Singles Club is open-a-ho-ho-ho

Singles Club is open-a-ho-ho-ho

With Christmas fast aproaching we thought it was time to swing open the doors of the RPM Online singles Club and see who strolls in. We weren’t disappointed as the mixed bag of miscreants waltzed in. With out most diverse bunch yet theres plenty to ponder from our staple favs to some wide ranging inclusions check em out at your leisure…

DIRT BOX DISCO – ‘Fuck me it’s all Gone Wrong’ (AVENUE RECORDZ) Hey Hey it’s a Dirtbox Day, Fuck Me its only Dirtbox Disco damaging my ears with their Motorhead infused punk rock n roll.

Of course its a banger as it lodges in your head and you can’t get rid of the gang vocal chorus for days and you find yourself saying fuck me at every oportunity. Its got a catchy chorus of course it has, It’s to the point and its got guitars that are razor sharp and Maff is kicking the shit out of his tubs. Dirtbox are back in the ring and doing what they do better than anyone else. Loud and proud and right on the money! Its all gone right more like.

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Available in the following formats -
Digital download and streaming.
split 7" with issue 13 of SAFETY PIN MAGAZINE

JOHNNY CASINO -‘Another Girl’ (Golden Robot Records) This is the first single from his February 2022 release ‘5×7 the Days of Wine and Cola‘ ‘Another Girl’ started out as a moody acoustic piece until it found its way into the recording studio on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Here, a fire had been lit underneath it, a couple of bottles of wine poured all over it and an inspired electric guitar burned into it by Johnny and his band. There is a san fran vibe about it as well maybe is in the vocals but whatever its a great tune and if the rest of the record is up to this standard then bring it on. The solo is blistering.

Pre-Save/Pre-Order ‘Another Girl’ HERE

Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music – ‘No Fun Anymore’ (Wicked Cool Records) A thumping good tune. Though Mickey Leigh has been making music for over five decades, 2022 sees his first solo full-length release under the name Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music.  Growing up the brother of Joey Ramone,   If this is the standard of what we can expect from his first solo album, ‘Variants of Vibe’, in February 2022 then bring it on. The first single, ‘No Fun Anymore’ is like the bastard child of Stiv Bators solo material and a real Rock and Roll tonic packed with energy and a strong hook get this on your new years wish list. hit it up here

Kurt Baker – Christmas In The Sand (Wicked Cool Records)  The first of two singles from Kurt Baker this round-up ‘Christmas in the sand’ was inspired by Kurt and his longtime collaborator and bandmate, Wyatt Funderburk’s, experience writing the song in the cold weather of Maine.  He said, “It’s a song about wanting to be at the beach during Christmas time! If only we lived in the southern hemisphere, haha!”  The original version of the song was released in 2012, but 2021 saw the band revisit the song and “kick it up a notch.” I’m sure you’ll agree it has all the hallmarks of a crimbo classic. Get it on the playlist at the office party and turn it up its got sleigh bells n everything – Check it out Here

Night Courts! ‘Fractions’ (Snappy Little Numbers /Debt Offensive Records) Second video/single by Vancouver lo-fi indie/punk trio NIGHT COURT from their debut release Nervous Birds! is a right little earworm as it burrows in and unsuspecting throughout the day week you want to hear it again and again. Infectious? sure is. Check it out in the video below. Get into them here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tifahzarjFQ&t=7s

Edweena Banger – ‘Let’s Do It’ (self Release) Album number two on the horizon this first glimpse of what to expect is a right banger (no pun intended) sizzling Rock and Roll with a big hook is the order of the day and one we fully endorse here at RPM Online. Connect with Edweena Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL2ccPg6HOM

Kurt Baker – ‘Turn It Around’ (Wicked Cool Records) wow Kurt Baker is in da house and he’s burning it down with this banger of a tune. A rapid stab of powerpoppin punk rock oozing attitude with a thumping backbeat. Of course it’s got a bloomin’ great big hook on the chorus but it’s got a warm winter fuzz going on from the kickoff. Another day another thumping good song released from Kurt Baker

get it Here

Swedish Magazines – ‘Head On Ice’ (Rubber Records) If you know you simply know. Melbourne rockers Sweedish Magazines are dropping bombs off their new album ‘I Wish Life Could Be’ and this is the latest – full of barroom Malcolm Young fire it barrels along like a bouncing bomb with boundless energy before smashing in your ear with an explosive chorus that makes your toes tap and your head move back and fore. Fantastic tune and one that makes you want to hear more and on this track they hit a groove and ride the shit out of it. If you want a catagory for this then punk n boogie would be apt as they mix Bon era DC with some punk rock SLF style. Whats not to like – excellent stuff.

