The only thing that can make William Burroughs creepier is to white out his eyes, and Acid Baby Jesus right away gets points for this punk rock cut up sleeve, de-eyeing Mr. Naked Lunch. Acid Baby Jesus might even be from something penned, or cut out by Bill...I wouldn't be surprised.
As for the first track, from "Hospitals" this is a dirty feedbacking garage effort with a bit of that Cramps creepy attitude. I think basically we're dealing with the best kind of punk garage energy from a 4 piece. Recorded in a thousand year old garage in Greece, proving that yet again, give me a blind garage test and I'd never guess it originated here. Greece is having some pretty massive political and financial problems and not to say this release has anything to do with that, but I could see a lot of bands springing up out of the ashes of the social unrest there.
This track has a huge surf reverb melody against the driving every other snare hit beat. Big delay distortion and snotty vocals that comes off like anything in the heart of Nashville for gods sake.
"It's on Me" seems to have a dirge horn sound that I'm starting to think is a distorted guitar? This gritty distortion has so much texture as it slowly vibrates through the wave form, it starts to turn into a low horn sound. There's some great Jacuzzi Boys style guitar lines, and they aren't pushing the tempo's like the boys either...it's a long distance run to the finish. Like a slowed down Bass Drum of Death with a phantom horn, created by a demon guitar. I really can't explain it, could be completely wrong. It's that sort of weirdness combined with the straight ahead garage punk that's going creepy places. Some messed up synth or piano banging rhtyhm brings this side to a close.
The B-Side, "Losing it" gets even slower, almost a ballad, or country western feel, with the surf garage underpinnings. There's a great endless reverb on the vocal where someone hits a decay button for a second and that part of the vocal goes on forever, twisting the knobs faster, slower. He's "losing it" vocally as well.
Get it from Slovenly Records, who have a ton more stuff I have to investigate.
Slovenly proudly kicks off 2011 with a monster 45 by Greek freak-scene Acid Baby Jesus! Vibrating from Athens, the most ancient depth of the garage swamp, this lysergic squad has delivered a three track psych-punk single that'll turn your speakers into ruinous rubble! The discus opens with "Hospitals," a classic stomper with an incredibly hooky vocal driven by a wailing riff overloaded with reverb, twang, fuzz and echo: a truly supreme anthem that ouzos with loud-fidelity wizardry. The single's single, and equally stellar as "Hospitals", "It's On Me" has a brilliantly trippy video directed by acclaimed Greek cinematography team BLICKER. The B-side, "Losing It," moseys forth with a hypnotic country stroll that seems to slide right off the wax with warped organ lines, desperate vocals and a criminally cerebral and percussive arrangement. A remarkable debut from this brand new band. Full length in the works.
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