ this week, The Lovely Eggs have once again had to reschedule the gigs they had set to start in early July and have successfully pushed the dates back by a couple of weeks to meet the new restrictions.

 

“It’s part of the DIY culture,” explains singer/guitarist Holly Ross. “You just don’t give up. So as soon as we found out that re-opening had been pushed back, we set about heaving all our tour dates back into late July/August. We didn’t want to wait till next year. And within 24 hours we’d re-booked our UK tour for the seventh time! We are all just ready for the party now. Everyone has been looking forward to these shows for over a year and we can’t wait to bring it to em!”

 

These shows will be a long-awaited celebration of the critical and chart-topping success of ‘I Am Moron’ and also follow on from the band’s forthcoming collaboration with Iggy Pop for the July 9th release of new single ‘I, Moron’ via their own label, Egg Records.

 

“Being in The Lovely Eggs we’re kind of used to surreal experiences but collaborating with Iggy Pop takes the biscuit,” exclaims Holly. “It’s actually unbelievable. For him just to say nothing but “moron” over and over again fitted in with the sentiment of the song perfectly. He just GOT it. We are all morons. In a world of moronic things. In a world of moronic ideas. You are moron. I am Moron. We are Moron.”

 

In a further homage to Iggy, the B-side features The Lovely Eggs own take on ‘Dum Dum Boys’ from Iggy’s defining 1977 album ‘The Idiot’.

 

“For the B side it made real sense to us to cover one of Iggy’s songs off “The Idiot”, says drummer David Blackwell. “There seemed to be a real synchronicity to it. I had this album on cassette, and it was one of the first albums that I got really into. Dum Dum Boys struck a chord with us, kind of missing the old days and the old gang we used to hang out with.”

 

Once again, the single will feature artwork (featuring a three headed Iggy/Eggy beast) by the brilliant Casey Raymond on one thousand yellow coloured vinyl 7” singles, recorded by The Lovely Eggs in Lancaster and mixed by Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Road Studios, NYC

 

 

Catch The Lovely Eggs live at the following dates in 2021/2022

 

July 2021

Fri 23 Gorilla, Manchester SOLD OUT

Sat 24, The Brudenell, Leeds NEW SHOW!!

Thur 29 02 Academy, Sheffield

Fri 30 The Garage, London SOLD OUT
Sat 31 SWX, Bristol [Venue upgrade. Original tickets still valid]

 

August 2021

Sun 1, The Bullingdon, Oxford
Mon 2, The Joiners Southampton [Venue change. Original tickets still valid] SOLD OUT

Tues 3, Concorde 2, Brighton [Venue upgrade. Original tickets still valid]
Wed 4, Metronome, Nottingham

Thur 5, District, Liverpool [Venue change. Original tickets still valid]

 

April 2022

Thurs 7 Castle and Falcon, Birmingham SOLD OUT

Fri 8, Heaven, London

Mon 11 Junction 2, Cambridge

Sat 16, The Brudenell, Leeds SOLD OUT

 

May 2022

Thur 26 The Cluny, Newcastle

Fri 27 Stereo, Glasgow

Sat 28 The Mash House, Edinburgh SOLD OUT

Sun 29 The Crescent, York

Mon 30 Sub Rooms, Stroud

Tues 31 Clwb Ivor Bach, Cardiff

 

June 2022

Wed 1 Face Bar, Reading

Fri 3 02 Ritz, Manchester

 

Find The Lovely Eggs online at:

 

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

 

Rich Ragany & The Digressions – ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ (Story Highway)

Rich Ragany & The Digressions – ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ (Story Highway)

It’s been a long time coming. That’s not a phrase I’d normally use when talking about a new album from Rich Ragany, the Canadian singer/songwriter who between 2015 – 2017 released three superb records with his then band the Role Models before in 2019 releasing his debut solo record the also most excellent ‘…Like We’ll Never Make It’. A record which in turn helped pave the way to this, his latest band venture with The Digressions. Prolific really should be Rich’s middle name, and if he’d had his way 2020 probably would have seen the release of his first album written with his new band…but then a little something got in the way of things. So, as the world at large felt like it was grinding to halt, Rich seized the opportunity with both hands to make his most idiosyncratic record to date.

