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CD Reviews archive - T
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Review of:
The Barbarellatones'
"Not Dog...Snow-Lion" (2008)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on May 3, 2009
Tracks:
1. The Ballad Of Sex With Lurch
2. Glamour Girls
3. My Name Is Reef
4. New Wave Days/New Wave Nights
5. Whispers From Eternity
6. Bad Girls (N.Y. Dolls)
7. I Don't Give A Damn!
8. Lonely Cat Lady
9. Journey To The Mystic Mountain
10. The Others
11. Nina Hagen (featuring Nina Hagen)
12. Chia Of Darkness
13. Underwater DreamWorld (remix)
14. Turquoise Daze
15. Valentine
I was introduced to this band through MySpace and was immediately intrigued, as I always am when I hear something so new and innovative. The Barbarellatones combine their glam/goth/surf/punk fusion style of music with the theatrics of what they call "space slut B-movie themes", right down to cross-dressing for their stage performances (I assume their name is derived from the 1968 erotic sci-fi film starring Jane Fonda, entitled "Barbarella").
The band's listed musical influences include David Bowie, The Velvet Underground and The Cramps, but I could hear so much more in their music. While their music may not appeal to everyone, no one can deny their uniqueness! I myself enjoyed this CD, however. The first song, "The Ballad Of Sex With Lurch", brought a smile to my face as vocalist Robbie 'Revlon' Quine described his and bandmate, Electrolux's, modes of transportation as, "Drag queens on choppers," and, "Dykes on bikes," in a kind of early Lou Reed style. The quirky lyrics are sung to a song with a fun, danceable beat featuring a very cool guitar solo courtesy of the band's lead guitarist, David 'Malibu Davida' Arnson.
The next track, "Glamour Girls", is another awesome tune. It's got a sort of B-52s meets Lou Reed kind of vibe, with some very cool piano playing provided by guest musician, and the album's producer, Paul Roessler. The song conjures up images of a late 50s/early 60s beach scene with girls dancing a modified version of the twist to a tune about the beauties of the silver screen from that era, such as Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Loren, Bridget Bardot, Raquel Welch, and others. One of the things I love about the Barbarellatones are their lyrics. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they are sad, sometimes they are dark, sometimes they are beautiful, sometimes they are psychadelic, but always they are very descriptive and creative, and they bring all manner of vivid images floating before your mind's eye.
After "Glamour Girls" comes the somewhat psychadelic surf tune, "My Name Is Reef". This track has obvious Bowie influences, even mentioning Ziggy Stardust right from the get go. The Barbarellatones then completely change course with, "New Wave Days/New Wave Nights", an ode to the New Wave movement of the early 80s, even done in a New Wave style. I'm old enough that the lyrics, which mention things like the movie "Flashdance", leg warmers, the bands Wang Chung and Flock of Seagulls, actress Molly Ringwald, shoulder pads, the TV show "Miami Vice", and other stuff from that time, bring back a lot of memories. I love the line, "I'm so New Wave, there are zebra striped tears when I cry."
Following that track, The Barbarellatones again do a complete turn around with the song, "Whispers From Eternity". You'll want to whip out your hookahs for this one kids. The eerie sitar riffs by Sean 'Cyanide' Quine lend an Indian flavor to this great tune, but not like your typical Indian music, more of something I'd call Indian goth, because as I said it's eerie and a little dark, but I like it.
Next is the New York Dolls' song, "Bad Girl", which The Barbarellatones do a very nice job of covering. They then switch gears again with the quite humorous song, "I Don't Give A Damn!" It's a twangy southern style tune with some great honky tonk piano playing by Paul Roessler. The lyrics are hilarious, but I'm not going to give them away. You'll just have to listen to the song.
Most of the rest of the album is mellow, in a late 60s/early 70s kind of way. "Lonely Cat Lady" has lyrics that are funny, but sad at the same time. "Journey To The Mystic Mountain" is psychadelic, while "The Others" is beautiful, but melancholy.
Then comes "Nina Hagen", a tribute to the late 70s, German, punk rock star of the same name. She makes a cameo appearance in the song, as well. This track has a Velvet Underground feel to it. It's followed by the mid-tempo, groovy, gothic tune, "Chia Of Darkness". Unlike most goth music, this one has silly background vocals and funny lyrics about a Chia Pet gone bad. The Chia doesn't want water or mud, but instead has a thirst for blood. Even after it's euthanized and buried, it comes back as a zombie!
