How different things were before the Internet. Back in 1977 I bought a single called Agitated by Die Electric Eels. A few months later I found another copy in a record shop and was so surprised that I bought it again, just in case my first copy ever wore out - it was that good. Apart from the fact I liked it, I knew nothing more about Electric Eels and had found no information about them in the music press apart from a very short review- NME didn’t talk about them until twenty years later in a short article.

Now, all I have to do is type their name into a search engine and I can find out plenty. I get confirmation that despite the pseudo-German on the cover they were from the States - Cleveland in fact. Although it came out in 1977, it was actually recorded in 75 and so pre-figured Punk significantly so it is really a violent aberation of Glam-Rock. It sounds like a hell of a band. I particularly like this story from the Scat records Electric Eels pages.

Their first gig was in August of 1974 at the Moonshine Co-op in Columbus. McManus adorned himself in rat-traps for the occasion and Morton was wearing a jacket held together with safety pins, earning them the tag “Ratman and Bobbin” from the police they encountered when leaving the bar at the end of the night. Morton took offense and kicked the nearest policeman in the balls as hard as he could, despite being handcuffed at the time. As a result of the inevitable beating that ensued, Morton performed their next show three weeks later with a slide and wrench taped to his broken left hand in order to play his guitar.

Despite only playing five gigs they had significant influnce on Peter Laughner of Pere Ubu and Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys but this astonishing piece of catatonic guitar and vocal was never equalled by those better known bands.

Agitated by Die Electric Eels

I’ve just finished reading “Things The Grandchildren Should Know” an autobiography by the bloke from Eels. I enjoyed it a lot but I was struck by one passage:

things are so fucked up in the music business that in order for a truly great artist like Johnny Cash to seem relevant, he has to record cover versions of young hipster songs to appeal to young hipsters. Here’s one of the greatest natural talents of his time, awkwardly singing songs that don’t come naturally to him at all

What struck me as wrong was that one of my favourite songs of all time is his version of I See A Darkness by Will Oldham. I’d owned the Darkness album for years and liked it but I had never really HEARD the title track. Johnny Cash opened my ears to what the song was about because the way he sings it I really believed that he knew about those dark thoughts

Well, you know I have a love, a love for everyone I know.
And you know I have a drive to live, I won’t let go.
Can you see its opposition comes rising up sometimes.
That its dreadful imposition, comes blacking in my mind.
And that I see a darkness.

When Johnny Cash sings the song I hear a man who has lived through this and a good few other experiences besides.

I See A Darkness (clip) by Johnny Cash

I think my first introduction to Gothic Country (if that is the right description - you know, the twisted take on the Southern Bible Belt hoe-down) was with the Violent Femmes. Their Country Death Song was a sick little tale of murder and madness, emphasised by the music that brought up associations from that long history of films that paint the Deep South as a Banjo-playing, incest-ridden, and Bible-inspired den of Rednecks.

Country Death Song (clip) by Violent Femmes

To come straight up to date there is a new album by O’Death. This is a band from the East coast rather than the Deep South (so that may mean Appalachian Folk influence?) but what they do is play Country/Bluegrass with lots of fiddle and banjo. They like to ramp things up a bit but the hoe-down atmosphere is not of a local dance and having fun but an exploration of sin and retribution. It’s like the music from the O Brother Where Art Thou but with added darkness.

Fire On Peshtigo (clip) by O’Death

I imagine that the vocals could get on a few people’s nerves but the music is never less than inspiring. The songs are mostly at breakneck speed and intensity so there is little respite except for some moments that remind me of The Handsome Family.

Grey Sun (clip) by O’Death

I was just beginning to get a little bored with current Americana when along comes a record like this that just reminds me of why I love it so much. Banjo, violin, and a little bit of Punk spirit - the perfect cocktail.

O’Death on MySpace

Today, Obviously 4 Believers release their debut single Then I’ll Be Leaving You (download only). They are a young band originally from Lancaster who play a sort of updated blues that has its roots in the guitar rock the Rolling Stones used to play.