 

Just listen to what the man had to say when asked to describe the dozen tracks he and his bandmates have come up with for ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ and you can hear the confidence he exudes right now…

 

“This album means so much to us … it’s about finding strength and celebrating life throughout heartbreak and loss. The cyclical renewal in life. The acceptance of love and joy, despite the bruises. The shards of sunlight cutting through the hangover drapes. Hope you like it… we loved making it. “

 

Normally when I’m chatting with Rich on social media it’s about our mutual love of obscure NWOBHM bands and what he does as a day job kind of takes a backseat, but here (for once) he’s only talking about the day job and how much he loves what he’s doing with the Digressions.

 

He’s got very good reason to love his band too, not only because with Gaff and Kit Swing on guitars, Simon Maxell on drums, Ricky McGuire on bass and (producer) Andy Brook on keyboards it’s probably the most diverse, yet cohesive, set of musicians Rich has ever worked with, but also because ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ is without doubt his finest hour yet as a songwriter/storyteller. Yes, of course the punk rock influences of his past are still very much there at the bedrock of it all, but with ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ Rich has transcended the bravado of those much-treasured Role Models albums, and the tenderness of his solo venture to come out the other side of the global pandemic sounding like he’s discovered himself as a writer all over again.

 

With that in mind, I’m actually not going to skip from track to track here, as ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ is an album in the most traditional of senses, one that demands you listen to it from start to finish. From the soaring ‘Sometimes You Can Hear The Voices’ with its glorious mid song coda and Ronson-esque guitar work through the joyous lead single ‘Heartbreakers Don’t Cry’ to almost doo-wop vibe of ‘This Is How You Spell Tonight’ this record is Rich Ragany & the Digressions truly seizing their moment, and in turn releasing the definitive Canadicana record.

 

When RPM’s head honcho Dom Daley tempted a few of us old Uber Rockers out of retirement to once again write about new music, it was (for me at least) all about being able to enthuse about albums like this. Ones that come at you from slightly left of field and in the process leave you breathless. I mean I can probably count on one hand the albums I own with a banjo on them, but that number will be doubled once I get my pre-ordered red vinyl record of ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ through the post in late August and you only have to hear the awesome ‘Fade In Blue’ once to fully understand what I’m on about here.

 

What makes ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ such an essential record for yours truly is the strength in depth that comes with repeated listens (that’s why picking out single tracks feels like such a crime), and with the added vocals of Kit Swing Rich has finally found the perfect counterpoint from which to hang his superglue strength melodies. Once heard, never forgotten, ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ is the definitive soundtrack to 2021 an album chock full of musical twists and turns that will live long after we have all left this planet, and that folks really is the mark of a truly great record.

 

Pre-orders for ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ are open now via the link below, and as Shades Records once used to proudly say in all their ads…this one really is BUY OR FOAD!!!!

Buy Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

 

 

 

 

Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement

Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement
Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement
A documentary about the rise of punk rock in the town that needed it most… Washington D.C. (1976-1983)
Available digitally everywhere on June 29th – Pre-order now on Apple TV and iTunes
Featuring Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Void, Rites of Spring, and more, including a never-before-seen entire Super-8 archive of early DC punk footage and interviews from Henry Rollins,
Ian MacKaye, H.R., Cynthia Connolly, Jello Biafra, Joe Keithley, and many others
Blu-ray and DVD available now includes 50+ minutes of bonus shorts with
Scream, Void, The Cramps, and The Slickee Boys available via Dischord Records

