The Drowns - Ketamine & Cola

 

1. Who are The Drowns? 

The Drowns are a blue collar punk rock'n'roll band from Seattle, Washington. The band members have all done previous in other bands like Madcap and The Briggs. Ketamine & Cola flounces off their third album Blacked Out (Feb, 2024). Black Out is produced by Ted Hutt (Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Gaslight Anthem).

2. What kind of song is Ketamine & Cola? 

Ketamine & Cola is classic pub rock'n'roll song with a word to say about the excesses of a night on the turps. 

3. Which bands do The Drowns sound like? 

The Pirates, The Angels, Cheap Trick. 

4. Which bands have influenced The Drowns? 

The Drowns have been influenced by 1950's rock'n'roll, 1970's glam rock and street punk. Some of those bands include The Temptations, Cock Sparrer, Slade, Blitz, and The New York Dolls. 

5. What have the press said about the new album Blacked Out?

"A roaring blast of distorted guitars, rapid-fire drums, and brilliant sing-alongs" - New Noise Magazine. 

"Swaggering rock'n'roll" - Indie, Punk & Alternative.

"A rallying call to punks, rock'n'rollers, and misfits of all stripes!" - Distrotable.

"Lost and violent youth,

Stealing smoke and sniffing glue,

I ain't like you,

No, I ain't like you"

Nö Class - Here Comes Trouble

1. Who are Nö Class? 

Nö Class are an Oi, Punk, Pub Rock band from New Zealand who fight out of Melbourne, Australia. The band have been creating havoc since 2014-ish and have one or two long players to their name Painted In A Corner (2018) and The Early Years (2021). Here Comes Trouble steams off the E.P. of the same name Here Comes Trouble (May, 2022). 

2. What kind of tune is Here Comes Trouble? 

Here Comes Trouble is a pub punk rock song that charges out of the blocks like a greyhound after the rabbit and with the sound of a full pub cheering on their favorite horse in the Melbourne Cup. The opening verses are reminiscent of Jim Carrol's People Who Died (or the GWAR cover) which I assume is no accident as it is dedicated in memory of a fallen comrade. The chorus lands like a well placed footy kick and with the exuberance of a crowd at the MCG cheering a surprise goal propelling their favorite team to an unexpected victory. There is something intimate and yet universal in this celebration of a genuine character and Here Comes Trouble is the kind of rowdy banger to accompany a triumphant arrival in Valhalla.

3. Who do Nö Class sound like? 

There is a bit of early Kiwi punk about them like No Tag and they have covered The Enemy/Toy Love. Others have suggested there's a bit Motörhead in there (because of the name I guess) or Rose Tattoo. I'm hearing a bit of The Angels and RIXE too.

4. Which bands have influenced Nö Class? 

Motörhead, Rose Tattoo, The Business, Cock Sparrer and ...  AC/DC (which is a bit like crediting the Beatles and the Stones when you're a Kiwi or an Ocker but whatever). They have plenty of love for MESS and RIXE too.

5. What have the cut and paste bandits said about Here Comes Trouble? 

"Booze fuelled Aussie pub-rock, punk and Oi! and rock'n'roll" - said the wordsmiths at Epidemic Records.

"The perfect blend of ratbag Aussie rock, fist pumping British Oi, and an outer suburban pub car park fight" - VICE.

"Not as shit as I thought given you are sheep molesters" - YouTube Comments. 

"Hey! You better get out of the way!

He's been on the piss all day,

Here comes trouble again"

Chub - Guantanamo Baywatch

1. Who are Chub?

Chub are a punk rock band from St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Guantanamo Baywatch is the first release from their second album American Living Room (April, 2024).

2. What kind of song is Guantanamo Baywatch?

Guantanamo Baywatch is a clean cut pub rock singalong about having dirty fun. Good humour with a hooky gang chorus vocal. Chub rock.

3. Which bands do Chub sound like?

The Chats, Amyl and The Sniffers, Against Me (I'm thinking of Don't Lose Touch). A bit of PUP and even FIDLAR maybe.

4. Which bands have influenced Chub?

Some of their influences are The Ramones, Blink-182, Turnstile, The Wonder Years... and The Chats, and Amyl and The Sniffers.

5. What have other people said about Guantanamo Baywatch?

"This vid (and song) was cool as hell y'all deserve to blow up" - YouTube Comments.

"This made me feel things in my lower regions. Subbed. - YouTube Comments.

"I don't care who you are this is hot" - YouTube Comments.

 

"Piss drunk in my closet where I'm pissing"

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian’s Born To Act (Jan’15) bustles with energy. From the drop it cranks up a classic jangly indie tune but then it throws in organs, violins and jeez just for kicks there’s saxophones in the bridge. Driven along with rapid handclaps, snappy lyrics and a chippy rhythm it doesn’t take long before you’ve got a bad case of turkey neck.

 

 

 

A song about the mystique of romantic opportunities, real or false, you can be sure Belle and Sebastian have lost none of their magic creating this pearler. Even better this is a Belle and Sebastian song you can dance to. Some have said Born To Act is richly produced. It is. Where they put the kitchen sink? Nonetheless Born To Act just adds to Belle and Sebastian's legend as one of the greatest indie bands ever. No need to fucking say it really, but I will, Born To Act is one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“I was there for the ride and the old soul

But we couldn’t go further, no we couldn’t go”

 

 

Born To Act is the third single from the Scottish indie pop band's ninth album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance (Jan’15). Belle and Sebastian have been doing it their way in Glascow since 1996.

Shit you need to know:

Some of the songs on Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance were influenced by New Order, The Happy Mondays and Led Zeppelin.

The new album was produced by Ben H Allen who has done grind for a diverse number of critters but Cee Lo Green, Gym Class Heroes, MIA, Animal Collective and Bombay Bicycle Club stand out on his resume.

About Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance Amoeba said that it, “manages to help them evolve without losing what made them special”.

Belle and Sebastian have been compared to The Smiths. Other bands mentioned in the same breath are fellow Glaswegians Al Stewart, Teenage Fanclub and the Orange Juice.

Entertainment Weekly described Belle and Sebastian as a “cult phenomenon” and as having had a pivotal role in the Twee Movement.

The crackerjack Belle and Sebastian tunes without which life would be meaningless are Party Line, Stars of Track and Field,I’m A Cuckoo and If She Wants Me.

 

 

 

 

The dodgy double dip comes courtesy of the Scottish indie rock band The Fratellis just because they are from Glasgow too. This is the pub rocker A Heady Tale (2008).

“Pour yourself a drink or three
And maybe we'll think clearer for a while”