The final three tracks return to that mellow, late 60s, psychadelic kind of vibe. "Underwater DreamWorld (remix)" is a dreamy/nightmarish tune, enhanced with sonar blips, about a boy who falls overboard and encounters a mermaid, but also a world that is dark and cold. It's followed by the track, "Turquoise Daze", a mid-tempo song with mesmerizing guitar riffs. The final tune is "Valentine". It's a mellow track with a strong rhythm section provided by drummer Roy 'I Don't Shoot Blanks' Staley and bass player Eddie 'Munster' Fish. There's even something a bit Zeppelinish about it, as well.
Like I said earlier, The Barbarellatones may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you listen with an open mind I think a lot of you will find you like them. To give a listen to some of their other songs, check out the band's MySpace page, and you can find their CDs at CDBaby.com, where you can listen to the tracks from this release, too.
Review of:
The Barbarellatones'
"Not Dog...Snow-Lion" (2008)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on May 3, 2009
Tracks:
1. The Ballad Of Sex With Lurch
2. Glamour Girls
3. My Name Is Reef
4. New Wave Days/New Wave Nights
5. Whispers From Eternity
6. Bad Girls (N.Y. Dolls)
7. I Don't Give A Damn!
8. Lonely Cat Lady
9. Journey To The Mystic Mountain
10. The Others
11. Nina Hagen (featuring Nina Hagen)
12. Chia Of Darkness
13. Underwater DreamWorld (remix)
14. Turquoise Daze
15. Valentine
I was introduced to this band through MySpace and was immediately intrigued, as I always am when I hear something so new and innovative. The Barbarellatones combine their glam/goth/surf/punk fusion style of music with the theatrics of what they call "space slut B-movie themes", right down to cross-dressing for their stage performances (I assume their name is derived from the 1968 erotic sci-fi film starring Jane Fonda, entitled "Barbarella").
The band's listed musical influences include David Bowie, The Velvet Underground and The Cramps, but I could hear so much more in their music. While their music may not appeal to everyone, no one can deny their uniqueness! I myself enjoyed this CD, however. The first song, "The Ballad Of Sex With Lurch", brought a smile to my face as vocalist Robbie 'Revlon' Quine described his and bandmate, Electrolux's, modes of transportation as, "Drag queens on choppers," and, "Dykes on bikes," in a kind of early Lou Reed style. The quirky lyrics are sung to a song with a fun, danceable beat featuring a very cool guitar solo courtesy of the band's lead guitarist, David 'Malibu Davida' Arnson.
The next track, "Glamour Girls", is another awesome tune. It's got a sort of B-52s meets Lou Reed kind of vibe, with some very cool piano playing provided by guest musician, and the album's producer, Paul Roessler. The song conjures up images of a late 50s/early 60s beach scene with girls dancing a modified version of the twist to a tune about the beauties of the silver screen from that era, such as Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Loren, Bridget Bardot, Raquel Welch, and others. One of the things I love about the Barbarellatones are their lyrics. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they are sad, sometimes they are dark, sometimes they are beautiful, sometimes they are psychadelic, but always they are very descriptive and creative, and they bring all manner of vivid images floating before your mind's eye.
After "Glamour Girls" comes the somewhat psychadelic surf tune, "My Name Is Reef". This track has obvious Bowie influences, even mentioning Ziggy Stardust right from the get go. The Barbarellatones then completely change course with, "New Wave Days/New Wave Nights", an ode to the New Wave movement of the early 80s, even done in a New Wave style. I'm old enough that the lyrics, which mention things like the movie "Flashdance", leg warmers, the bands Wang Chung and Flock of Seagulls, actress Molly Ringwald, shoulder pads, the TV show "Miami Vice", and other stuff from that time, bring back a lot of memories. I love the line, "I'm so New Wave, there are zebra striped tears when I cry."
Following that track, The Barbarellatones again do a complete turn around with the song, "Whispers From Eternity". You'll want to whip out your hookahs for this one kids. The eerie sitar riffs by Sean 'Cyanide' Quine lend an Indian flavor to this great tune, but not like your typical Indian music, more of something I'd call Indian goth, because as I said it's eerie and a little dark, but I like it.
