RPM Online would like to pass on our condolences to the family and friends of Patrik Sjöstrand from Doojiman & The Exploders. Rock in peace brother wherever you may roam.
In a week when I hadn’t thought about New Bomb Turks in quite a while not one but two tribute albums drop and all of a sudden I’m transported back in time when a trip to TJ’s in Newport was an exciting time because one of the best-kept secrets in underground punk rock n roll was happening and along with bands like D4 and the Datsuns something was happening it seems like yesterday but it wasn’t and the old adage of time flies is certainly true and when I popped the CD in the player and I turned up the volume and peeled open the booklet and instantly recognised many of the bands taking part and was looking forward to some of the bands I’d never heard before taking on some great tunes and adding maybe a twist here and there.
First up is Berlins Hell Nation Army a band we’ve featured on RPM before so no surprise to hear them on this tribute with an impressive opener ‘Point A To Point Blank’. There are eighteen tracks on offer here and as the booklet points out four are from Poland, not somewhere you instantly associate with dirty punk rock n roll but don’t let that put you off investigating because Poison Heart are right on the money here with a blistering take on ‘Snap Decision’.
This is an exceptionally well researched tribute and a great platform for many bands as the booklet tells the story of each tune with detail and a passion that shines through. One of the best bands I’ve heard knocking out some sleazy punk n roll over the last few years has to be Doojiman & The Exploders who are at it again as they own ‘Automatic Teller’ which is a superb song anyway and done with much gusto here.
Warsaws Red Crap blast out the bass rumble as they annihilate ‘If I Only Could’ with no compromising on the attitude and quality another really great version from a band I’m off to investigate further. Randy Savages have a track on both the Turks tributes and why not I say because this version of ‘Leaving Town’ is exceptional it’s sleazy and greasy but with a melody to die for and they nail the harmonies making it one of the albums real highlights.
One of the best things about getting two tribute albums to the same band in the same week is there isn’t much overlapping at all (like magic that) and the fact they’ve recruited a couple of Australia’s finest in is another tip of the hat because no stane has been left unturned and no bar has been left untrawled as Howlin’ threads turn up the noise with a Rockin ‘Professional Againster’.
London dirty rockers Flash house are present and correct on the CD only track ‘I’m Weak’ which is set to rumble anything that’s not nailed down in yer house if the volumes right. Sleazy and dark its another highlight to be fair.
Anyone for some Dog Toffee? ‘I’d Slip In’ is a belter full of attitude and slipping it next to those Satanic Overlords Of Rock And Roll is nice as they blast away ‘Tattooed Apathetic Boys’ like it was some long lost Ramones romp then to unleash the wah on the breakdown before setting the burners to blast off for the finish line. Top tunes. This album is bursting with great bands contributing some fantastic interpretations of someone else’s songs.
With bands from Texas to Italy there a world of talent out there as Smalltown Tigers throw their hat in the ring with a really impressive take on ‘Girl Can Help It’. I’m sure they’ll be more widely known especially in the UK when they play support to The Original Damned when they do those shows next year. you also get Puffball turning up the distortion on ‘Never Will’ even though these Swedes don’t strictly exist anymore they like to keep their hand in so to speak and this compilation is all the better for it.
Punk rockers Moron’s Morons turn up with a barroom blitzing ‘wine And Depression’ whilst Jack Saint twists the melon with a delta bluesy take on ‘Grounded Ex Patriot’ it’s like the Gun Club never happened with this tip of the hat take. As we head into the final furlong the tasty Tongue Action have a sleazy Rockin’ take on ‘Telephone Numbrrrr’ but when you’ve paid your dues playing with Electric Frankenstein, Texas Terri Bomb and Killer Hearts was it ever in doubt that this was going to rule? Course not.
It only leaves two more entries with the band who opened proceedings Hell Nation Army to knock out a brutal ‘I Want My Baby…Dead!’ so its a rough and ready trip to the land of the rising sun and Jet Boys sleazy ‘Killer’s Kiss’ which seems like a fitting full stop to proceedings and another exception tribute to New Bomb Turks who had plenty to say and said it so well and passed on the baton to so many who carry the torch into the unknown and hopefully back into the filthy corners of the world where Rock and Roll still matters. Rock on kids and check out this tribute and the bands who’ve given their time and considerable talent for the good and the great. Get it!