When punk rock erupted in Washington DC, it was a mighty convergence of powerful music, friendships, and clear minds. This film explores the incredible challenges that this subculture faced when it took root in the Nation’s Capital in the late 1970’s.
Punk the Capital situates DC punk within the larger narratives of rock n’ roll, working as a powerful multi-layered story for both fans and non-fans of punk rock. Featuring musicians such as Bad Brains, Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, and Jello Biafra, this film dives deep into the ideas and sounds from this transformative music scene that not only redefined a genre but that created a widely employed model for DIY culture and political engagement.
Created by James June Schneider (co-director, editor), Paul Bishow (co-director), and Sam Lavine (associate producer, co-editor), Punk the Capital was theatrically released in over 50 cities, selected for key festivals (BAFICI, In Edit Barcelona, etc) and has garnered enthusiastic reviews from fans and the press alike (Rolling Stone, Film Threat… %100 on Rotten Tomatoes).
Since its premiere at the American Film Institute, most of the 60+ in- person screenings have been special events, with Q&As with the directors and Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, curator/publisher Roger Gastman, Bob Boilen, just to name a few.
Punk the Capital will be available on all digital platforms on June 29th, but is now available for pre-order on Apple TV and iTunes.
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the US for Record Store Day on June 12th via Passion River and in the UK for Record Store Day on July 12th via Wienerworld. A portion of all DVDs and Blu Rays sold through Dischord Records will go to the DC based charity We Are Family.
As an added bonus, the discs contain 50+ minutes of short films from the archives of Punk the Capital:
  • Scream Meets The Hangmen: Featuring all of Scream including Dave Grohl
  • Void and Friends: A portrait of the cult hardcore band from the DC suburbs
  • The Seminal WGTB Concert: The legendary first punk concert for so many DC kids, The Cramps and total chaos
  • The Slickee Boys: Extra material on the band who got DC punk off the ground circa ’76

Motörhead – ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith (40th Anniversary Edition)’ (Sanctuary Records/BMG)

Motörhead – ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith (40th Anniversary Edition)’ (Sanctuary Records/BMG)

You never forget your first encounter with Motorhead. I vividly remember mine; I was around 12 years old and I had been regularly raiding my mate’s older brother’s vinyl collection. I had already been turned into a metalhead after blasting his copy of UFO’s classic live album ‘Strangers in the Night’ over and over and had my Dio virginity taken by Rainbow’s ‘Rising’ and his pristine copy of ‘Holy Diver’. I was flicking through to see what else would grab my attention when I came across his copy of ‘Ace of Spades’. I assumed they must be some sort of mad Mexican bandits judging by the cover with Lemmy and the boys resplendent with bullet belts, guns, and cowboy hats in the hot desert. (I was gutted when I found out years later that the photo was taken in High Barnet, London). Anyway, I feverishly took the LP out of its sleeve and put it on my mother’s crap hi-fi system. The opening bars of the title track was enough to have the speakers flapping, the neighbours complaining and this teenage scribe’s metal morphosis was complete.

 

This time in Motorhead’s history was to prove to be their most successful, ‘Ace of Spades’ reached number four on the UK album chart, and the ensuing ‘Ace Up Your Sleeve’ tour was their most lucrative to date, taking Bronze label-mates Girlschool out with them as support. This tour was documented in the loudest possible way with the release in 1981 of one of the best live albums ever recorded: ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. Confusingly, the album wasn’t recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon as many people think but was made up from material recorded at the Newcastle City Hall and the Leeds Queen’s Hall in 1981. The album’s title came from a mural painted on one of the band’s tour trucks. It was the band’s only number one in the UK and showcased a band at the peak of their deafening powers. The line-up of Lemmy, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, and Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor is the most revered for good reason, the chemistry on stage is palpable and every track is performed as if their lives depended on it. It literally rips out of the speakers. I loved it as a spotty teenager, and I love it even more now.

 

 

This 40th-anniversary release of ‘No Sleep’ is hot on the heels of last year’s fantastic ‘Ace of Spades’ anniversary release. There’s so much here for Motorheadbangers to get their teeth into with the deluxe editions. You can choose from a remastered double CD or triple LP set, both come with bonus tracks, soundcheck recordings, and the previously unreleased Newcastle City Hall concert in its entirety. You also get hard books with the story of the album and brand-new photos, posters, a tour pass, and loads of other goodies.

 

 

There’s also the option of a four-CD box set with all three concerts that make up ‘No Sleep’ here in all their eardrum demolishing glory. Seventy-one tracks in total! The new remaster sounds incredible and you get all the thunderous bass runs, amphetamine-induced double kick drum mania, and full-throttle guitar riffs in crystal clear sound. The soundcheck recordings are a delight to behold, make sure you check them out!

