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 ownState Recordswhich 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!
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 releaseor 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!
Last weekend had long been reserved in Not Unloved's calendar for The Big Stramash so it was a real disappointment when it was postponed, no doubt due to a waterlogged pitch (this being Scotland after all!). The Wee Stramash that took its place on Friday night, however, still featured at least one band worth zipping along the M8 for: The Higher State. Any group featuring former members of The Embrooks and The Mystreatedhad to be worth a peek and so it proved. With the young Ray Davies on bass (or was it Richard or Thomas Frost?) and a Carnaby St. croupier on drums (former Embrook, Mole) they chimed and jangled their way through a dozen or so 60s rooted pop winners that got the winklepickers tapping and cheered the soul. Their friend and label-mate Paul Messis stood to their left manning the merchandising boutique, swaying and looking for all the world like a young Chris Montez at his most dapper. I left with 3 of his singles as well as The Higher State's most recent cd. It's particularly pleasing to finally have this perky slice of period perfect jangle on 7" vinyl after having enjoyed the YouTube clip for so long:
Inexplicably, the two local groups who supported, Uncle Dad and the even worse named Dick Dangerous and The Love Bastards, seemed to find more favour with the local audience. Both were less easy on the eye than The Higher State - a bearded saxophonist in black three quarter length cargo pants is never acceptable - and considerably rawer. Still, the singer from Dick D did sport eyebrows like little orbit quiffs and Uncle Dad did serviceable rawhide renditions of songs by The Cramps and The Honeycombs and it's always a treat to see people actually dancing while groups are playing. The only real down-side of the evening was spotting on a discarded setlist that The Higher State had been planning to end on Southwest F.O.B.'s timeless "The Smell of Incense"but couldn't due to the organisers calling time. I'm sure that would've been quite something.
