THE CHILLS
Stand By (MP; CD)
     In the 80's New Zealand's The Chills created a highly individual pop sound centred around moody keyboards, strummed guitars and the passionate, almost fey voice of Martin Phillips. Sometimes Phillips voice reminds me of another unique voice of the 80's, Paul Roland. Phillip's songs never bludgeon the listener into submission, but in the manner of several other New Zealand artists, gradually infiltrate your consciousness. After disbanding the Chills in the mid-90s due to personal problems, Phillips is back with a vengeance on these seven songs (plus one 'hidden' bonus song). Enlisting the support of three new, young Chills, Phillips looks to have put some dark days of poverty and rehab behind him. The first song, 'Liberty or Love' encapsulates the Chills sound. There is a bittersweet feel, with unusual chord changes and some almost hymnal organ. When you have a unique sound, why mess with it? Phillips' sinuous, serpentine guitar lines grace two other excellent tunes, 'Falling Off Your Throne' and the untitled final track, which is presumably called 'This Time Tomorrow (I'll Be Gone)' Lovers of subtle, classy pop take note.
www.muzic.net.nz/artists/619/release1584.html
Phil Suggitt

THE LOONS
Paraphernalia (Ugly Things; CD)
     There's nobody left walking this earth who knows as much about '60s rock 'n roll as Mike Stax (except perhaps Jon "Mojo" Mills), and the publisher of Ugly Things magazine puts his knowledge to good use with his band, The Loons. However, it's not enough to talk the talk; you've got to be able to walk the walk and really rock, and The Loons do both proudly as their second CD, Paraphernalia, is chock full of authentic garage nuggets which call to mind pillars like The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, and pretty much every band on Sundazed (ok, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea…). What sets The Loons apart from most neo-garage practitioners is that every song on their CD is a band original, and most are longer than the average garage tune, allowing them to be a bit more adventurous as many take some unexpected turns which, nonetheless, work very well. Stax's lead vocals are self-assured and the band provides strong support, but the real trump card is the background vox of Anja Diabolik, which are utterly thrilling. Tunes like 'Sweet Turns Into Sour' and 'Turned To Stone' are most authentic, but other cool jewels are the mournful, jangly 'Follow The Rain Down', the appropriately mysterious 'The Ghost Of The Grey House', the Love-inflected 'Craig Smith?', which has lyrics which suggest that it might be about Arthur Lee, and 'Some Kind Of Asylum', which is a downright classic (ya gotta love the way Stax screams the word "wall"). The final cut, 'Another Life' is a ten-minute slab which brings it all back home, complete with extended solos and chants reminiscent of 'Still I'm Sad'.
     With Paraphernalia, The Loons definitely take their sound to the next level, and with the scene being rife with lots of pretenders, that's a very good thing!
www.ugly-things.com
David Bash

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Le Nouveau Rock 'n' Roll Francais… (V2; CD/LP)
     It is too easy (and arrogant) to make a connection between British and American rock 'n' roll that omits the countries inbetween and beyond. The to-ing and fro-ing of musical influences and dominance between the two over the entirety of rock history leads to a blinkered assumption too often that what happened elsewhere was of little significance. Thankfully in recent years a healthy enthusiasm for global 60s pop, beat and various shades of sike has blossomed and greatly withered that piece of pomposity on the vine. The other Anglophobic axiom was that the French could not play rock 'n'roll, there was something culturally genetic that stopped it working for them. This is also bollocks! (Just listen to any hip 60s Quebecois, Belgian or Swiss Francophone singers for instance). Happily, the influence of Michigan garage revivalism was not something lost on the French anymore than it has been on the Brits. The Stooges and the White Stripes translate well as sound irrespective of linguistic obstacles. Thus this 22 track collection (sung mainly in English would you believe?!) hits where you want it to hurt. The Cheeraks (geddit??) give great Iggy on opening blast 'Guinee Pig Killer' (bless!) whilst Thunder Crack's 'Big Fat Lady' is so in your face you don't know where to look. Lili Z's 'I Wanna Make Noise' speaks (or shouts) for itself and Volt's 'Testbild' or Fancy's 'King Of The World' are delightful guitar onslaughts. A veritable feast of riffing and rolling with occasional detours into mono-chord droning and art-rock, this is an extremely worthwhile purchase for anyone who loves loud, raw contemporary guitar sounds.
     You can buy it on Amazon UK and it's mid price, so get those digits tapping!
www.nouveaurocknroll.com
Paul Martin