40 years is a long time, give this reissue all the attention it deserves, turn it up as loud as you possibly can (fuck the neighbours), pour yourself a JD and Coke, and plunge yourself (Motor) headfirst into the audible delight that is ‘No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith’. It’s what Lemmy and the boys would have wanted. We all miss you. RIP.

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick

SWITCHFOOT ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM & VIDEO

SWITCHFOOT ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM & VIDEO

SWITCHFOOT ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM

‘INTERROBANG’,

OUT VIA FANTASY RECORDS ON AUGUST 20

PRE-ORDER INTERROBANG HERE

 

 

GRAMMY Award-winning rock band Switchfoot confirmed their new album interrobang will be released on August 20th, 2021 via Fantasy Records. interrobang is the follow up to 2018’s Native Tongue and last year’s Covers EP. The band also shared the sparkling new track, ‘Fluorescent’, the second song from interrobang, following the recently
released “i need you (to be wrong).”

Brimming with child-like imagination and a futuristic mindset, Switchfoot reaches a bold new creative peak on interrobang, the 12 th full-length album of the multi-platinum selling rock band’s 20+ year career. Working with producer Tony Berg (Paul McCartney, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Bird) at both Sound City studio in Van Nuys, CA and the band’s own studio in Carlsbad, CA, Switchfoot: Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamillas, and Drew Shirley recorded the album in a burst of pent-up mid-pandemic creativity throughout last year and into
2021. Fearlessly marrying 60’s experimentalism and synth-driven new wave swagger, the band pushed past its comfort zones and retooled its sound.

“More than ever, we want our music to be a bridge, reaching out with melody and lyrics to sing an honest song for anyone who’s got ears to hear,” says Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “interrobang is an album that celebrates the journey, even when the arrival is unsure. interrobang is the sound of joy and pain, faith and doubt against the backdrop of the strangest, most difficult year we’ve ever experienced.”  An absorbing series of sharply drawn short stories underscored by a dizzying array of textures both vintage and modern, interrobang’s themes of alienation and self-reflection are amplified by the record’s inventive use of density and dynamics. Credit veteran mixer Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, Fiona Apple) with aiding the album’s three-dimensional sound.  Interro is derived from interrogation point, the technical name for the question mark and bang is printer slang for the exclamation point. Seeking freedom from the broken promises and failed expectations of 21 st century America, on interrobang Switchfoot takes the listener on a twisty, surprising technicolor ride, all the while asking hard questions with eyes wide open.

The Boys – ‘Terminal Love’ (Gutterwail Records)

The Boys – ‘Terminal Love’ (Gutterwail Records)

Consistently underrated, The Boys remain one of the best bands of their generation. I have to thank my mate Charley here, as I’d never heard of them until he played me ‘Alternative Chartbusters’ in about 1988. Always a man of impeccable taste. This compilation album sees previously unreleased songs, original mixes and live/acoustic versions, so let’s dive in.

 

‘See You Later’ is a pleasantly hectic original mix from ’79, and ‘Terminal Love’ is an original mix, their first with a producer. Certainly tighter, but never knowingly slick. Radio-friendly in the best way. ‘You Can Give It’, written by Matt Dangerfield’s brother Albert, recorded in ’78, was previously on the ‘Odds And Sods’ compilation, but certainly deserves wider recognition.

 

‘I Love Me’, with Kid on lead vocals, is the original recording from the ‘Junk’ sessions, and ‘Rue Morgue’ is another original mix, sounding punchy and energetic. ‘Walk My Dog’ was recorded in ’80 at the Marquee studios for the session that saw ‘You Better Move On’ chosen as the single.

 

Their recent ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ album gets included with ‘Punk Rock Girl’, not really sounding out of place on here. ‘Waiting For The Lady’ is the original ’79 mix, rather than the one chosen for ‘To Hell With The Boys’. To my ears it sounds great, so who knows what the difference was. The mighty ‘Brickfield Nights’ is represented here in acoustic form from ’96, to fine effect.