Buy ‘Defiled!’ Here
*Includes a CD copy of the record, as well as a two-sided color, insert with information about the contributing bands. Tracks 9, 17 and 18 are CD-only tracks.So nobody misses out!*
Author: Dom Daley
Doojiman & The Exploders is the dream team put together by the mighty Doojiman and his right-hand man Woogie Wombach. They flew far and wide through the galaxy to put together a robot army of cool kids under the name ”The Exploders”. On their travels through The Milky Way, they picked up quite a few influences ranging from Ramones, Alice Cooper and The Stooges to The Hives, Turbonegro and Bloodhound Gang. And of course the sounds of animals such as Dingos, Owls and Bunnies. Mixing all of the above into a superweapon to conquer Earth. With a bunch of EP’s, singles and one full-length album (Sweden’s Newest Hit Makers) they’re now here with their sophomore album “Doojiman & The Exploders II: Electric Boogaloo” to put some lotion on your skin and so forth.
Well, that’s what they wanted to say and I hope you can make sense of where these cats are at. Play either of those records and if you still don’t get it then maybe Rock and Roll just isn’t for you.
OK, so who the fuck are you?
Doojiman & The Exploders consists of Doojiman, his right-hand man Woogie Wombach, Timekeeper Patlanta, Artillery Battery Commander Dan Juan and Tank Commander Kallefornia. (Pata – Vox, Jeppe – Lead Guitar, Patrik – Guitar, Dan – Drums & Kalle – Bass). The band was put together by Pata and Jeppe in 2014 and has since picked up members along the way during drunk and fast travels around the city of Stockholm, Sweden. Think of them as the Inglourious Basterds of Scandinavian Rock’n’roll.
Where on God’s green earth are you from or what planet?We’re from Stockholm, Sweden.
How did you put the band together?
By screening thousands of possible applicants Doojiman and Woogie Wombach eventually settled on three low life dropouts who do what they are told as long as they got something to drink.
What recordings have you made so far?
2014 – Police W. Rangler (Digital Single) 2014 – Watch Out! Look Out! (Digital EP) 2016 – Sweden’s Newest Hitmakers (Digital Album) 2018 – Rickety Cricket / Shameless (7″ Single + Digital Single) 2019 – Milk / Dogs (Digital Single) 2019 – From Myself (Digital Single) 2020 – Doojiman & The Exploders II: Electric Boogaloo (12″ Yellow/Black Vinyl + Digital Album) 2020 – Watch Out! Look Out (12″ Orange Vinyl (+ Police W. Rangler Single B-side)
Post Pandemic Plans?
Hopefully spread out music faster than fucking covid spread, we’ve heard that stuff spread pretty fast in Italy. We also are in dire need of a new Intelligence Officer (Booking Agency) so if you’re up for the task and love the songs, give us a ring!
Feels a bit weird yet fitting that I’m reviewing the Doojimans debut record (of sorts) second after reviewing their second release first. Cofused? You will be but I doubt Doojiman and the gang would want it any other way.
Doojiman and his side kick Woogie Wombach grabbed a few space cadets and space cakes before heading into outter space to see if they could pull together something from the influences they had here on earth like The Ramones, MC5 and The Stooges but they weren’t just going to ape their idols they were going to throw their own shapes into the bowl and mix a fucked up salad all by themselves
With a bunch of EP’s, singles and two full-length albums under their belts (including ‘Electric Boogaloo’, released in January of this year by Beluga Records), Heavy Medication is bringing Stockholm’s D&TE’s debut digital-only e.p. from 2014 to vinyl for the first time and rockin up at Heavy Medications Door seems just about right and par for the course, to be honest.
