Ari & Uzi – ‘If We Were All
Suddenly Someone Else’ (Anchorhouse Records)
Ari & Uzi
are David Hinkle and Brian Smith, a very lo-fi duo who made this record in their
dorm room. It's simple and very four track sounding. I have to admit, I was
bored with it at times. Overall though, it's an honest effort full of some nice
melodies and emotional lyrics. The production could be a little better, but it's
one of those records you can tell was worked on with a lot of heart. I enjoyed
the drum machine backed "Good Nights in Milan", which I found this to be the
standout track of this record. One thing I really liked was the guitars on
pretty much all the songs here. They were quite beautiful. If you dig lo-fi/4track
indie rock, you may wanna pick this up and give it a shot. (Eddie Fleisher)
The Black Halos – ‘Alive
Without Control’ (Liquor And Poker Music)
I
was excited to hear this disc after reading about the Halos influences. They
include The Stooges, The Dead Boys, Johnny Thunders and The New York Dolls
according to the liner notes. I’m a big Thunders/Dolls fan and you can’t go
wrong with the Stooges. The cover also reminded me of ‘Damage’ by Black Flag. I
was pretty disappointed on hearing the disc. I don’t really see those
influences. I think they sound a lot like Face To Face. It sounds like “pop
punk” to me. A lot of the songs sound too much alike. That works for The Ramones
but not The Black Halos. There is a good vocal mix and the music is played well
but doesn’t have a distinctive style. The best cuts on the disc are “Mirrorman”
and “Tight”. “Mirrorman” is a slower song and reminds me of CKY. “Tight” is just
a flat out rocker and more songs like this would have made me happy. There is
also a cover of Tom Petty’s “I Need To Know”. If you are a fan of what passes
for punk today you will like this disc. If you want to get this for the listed
influences you should think twice. (James Snyder)
This
is a reissue of Roky’s second official post-13th Floor Elevators
album, and all I can say is it’s an absolutely essential slab o’ rock. If
you’re not familiar with the legendary Mr. Erickson, this is as good a place to
start as any. All the hallmarks of Roky’s post-Elevators sound are here: the
intense, almost possessed vocals, the idiosyncratic lyrics, the electric
autoharp playing of Bill Miller, and the lead guitar work of Duane Aslaksen
(joined here by a few guest axe slingers). The first three tunes, (“Don’t
Slander Me”, “Haunt”, and “Crazy Crazy Mama”) find Roky in revved up rock n
roll/blues mode. “Nothing in Return” is one of Erickson’s finest ballads,
perhaps topped only by “Starry Eyes” which shows up later on the album. “Burn
the Flames” is a creepy sounding slow tune that’ll send shivers down your spine,
and “Bermuda” is some good old fashioned hard rock with some of my favorite Roky
lyrics. And on “Can’t Be Brought Down” Roky combines his hard rock and
traditional rock n roll sides nicely for another classic tune. The other tracks
are solid as well, but those are the highlights. Roky is a true original, and
it’s a damn shame that personal (mental) problems have kept him from making more
music. Aside from live albums and some demo recordings, Roky has only released
one other official album since this originally came out in the mid eighties
(1995’s ‘All That May Do My Rhyme’). If you value good songwriting and artists
who have a unique and personal voice, do yourself a favor and pick this up.
(Bob Ignizio)
This is
kinda late seventies punk/wave (think Television) mixed with mid-late eighties
guitar driven alterna rock (think Sonic Youth and Husker Du). Great hooks,
music that adds interesting touches but not at the expense of the songs, and not
one but two really good lead vocalists, one male and one female. It’s
definitely too quirky (not to mention too hard rocking) to be labeled power pop,
but not so much so as to be inaccessible. The band plays with real passion,
too, something lacking in a lot of retro influenced bands I hear who come across
to me as more interested in recapturing a particular sound than expressing
anything personal. It’s the difference between being influenced by something
and doing a pastiche. Even a really good pastiche is always going to pale in
comparison to the original. Full Wave Rectifier can stand on their own. You
can get more info and order the CD at
http://www.fullwaverectifier.com/.