Check it out here

Buy it Here

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Cheap Cassettes – ‘She Aint Nothing Like You’ (Rum Bar Records) Hell Yeah! the first glimpse under the hood of the new album from Candas Cheap Cassettes is a slow grooving rock and rolla and with great subtle gang harmonies these cats are back in the saddle and make this grooving rock and roll seem effortless from the clear melodic guitar break to the subtle late night overdrive they make great bedfellows with The Speedways from the UK and mixing up some Georgia Sattelites its such a cool tune that gets me excited for the album when it hits the shelves.

Check it out here

Chew Manga – ‘Listless’ (Stray Cat Records) full phat and fuzzy. This rocket-fueled slice of alternative rock is the first glimpse into the world of Chew Manga. Not heard these guys before but this Manchester mob has got some cool ideas and mix it up on single with a catchy hook and some great playing making for a most listenable tune and a pretty good introduction to the band. Check it out Here

Tony Iommi – ‘Scent Of Dark’ It might not be a crimbo single (Thank god) but this is the new release from Sabbath Guitar God Tony Iommi and as the video testifies it’s a slow brooding grinding beast of an instrumental combining those riffs and some lush cello playing. Of course, there isn’t any singing just riff after riff after mother fucking riff from the originator of all that is heavy and dark. Get it Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xala32PZ5vU

Wax On Water – ‘The Drip -Part 1’ EP This Camden ensemble kicks off this EP with a dark-stringed intro before their electro attack creepy crawls into your ear. ‘Don’t Bore Us’ builds slowly with a dark brooding tempo before breaking out with a menacing riff before falling back into the electro grunge fused twist.

‘The Sting In The Raw’ is a raw as razor blades riff that meanders through the song slashing away with menace. ‘Seventh Son’ is more haunting but again breaks out with a big raw riff that’s dark and brooding. ‘For The Love Of Money’ is a twitching electronic beast as it moves slowly but purposefully to the chorus with all the dark frills of an electro pulsating gothic slap but the vocal add some softer texture to the track and its better for it.

Check them out here

Hearts and Rockets – ‘TV Is Boring (EP)’ (Psychichysteria) Following from their recent single and video ‘Square Eyes’ and single ‘On/Off’, Naarm (Melbourne)-based bratwave duo Hearts and Rockets’ 5-track EP, ‘TV is Boring’, is out on cassette and digitally today and is available via their Bandcamp page, psychichysteria.com, and on all digital and streaming services.

The EP features 4 new originals, including recent singles ‘On/Off‘ with its hypnotic guitar lick, ‘Square Eyes‘ however is like a pulsating bass line and synth hook twitching like a metronome, plus the band’s longest track to date the title track ‘TV Is Boring‘ – which clocks in at almost 13 minutes. PLUS there’s a bonus cover of Black Flag’s classic anthem ‘TV Party’ and Hearts and Rockets’ post-punk anthem ‘Buy It’. Melbourne is having some cool tunes poured out of its backstreets with this really good post punk scuzzed up down n dirty rock n roll noise and we like it baby! Check it out Here

Finnegans Hell – ‘Happy Christmas’ (Sound Pollution) The second best Christmas song ever written? In any case “Happy Christmas” by Finnegan’s Hell qualifies as the second-best Christmas song coming from a Celtic punk band.
– “Fairytale of New York” is still number one, but “Happy Christmas” contains enough social realism to make you reach for the bottle once the song is over, says lead singer Pabs Finnegan. His haunting whiskey voice takes the listener through three shades of black in a song that depicts anything but a happy Christmas. It might not be as good as The Pogues (Obviously) nor is it Slade or Wizzard but it shure as shit beats most of the insipid crimbo tunes we hear around this time.

