TONY BORLOTTI E I SUOI FLAUERS
Il Mondo E Strano (Teen Sound; LP)
     This band's world view is perfectly summed up by the back cover art to Get Hip's '60s Beat Italiano CD, where the foot of Southern Italy is wearing a Chelsea boot and the Appenines are covered in paisley! Tony is completely devoted to the sound of all those Italian beat bands, the kind that appear on Destination X's '60s Italian Beat Resurrection comps. Their approach is uncompromising - this is a vinyl only release, with vocals and sleeve notes in Italian.
     In short, fans of the original Italian '60s sound are bound to like this LP. To my ears many of the Italian and Greek bands had a lot in common; melodic and sometimes dramatic vocals, lots of organ and a light sound that rarely featured any flashy guitar playing. Original numbers like the opener, 'Superdonna', sum up this approach. Tony Borlotti shares a respect for his influences with other modern Italian bands like The Others, so that band originals sit nicely with covers such as 'Force Act No.10' by I Ragazzi Del Sole. One of the best songs is a cover of a cover, 'Bambina Sola', a version of 'You're A Lonely Girl' by The Grassroots. Translation and rearrangement actually improves a good song.
     In common with the original Italian beat bands, individuals songs may not be outstanding classics, but the overall feel is greater than the sum of the parts. 
http://crea.html.it/sito/NOWSOUND/
Phil Suggitt

CHUCK
No Not, Ah! (Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation; 45)
     Looking at this chunky slab of vinyl, I was slightly wary at first. The on body label on one side looked just a little too much like the sort of design you'd see on those quirky mid-1990s lo-fi indie records. On the other side, though, is a sixties-looking chick in a sombrero - ah, that looks more like it! But… When I dropped the needle on to the grooves, oh boy, what a surprise! The title track is like what you might get if Ennio Morricone found himself arranging a session for one of those Dick Dale inspired early sixties guitar instrumental groups, like The Marketts, but a little heavier sounding. Flip the record over and things get a bit more punky. 'Wetsuit' and 'Do The Math(ematics)' still have elements of the surf-guitar sound but with shouty vocals on top - like a bunch of hardcore punkers have made a new friend who's introduced them to the joys of The Trashmen et al. It's different from absolutely anything else I've heard and more exciting than 95 per cent of the bands passing themselves off as "garage-rock" in the strange times in which we currently live.
http://www.heychuck.com/
Paul Marsh

THEE FINE LINES
Lose Control (Wee Rock Records; 45)
     You know something? I guess that I'm pretty lucky to be living here in old London town. After all, I do have the opportunity to see Mr. Billy Childish performing live in person each and every month of the year. I used to see Thee Headcoats at the old Wild Western Rooms for years and years, then at the Dirty Water Club. Now it's The Buff Medways who I go to see every four or five weeks without fail. (See http://www.dirtywaterclub.com/ for future dates.) Some people, though, have the extreme misfortune to live in a one-horse town like Springfield, MO - that's somewhere in the butthole of the US of A, I presume - where you have to make do with a second rate Headcoats tribute band like Thee Fine Lines. Now, okay, perhaps these guys might object to being tagged as a "tribute band" because, after all, they do write their own songs… Sort of… Every song here is ripped off… sorry, influenced by Thee Headcoats, right down to their attempts at Delmonas/Headcoatees styled female vocals on two of these four tracks. To be fair, though, they are capable musicians and actually pretty tight as a band. And as Billy Childish himself says, "Originality is overrated."
http://www.weerockrecords.com/p_finelines.html
Paul Marsh

