slovenly

Even though it's nothing like sleepy London Town there's still not more a lot more to do in financially-strapped Greece these days than sing in a rock and roll band. Even the olive trees are out of work. Bazooka hails from that place (Greece, not London) and plays a rumbling, surly brand of lo-fi rock and roll that sits perfectly in the formidable Slovenly Music stable.

Once upon a time, "Thee" was a prefix designating a pointy shoe-wearing band from the garage that only wanted to party like it was 1966. That it's 2014 and it's being worn by a bunch of hardcore punks Sardinia who have toured of China, South Korea and Japan (on a label from Reno, the Casino Capital of Nevada, USA,) is truly an indication that you can stick your preconceptions where the sun doesn't shine. These days the underground music world is spinning on a different axis.

If Thee Oh Sees are a version of The Replacements for the Two-Thousand-And-Teens - as in critical darlings overlooked by the mainstream, including me in both instances - where does that leave Montreal’s PYPY? Playing this sort of fucked-up mix of psych, electronica and punk is not going you pigeonholed anywhere fast.

 Superioridad Moral – Dr Explosion (Slovenly)

Long story short: Spanish garage rock band that’s been on hiatus for 11 years resurfaces on an American label with a German office that sells records to the USA, Mexico and Japan as well as the EU. Sounds about right in today’s digital world, but it’s also proof that rock and roll still spans multiple cultural borders.  

As a confirmed Monolingual, I know when I’m beaten. “Superioridad Moral” (“Moral Superiority”) is sung entirely in Spanish. I have no clue what Dr Explosion is singing about. But the songs sound strong with touches of psych rock and pop running prominently throughout.

The label doesn't lie. "Todo Roto" ("All Broken") is the third long player for Wau y Los Arrrghs and the description of "1966 punk style from an Iberian garage" - writ in capital letters, just in case you don't get the message - is accurate. If you like your fuzz raw and unbridled, look no further.