Maximum Volume - A Loaded Rock Rec
1 March, 2012
Time to ring in a new month - with a blast of pure, unadulterated rock action. Here is a heaping helping of garage rock joy, with a side of maddening exhilaration.
Jeffery Drag Records – Now, I know – the proper exposé for a record label should include a handful of full album reviews, and not this brief on a teaser. Yet the JDR Winter Mixtape that was released back in December is still making its rounds on the airwaves, and crystallizes quite definitively what Jeffery Drag’s all about.
So, what’s in the mix? It’s loud, proud, 60s-inspired garage rock, baby, starting with the rambunctious “Mama Said” from Bad Cop. It’s a fairly accurate indicator what awaits the listener – also Ghost Dance’s “Nasty Nuevo” shortly blows the roof off that 60s veneer with scorching lo-fi madness. It’s complemented perfectly by the sinister “Cool” by Talk Box Rodeo, which also blasts into the stratosphere with its dirty, dirty riff. The talk of the town, though – and, inevitably, one of my favorites – is certainly Useless Eaters’ “Addicted To The Blade”, an infectiously rockin’ track with echoey vocals and fabulously retro guitar tones. Furthermore, about half of the song is one glorious solo. Sweeeeet, right? You might presume, then, from the first four tracks that the rest would be as riotous, but not quite. Elsewhere on the mixtape, Promised Land’s “F*** Cancer” evokes a more folk-tinged sound, reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s more electric numbers. It’s a warm, mellow tune that’s still rock solid. Another cool outlier is Magic Milk’s “Coconut Dreams”, which chugs on like an acid-infused fusion of garage rock and krautrock; after that, “Psychic Pain” is a lovely, hook-crossed number that channels a touch of the Animals. “Boom Boom” and “Bodysnatchers, Pt. II”, however, round out the album with golden garage rock (the former evoking the Animals even more with a retro organ line). In short, anyone who pines for the carefree and joyous rock of the 60s should download this mixtape. After all, it’s completely free on Jeffery Drag Record’s Bandcamp page. |
Future of the Left – Explosive, punchy rock from Cardiff; boisterous, brazen, and highly addictive. Their last album from June, The Plot Against Common Sense, runs the gamut of rock’s edgier side, ranging from the ridiculously ballsy “Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman”, to the quirky “Cosmo’s Ladder”, to the rather pleasantly pop-suited “Goals In Slow Motion”. Though not exactly a punk band, Future of the Left maintain the irreverence and anarchic attitude of the best of ‘em throughout the album, ensuring a most entertaining listen. One noteworthy exception, though, to Future of the Left’s gun-blazing style is the somewhat more cerebral “The City of Exploding Children”, which traipses about with a chorus sung in rounds.
The richest lyrics – glorious as most of them are – are in “Sorry Dad, I Was Late For The Riots”, an irony-laden track contrasting the rebellious punks of yesteryear with today’s apathetic youth. Ambitious, perhaps. But my favorite track boasts the most ludicrous and hilarious lyrics on the album, “Robocop 4: Fuck Off Robocop”, a blistering satire on Hollywood’s tiresome tendency to make one too many sequels. (“If Michael Bay wants a bigger house, let’s help him!”) Like most well-crafted albums, The Plot ends on its strongest note – Future of the Left soars to astral awesomeness on the closer “Notes On Achieving Orbit”. The chorus is MASSIVE – and be sure to stick around for the little Cramps-esque hidden track at the end! The whole album is available to stream through this Spin article; once you’re sold, pop over to their shop to buy the CD for £10. |
Nuclear Aminals – We return to the garage for our last feature – but not the same garage from JDR. Oh, no. Nuclear Aminals (and yes, I’m spelling that correctly) play a woozier, more bitter form of lo-fi rock, melding 60s aesthetics with 90s grunge. Their latest release from November, Start From An End, is a fairly homogenous record, but none the worse for its consistently on-par tunes. “Comeuppance” is a definite highlight, though, with its prowling bass, faint organ lines creeping from above, and a smashing, Nirvana-esque conclusion. The title track, too, is not one to miss, with its dirty, mammoth riffs, or “Red Rag”, a broody track brightened by glorious surf guitar solos.
For a mind-numbingly good time, blast this album from your computer off of Nuclear Aminals’ Bandcamp page. From there, of course, you can also purchase the digital release for $10.
For a mind-numbingly good time, blast this album from your computer off of Nuclear Aminals’ Bandcamp page. From there, of course, you can also purchase the digital release for $10.