(Bob Ignizio)
Ari & Uzi
are David Hinkle and Brian Smith, a very lo-fi duo who made this record in their
dorm room. It's simple and very four track sounding. I have to admit, I was
bored with it at times. Overall though, it's an honest effort full of some nice
melodies and emotional lyrics. The production could be a little better, but it's
one of those records you can tell was worked on with a lot of heart. I enjoyed
the drum machine backed "Good Nights in Milan", which I found this to be the
standout track of this record. One thing I really liked was the guitars on
pretty much all the songs here. They were quite beautiful. If you dig lo-fi/4track
indie rock, you may wanna pick this up and give it a shot. (Eddie Fleisher)
I
was excited to hear this disc after reading about the Halos influences. They
include The Stooges, The Dead Boys, Johnny Thunders and The New York Dolls
according to the liner notes. I’m a big Thunders/Dolls fan and you can’t go
wrong with the Stooges. The cover also reminded me of ‘Damage’ by Black Flag. I
was pretty disappointed on hearing the disc. I don’t really see those
influences. I think they sound a lot like Face To Face. It sounds like “pop
punk” to me. A lot of the songs sound too much alike. That works for The Ramones
but not The Black Halos. There is a good vocal mix and the music is played well
but doesn’t have a distinctive style. The best cuts on the disc are “Mirrorman”
and “Tight”. “Mirrorman” is a slower song and reminds me of CKY. “Tight” is just
a flat out rocker and more songs like this would have made me happy. There is
also a cover of Tom Petty’s “I Need To Know”. If you are a fan of what passes
for punk today you will like this disc. If you want to get this for the listed
influences you should think twice. (James Snyder)
This
is a reissue of Roky’s second official post-13th Floor Elevators
album, and all I can say is it’s an absolutely essential slab o’ rock. If
you’re not familiar with the legendary Mr. Erickson, this is as good a place to
start as any. All the hallmarks of Roky’s post-Elevators sound are here: the
intense, almost possessed vocals, the idiosyncratic lyrics, the electric
autoharp playing of Bill Miller, and the lead guitar work of Duane Aslaksen
(joined here by a few guest axe slingers). The first three tunes, (“Don’t
Slander Me”, “Haunt”, and “Crazy Crazy Mama”) find Roky in revved up rock n
roll/blues mode. “Nothing in Return” is one of Erickson’s finest ballads,
perhaps topped only by “Starry Eyes” which shows up later on the album. “Burn
the Flames” is a creepy sounding slow tune that’ll send shivers down your spine,
and “Bermuda” is some good old fashioned hard rock with some of my favorite Roky
lyrics. And on “Can’t Be Brought Down” Roky combines his hard rock and
traditional rock n roll sides nicely for another classic tune. The other tracks
are solid as well, but those are the highlights. Roky is a true original, and
it’s a damn shame that personal (mental) problems have kept him from making more
music. Aside from live albums and some demo recordings, Roky has only released
one other official album since this originally came out in the mid eighties
(1995’s ‘All That May Do My Rhyme’). If you value good songwriting and artists
who have a unique and personal voice, do yourself a favor and pick this up.
(Bob Ignizio)
This is
kinda late seventies punk/wave (think Television) mixed with mid-late eighties
guitar driven alterna rock (think Sonic Youth and Husker Du). Great hooks,
music that adds interesting touches but not at the expense of the songs, and not
one but two really good lead vocalists, one male and one female. It’s
definitely too quirky (not to mention too hard rocking) to be labeled power pop,
but not so much so as to be inaccessible. The band plays with real passion,
too, something lacking in a lot of retro influenced bands I hear who come across
to me as more interested in recapturing a particular sound than expressing
anything personal. It’s the difference between being influenced by something
and doing a pastiche. Even a really good pastiche is always going to pale in
comparison to the original. Full Wave Rectifier can stand on their own. You
can get more info and order the CD at
