BLACK ROSE BAND
Hot Box / Hoochie Poochie 7”

King Louie’s new rockband. Yeah, rock.. Louie says this is his fullblown rockband, making pop songs mixed up with Thin Lizzy and New Orleans roots/swamp pop. And it’s pretty fucking great too. I love his songwriting and guitarplaying. This single is pretty trashily recorded, it kinda lacks bottom but it sounds really cool anyway. Louie tells me they’re heading into a real studio to lay down a full album. I know they’re gonna deliver.

(Thomas)
Contaminated Records

GUITAR WOLF
Dead Rock LP/CD

Not much happens to Guitar Wolf’s rock’n’roll. Despite the demise of Bass Wolf Billy’s death two years ago they kept going. This is new Bass Wolf UG’s first record. And sure, not much has happened but I’m not sure I’d want progress from Guitar Wolf. They are now and will forever be the world’s coolest band. When they played Stockholm the first and only time they almost made the boat they played at sink. At a furious pace they played a magical show for two hours. There’s no entertainment like it. “Dead Rock” is only released in Japan so far but when they hit Europe this summer I’m sure it will be everywhere. It’s not their best one, far from it, but it’s more than okay. The production is a little boring, kinda flat but as usual there’s plenty of feedback and noise and the songs are always cool. There’s no other band that lives, breathes and just oozes as much r’n’r as Guitar Wolf, and try to live up to the myth. They sleep with sunglasses on, live in their leather outfits and in their veins there’s as much booze flowing as their is blood.

(Thomas)
Ki/Oon Records

HIGH TENSION WIRES
Midnight Cashier LP/CD

What always seemed to me a one off project from some old buddies from the Marked Men, Riverboat Gamblers and Reds a few years ago is now a showing itself to be a real band. This is their second album and it’s a more mature band this time. Sounds a little boring but it’s not. Their punkrock on the first record was great but here they’ve found a little more of their soul I think. More soulsearching, more touching. They either sound like a lot of other bands or nothing else at all. More is varied, there’s new wave, punkrock, catchiness abounds and loads of feelings. Me and my best friend were driving around Texas listening to this and we didn’t understand a thing at first. It seemed slower, boring, nice.. after giving it a few shots it started growing on us and it just kept on growing. This is the record of the summer. It should terminate all radiostations with constant rotation in a more perfect world but it’s not likely to happen so just go out and fucking buy it already.

(Thomas)
Dirtnap Records

KING AUTOMATIC
I Walk My Murderous Intentions Home LP/CD

French multiinstrumentalist and one man band King Automatic is back with his second album on Beat-man’s cool label. Unfortunately Voodoo Rhythm is more cool and fun that really great but sometimes there’s more than that. Like this. King Automatic also fits prefectly on VR. There’s no other label for him. His record is filled to the brim with garagerock, surf, trash, blues, horror, film noir, organ.. This is really cool stuff. Good songs, a cool and original sound that isn’t only over the top but really great. The sleeve is really cool looking too. It’s fucking unbelievable that he can play all the instruments live. No overdubbing at all. It’s supposed to be a real sight live. (Thomas)
Voodoo Rhythm Records

THE MOTARDS
Stardom LP

The Motards never reached stardom, well not more than their amazing single on Rip Off Records anyway. This is a comp of long lost shit, b-sides etc.. And it’s great stuff. That this LP consists of b-sides and unreleased stuff makes me revalue them a bit. They were one of a bunch of a cool bands putting out cool singles on Rip Off, their LP on Empty was pretty cool and this is pretty cool too. Really good stuff actually. I think you need this.

(Thomas)
Gonna Puke Records

THE WATZLOVES
Catche Me a Possum LP/CD

The Watzloves is a little like DM Bob & the Deficits, and you’ll find DM Bob in the Watzloves too but here it’s his girlfriend Silky doing the singing and writing most of the songs. This is a little more traditional and rocksounding that their previous records. It’s a bit more rocksounding than it is cajun which takes it down a notch. The slow songs aren’t really working but the lyrics are funny. Not their best record, get something else by them or pick up something by DM Bob instead.

(Thomas)
Voodoo Rhythm Records

WOODEN TIT
Return  To Cinder LP

Here’s a nice surprise. Don Howland of Bassholes and Gibson Bros fame is back with a new band, and it’s great of course. Sounding much like the Bassholes, has a lot do with Howland’s voice of course, but this band has kind of the same approach to music as it’s predecessor. Don’t know if this means that the Bassholes are history now but if that’s the case they’ve left a magnificent trail of records behind and don’t fret, if Wooden Tit is the future it sure looks like they’re gonna deliver. Great sounding, fantastic songs, atmospheric and tight production and it doesn’t sound exactly as the Bassholes either, this is something new. There’s a bassplayer and sometimes the drummer plays clarinet which gives Wooden Tit a much fuller sound than that of the Bassholes. Wow, this is amazing. Get this!

(Thomas)
Hate Records