Next is the New York Dolls' song, "Bad Girl", which The Barbarellatones do a very nice job of covering. They then switch gears again with the quite humorous song, "I Don't Give A Damn!" It's a twangy southern style tune with some great honky tonk piano playing by Paul Roessler. The lyrics are hilarious, but I'm not going to give them away. You'll just have to listen to the song.
Most of the rest of the album is mellow, in a late 60s/early 70s kind of way. "Lonely Cat Lady" has lyrics that are funny, but sad at the same time. "Journey To The Mystic Mountain" is psychadelic, while "The Others" is beautiful, but melancholy.
Then comes "Nina Hagen", a tribute to the late 70s, German, punk rock star of the same name. She makes a cameo appearance in the song, as well. This track has a Velvet Underground feel to it. It's followed by the mid-tempo, groovy, gothic tune, "Chia Of Darkness". Unlike most goth music, this one has silly background vocals and funny lyrics about a Chia Pet gone bad. The Chia doesn't want water or mud, but instead has a thirst for blood. Even after it's euthanized and buried, it comes back as a zombie!
The final three tracks return to that mellow, late 60s, psychadelic kind of vibe. "Underwater DreamWorld (remix)" is a dreamy/nightmarish tune, enhanced with sonar blips, about a boy who falls overboard and encounters a mermaid, but also a world that is dark and cold. It's followed by the track, "Turquoise Daze", a mid-tempo song with mesmerizing guitar riffs. The final tune is "Valentine". It's a mellow track with a strong rhythm section provided by drummer Roy 'I Don't Shoot Blanks' Staley and bass player Eddie 'Munster' Fish. There's even something a bit Zeppelinish about it, as well.
Like I said earlier, The Barbarellatones may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you listen with an open mind I think a lot of you will find you like them. To give a listen to some of their other songs, check out the band's MySpace page, and you can find their CDs at CDBaby.com, where you can listen to the tracks from this release, too.
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Review of:
The Electric Wasted's
self-titled EP (May 2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on August 31, 2009
Tracks:
1. Sex and Violence
2. Dirty Land
3. Hot Skin
4. It's So Easy
CD cover and music provided courtesy of Nightrain Management
Review of:
The Electric Wasted's
self-titled EP (May 2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on August 31, 2009
Tracks:
1. Sex and Violence
2. Dirty Land
3. Hot Skin
4. It's So Easy
CD cover and music provided courtesy of Nightrain Management
This is the kind of band I love to come across. They just blow away the kind of stuff the mainstream record companies are pushing on us. The Electric Wasted, consisting of vocalist Dani Midnite, guitarist Charlie Rood, guitarist Mark, drummer J.E. Duclosson and bassist Sick prove that great sleaze rock can come from anywhere. This Spanish group, hailing from Barcelona, sites as one of their influences Guns N' Roses, and you can hear that in their music.
The first two tracks on the EP, "Sex and Violence" and "Dirty Land", are raucous high energy songs with a GN'R feel circa the Appetite For Destruction era. "Sex and Violence" is straight-up pure sleaze. The dual guitars give the band a full rich sound, while Dani's vocals really shine on the second track, "Dirty Land".
Another of the band's influences is The Cult, and the third song on the EP reflects that. "Hot Skin" has a flavor that takes you back to somewhere between the Love and Sonic Temple albums. Maybe that's why I like this band so much, because GN'R and The Cult are two of my favorite bands, especially their older music from back in the late 80s and early 90s.
The Electric Wasted finishes off their EP with a cover of GN'R's song "It's So Easy". It's always risky to cover a song by such an influential and huge band as Guns N' Roses, and since "It's So Easy" is one of my favorite songs I was very curious to hear this remake of it. I was pleased to hear that The Electric Wasted didn't merely try to imitate the song. They added their own flair to it, but did so in a way that doesn't take away from what makes the song so great in the first place. I very much enjoyed their cover of this song.
This group of musicians mesh well and their sound is very tight. It's clear that the band is quite talented and can write awesome songs. I have to say, this is one of the best CDs I've reviewed this year, and I can't wait to hear a full-length album from this band!
To hear these songs, you can visit the band's MySpace page. Also don't miss our interview with the band.
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Review of:
The RattleBones'
"Ready To Bite" (2008)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on June 2, 2009
CD cover design by Florian Jacot
Photo by Irina Garcia
Provided courtesy of The RattleBones
Tracks:
1. Sister Sinister
2. Don't Tell Me
3. Dynamite
4. Old Time
5. Rattlesnake Poison
6. Amy
7. RNR Back In Town
8. All Right
9. Hangin'
10. Delirious Night
11. Broken Bottle
12. Drunken Doctors
The RattleBones, a band out of Switzerland, have a winner on their hands with this first effort. This album is chock full of sleazy, good-time, straight-up rock 'n roll.
When the first song, "Sister Sinister", started to play I thought to myself, "Alright, there's some cool guitar riffage going on, and the guitar solo rocks." Then the next track, "Don't Tell Me", had me thinking, "This is some cool biker rock." The tune has some cool switches and more great guitar work, courtesy of Diego, the band's lead guitarist. The following song, "Dynamite", is a fast-paced rocker with another killer guitar solo and some awesome drumming by Beni. The track has a bit of a Motorhead feel to it, partly due to Roy's vocals which are slightly reminiscent of Lemmy's, although not quite as gruff. The sleazy tune "Old Time" comes next. It's got a nice bass riff provided by Jo.
However, although those songs are pretty cool, the rest of the album is what really grabbed my attention. As it went on I had a little party in my head. It's just so much fun! The tunes "Rattlesnake Poison", "Hangin' ", "Delirious Night", "All Right" and "Broken Bottle" are all very cool straight ahead rock 'n roll songs, with the latter two being a couple of my favorite tracks from this album. "Broken Bottle" has fun lyrics that put a silly ass grin on my face, and the combined guitar and sax solo (sax played by Jo) is fantastic, a very unique thing to hear in a rock 'n roll song. The tunes "Drunken Doctors" and "RNR Back In Town" are both fast-paced rockers. "Drunken Doctors" also has fun lyrics that kept that goofy grin on my face, and "RNR Back In Town" has a great bass riff and an awesome guitar solo that verges on Southern rock. Another of my favorite tracks is "Amy", an ultra sleazy acoustic number with some killer guitar playing and those whiskey drenched vocals by Roy. It's nice to have a great acoustic song on an album instead of a sappy ballad. I love it!
I highly suggest you go by The RattleBones' MySpace page and take a listen to their songs for yourself. I think you'll like what you hear. This is a young band with quite a bit of promise. I look forward to hearing what this band puts out next.
Review of:
The RattleBones'
"Ready To Bite" (2008)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on June 2, 2009
CD cover design by Florian Jacot
Photo by Irina Garcia
Provided courtesy of The RattleBones
Tracks:
1. Sister Sinister
2. Don't Tell Me
3. Dynamite
4. Old Time
5. Rattlesnake Poison
6. Amy
7. RNR Back In Town
8. All Right
9. Hangin'
10. Delirious Night
11. Broken Bottle
12. Drunken Doctors
The RattleBones, a band out of Switzerland, have a winner on their hands with this first effort. This album is chock full of sleazy, good-time, straight-up rock 'n roll.
When the first song, "Sister Sinister", started to play I thought to myself, "Alright, there's some cool guitar riffage going on, and the guitar solo rocks." Then the next track, "Don't Tell Me", had me thinking, "This is some cool biker rock." The tune has some cool switches and more great guitar work, courtesy of Diego, the band's lead guitarist. The following song, "Dynamite", is a fast-paced rocker with another killer guitar solo and some awesome drumming by Beni. The track has a bit of a Motorhead feel to it, partly due to Roy's vocals which are slightly reminiscent of Lemmy's, although not quite as gruff. The sleazy tune "Old Time" comes next. It's got a nice bass riff provided by Jo.
However, although those songs are pretty cool, the rest of the album is what really grabbed my attention. As it went on I had a little party in my head. It's just so much fun! The tunes "Rattlesnake Poison", "Hangin' ", "Delirious Night", "All Right" and "Broken Bottle" are all very cool straight ahead rock 'n roll songs, with the latter two being a couple of my favorite tracks from this album. "Broken Bottle" has fun lyrics that put a silly ass grin on my face, and the combined guitar and sax solo (sax played by Jo) is fantastic, a very unique thing to hear in a rock 'n roll song. The tunes "Drunken Doctors" and "RNR Back In Town" are both fast-paced rockers. "Drunken Doctors" also has fun lyrics that kept that goofy grin on my face, and "RNR Back In Town" has a great bass riff and an awesome guitar solo that verges on Southern rock. Another of my favorite tracks is "Amy", an ultra sleazy acoustic number with some killer guitar playing and those whiskey drenched vocals by Roy. It's nice to have a great acoustic song on an album instead of a sappy ballad. I love it!
I highly suggest you go by The RattleBones' MySpace page and take a listen to their songs for yourself. I think you'll like what you hear. This is a young band with quite a bit of promise. I look forward to hearing what this band puts out next.
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Review of:
T.Y.R.'s
"All Comes Down To You"
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on March 15, 2009
CD cover/photo provided courtesy of
the Allyson Crawford Agency for T.Y.R.
1. Are You Lonely
2. Looking Out For Number One
3. Tell Me No Lies
4. City of Angels
5. Too Late Now
6. Fight For Your Right To Rock
7. Running From Love
8. Heartbreak Hotel
9. Without You (bonus demo track)
When people think 80s hair metal they usually think of L.A. But, there were some other hotbeds of great rock 'n' roll back then. One such place was the San Francisco area, which produced bands like the Sea Hags, Jetboy, Vain and this band, T.Y.R. Unlike the first three bands, you've probably never heard of T.Y.R. if you didn't live along the west coast back in the day. Although they played extensively up and down the California coastline, they never quite made the big time.
Retrospect Records is giving everyone another shot at hearing this melodic hard rock band by presenting this digitally remastered "best of" release. With T.Y.R. you get the standard 80s fare of straight forward hard rock in the same sub-genre as bands like Y&T, Black 'N Blue, or Rough Cutt. Joel Valentine's vocals shine throughout, especially those moments when he reveals his vocal range, and Gregg Michaels guitar work is as good as most any of the more well known guitarists of the day.
This album is chock full of head bangin', hard rockin' tunes, and even includes the requisite power ballad with the bonus demo track, "Without You" (no, it's not a cover of the Motley Crue song of the same name). One track that surprised me was their cover of Heartbreak Hotel. It's always risky to cover such a well known song that was done by such a giant in music as Elvis Presley. But, T.Y.R. took the song and rocked it up making it quite enjoyable!
Listening to this album was like hopping into a time machine and going back to the mid to late 80s. I could just smell the Aqua Net wafting through the room. For fans of 80s hair metal, this album is definitely worth a listen. For more info, visit the band's MySpace page.
Review of:
T.Y.R.'s
"All Comes Down To You"
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on March 15, 2009
CD cover/photo provided courtesy of
the Allyson Crawford Agency for T.Y.R.
1. Are You Lonely
2. Looking Out For Number One
3. Tell Me No Lies
4. City of Angels
5. Too Late Now
6. Fight For Your Right To Rock
7. Running From Love
8. Heartbreak Hotel
9. Without You (bonus demo track)
When people think 80s hair metal they usually think of L.A. But, there were some other hotbeds of great rock 'n' roll back then. One such place was the San Francisco area, which produced bands like the Sea Hags, Jetboy, Vain and this band, T.Y.R. Unlike the first three bands, you've probably never heard of T.Y.R. if you didn't live along the west coast back in the day. Although they played extensively up and down the California coastline, they never quite made the big time.
Retrospect Records is giving everyone another shot at hearing this melodic hard rock band by presenting this digitally remastered "best of" release. With T.Y.R. you get the standard 80s fare of straight forward hard rock in the same sub-genre as bands like Y&T, Black 'N Blue, or Rough Cutt. Joel Valentine's vocals shine throughout, especially those moments when he reveals his vocal range, and Gregg Michaels guitar work is as good as most any of the more well known guitarists of the day.
This album is chock full of head bangin', hard rockin' tunes, and even includes the requisite power ballad with the bonus demo track, "Without You" (no, it's not a cover of the Motley Crue song of the same name). One track that surprised me was their cover of Heartbreak Hotel. It's always risky to cover such a well known song that was done by such a giant in music as Elvis Presley. But, T.Y.R. took the song and rocked it up making it quite enjoyable!
Listening to this album was like hopping into a time machine and going back to the mid to late 80s. I could just smell the Aqua Net wafting through the room. For fans of 80s hair metal, this album is definitely worth a listen. For more info, visit the band's MySpace page.
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