The Embrooks "We Who Are" out soon!

It may be December but there are still a bunch of what are sure to be ace records still to be released in 2018. For instance, the debut lp by AMOR isn't out till the 14th of December. Also released that day is the latest collection of fuzz-fried firecrackers from Folkestone's freakbeat faves, The Embrooks, If the teaser clip is any guide, "We Who Are" will be a worthy addition to the group's flawless discography:

"We Who Are" is coming out on the group's own State Records which recently released the insanely pounding "The World's End" by The Dirty Contacts:




I love Mr Rees's offhanded rasp and the solo halfway through scorches like it was played on a flamethrower. Essential!

Straight outta Denmark - The Youth

State Records are the truest of true believers in the sounds and ways of the guitar pop world from 1965 to 1969.  Whether it's through the records they release or sell*, there's no doubting where their passions lie. The next installment in their increasingly brilliant run of singles (remember how great that fizzing recent single by The Thanes was?) comes from scorching new Danish group The Youth.  "I'll Call Your Bluff" has a guitar sound to slacken the jaw and a vocal that is completely saturated with feeling, plus, and it's a big plus, you can dance to it.  It's so much more than a faded facsimile of the Euro-beat greats of the past.  It has too much heart for that.  "You've Done Me Wrong" on the reverse has a more overt R&B flavour to it.  It, too, should come in handy for DJs looking to tempt Chelsea boots onto the dancefloor.  The 7" is penciled in for an October release.  Only 500 copies - the first 250 with a numbered postcard - of this colossal 45 are being pressed so pre-ordering is a must.  When the time comes, get on it!



* The discerning record buyer is urged to visit their Mbrooks Mporium ebay store where the first single by The Youth is still in stock. Also still available is The Embrooks' "Jack"  7" on which you'll find their blistering take on The Barrier's "Dawn Breaks Through" which somehow manages to outdo the original for sheer power.  Skeptics are advised to check out this post on the astute Flower Bomb Songs blog to judge for themselves.

Update:
Krister Bladh over at Record Turnover has written some great words on it (and the new Paul Messis single) here. Check it out!

The Thanes "She's Coming Back To Me" (State)

Just a few weeks ago I was looking at the picture of the young Lenny Helsing in Sam Knee's "A Scene In Between" (Cicada) envying his ace garage band 'do and then he goes and releases the ALIVE, in-the-moment blast of The Thanes' "She's Coming Back To Me" (State Records) and now I'm envying him all over again.  Just listen to that burst of scrambled, post-McGuinn jazziness at around 1 minute and 27 seconds and tell me that it doesn't make you want to punch the air with sheer delight; so unexpected, so wild, so vital.  The Thanes have cut hit after hit in their two and a bit decades and "She's Coming Back To Me" ranks alongside the best of them.  For some reason the riff reminds me of the start of the Crossroads theme which is no bad thing - it just adds period colour.  I hope The Thanes play somewhere in the Central Belt (of Scotland) real soon so that I can go a little bit loopy - inside, of course - nobody really wants to see a middle-aged man pogoing about like a loon! - when they play it.