Texan rockers 9-Volt Velvet serve up a superb selection of riffs on their first full length release ‘Nude Beaches’. It’s a record that values directness, with each of the tracks feature some really taut riffs, but unlike some garage rock oriented bands, 9VV’s best tunes aren’t just in the Band of Skulls mode. The best bits of this album draw from a broader musical palette, and sometimes do so within a single song.
Tag Archives: garage rock
9-VOLT VELVET – Riptide / Hey Candy
With their layers of fuzz and a relentless garage rock core, 9-Volt Velvet are capable of conveying an impressive amount of energy. The band’s own take on a retro sound is immediately familar, but isn’t just reliant on mere recycling, and between the more traditional elements of noise, the two tracks that make up this release also share an impressive, almost quirky edge that has the potential to set them apart from their peers.
IZZY AND THE BLACK TREES – Go On, Test The System EP
With amps fully cranked, the four songs that make up Izzy and The Black Trees’ ‘Go On, Test The System’ EP have a brilliant, live in the studio sound. The results mightn’t be as explosive as, say, the early works of A Place To Bury Strangers, but this Polish act have a similar love of distortion, and of reworking 90s influences to create an intensive experience. On this release, their no frills, full fuzz approach results in arrangements that explode with a really natural buzz; songs that owe a debt to Sonic Youth, The Jesus & Mary Chain, early PJ Harvey, and overlooked acts like Hammerbox and Yur Mum, yet still convey just enough of their own style to remain interesting.
JONESY – Dopplegangbangers EP
For those yet to catch up with Canadian rockers Jonesy, here’s a quick recap. The band are loud, brash and often vulgar. When this works for them, it results in superbly trashy sounds that are hugely thrilling, despite their disposable nature. When the band misfires, they could be accused of just trying that bit too hard to shock, or perhaps just relying too much on an easy, crass aesthetic. They’ve released material that would challenge joke glam rockers Steel Panther in the rudeness stakes, and their debut album over-relied on the word fuck to make an impact, and yet, somehow, there also seems to be a reason to come back for more whenever a new recording appears. It could be terrible; it could be great. It’s a lottery – and in its own way, that makes everything seem even more exciting. Actually, exciting is probably the wrong word, but hopefully you get the point.
THE 355’s – Jig A Jig Out EP
On this debut EP, The 355’s don’t exactly introduce themselves quietly. Within a couple of notes of the opening number – and lead single – ‘Jig A Jig Out’, the level of fuzz applied to the guitar work is off the chart, and there’s even an equally distorted vocal to match. It’s as if they’ve absorbed the best bits of The Black Keys and turned that duo’s typical schtick up to eleven. Although that bluesy element drops in intermittently during the next couple of minutes, effectively driving a great verse against a heavy drum sound, the bulk of this number is actually more concerned with much bigger rock sounds. Cranking the guitars, Adam Thompsett and Craig Lockwood fill the chorus and beyond with a great, overdriven riff that almost sounds like an old glam rock number retooled by a massive sounding garage rock band. This should be enough to appeal to a broad spectrum of retro rock lovers, even though the lyrical hook is a little more simplistic than was perhaps necessary. What that means, of course, is that the number is almost guaranteed to find an audience in high spirits in the live set, and its rowdy approach – combined with a fiery lead guitar break – more than suggests The 355’s are a band with a really gutsy edge. There’s time enough for a little melody here too, since the middle eight drops into a quietly atmospheric moment or two with a more soulful vocal, and this really helps the knockabout number feel far more well rounded.