Tasteless "Bad Taste! EP"

(Self-released 2019)

Bad Taste

Panic & Confusion

Imposter

If She's Square

I don't excite easily (ask my ex-girlfriends), but when the star-studded quartet Tasteless started dropping teasers of their upcoming EP, there was a volcanic eruption in me trousers! Back when I first started to move from rockabilly to psychobilly, I always had a preference for the bands that lay somewhere in between. Neo Rockabilly has always been where it's at for me musically. But, the ratio of psychobilly bands to that of neo rockabilly in the new millennium is 100:1. I'm talking the proper stuff. When I envisage in my mind what neo rockabilly sounds like, Tasteless are 100% on the money. The quartet came together in 2018 featuring four stalwarts of all things rockin' and psycho. So who's who then? Kevin Haynes of Torment fame is on sticks duty, dirty slapper Bruno Malo from the Moonshine Stalkers is giving the bass a good rogering, Ray Waters of the boundary-pushing Zipheads is on vocals (and what pipes he has) whilst former Mad Dog Cole/Devils Wrays twangster Loz Hawkins has that neo guitar sound down to a tee. Right from the get-go, the clean-sounding catchytastic guitar intro of Bad Taste sets you up for a riotous trip through neo rockabilly brilliance. The eight-second wait for the bass and drums backbeat to kick in almost psyches you up for what's to come. Perfect track placement for an EP that exudes class. Think Fractured crossed with the all-too-short-lived Cellmates and you're half way there. Holy Jaysus I love this record. I thought I'd never come across another new band who play this particular style of rockin' the right way again. What a welcome addition to the scene they are. Both vocally and musically (that guitar!) the lads are in a league of their own. They look the part, they sound the part, they are the part! The EP will be released at the end of August and you can preorder it now (link below). They're playing the Psychobilly Meeting in July and will have some units for sale there. If, like me, you're averse to sun, do yourself a favour and preorder this slab of neo-finesse without hesitation. 

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The Bloodstrings "Born Sick"

(Wolverine Records 2017)

Intro

Born Sick

Ready For The Storm

Kiss Goodbye

Mondsüchtig (Featuring Kitty Casket)

Cutthroat Love

Damaged

Best Of Me

My Heart Is Like An Engine (Featuring Mo Diggerz)

Last Call

Confession

Tonight We Dine In Hell (Bonus Track)

Hold The Line (Bonus Track)

The Bloodstrings from Aachen first came to my attention back in 2014 when they released their début album Coal-Black Heart. My initial impression of the band was that they were like a kind of psychobilly version of The Spookshow. It's an excellent record. Their new album though takes the sound of the first album and adds a lot more aggression. It's as if the band have carved out their own niche over the past 5 years and put their own stamp on what is loosely termed punkabilly. There's a lot more to The Bloodstrings than can be summed up by using that particular term. The band is a melting pot of influences and it's that diversity which somehow blends perfectly together that make the band stand head and shoulders above their competition. People ask me how can I only listen to one type of music? I don't. Take this album, it's not "one type of music". It's filled with aural delicacies ranging from punked-out new school psychobilly to horror punk and ballads filled with dark romance. The latter of which I absolutely love and really showcases Celina's excellent vocal chords. Speaking of vocalists, there are a couple of guest spots on the album in the guises of Kitty Casket from Kitty In A Casket and Mo Diggerz from The Diggerz. If chanting punk rock backing vocals, finely executed instrumentation, lyrics that deal with societal woes and heartbreak told through the medium of horror topped off with an expertly slapped bass appeal to you then snap this one up before it disappears into the ether like their first album.

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Johnny Rocket "Come A Little Closer"

(Wolverine Records 2019)

Got To Tell You

Beggin' For More

I Like You Baby

A Ride

Yeah Yeah Yeah

Bring It On Home

I Know A Lot Of Dumbs

Come A Little Closer

Anywhere

Sold My Soul

Jesus And The Motherfuckers

Kiss

Boobs 'n' Beer

Equal parts rock and roll, Johnny Rocket have finally released their third album. The boys have been on the go since 2006 and this is only their fourth release. The first being their 2007 EP Who's Your Daddy? Quality not quantity though right? They hail from Germany but their sound is very much in keeping with that Southern rock sub genre from the US of A. Unlike most of the bands from that particular field though, the boys have the added bonus of some finely slapped bass giving them a unique rockabilly back beat. Crunchy rock guitar played with a country twang sits atop a slap bass and drums rhythm section with raucous whiskey-soaked vocals adding the final touch to give Johnny Rocket a sound that transcends the musical boundaries that can pigeonhole many bands. 11 self-penned ditties with a couple of covers of Sam Cooke and Prince songs make up this excellent release from Johnny Rocket. Speaking of the covers, although (thankfully) not the usual choices we've come to expect from bands with an upright bass in their lineup, they fit the album and the style of the band perfectly. I must also mention there are some fine backing vocals/harmonies to be heard here too. I have all of Johnny Rocket's previous material, but I just have such a sizable music collection, that I haven't revisited their stuff for a long time. This album makes me want to do exactly that. It's out now on Wolverine Records on CD and a slab of vinyl that's as thick as any porn star's shlong! ....and all the streaming/download sites of course.

Johnny Rocket Official

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