The Uptight - The Uptight (Off The Hip Records 2003)

Surely they are the sons of Bo-Weevils…! Ok, this is obviously not true but The Uptight are as fab as The Bo-Weevils were in their first recordings, especially in “The Vortex Took Them” mini-album in 1987. I believe what I just mentioned is more than enough for the Cavemen and Cavegurls who like the Bo-Weevils… For the rest, I only have to say that this is one of the best garage punk albums that came from Australia the last years. Top songs of the album, which includes 12 in overall are “Fun”, “Stop Stop A Go Go” (great shakin instro), “Among The Flowers” (moody songs that reminds me of the Vietnam Veterans!), “Can’t Dig That Scene” (BFTG punker). Dig the fuzz!    -Source

There's a fine line between inspired borrowing and parody, after repeated listenings it's not clear which side of it these guys and gal are on.
The Uptight are a Farfisa-driven, '60s punk outfit from Sydney who are cartoonish clods rather than authentic, Voxx-toting, pudding-bowl haircut-wearing wannabe throwbacks. That isn't neccesarilly a bad thing: Being authentic for authentic's sake sometimes carries with it a lack of heart. The Uptiight's ranks are filled by veterans of a myriad of garage/'60s punk/frat band acts who probably have almost as many Nuggets/Pebbles/Back From The Grave/Boulders/Mindrocker compilations in their collections as Greg Shaw.
Best description of the bloodlines is to say The Uptight are close relatives of Sheek the Shayk but that's where the comparison ends. In The Uptight's world, the fuzz quotient is turned right down on most tracks (with the exception of "But Then One Day", "It's True" and "Return to Pismo", the latter boasting the much-travelled Steven Danno guesting on, uh, Pismo guitar). Gigi Rydell's prominent keyboards gives The Uptight a distinctive feel that few bands on the local scene are using.
Vocals are a shared assignment between guitarist Phillip Wigglesworth (if I told you his real name, I'd have to kill you) and Gigi. Herr Wigglesworth plays it for larfs, pushing the envelope on a song like "The Man in the Green Fez", which sounds like the late, departed Thurston Howlers reprising a bad '60s spy thriller's theme music, and "It's True".
Camped up as it is, it works for me in a weird sort of way (but I've been listening to way too much '60s punk stuff lately). Bottom line is that many of those '60s garage bands were inept 15-year-olds with Beatles/Stones pretensions and just enough or Dad's money in their pockets to buy a reel-of-tape and a bus ride to a pressing plant. The Uptight aren't taking things as seriously as that and assessed on that level, this is an enjoyable enough trip.    -The Barman

 The Uptight - The Uptight (Off The Hip Records 2003) FLAC    320

 Enjoy!

The Deadvikings - Electric Demon (Zodiac Killer Records 2012)

High energy R`n`R !!! from JPN !!

 

They might not be Japan’s most prolific rock and roll band but The Deadvikings’ two full-length albums each pack a considerable punch. This one dates from early in their 11-year history and delivers their Hellacopters style jams in spade-loads.

The Deadvikings toured last year’s “Libertatia” in Australia - well, in Sydney - and they're back in 2018, confusingly pushing their first CD from 10 years ago. Ours is not to reason why... 

"Electric Demon" has some wayward moments (the ragged "The Ripper" and the low-key opening title track, which sounds underdone) but for the most part, it's surging high-energy rock songs. They're clearly in the thrall of the 'Copters and their Scandi Rock contemporaries, but this is hardly a bad thing when done right. 

The Deadvikings have a bit of groove in their songs and when it kicks in on a brash MC5-style barn-burner like "(Baby) Let's Do The Twist", it clicks. "The Song For Deadbeat" is another place where guitar pyrotechnics lock in with the pliable but powerful engine room and generate sparks. Vocalist Ken Deadviking sings in English and has a passable guitar player's voice, but his intertwining interplay with six-string partner Shogo Deadviking is where the action is. 

"I Will Save Rock and Roll" sounds like a response to the Dictators - and it might just be. Ken's vocal finds its furtherest limit, but there's no mistaking the intent of the straffing guitar licks and riffs. These Western ears also love an accented lyric that celebrates "lock and loll".   

It's a pity The Deadvikings' second Australian visit isn't taking them further afield than Sydney (the dates are here) because there's a broader audience for the Rock Action that they're selling, even if their level of touring doesn't pay handsomely these days. Catch them if you can and pick up a copy of this...    -The Barman

I usually expect the grimier side of the rock’n’roll spectrum from Zodiac Killer records. This is not grimy. The label must be trying to diversify. It works. This CD has all of the mandatory, rollicking rock energy. I don’t want to say it’s clean, because it’s not clean. Maybe it’s more focused. Maybe it’s more precise. The Deadvikings know exactly how to use their weapons. Not a single bass line meanders. The drums are going to beat on you so hard you’re not going to be able to stop nodding your head. You’re going to get slapped in the face with some rollicking guitar solos, and you’re going to beg for more. You’ll probably even try to sing along, and it will sound terrible. But you’ll keep doing it, because you love it and you can’t stop.    -Source

The Deadvikings - Electric Demon (Zodiac Killer Records 2012) FLAC    320

Enjoy!