 

‘Jimmy Brown’ is from the Marquee ’80 session, complete with Marquee receptionist on backing vocals, ‘Flies’ is from the ’78 Rockfield session, while a brisk ‘T.C.P’ was recorded live in China from 2015. If you don’t have any of The Boys’ albums yet, this is a good place to start. Though, be warned, it can be addictive, and you may be asking the vinyl fairy for some extra funds.

 

To buy go Here

Gutterwail Records

Author: Martin Chamarette

 

Tommy Ray – ‘Handful Of Hits’ (GAdM/Beluga Records)

Tommy Ray – ‘Handful Of Hits’ (GAdM/Beluga Records)

With his Portland based band The Cry on hiatus, singer/songwriter Tommy Ray has been busy channeling his music into various projects over the last couple of years. Following an album release from his street punk side project The Decayed, and his most excellent 2020 long player ‘First Hits Free’, Tommy wastes no time delivering his sophomore solo album ‘Handful Of Hits’ to the rock n’ roll world.

Seen as a companion album to the aforementioned ‘First Hits Free’, this new collection of songs is as honest, gritty and 4 real as you wanna get.

 

So what does our leather clad, feather-haired rock n’ roll singer offer this time around?  Well, these are simple songs from the heart, with themes that cover his ongoing mental health struggles, and the trials and tribulations of modern life, and how to lose the girl you wanna love.

‘Handful Of Hits’ is a solo album in every respect. Tommy wrote everything, played everything and self-produced this album. And what a gloriously ramshackle collection of songs we have here. Going by his “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” mantra, Tommy references The Exploding Hearts, Ramones and The Beach Boys as influences in his songwriting, and his love of 3-minute pop songs is always evident. You see Tommy Ray has a knack for penning a melody or two and understands the fine art of a catchy chorus.

 

Opener ‘In Love Again’ is a jangly, power pop anthem straight outta ‘77. It has an instant chorus and a sense of immediacy to it. There’s a sense of euphoria that goes perfectly with the lyrical theme of falling in love feeling like the first time every time.

The honest lyricism throughout the album is to the point. Getting laid (sometimes failing) and getting fucked up (never seeming to fail at that one!). You see like Johnny Thunders before him, Tommy Ray exudes the self-destruction blues, but you can tell he is just a soppy romantic at heart.

Rebelling with teenage kicks and trying to win the girl that is out of your league are the order of the day. The likes of ‘Closer To You’ and lead single ‘No, No, No, No’ are testament to that.

Tommy channels the likes of Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls to perfection on the likes of ‘On My Wall’, a Johnny Thunders inspired tale of wasting days and wasted love. Again, on the punky ‘Loser’s Anthem’ and the ode to one-night stands that is ‘Beer, Wine and Whiskey’. Urgent beats, one finger piano prowess and glam rock goodness are the order of the day.

 

‘Feel The Pain’ is killer power pop fodder, make no mistake. This is the sorta thing Tommy knocked out in The Cry day after day, no problemo. Instant, catchy and euphoric, this is a radio friendly hit that should be. You will be singing along wondering how you lived without this song in your life. Likewise, ‘Always Running’ will make you realise you needed someone to mash up the glorious retro sound of The Knack and XTC into one 3-minute pop song. We end with Tommy running from the law on ‘I Didn’t Do It’, one glitter boot stomping in front of the other. He tells us he didn’t do it in his wicked vocal drawl to an accompaniment of bombastic drums and handclaps and general 70’s retro glam rock vibes all over, what’s not to like here?

 

With a DIY ethos, power pop sensibilities and a punk rock attitude, Tommy Ray delivers another fine collection of songs that will fit nicely in your record collection alongside your heroes and possibly some of his too.

If songs about chasing love and getting fucked up from a guy who looks and sounds like he’s been dragged through the hedge of life backwards in his creepers, then look no further than ‘Handful Of Hits’. Like I said, a gloriously, ramshackle collection of tunes available on vinyl from the Bandcamp link below. Go fill yer boots!

Buy Beluga Records

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes