Del Black Aloha
by The Vandelles

The Vandelles' sound combines elements of psych rock, surf rock, shoegaze, and even dashes of pop and metal. The unifying element is love of the entire breadth of sounds which an electric guitar can be coaxed into making. Distortion, effects and layered guitars dominate their sound. Some songs are almost lyric-free, in the style of classic surf-rock tracks, while most others apply heavy reverb and push the lyrics back in the mix. The rhythm section is there, but only occasionally does it draw attention to itself. Then again, there is an unusual amount of tambourine for a rock album, and on occasion the drums are right up front with the guitars. Let's just say that The Vandelles definitely have an identifiable style, but their music is not as limited as this might suggest, because they can bring different aspects of that style to bear on different songs.

Del Black Aloha captures the band's live sound unusually well.  Aside from the vocals on some tracks, these songs really sound the same when performed live. Just like their live shows, they have pushed their instruments beyond the limits of their equipment, which is why the audio is clipped like crazy on some tracks.  On a more subtle note, the first track ("Dash'n'Dive") begins with a steady drumbeat to which a repeated guitar phrase is added, joined a few seconds later by the beat of a tambourine.  It's the sort of trick a band might use to open a show, having one instrument join in at a time to build suspense (or perhaps just as they happen to finish tuning) then launching into a fast-paced opener.

After this high-speed intro the album gradually pulls back on the throttle. "Get Down" is catchy enough, and the mid-tempo "Lovely Weather" is absolutely thrilling.  The band dabbles in metal riffs on both the plodding "Roving Rex" and the punchier "Going Downtown."  The former is an experiment in tempo changes, the later in dissonance.  These two tracks are definitely a matter of taste.  Also in my personal "pass" pile is track eight, "Blue LA Strip."  The basic elements of a song are present: lyrics, guitar, bass, kick drum (only), and somebody's snapping fingers.  They just seem thrown together rather than properly mixed to make a song.  Another experiment?

Fortunately, the latter half of the album is strong.  The lyrics of "Chain Walking" could fit into any classic surf ballad, but the soaring guitars and reverb-drenched vocals bring it to another level.  Solid tracks from their previous EPs such as the Ravonettes-esque "Fever of the Beat" and the nihilistic surf anthem "Die for it Cowboy" are mixed in with their best new material including the catchy Ventures-influenced "Bomb the Surf," the heavy and hypnotic "Bad Volcano," and "California Killer," a song which suggests both The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Halfway to Crazy" and The Rivieras' "California Sun."

In my opinion The Vandelles are at their best when they emphasize the surf-rock aspects of their music, perhaps because the style is more focused than songcraft than experimenting with noise.  It is too easy to make music which is interesting but not good.  The Vandelles are almost always good, and are often brilliant, but sometimes they're just not rockin' enough for my tastes. Since about half of Del Black Aloha is brilliant I can certainly recommend the album, but I suspect that most listeners will skip a song here and there just like I do.

The version of Del Black Aloha which we reviewed is the "limited edition" from early 2009.  The final edition might have a different track list.

Reviewer: Marcus Lauer

Smoke Signals
by Heavy Hands

Brooklyn rockers Heavy Hands play a style of psych-rock which is more aggressive than the typical shoegaze music which is so prevalent in modern psychedelia. A combination of small band size (just three members), a love of 70's hard rock sounds, and powerful drum work combine to form an unusually heavy but well-defined sound. It's psych-rock influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly and Kyuss.

Most of the best tracks, such as "Black Heart" and "Can't See Thru," pick up the tempo from the get-go.  Others embark with an intro which is either mellower ("3 Days Gone") or spacey ("From Stonehenge to Saturn") before picking up the pace.  That is not to say that Smoke Signals is only good when the band is playing fast.  "See-saw" features a second percussionist and the best groove on the album.  It may well be the best song as well.  No song on the album is truly weak, though the vocals on "I Stand Accused" compete with rather than complement the music.  Then there's "No. 6," the high-minded track which is a bit of a mess.  Yet even this, the weakest track on the album, is still not half bad.

Minor quibbles aside, Smoke Signals is an excellent album and is definitely recommended by this reviewer.

Reviewer: Marcus Lauer

The First One
by Baby Shakes

The Baby Shakes have a musical style which will really take you back.The lyrics on their first album, called The First One (by them, not I), distinctly suggest a 50's or 60's girl group. The music and vocal style suggest at times 50's pop, 60's garage-rock and 70's proto-punk, but with consistently faster tempos. The end result is something like a fusion of the Go-Gos or Cheap Trick with the rock-n-roll sounds of old. Or perhaps like a Nikki and the Corvettes 45 played an RPM or two faster.

There is not a single song on the album which isn't breezy and catchy.  You wouldn't think that such unabashedly perky music would be a good fit for songs about, say, bad relationships ("Love Machine," "What Can You Do?"), but strangely even this works rather well.  And yes, you could dance to this music as surely as you could rock around the clock.   All this catchiness does come at a price: each song sounds fairly similar to every other song. There are no real ballads, no musical experiments, just mid-tempo and faster pop confections.  The best songs ("Ooh La Love," "Come On, Babe") are near the end of the album, so let's just say that if you didn't like the first couple of songs, "The First One" probably isn't for you.

Not recommended for individuals with a low tolerance for perkiness or treble. Everyone else might just like this stuff.

Reviewer: Marcus Lauer

Giants of Love / Sidewalkin' 7" single
by Another Saturday Night

Local band Another Saturday Night has a sound which shifts from hard rockin' proto-punk to straight-up rock-n-roll to soulful near-ballads.  They have been aptly compared to early Rolling Stones and the New York Dolls. However, they prefer the label "pinky rock," tracing their own roots back to Chuck Berry and beyond, to the sounds of the Chicago Blues.

Their debut single focuses on the soulful side of the band's sound.  "Giants of Love" starts with a catchy beat and builds to an unexpectedly intense finish without busting anyone's ears.  You'd never guess from listening to the first two verses that the song would end with a near poetry reading.  It is quite a treat.  "Sidewalkin'" keeps a slow and heavy groove going for 4:30.  It's music to cruise to, maybe music to reminisce to.  Not bad, but it's the B-side for a reason.  Weak backing vocals yank the listener out of that cruisin' mindset and focus their attention on the quality of the recording.  The song itself is not strong enough to overcome the distraction.

Reviewer: Marcus Lauer