FONDA 500
Spectrumatronicalogical Sounds (Gentle Electric; CD)
      I've used this one before and I'll use it again: If Os Mutantes were a product of the 21st century this is how they'd sound. North country lads and lass Fonda 500 may be stark raving bonkers, but it's in the nicest possible sense. And thanks to my beard (see new shot on Shindig Story page) I've ridden myself of my '60s purist shackles and have opened up to new interpretations of the sounds and styling forged in that very era. Fonda 500 may leave a "real '60s hipster trousered" throwback cold, what with their inclination towards Casio keyboards and occasional forays into noise-pop, but like their pal and labelmate Bitmap (who helped produce this mainly home made affair) they get closer to the '60s spirit than all of the "dot-to-dot" copyists. Spectrumatronicalogical Sounds is a gorgeous, naive, rough-round-the-edges affair that has already received thumbs up from the music mags and broadsheets. A little like Super Furry Animals (without the production values or preciseness) Fonda 500 do indeed rely on '60s and '70s pop and rock (lots of Brian Wilson, some Brazilica, Krautrock, tripped-out gypsy folk and beat-with-a small-dose-of-punk spring to mind), but they chew it all up and regurgitate it in a completely new manner. The story segments and narrative even capture the eccentric essence of Gong's pothead pixie trilogy! It's all here, and quite brilliant: 30 tracks, all interlinked, some long some short, and with titles like 'Simon's Alphabetical Beard' and 'Inside The Memorymind of the 8th Dimensional Mind Drummer' this has to be the most wigged-out album I have heard this year! Here's to the death of the garage-rock revival!!! 
www.gentle-electric.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE GURUS
The Gurus (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
    Not to be confused with the '60s band who was recently issued on Sundazed, this Gurus is a contemporary trio from Barcelona whose style fits neatly in between swirling Revolver-era sounds and later period Shakers. Every song on The Gurus is packed with thick, fuzz-laden production, which gives a bite to even the breeziest of the bunch. Shindiggers will just love the psychedelic power pop sounds of 'Big Sea', 'Let's Have A Change', 'Kamala Part 2', 'Good Morning' and 'Feeling Afraid', as well as some of the freakier tunes like 'Kamala Part 1' and the band's lysergic take on Status Quo's 'Gerdundula'. Other tunes, like the breezy 'My Beautiful Home' and 'It's Only Love' could have easily fit on the Shakers For You album, and Cotton Mather fans will love the muted vocals and dense production values of 'Sleeping Girl'. As good as all 15 tracks on The Gurus are, when the distortion kicks in with 30 seconds to go on 'Simple Rain', your neurons will be shoved into overdrive. An extremely impressive debut from a band that does the Rainbow Quartz stable proud! 
www.rainbowquartz.com
David Bash

THE HIGH DIALS
A New Devotion (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
     The first thing you notice about the debut long player from The High Dials is the exceptional artwork. The wonderful Heath Robinson-esque compressor/Big Muff/wireless/church organ hybrid and the monochrome portraits of the band members entangled by exotic flora and fauna are a delight.
     The music strives desperately for the same kind of organic/technological interface but there's something about this Montreal quartet's brand of hazy neo-psychedelic pop that doesn't quite sit right. Partly it's because, at 18 songs running to over 60 minutes, there's simply too much of it. There's plenty of instrumental variation on offer with sitars, electric pianos, jagged 12-string guitars and a bucket load of studio trickery colouring the songs. Sadly, too many of the songs here lack distinction and consequently drown under this occasionally ham-fisted style of production. The massed vocal harmonies are as smooth as velvet throughout but fail to take off just as some dynamics could have lifted the song to a higher level. Too many of these songs come and go without catching fire.
     'Desiderata' is a pleasant enough stab at Revolver-style lysergic jangle that somehow comes off smacking of early '90s UK indie pop bands like The Lemon Trees. Not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but at five and a half minutes, it was nigh on impossible for this listener to remain focused until the end of the track. The ambitious 'Can You Hear The Bells?' throws drum machine/organ percussion unit, harpsichord, flute and mellotron into the mix to great effect. The instrumental 'Things Are Getting Better' recalls the sitar a go-go sounds of countless late '60s movie party scenes but at least has a great big grin on its face. 'Morning's White Vibration' is probably the best cut here - everything The High Dials seem to be attempting wrapped up in a strident three minute pop single format with a tasteful brass arrangement and funky break to boot.
     An injection of rock and roll energy and a little tough love at the editing stage may have propelled this album to a level more befitting what is plainly a very talented band. As it is, it's not enough of one and too much and of the other. Sorry, boys.
     How about a 10 track, 30 minute follow-up?
www.rainbowquartz.com
Mike Maroon

