Round the horn 

Reviews by O.M.O.M. 

Ah, summertime when a young man’s fancy turns to baseball.  That’s right, it’s going to take more than a measly steroid scandal to steer me from my favorite pastime of scalping cheap seats in the third inning, drinking beer and heckling overpaid crybabies.  Not to say music takes a back seat during the summer months; it’s a 3-hour one-way trip to see my favorite team sink like a rock in the National League Central.  That leaves plenty of time to chew on some new releases to keep myself awake on those long drives.  Let’s journey around the horn and scout out some new prospects. 

First Base:

GitoGito Hustler

Gito Gito Galore

Gearhead Records

Designation: Single-A, moving quickly to double-A status.

Report: All girl Japanese band GitoGito Hustler fires up a fast and furious ep of originals, clocking in at just under 17 minutes.  Six tracks of Far East power-pop/punk featuring big hooks and catchy singsong vocals.

Strengths: Catchy hooks and bubbly swagger make this one a possible quick mover to the next level.  “Sunflower” will have your head bopping and singing along, even if you can’t speak Japanese.

Weaknesses: Translator needed but don’t let that scare you away.

Bottom Line: Great introduction to GitoGito Hustler, keep an eye on these girls, they could be going places.

Second Base:

NRA

Machine

Gearhead Records

Designation: Double-A, rehab assignment.

Report: Hailing from Amsterdam, NRA have been in the game since 1989, floating just under the radar in the United States.  Angst-ridden punk ala Naked Raygun, with a good dose of old fashioned rock and roll and a slight touch of early Motorhead scattered about.  NRA may have been in the game for quite some time but show little signs of aging.  The tracks on Machine may come off as a tad reserved at times on disc but I’m guessing live these songs could damn near take your head off.

Strengths: Age hasn’t mellowed NRA, angry, angst-ridden lyrics combined with music that will have your foot tapping and your lip sneering.

Weaknesses: At first listen, the cd starts out a tad reserved but things pick up by track four, “Missed My Slot” and catch stride by “Too Young,” the slow start denotes the rehab assignment tag. 

Bottom Line: Stick with Machine through the first few tracks and the payoff is satisfying.  Keep an eye out for live dates from NRA, outside of the studio I bet these tunes flat out scream.

Shortstop:

The Turbo A.C.’S

Avenue X

Gearhead Records 

Designation: Triple-A, ready for the big leagues.

Report: New York City-based, The Turbo A.C.’S combine Dick Dale, The Ramones and Turbonegro with impressive results.  Avenue X is a fiery surf-punk slab of 14 ass-kicking tracks.  Title track “Avenue X” starts out with a lo-fi vibe that quickly launches into a wall of bass, geetars and powerful drums.  Hell, they even throw in a bit of piano on “Magic Bullets” and add some flute to “No Time.”

Strengths: Classic angry, old school punk mixed with killer 60’s surf rock.  Thirty-nine minutes of alleyway knife fights and middle fingers are just what the doctor ordered.  The Turbo A.C.’S even throw in a reworking of the Suicidal Tendencies classic, “I Want More” to close the disc out.  Quinten Tarantino needs to snag these guys up for his next soundtrack.

Weaknesses: If you aren’t a fan of surf music this may not be for you.  But then again, if you aren’t a fan of surf music you probably suffer from some sort of hearing deficiency.

Bottom Line: Black leather, greased hair surf punk; pick this act up ASAP.

Third Base

Electric Eel Shock

Go USA!

Gearhead Records 

Designation: Major league leadoff hitter.

Report: Hailing from Japan, Electric Eel Shock grabs rock and roll by the balls and don’t let up for 14 tracks.  Grab a blender and throw in The Ramones, Judas Priest, Black Flag and anyone who had dreams of taking their garage band to the top and you get a hint of what Electric Eel Shock is all about.  A fist pumping, head banging slab of party rock that is as much metal as it is punk, Go USA! never takes itself too seriously.  If you are looking for political or social statements, keep going bub; this sucker is like David Lee Roth on crystal meth.  Singing part English, part Japanese, Electric Eel Shock touch on Chinese food “Japanese Meets Chinese in USA,” heavy metal “Do The Metal,” “I Wanna Be A Black Sabbath Guy, But I Should Be A Black Bass” and premature ejaculation “Speedy Joe”.  The raw, in your face production of Go USA! is a perfect match for the exuberance and energy of the tunes as they name check their favorite bands and US cities (Fishbone and Akron, Ohio to name a few).

Strengths: Swagger and a sense of humor will have you cranking this disc for days on end, making you wish you had your own garage band. 

Weaknesses: Getting the sleepwalking masses to take a chance on buying something that isn’t corporate cookie-cutter big label horse crap. 

Bottom Line: Get out and buy Go USA! now!  Electric Eel Shock is leading the front line of the Rock Brigade.