Then I’ll Be Leaving You (clip) by Obviously 4 Believers

There’s some really good guitar work going on there and a certain swing that reflects what Madchester brought to the world. I particularly like the singer’s voice and the fact that it reminds me of Peter Perrett of The Only Ones. The Only Ones were never part of Punk or New Wave, being a more traditional Rock band of the old school - but they played such good songs that they were still allowed to be in your record collection. Obviously 4 Believers maybe share that slightly ‘out of time’ feel but this single is refreshing and certainly beats the crap out of most current Indie.

That gives me the perfect excuse to dive into my vinyl and get the first Only Ones 12″.

Lovers Of Today by The Only Ones

Obviously 4 Believers

There is nothing quite like the sound of Forward, Russia in full flow. Gone are the days when every track is just a number and they are released to fully expose themselves as chroniclers of existential angst. I am actually reminded (in a very abstract way) of some Prog music like Van Der Graaf’s Pawn Hearts because of the sheer ambition of the songs and the use of changing musical motifs within them.

We Are Grey Matter(clip) by Forward Russia

Full to overflowing with passion and making noise like no-one else, Forward Russia create their own musical world. The sense of dynamic tension and release is stunning and the disturbing atmospheres created by all these musicians together is quite unique. It is almost impossible to illustrate the way the songs develop with just the 30 second clips I use but I’ll try again:

Gravity & Heat(clip) by Forward Russia

I don’t know whether this is destined to be one of those masterpieces that is only known to a few people - but masterpiece is the word I would use.

Forward, Russia

Album Preview Video:

I don’t like everything I get sent but I tend to just review the CDs I like. It seems unfair to give a band a bad review when they are unsigned or on a small Indie label - but different if its Colplay. So should I publish reviews like the ones below?

It’s a great cover to the CD but there’s something about this album that just doesn’t work for me. The vocals are very 80’s but it’s more than that. Despite all the inventiveness and cleverness, the basic sound just gets up my nose. I suspect this could have been a reasonably good Psychedelic record but the mix is all wrong - way too up-front. It just sounds unpleasant most of the time.

(album) is an attempt at quirky Indie Pop. That is a hard target to hit and (band) haven’t pulled it off in my opinion. Sometimes the melodies are only just beyond the playground and the juvenile sounding vocals on a track like (track) have little charm. There are hints of good things but once I was reminded of David Essex (a reference the band won’t understand) all was lost.

This is the second Leano album and has a lot to live up to since the first Steps To Leanoland was the first Hip Hop/Rap album I really liked.

I have to admit that I have had trouble getting into this album - perhaps it is more determinedly in the Rap camp than I am used to. Certainly I found the lyrics always interesting - were the early reviews really as bad as Worse Than Bad imply? But there are times on this album when it loses me, generally on the more polemical tracks because I can’t relate to lines about ‘leaders’ when I have never thought of anyone as my leader (Nihilism doesn’t rule, ok).

But on the track Praise Him things change for me and the Reggae guitar backing is just wonderful. It’s a Pop song full of melody and an inspiring chorus - although I do have to ignore the religious message, personally.

Praise Him (clip) by The Leano

A few tracks later and The Leano returns to more like the style of his earlier album with Music Gives Me What I Need where he talks about getting up, smoking a little weed, and getting distracted by his need to make music. There’s a nice jazzy feel to this and some very cool Sax as well. My problems with “message songs” nearly ruins War With Meaning but the underlying music with its lilting rhythm and wandering distorted guitar eventually wins me over.

The final track How To Make A World raises the issues of over-population, Man’s destructiveness to the environment, and third-world poverty. But it raises them in the context of a charming and clever song based on the idea of teacher getting his students to make a world in their science lesson. Oh, and there’s a Reggae style guitar backing as well as a tuneful chorus.

How To Make A World(clip) by The Leano

So, overall this is not an album for me. However there are some tracks that will go on my ‘best of’ collection of mp3s I keep in my car.

The Leano on MySpace