From its opening chords, the “Watch Out! Look Out!” EP is everything as good as the ‘Electric Bugaloo’ album make no mistake about that. Its not just the debut EP though to be fair it also has the added bonus of four extra tracks (including a Nobunny cover) to make this another album they will certainly have orbiting around the end of the year best albums list. From the fuzzed-up organ heaving of opener ‘Woogie Wombach’ this record just motors. ‘(I Wanna Go) Take Me Away’ is a throbbing mass of Ramones angst being whipped by a Quo like twelve-bar chug.
They fly the Hives flag on ‘Doojiwoman’ and that filthy bass on ‘I Love It When You Hate Me’ would have been terrifying in the swinging ’60s where it was surely born. It’s like the Kinks on bad Acid but they’ve still got their mojo baby.
It’s not all crash bang wallop though kids, of course, it’s not as the band tackle the Nobunny tune ‘Apple Tree’ with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and some tasteful percussion and shimmering electric to puncture the chorus. but before things are brought to a close they venture off through late seventies NYC where they tune their antenna to something Blondie used to ply through the airwaves. Basically another top tune amongst an album full of top tunes but I expected nothing less. Sign me up scotty for the next one I can’t get enough of these crazy cats. Signing off starlog 2020 scribe Daley signing out! Buy it.
Buy ‘Watch Out Look Out’ Here or from Beluga Records outta Sweden Here
Author: Dom Daley
So, ”Doojiman & The Exploders II: Electric Boogaloo” was released on Jan 24th this year by Beluga Records in Sweden. It’s the 2nd full-length album by Doojiman & The Exploders and follows up on 2016’s “Sweden’s Newest Hitmakers”.
‘Electric Boogaloo’ is one of those records you pick up knowing nothing about it and who they are. You decide to check it out and drop the needle and throw caution to the wind. Boy was I glad I did. I love it when a Rock and Roll record kicks you up the arse and leaves you with a five-mile smile not quite knowing what the fuck it is you just heard but it felt good, no, felt fan-fuckin’-tastic. Rock and Fuckin’ Roll records might not be selling like hotcakes and the kids might want to stream the odd song or two but I love a record that throws caution to the wind and just writes songs that come to them from the ether and those stars align and the tunes all sound amazing, fun, cool, out there and so Rock and Roll.
The easiest way to describe Doojiman & The Exploders is they take a vile of DNA from the likes of some pretty good ’60s &’70s Punk, Rock, Garage, Pop and a whole lot more chuck em together and see what happens. They take risks because that’s what Rock and Roll does sometimes. They throw it in a suitcase along with a bunch of makeup and glitter and roll down the hillside of life and see what happens when they hit the bottom. Dust themselves down and march back to the top again with a pocket full of tunes.
MC5, Stooges The New York Dolls, and some Ramones and they’re not just a retro trip they also bump elbows with bands like Turbonegro, The Hellacopters, and some indie just because they can. From the uptempo opener, they touch on the likes of Green Day post ’21st Century Breakdown’. ‘Buzzkill’ is a band channeling Keith Richard tone and playing rock and roll that should be on the radio all the time but isn’t so we’ll have to make do.
It’s not all kicking ass and party tunes you know as ‘From Myself’ is an early morning come down with West coast melodies. But wait, ‘Spiderman’ should be a hit – there’s still time. This record sounds like it must have been a blast to record, there is such an upbeat vibe happening even the psychedelic tweaks here and there like on ‘Dogs’ have me tapping my feet and did they really just put in barking samples? The album climbs the dizzy heights and swoops down for the quieter parts. ’29’ is cool with the 60s vocal treatment and melody as the rest of the band just strum along. ‘You Wanted Blood’ Who doesn’t? is a spaced out ride and a more mature sounding song these cats remind me of Razorbats at times and have a similar songwriting style. Mixing up the genres for the good of the music. From the start to the Numan synth fuzz out of the final track ‘FTPA’ I don’t always get what it might be they’re singing about but I like the cut of their jib and at times they rock like motherfuckers and when they don’t the songs are interesting and most listenable and that’s always a good thing. Take a chance on these guys because Doojiman & The Explodes have released a mighty fine album crammed full of top tunes that need to be heard – damn they deserve to be heard. go check em out and pick it up.
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Author: Dom Daley
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