Carrjam – 21 – ‘Can You Feel It’ (sound Pollution) A project started by Dregen to tip the hat to Kiss drummer Eric Carr who has passed 30 years ago! featuring Dregen (The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies), Gustav Kronfelt (video producer), Jolle Atlagic (Electric Boys, The Quill), Jesper Lindgren (Velvet Insane), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper/Slash’s Snakepit) Åge Sten Nielsen (WigWam), Philip Shouse (Accept, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons), Jesper Binzer (D-A-D) and Martin Ekelund (Bonafide). It must be cock rock o clock judging by the style of this slow grooving rock song. Together with some of the most well-known and KISS-inspired musicians, Dregen has recorded 2 songs written by Carr plus 2 KISS related bonus songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN3X4mXfPFc

James Domestic – ‘Push On Through’ (KIBOU RECORDS) second single from James is an electronic departure from his day job with the Domestics. Lifted from James’ debut solo album ‘Carrion Repeating’, due out in April it’s a sparse ride that ends with a freak out of guitar noise broken down by a synth and the techo rhythm and drum beat. widescreen post punk for sure check out the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd95SJQspDQ

Hanterhir – ‘Waiting For Bertie’ (Easy Action) Cornish alt.rockers HANTERHIR return with a brand new single and video ‘Waiting For Bertie’ An adventurous mix of post punk with psychedelic undertones as well as some flutey tones for good measure it seems like the time is right for the band to get back to releasing their album that is penned for early 2022 release Connect here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FucSr0EzdCM

Johnny Casino – ‘Vibrations, Yours and Mine’ (Beluga Records)

Johnny Casino – ‘Vibrations, Yours and Mine’ (Beluga Records)

Roaming Australian currently plying his trade outta Spain, Casino would be known for his consistent releases and the loud guitars and big tunes of the Springsteen nature. or at least his last offering was like that however here he’s softened and moved in a totally different direction for the tone and feel of this record. ‘Vibrations, Yours And Mine’, is something more relaxed and charming, Americana like if you really need to force it into a pigeon hole. But the artwork would allude to the feel of the music if the truth were told.

Knowing how prolific Casino is with his songwriting, he has relied heavily on covers here, with only four out of the eleven songs being penned by his fair hand. Opening with  ‘I Hear You Calling’, originally by Bill Fay, could easily be a Casino original such is the delivery and interpretation, Complete with pedal steel (courtesy of Los Deltonos’ Hendrick Rover).

Not being too familiar with the originals I did my homework and compared and contrasted each version and decided that Casinos version of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, ‘I Scare Myself’ doesn’t alter greatly from the original, perhaps with the benefits of hindsight brushed up or rather cut up the intro and dropping the acoustics into the mix  I think this song sounds better in the hands of Casino.

His quite beautiful rendition of Chris Bailey’s Saints ‘Ghost Ships’ shines and the lap steel is a joy. Not sure this one is as tasty as the original but hey always a nice tip o fthe hat to fellow Australian rockers who should have been huge. His version of The New Christs ‘Dropping Like Flies’ sees Casino flip the rocker into something more somber without doing any harm to such a good song.

 

Keeping it southern hemisphere heavy and covering bands that Casino clearly holds dear he also tackles more current artists such as the black keys and maybe because the songs aren’t generally seen as big-ticket bands or chart hit staples the flow of the record is excellent and for a late-night listen this is an absolute home run. I didn’t see the gypsy blues of Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘Sundown’ coming, but he still manages to take ownership of arguably the most widely known of the songs here apart from the Campbell classic ‘Wichita Lineman’ which is the only weak one compared to the original on offer here but hey one below par shouldn’t spoil anything.

On Vibrations…, Johnny Casino has pulled all the stops to mix up some of his favourite tunes and taken ownership and done it extremely well.  If you’re a fan of his work then its a no brainer if you have a mild interest in any of the bands he’s covered then you should invest some time into this long-player it might just be one of the best discoveries you make all year. Americana, via Australia and Spain, what a great record to toast be it sangria or a tinnie get on it!

Buy Here

Johnny Casino – ‘Hits And Misses…The Times And Crimes Of…Volume Two’ (LA Vila Nova Recordings)

Johnny Casino – ‘Hits And Misses…The Times And Crimes Of…Volume Two’ (LA Vila Nova Recordings)

Here we have one of many compilations coming out in 2020 from Australian rock’n’roll journeyman Johnny Casino. The material here stemming from his earlier days in Asteroid B-612 to some additional tracks from the turn of the Millenium in Johnny Casino’s Easy Action. This is the 90—00 addition of his retrospective deep dives lovingly titled Hits & Misses.

