Showing posts with label bachelor records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bachelor records. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Parrots - "Loving You Is Hard" on Bachelor Records


Is this some sort of Cramps swamp rock? A vampire echo Deadbolt? Down in the lab monster mash? No, I'll bet these three guys from Madrid just like getting drunk and dressing up like maniacs for their single covers. The Parrots are a raw, stripped down garage vocal harmony sound and attitude that's part Natural Child and part Hunx and the Punk.

A-Side's "Loving You is Hard" has that swinging garage sound with all kinds of treble hiss. The reverb is huge on these vocals and snotty and like King Khan with a goofy weird attitude paying homage to the original sound and also prying it apart into sticky, sugary chunks. The background screaming acting like backup vocalists never did, kicking and screaming their way to the front. It's an optimistic party sound that should be played on the open deck of a cruise boat, drinks in hand and pattered shirts - or none at all. A regular jabbing beat, with those vocals buried in distortion and echo except 'oh baby' and 'Wooooooo!!!' The jangle expands in this middle section to add even looser, rawkus guitars with a slow picking strum that leaves you thinking, man that was a long minute and a half.

B-Side's "I Am A Man" opens with a bass line lead in that huge 13th floor elevator reverb echo from "You're gonna miss me". Diego on vocals has more distortion all over this lead and those guitars are heavy in the back working on the lower end competing with the frantic vocals trying to get each other more wound up. Who's going to be the center of this track? Take your pick, they switch off with insanity. A brief pause toning things down to a warm slow warble this rest isn't nearly enough. Really intense and wild, a sort of unhinged sound like Screaming Jay Hawkins, and all those bending blues sounds that made some kind of deal with the supernatural.

Get this from Bachelor Records - import only or check your usual distro's. These guys also carry a Mess Folk full length I've never seen anywhere...worth the airmail.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Japanther / The Pharmacy split on Bachelor Records


Caught Japanther this past Friday at their record release party for Rock and Roll Ice Cream, it was insanity as usual, although I think they benefit from a nonconventional space. They won me over one day a long time back opening for Death from Above at Club Exit, since then I've caught them in backyards and basements and they're always amazing. I'm into the recordings but they really can't capture what a manic fun fest they are, just those two guys kicking all kinds of ass. The super fans make the show even more entertaining, getting on stage singing along diving into the inevitable pit, kicking the house lights. It's nice to feel a tiny bit in danger watching rock and roll. I also insanely appreciated them playing an entire Unwound album before they went on while Ian stood off to the side air drumming along.
The Pharmacy on the B-Side are groovily rocking the slightly distorted vocals, jangly garage in the vein of the Jacuzzi Boys, it's not frantically convincing, it's just going to slowly win you over. Like the patient garage pop of the Mantles... with hammond organ, huge room drums, classic sounding almost psych...they focus on the smooth reverb sound, heavy on pop hippie vocals and soul? Yeah, I'd agree with that.
They'll be in town at the Cedar house April 2nd and then DBA in May...who knows, maybe they'll have copies of this split there....
This red hot slab of wax was recorded in the desert whilst on a shared U.S. tour. JAPANTHER (Brooklyn, NY) let loose a trashy version of their anti love/anti war number "Not At War." A song that captures the duos true Ramonesy/Germish brat-pop style to a T. THE PHARMACY (Seattle, WA) fire back with "What Are You Doing With Your Life" an upbeat epic complete with piano hooks and breakdowns. Some where between Nirvana and Otis Redding these three smiling friends kick out good poppy punk anthems with a tinge of soul.
On Bachelor Records, which unfortunately is based out of Austria accepting the Euro, but they have a bunch of other great stuff, so it just might be worth splurging for some sweet imports I haven't seen anywhere.

Checking out their blogspot they just posted this old out of print single for free, so you can go check that out if you're so inclined.