Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Violetz "Hate You!"

(Crazy Love Records 2014)

Cruel Psycho Girl
Hate You
Perfect
Boy Like A Dead
9099
Crumblin' Tone Boogie
Dynamite
Monster March
Burn Into My XXX Kill
Crazy Rat

Never judge a book by its cover...or in this case a CD. I was expecting punkabilly with the emphasis on punk with fuck all billy and a female singer that sounds like all the rest (maybe even bordering on masculine as is their wont in a genre that oozes aggression). However, it's twangy, slap bass heavy psychobilly with a big nod to (neo) rockabilly fronted by female vocalist Rena who thankfully sounds female! And she can actually sing!! Sweetly!!! She can rip it up too though. A crackin' début release from this Japanese trio. Looking further at the pictures of the band in the booklet, I was probably hasty in my initial impressions. All that leopard print and quiifs-o-perfection do indeed give you a fairly spot-on impression (did you see what I did there? Leopard print? Spot-on?) of what to expect musically. Maybe I was subconsciously swayed by the fact that most Japanese psychobilly bands are speed merchants with a harder, punkier sound. The Violetz are the exception to the rule though. 50% psycho and 50% billy. Just the way I like it. And yes that is a cover version of the Fairground Attraction ditty...and yes she does hit the high notes at the end. Happy days at chez O'Prez.

The O'Prez

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