The Single Life - 7" of Fun; featuring Borracho, Out of Vogue, Exile, Normandie Wilson,and Suzi Chunk
Yeah, we've written about Borracho before. We loved the album Splitting Sky. We have a previously unreleased live song included on our 5th Anniversary Ripple Compilation album, The Ripple Effect Presents- Volume One: Head Music. We know these guys. We love these guys. And that won't stop us from writing about them again.
Because on my turntable right now is Borracho's 7" single, "Circulos Concentricos". Yes, it's a version of an album track Concentric Circles from Splitting Sky, but damn it, don't you see the difference? This one's in Spanish! And that's all it takes to get me all excited again. I'm a sucker for alternative versions of songs I like, and particularly songs sung in a different language. I've bought the same CD many times because of bonus "French" editions, or Indonesian or what have you. Here it's Spanish and it cooks.
Either way, the song is a monster of fuzzed out stoner mania and just needs to be heard. English. Spanish. You choose. Just listen.
http://www.borrachomusic.com/
Classic California hard-core filtered through a garbage disposal of swedish rock. Featuring former members of classic Swedish acts such as Subject To Change, Abhinanda and Division of Laura Lee, OOV play hardcore like it’s meant to be: energetic, passionate and loud. Instruments are played, beaten, locked up in bondage and burned. Songs are desecrated. Vocals are belched out along with every major internal organ.
In other words, it's perfect.
If hardcore is your thing, look in this direction. On Salad Days Records
http://saladdaysrecords.com/
Damn there's some fine punk labels these days. I've been eating up Patac Records stuff recently, and just wrote about Salad Days Records (with a review of Police and Thieves album coming soon) and now Unrepentant Records pops onto my radar. Actually, it was their work with my friends The Enders that brought them to my attention, and damn, am I glad they did.
Exile play hardcore. Simple, right? Not really. Sure it's hardcore, it's mean, it's fast, it's furious. It's been banned in several small Bible Belt cities. But there's more to the story here. Exile aren't afraid to play with the song structure. Stretching things out at times. Letting guitars wail instead of only churn. Gangland vocals make their appearance, but only sometimes, when it's most effective. Vocals are spewed in a stream of mucous, but are clear enough for the intent to come through. Songs stop, start, stop again. "Just Walking" begins with an almost epic metal feeling, before the pummeling starts. Whatever they're doing, it's unpredictable. And that makes it infinitely cool.
Definitely one to check out. http://www.unrepentantrecords.com/store.html#store-exileep
Ok, after all that punk and chaos, you gotta let your ears cool down. Soothe the screaming in your head. And Normandie Wilson may be just the thing for you. A double slice of cool, smoky lounge jazz of the kind you just don't hear too often anymore. Normandie has a coquettish voice that dances like a stream of light upon the late-night jazz beat. Nice trumpet and flute add to the silvery lounge feeling, filling out the spaces in the jazz trio of bass, drums and piano. Both songs are sweet confections of ultra-cool, martini-sipping, diamond-wearing swing pop. I'd get up and dance, but I've been barred from doing that in public. Don't think Norah Jones, here. Think Playboy Club in Vegas in 1962.
My ears are feeling calmer already.
http://normandiewilson.bandcamp.com/album/saturday-night-girl
Since we're already back in the 60's, let's stay there a while shall we. This CD single came in from State Records with no warning or advance fanfare. Opening it up, I had no idea it was a portable time machine dressed up in two songs. I mean full-on '60's girl-group, beach-flavored, groovy garage-and-pop, bringing to life two Kravin' A's underground R&B classics. "Look Back and Laugh" kicks off with the perfect, vintage guitar tone as Suzi blasts in with "Momma told me It'll be alright" This is spot-on Shirelles or Ronnettes or whoever you want to claim. Put it up next to Nancy Sinatra, bust out the Go-Go boots and hulahoops. Pure lost vintage 60's pop and just as much fun. "Tripwire" kicks up the goods a bit with a nastier guitar riff and a down and dirty swinging beat. I mean, her backing band is called the Groovy Uncles. Come on. I'm doing the Swim here. I'm doing the Sprinkler. The "Yes, yes, yes, I know" harmony vocals are killing me. I can't help it. So much for not dancing in public.
If American Bandstand was still on the air, Suzi Chunk would be starring tomorrow night.
Limited to 500 copies on translucent Red vinyl
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzi-Chunk-Singer/162367287118799?ref=ts
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