Garage Rock

Electric Jaguar Baby, Psychic Death Safari (Rebel Waves 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , ,

The new album from Electric Jaguar Baby continues the fuzzed up garage rock trance, Psychic Death Safari.

Since 2015, eclectic duo Electric Jaguar Baby from Paris, France has been creating fascinating vibes. Over the course of the intervening years, a trio of EPs and their debut album have left a trail for music lovers to follow that is wickedly diverse and endlessly entertaining. The identity of the central musical pair remains mysterious, but we do know that there are guest appearances on the album by Luca of Go!Zilla on vocals and organ, and Jed of ZigZags on guitar.

The band describes the new album as “a gangbang between Ty Segall, Josh Homme, Jack White and Ozzy Osbourne, sprinkled with retro and occult 70’s vibes”. If that doesn’t capture your imagination then you must be in a coma.

“Hitmaker” opens with a catchy 1970s rock riff then continues with similarly-styled vocals. It hooks you immediately – there is no way to not hang out and listen. “Flashlight” is a little denser, a bit trippier. It sets a cruise and rolls on down the gently winding highway. By the time we get to “Shiver River,” I had an Amboy Dukes flashback. Every song cooks, and the listening is good.

There is a lot to like on this record. One of my favorite tracks is “Hellcome” – love the lead guitar and the assertive past-central riff. And come on, “Jaguar’s Boogie” is a thing of beauty. If you are into garage rock, 1970s sensibilities, and fuzzed up trippy stoniness, there is no way you can go wrong here. Recommended.

Psychic Death Safari is out now through Ripple Music’s Rebel Waves Records on vinyl, CD, and digital. If you like what you hear, check out the band’s back catalogue at their Bandcamp page (link below).

Links.

Electric Jaguar Baby website, https://express.adobe.com/page/SarZGmiV5SG7Y/

Bandcamp, https://electricjaguarbaby.bandcamp.com/album/psychic-death-safari

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ElectricJaguarBaby/

Ripple Music, https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/psychic-death-safari

© Wayne Edwards

Electric Jaguar Baby, Psychic Death Safari (Rebel Waves 2022)

Hellacopters, Eyes Of Oblivion (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

After a fourteen-year recording hiatus, The Hellacopters are back with a new studio album, Eyes Of Oblivion.

Starting off as a garage rock-style band in 1994, Sweden’s Hellacopters forged a following with a big start opening for Kiss not long after releasing their debut long-player Supershitty to the Max! in 1996. They released six more studio albums in the following years before embarking on a farewell tour in 2008 and wrapping things up. You can’t keep a good thing down forever, though, and the band reëmerged in 2016 for some anniversary appearances. Now we have Eyes Of Oblivion.

What’s the new one sound like? The band’s Nicke Andersson has a few thoughts. “The album has 10 songs and although it’s obviously not easy to be objective at all, I think musically it sums up everything we’ve touched upon from the start in 1994 up until now. Some of the songs date back as far as 10 years or more, and some were written more recently. It’s rock and roll played with high energy, so for lack of a better term I say High Energy Rock And Roll.” It is hard to argue with that. The music on the album is a kind of summary, in a way. Given the long history of the band and its legion of fans, new music that has a familiar flavor is bound to be just what the people want.

“Reap A Hurricane” breaks the ice with a catchy, guitar-driven hard rock head rattler. The chorus has you singing along immediately and every time the guitar breaks through it is cause for a fist-pump. “Can It Wait” has a more serious tone – a little – and takes a couple more chances with tempo. “So Sorry I Could Die” is a heavy-hearted blues number that that shifts from head-bobbing to a cool sway. Very nice.

I really like the title track, I must say, and it is clearly a banner-carrier for the album, as we might expect. Crisp and clippy, it has radio written all over it. Listen to this track first if you want a get-acquainted ramp. The top track for me is “Beguiled” for its incredible urgency and the way it got stuck in my synapses on the first play. Play that one second, then start at the beginning and go all the way through.

There are many twists and turns on the record. Enjoy the regular emergence of rock and roll piano in the rhythm section and absolutely delightful homages. The Hellacopters have come together and put out a great record that is a truly welcome return. I hope many more will follow. Recommended.

Eyes Of Oblivion is out now on Nuclear Blast Records. Check out the links below to see what and all can be had.

Link.

Bandcamp, https://thehellacopters.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thehellacopters

Nuclear Blast Records, https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/cd/cd/the-hellacopters-eyes-of-oblivion.html

© Wayne Edwards.

Hellacopters, Eyes Of Oblivion (Nuclear Blast 2022)

The Limit, Caveman Logic (Svart Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

The Limit hands us catchy fast-paced hard rock and roll where guitars and rhythm rule.

Check out this band roster: vocals by Bobby Liebling (Pentagram), Sonny Vincent (Testors) and Hugo Conim (Dawnrider) on guitars, Jimmy Recca (The Stooges) on bass, and the drummer is João Pedro Ventura (Dawnrider). Supergroup territory, and no mistake. And then we cannot escape the fascinating mix of experience in The Limit. The confluence of these musical histories produces music that is punk-influenced hard and heavy rock, along with a number of captivating variations. The songs have catchy hooks and eclectic subjects. The whole set radiates a compulsive listenability.

The album starts out with four bangers in a row, “Kitty Gone,” “Black Sea,” “Human vs. Nature,” and “These Days.” Pulsing riffs in the rhythm and a guitar pacing the vocal is the norm, with snappy lead breaks memorable choruses. The punk sensibility comes through and the sound is bright.

“Over Rover” takes a bit of a turn, with an alternating slowed down moments and hyped up bursts. “Enough’s Enough” is bluesy and soulful, while “Caveman Logic” snarls and barks right in your face. “Death of My Soul” is a short piece with a dark tone, and “Life’s Last Night,” which is even shorter, is a sort of companion rager that resurrects the energy.

“When Life Gets Scorched” wraps things up, and it effectively conveys the idea of the end of the show. Putting it that way makes me think that I’d really like to see this album played straight through live. That would be a great night. Recommended.

Caveman Logic is out on Friday, April 9th from Svart Records. The quick get in the US is Bandcamp.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://the-limit.bandcamp.com/album/caveman-logic

Label, https://svartrecords.com/

The Limit, Caveman Logic (Svart Records 2021)