Always incredibly underrated in international terms, the contribution of the land from down under to the metamorphosis of punk rock and it’s reactionary genres. Whether you are looking at their garage rock bands of the seventies, Melbourne’s post punk scene and even New Zealand’s Dunedin alternative rock sound. All highly influential on European and American acts alike but never getting a lot of the name checking it deserves.
I first came across Asteroid B-612 on a garage rock/psyche compilation years ago, I’d originally thought that they must of been a part of the original 70s wave of bands because their sound is so authentic without sounding dated. Not at all unlike contemporaries such as The Hellacopters and New Bomb Turks but at times with a harder edge like Mudhoney or Tad, particularly on 9 minute opus ‘chainsaw’ and album opener ‘moody’.
Original material on the record is backed up with an excellent array of covers spanning from Alice Cooper to Per Ubu. A particular stand out here is their ‘down on the street’ Stooges cover which has the ferocity of Dead Moon, it’s sonic fury making up for any production shortcomings.
Overall this is a great beginning to a career retrospective that has left me wanting to here part two and three that are also available. As well as that we have a new solo album to look forward to, you can check out country-tinged single ‘trouble weighs a ton’ which is out now. We’re just over the halfway point of 2020 and Johnny Casino is more productive than most artists are in the space of five years, pandemic or not, nothing is going to slow him down. Head over to his Bandcamp page and check him out, you won’t be disappointed.
Buy Johnny Casino Here
Author: Dan Kasm

Asteroid B-612 – ‘Not Meant For This Earth’ (Bang Records)

Asteroid B-612 – ‘Not Meant For This Earth’ (Bang Records)

Australia has always had the chops and churned out the most excellent quality bands dishing out quality records.  Many didn’t always get the respect they deserved or Maybe not respect but certainly the attention they deserved. Asteroid B-612 (I know not the most memorable name but hey give it a chance) and their garage classic ‘Not Meant For This World’ is deffo one of those that has gone under the radar on a wider stage.  Fuelled by the genes of the Stooges and other garage rock legends their DNA spilled onto the grooves of this record and the fuzzed-out classic like opener ‘Destination Blue’ with its unhinged saxophone howling and wailing out of control is a beautiful thing and is like the distant overseas cousin of ‘Funhouse’.  But the Stooged up homage doesn’t end there (obviously).

Recorded back in ’96 in Sydney Johnny Casino (going by the name John A. Spittles its Detroit baby but from the baking hot sun of the Southern Hemisphere.  Sonically its spot on and the playing is a wonderful thing. The title track is like music from a parallel Hip Priest world and that’s a huge compliment. They were clearly cut from the same cloth.

First time out it was available far and wide on Cd but this is another press on vinyl but again it’s limited to 500 copies. So plenty of opportunities to pick up on this one second time around.

‘True Romance’ has a more pop melody and edge and draws on influences like The Who. But it’s back in the saddle for a romp across ‘Emotional Tattoo’ which preceded the likes of The Hellacopters who had to be influenced by this super shitty sounding blast.  ‘Thanks For Nothin’ is like Motorhead grooving on the Dead Boys ‘Ain’t It Fun’ or the Dead Boys Chillin’ on ‘Capricorn’ either way it’s a great tune.

I guess the real beauty of this release its the fact that someone has taken the time to remaster it and bring it kicking and screaming into the 21st Century ready or not and it doesn’t sound dated or out of step, christ, it could have been recorded last week. weather the band are holding back and relaxing or kicking out as on ‘Farewell To The Cosmic Commander’ the songwriting is exceptional and they’ve really captured the vibe.  It’s energetic, the songs are tight but loose if you know what I mean (if you love ‘Funhouse’ Or The Stooges and ‘Super-shitty To The Max’ then you’ll know.

To finish this bad boy off they get their boogie on and turn in ‘Where Has All The Fun Gone’ which is a daft question really with all due respect because listening to this is answering their own question all the fun is right here right now just pick up a copy before these are all gone as well. Excellent!

Author: Dom Daley

Other related references on BANG! Records:

  • ASTEROID B-612 “Always Got Something To Lose” b/w “Murder City Revolution”, 7” single.
  • LOS DINGOS “13 crook road” E.P. 7” single (featuring Johnny Casino alongside Kent Steedman from The Celibate Rifles and Gorka Munster from La Secta)

Info and orders: Here 

Or buy it on vinyl  Here