DENISE JAMES
It's Not Enough To Love (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
     Yes, it's aiming to capture the emotion of Patsy Cline but this vanity project from Mathew Smith unfortunately sounds like Kirsty MacColl on Prozac! It's all too slow, plodding and droney. Indie kids that dig the White Stripes may lap it up (and actually Jim Diamond engineers) but fans of the golden age of girly groups will find very little to savour here. However, this is most certainly destined for rave reviews from Mojo and the NME.
www.rainbowquartz.com
Mike Maroon

RIC MENCK
The Ballad Of... (Action Musik; CD)
     In indie circles Ric Menck is somewhat of a hero. This collection compiles a wealth of singles that were all cut at the tail end of the '80s under pseudo band names like The Springfield and Choo Choo Train. Before he embraced a headier power pop with Velvet Crush Menck was enamoured by the twee UK pop of The Pastels, Biff Bang Pow, Boy Hairdressers, Razorcuts etc... and combined with his own true love of '60s pop he cut some nice slabs of jangle-pop. A decent cover of Syd's 'Golden Hair' suits his fragile nervous voice whilst 'Perfect Day' is a sumptuous slice of chiming '60s pop in the same paisley pop mould as The Rain Parade. Some cuts are admittedly dreary, but then '80s indie-pop was never about getting too over excited.
www.parasol.com/labels/actionmusik/amcd108.asp
Jon 'Mojo' Mils

LOS PEYOTES 
Psychotic Reaction (Los Peyotes; CD)
     Los Peyotes hail from Argentina, and draw their inspiration partly from the wilder South American '60s garage bands and partly from the '80s garage revival sound. Expect to find lots of farfisa, fuzz, snotty vocals and trash culture. The five piece band display two sides on this eight song CD. Half of the tunes are crazed instrumentals, the kind of thing you might expect as the soundtrack to cheesy B-movies. 'Navajo' is the best of the bunch, a spaghetti Western with lots of twang and even a mournful trumpet. (Should that be a "corned beef western", as we are in Argentina?) Others, such as 'Psychosis V' and 'Serial Killer (El Loco de la Ruta)' display a fascination with bad horror movies that also appears in the sleeve art and in the lyrics. Of the vocal cuts, 'Vampiro' works best, with a catchy pop introduction, Spanish lyrics, a neat riff and groovy bongo's at the end. Singer David Torrejon has a fairly limited range, so the three man backing vocals help. I can't translate every word of the Spanish sleeve notes, but I can read enough to detect a sense of fun. More, please.
www.lospeyotes.8k.com/
Phil Suggitt

ROCKFOUR
Nationwide (Rainbow Quartz; CD)
     With Nationwide Israelis Rockfour have moved to a nosier artier-punk sound owing as much to Sonic Youth's unpleasant guitar soup as to the '60s melodies of The Beatles and Moodies. Recorded in Detroit by the ever present Jim Diamond the production is full and the band play their hearts out, and there is no doubting their ability. Yet in being too clever, approaching a wider array of contemporary influences (perhaps as an attempt to get signed to a major) they have lost their initial appeal. There are still some wonderfully crafted songs, notably 'Mad Routine', and they can still just about rekindle the harmonic ghosts of Parachute and Abbey Road, but this certainly isn't the product of the Rockfour who made Another Beginning. 
www.rainbowquartz.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

THE WAISTCOATS
It's All True (Pure Viny; 45)
     Wow! A fab slice of mid-sixties beat?! Recorded at Toe Rag, you can bet that these guys have captured a near-authentic sound as you can get - and these days few others can do it quite as good as this. Pure vinyl equals pure class!
www.waistcoats.org
Paul Marsh