You and the Whose Armies – Black Nipple (feat. Lea Jonas)
Here’s an Austrian band, who have named their single after what sounds like a Mighty Boosh episode about 60s revival rock n’ roll. After all, solid rock recipes never really grow old. They just need some kind of excitement implanted in order to sprout fresh legs.
As for the “black nipple” in question, it is not, as some might believe, some sort of new, perverse sex-position, nor a difficult to remove the infection. No, the lyrics playoff like surrealism over Ray Davies chord progressions.
Lyrics aside, the group hailing from the land of Amadeus produces an enjoyable psychedelic-lite pastiche that bears some resemblance to their British predecessors, the Coral. Melodies and rhythm are dealt with swiftly and satisfyingly like someone bringing their Brit-dependent musical project down to the Cavern Club to soak up them old vibes.
Cult Icon – Cold Street Shade
The blues is, after all, the granddaddy of most rock n’ roll. Sure, folk music predated it, in the US and abroad, but it was the slithering, attractive nature of the blues progression that made hundreds of kids want to pick up guitars and perform their own version of it.
Most of these interpretations were electrified, and nobody did a more convincing job than the Brits, with guitar players like Eric Clapton or Peter Green earning near national hero status. It’s only fitting now that Cult Icon, a group from the ol’ Blighty would recharge the blues, give it a good kicking and send it back out.
“Cold Street Shade” may be the kind of tune that deserves to be played in a pub, but not one of the trendy, clean ones. Rather this is a tune from the menacing part of town, the one that keeps the good music and strong liquor hidden from the eyes of the over-inquisitive population.
There’s a grit to the singing that suggests this is the group ready to sweat it out wherever they’ll be allowed to play their blues-rock variety to audiences with strong nerves and even stronger ear-canals.
