It’s always great to come across an act like the Dogmatics, new to yourself and a complete revelation. With an air of East Coast Replacements about them, with rockabilly elements and enviable songwriting skills. Much like the aforementioned Mats, you come to the conclusion: how have I, or indeed everyone never heard of this group.

This retrospective is a strong compilation for newbies and completists alike of the early 80s’ Boston-based group. Wielding different genre specifics, vocal styles track by track like a guitar-heavy Squeeze in their approach. Opening the record with dance floor friendly New Wave numbers ‘Sister Serena’ and ‘You Say’ (think Plimsouls, the Romantics), moving on to gruffer sounding but still resonating material like ‘MTV OD’ and ‘King-Sized Cigarette’ before to descending into the very “of the time” cowpunk tinged tracks like ‘gimme the shakes’ and ‘Pussy Whipped’.
Further on we enter the completists territory, novelty songs like ‘Hardcore Rules’ and ‘Shithouse’ not likely to win over any new fans, but serve their purpose in a retrospective for those who have been with the band every step of the way.
After this brief trough, the record certainly peaks again in the form of what should be an alternative rock classic ‘Everything Went Bad’, with tinges of Mission Of Burma and even a little bit of Buzzcocks, this one is certainly going to be on the playlists for new converts. Followed through with the melancholic and bitter-sweet “Cry Myself To Sleep”, making you appreciate the good times whilst reminding you of times that you couldn’t possibly envision things improving.
Overall this retrospective is a strong portrait of a band that is walking proof to the more obsessive music fan that the cream does not always rise to the top. Get your hands on this release. You will not regret it.
Buy The Dogmatics Here
Author: Dan Kasm

FREE Bandcamp Download!!

Garage, Punk, Glam, Greaser, Power-Pop, Paisley Rock, Heartland-Punk, Blue Collar Pub Rock, Twang, Dirty Blues, Cow Punk, Surf’s Up!!

Rum Bar Records presents the soundtrack of Summer.  Just click the link, stream, download, share, crank to your hearts and ears content, all songs available in one easy download for Social Distanced Beach Blanket Bingos, Surf Parties, BBQ’s, Tiki Bars, Dive Bars, Radio Play, Reviews, Podcasts, Streamers, Bloggers and Screamers, we hope you enjoy as much as we have working with all of these awesome and amazing bands & artists.

Somebody Out There Is Having a Party Vol 2 ‘FREE Download‘ Summer 2020 Sampler from the Rum Bar Records Family including: new releases, unreleased material, catalogue, upcoming projects, and more.

 One of the best things about doing this website is hearing new music you possibly would never have come across if you’re not being sent emails, speaking to people who suggest a band they’ve come across or a band they’ve heard live somewhere around this beautiful globe. Besides during this lockdown whilst everything seems to have hit pause or slowed right down it has given us time to sniff out some great new bands and records getting released and one of those bands and records has to be this lot from Toulouse.

 

whilst that name didn’t exactly strike me as a grat name as soon as the sounds hit the ether I sat back and listened and inevitably turned it up,  then turned it up a bit more.  sure they use Rickenbackers and wear rollnecks and Winkel pickers because these cats play Garage Fuzzed up Rock and Roll and do it exceedingly well and it came as no surprise to find out they shared the stage with the likes of RPM favs The Lords Of Altamont and toured the States a few years ago with the likes of The Real Kids and were due to play with The Sonics.  So they demand to be taken seriously.

The album was recorded and produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes, Bellrays, The Sonics, The Fleshtones…) and they have that slightly reverbed production that’s raw and savage and has all that fuzzed up charm you want to hear from a Garage Rock record.

To see they shared a stage with the likes of The Lords Of Altamont will come as a good yardstick for people who’ve never come across the guys before because I’m reminded of them on songs like ‘No No No’ with its energy and sound. Another band I’m reminded of would be some of the earlier recordings from The Hip Priests they may not be as fast and certainly not as potty-mouthed but that attack is there on tracks like ‘Breaking Down’ and ‘Run Run Run’.  They really get on a groove for a lot of the songs and tub thumpers like ‘Don’t Need You’ are more traditional garage maybe steering clear of that classic Hammond or Farfisa organ whirling would be too much for these punks whist with one Cuban heel in the garage the other is in snotty fuck you loud Rock and Roll the likes of MC5 peddled and that’s always going to go down well around here. You can lob in a grenade of Motorhead to proceedings but only when they were a three-piece with Philthy and Fast Eddy as ‘Don’t You Try’ will testify its a formidable racket when you turn up those amps and just go for it.

From top til the bottom, this is a pretty relentless record where you’ve not got a slowie just to break it up its full-tilt zero bullshit and the sleazy ‘Fall For You’ is a great groove to set up the finale on and that finale is the cliched ballad,  Oh no it’s not.  Of Course it isn’t ‘Gonna Get You’ is a fine sign off of energy being expelled before the smoke finally gets wafted from the speaker that will smoke long after this has finished.  Take a break, lie down in a darkened room then get back on it.  Turn it up and kick out those jams motherfuckers!

 

Buy ‘On The Run’ Here

Facebook

Author: Dom Daley

New York Rock and Roll Gang by way of Adelaide – Women Of The Night are in fact not women at all.  Imagine That? They turn up at the office with their psychedelic-tinged garage rock schtick and we drop it on the virtual turntable and whig the fuck out!

From the opener ‘I Am Well And Missing You’ is a tasty opener and we get down with that then they kinda drop some blues and the title track is a soundscape of swirling guitars and synth effects whilst the vocals are dripping in reverb like the 60s Frisco thing never happened, man.

There are thirteen songs on offer here and they tend to drift from full-on psychedelic rock to atmospheric sons and to be fair the straighter rock and roll tunes tend to work better for me.  Songs like ‘Moscow Mansions’ are slightly trippy pop songs with a ’60s vibe for sure that’s heightened by that keyboard synth sound ala Doors. The intriguing ‘Leather Glove’ is good and ‘Brighton Beach’ sounds like its been here before in another life.

 

I can smell the incense and petunia oil on ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’ as it lays back and just chills the fuck out. ‘Quiet Night’ and then ‘Regular Days’ could easily soundtrack a desert black and white road movie A touch of Nick Cave recorded on the East Coast with a West Coast vibe a real Jekyll and hide night and day going on here but never going full freak out and staying quite conservative for the most part throughout the record.

‘Bad Tee Vee’ is like a trippy Tom Waits experiment (and there’s nothing wrong with that.  I’m sure if this were the sixties early ’70s a certain Warhol would have loved having these cats drop by the loft and chill with the Undergrounds it’s that kinda experiment and whilst it won’t make my top 10 ends of year list I’ve enjoyed the trip guys no question and we need to step out of our comfort zone sometimes.

Buy ‘Pastel Colors’ Here

Author: Dom Daley