Starting with a STOOGES kind of beat, this new album from Italian band FAZ WALTZ takes them to new musical territories that bring garage rock (“Little Home”) and bands like The HIVES (“Fingers In My Brain”, “Baby Left Me”), or JET (“Get The Poison”) to mind.
The band also still have one foot in 70s glam rock (T.Rex especially) as “Looking For a Ghost” and “Leave Her Alone” display, and you’ll even get a bit of modern blues (“Cannonball Blues”.)
The production is really good, the melodies are great, the vocals and playing are solid, there’s energy and hooks, and when you think about it, there’s still an unoccupied space on a larger scale when it comes to this genre in music nowadays. So, after listening to “Back On Mondo”, there’s just one question that comes to mind: How come this band isn’t big yet?/Laurent C.
Tag: glam pop
Jonny Cola & The A-Grades “Straight To Video/Marlborough Road” (Promo DVD)
This is a promo DVD for the double A-side “Straight To Video/Marlborough Road” vinyl that will be released on April 3rd via Scratchy Records (the songs will also be available in digital format.) Singer Jonny is back in shape after a kidney transplant, and that’s a good thing to see as JONNY COLA & The A-GRADES is one of the most interesting bands in England nowadays!
The glam pop quintet offers us two videos, one for each song. No big surprise if I tell you that the video starts with some tea, right? “Straight To Video” displays the SUEDE/PULP influences of JONNY COLA & The A-GRADES in the best ways possible: glamourous vocals, poppy choruses and intense guitar melodies. The band is evolving in their own universe here as the video moves from a theatrical burlesque bar atmosphere to glitzy stage rock’n’roll action that looks like it was directly taken from Velvet Goldmine!
“Marlborough Road”, a more punky song gets us to the rainy London streets at night through a cab ride before the band ends up in a small underground club, playing in front of a glammed-up audience. The video will be released on YouTube on March 20th, so keep it in mind and be patient!/Laurent C.
The band will also play live on March 22nd at Some Weird Sin club night @ London Buffalo Bar with Fallen Leaves & DJ Heidi Heelz
Starbolt 9 “Human Strings & Mechanical Things”

While STARBOLT 9 sometimes get close to bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN (“Rattles”, “Apocalypse”…), they also display a few 70s rock influences in their sound (“Phoenix Rise”, “I’m With The Painted People”), and they still manage to mix glam rock to 80s new wave very well (“Say Yes”, “The Curse.”)
This second album confirms that STARBOLT 9 is a name that should appear higher on the international pop/melodic rock bill! Let’s just hope that their music doesn’t lean too much in the U2 direction in the future as the border can sometimes be thin./Laurent C.
Supergroupies “La Musique Pornographique” demo CD (2004)
We’ve heard about many good punk’n’roll/glam punk bands from Sweden lately. Even though The GROUPIES are not that far from this genre, they definitely have their own identity which is more influenced by early (70s) glam rock. There are four amazing glitter pop songs on this demo CD that you will really enjoy if you’re into sweet sexy glamourous pop rock. Damn! listen to “You Will Do” and you’ll think that these guys are the new T-REX!! That’s just awesome! The band has a thing for the French language (the title of this CD, the French part in ‘Scream Shout Adore’ -no doubt that French girls will love that accent!- and the title ‘Hot In Paris’.) I was waiting for a band like that and as a consequence I can’t wait to hear more from SG!!
/Laurent C.
TSAR “The Drugboy tapes”
Point in fact, Tsar was the best band to come out of Los Angeles in the 2000’s! They are one of the greatest power pop bands to come from the Los Angeles area, ever!!! Period!
They usually put out an album every five years, their debut in 2000 and Band-Girls-Money in 2005 and now this release, The Drugboy Tapes. This release is a compilation of pre-debut demos of 6 songs off the debut record (Afradio, The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, Ordinary Gurl, Kelly Fong Is The Bomb, I Don’t Want To Break Up, and Silver Shifter) plus a unheard gem and a retitled song and two live cuts.
I always assumed that the songs and production on their debut masterpiece album were a product of the “big” producer and “big” expensive recording studio. The debut record had lush production, killer hook after hook, in the form of cool little guitar riffs and vocal melodies, inventive vocal delays, and memorable chorus after chorus!!! I was dead wrong, these demos (90% of the debut record) show that the singer and guitar player had the songs all ready to go, so it makes sense that they got a record deal and put it to wax, as is!!!! They used drum machines, cheap keyboards, digital delays, and acoustic guitars on rented and returned home recording gear to get their dream rolling, and the song structures are intact, and in some cases more interesting. The amazing thing about these demos is that the riffs and little hooks and sweeteners were already in place, showing just how genius singer/guitar player Jeff Whalen and guitar player Daniel Kern truly are.
The one demo song that did not make the debut, “Son of Light” sounds like it fits in nicely with the rest of the power pop hits on the debut record and the two live songs on the Drugboy Tapes, are taken from the first ever live performance of the classic debut line up, from a live show on KXLU radio station (A local Los Angeles taste maker indie radio station). Only 3 songs from the debut are not represented by this demo release, “Disappear“, “Mono Stereo” and “Teen Wizards” and “The Glower” was renamed “Calling All Destroyers” from the debut record. This release is highly recommended, as well as their Debut record and Band-Girls-Money, and if you are ever in the Los Angeles area, check http://www.tsar.net for current gigs. In the 2000’s they toured with the likes of Duran Duran and Towers of London and they recreate their catalog of songs live and are very high energy must see live act! Get this release from CD Baby or Itunes./Teddy Heavens
If you want me to review your music or write about your event, send it all to:
Teddy Heavens
27750 Firebrand Dr.
Castaic, Ca. 91384
Ftwrecords@aol.com
Faz Waltz “Life On The Moon”

Here, the spirit of Marc Bolan and T.REX flows around (“What is The Word”, “Lucky Man”, “Get On Down”…) with style and magic. This influence might be too visible for some, but FAZ WALTZ is far from being a tribute band, they can write good songs and also get their tips and (cheap) tricks from The BEATLES (“Mr. Sorrow”, “Never Let You Go”) and David Bowie (“Life On The Moon.”) Anyway, I doubt that songs like “Nice Bomb”, “I Long For You Love” and its “Children Of The Revolution” kind of rhythm, or “Teenage Monkey” will leave you cold if you like good old glam rock’n’roll.
“Life On The Moon” is the second album of the band, but also is a great introduction to their music if you’ve never heard about them before./Laurent C.http://www.fazwaltz.com
Jonny Cola & The A-Grades “Halo” EP

“Halo” is the song I’ve been waiting for from a British band, think of Bowie and PULP with amazing Bernard Butler influenced guitars, groovy sexy dandy pop at its best!
“Rain Stopped Play” gets more in the MANICS/early PLACEBO territory, a punk rock song with an indie pop feel while “Ripples” displays the softer pop side of the band, as if MORRISSEY and JOBRIATH wrote a song together.
New Romantics haven’t been forgotten on this EP since the last song on this EP is a brilliant cover of ERASURE’s “Ship Of Fools” that fits very well with the three other songs.
Imagine if Brit-Pop never turned into something dull and boring, then JONNY COLA & The A-GRADES would be selling millions of albums now./Laurent C.http://www.jonnycolaandtheagrades.net/
Candy “Whatever Happened To Fun”

This release also comes with a 16 page booklet with killer pictures and stories from the early days and don’t forget to support Kyle Vincent at www.kylevincent.com who tours all over the world. Already my top release of the year!!!
Teddy Heavens
ftwrecords@aol.com