this is this is this is a sticky situation

Danko Jones
"Sleep Is The Enemy"
Bad Taste Records, 2006

I vaguely remember my buddy Carl playing a Danko Jones record for me many years ago. I probably though, "My, this is a rocking record album. Pass the PBR, please." For whatever reason, I never really gave the band a second thought, though high praise had been handed down from many a trusted rock authoritarian. Squares, they, all. No clue, right?

Fuck 'em all. Now it's suddenly Danko Jones week in my car and I can't get this shit outta my skull. From "Sticky Situation," which kicks off the album all the way to the pseudo-weird (comparitively speaking) electro-ish groove of "Time Heals Nothing" and Hives-on-Motorhead's speed, sorta metallic ball crusher "Sleep Is The Enemy" that ends it, this record rocks my lame ass into submission. Perhaps the best rock single of the year will be "First Date," and dammit, that's A-O-fucking-K with me. The song rules, and the Van Halen-esque break down kills me. I smile every time he says, "...we're gonna do all the things all the couples like to do..." Seriously. Listen to this shit!?! Why wasn't I immediately bowled over and on the front-end of this junk-punching trend?

Danko Jones approaches the rock game from all over the map, but that's a good thing. Liberal doses of AC/DC clash with the buzzsaw of the Ramones, and some angular Devo gets thrown in with the hyperkinetic energy of the Hives. There's some metal influences, and the vocals would make Handsome Dick Manitoba jealous...that Danko Jones is one bad motherfucker. I think Andrew WK would like to get awesome with this dude. I'm sold on the band; this is its third album, and I have no idea where it ranks in the echelon of Dank-listening. But I'd say it has to be right up there. The production is great and the guitar tones are stunning. I just hope the dude doesn't use some Mesa piece of crap (or another similar homogenous stack of amps).

I am going to seek out the rest of the band's catalog post-haste. This is music with a sense of humor, great reference points, a good grasp on rock's history, and a sound that is both propulsive and explosive. The group needs to come back stateside soon for a tour. Carl and I need a roadtrip again.

-Mike

www.dankojones.com

stoner witch

Witch
"self-titled"
Tee Pee Records, 2006

Coming soon to a turntable near you: Witch. J Mascis decided he wanted to do a stoner rock band and play drums in it, so he made it happen. The result should probably have been terrible since he got a couple of folkies from a band called Feathers to play, too. But DAMN. This record is great!

The record has 7 tracks, but it is definitely a full length. The songs are a bit sprawling; they definitely have a "jam" feel to them but they keep it cohesive. "Seer" starts off with a nice chunky riff, and when the band kicks in you realize that any doubt about whether it was going to be good is done. Massive Sabbath-y riff after Sabbath-y riff fills this sucker up, but it's not as derivative as most "stoner" bands tend to be.

I was nearly sure upon first listen that the singer was a woman, but after a few spins it became clear it's a dude with a Stevie Nicks voice. Normally I'd hate that, and in some ways I hate myself for liking it (questioning of my sackitude, dig?), but it's damn good. The recording is also quite great itself, done by John Agnello, who has recently done the Early Man record.

So yeah, now I'm respinning this on the computer and must say "Changing" is a supersweet jam. It talks about black magic and shit...haha. If it didn't sound straight out of the '70s, I'd wanna kick the dude in the balls. But it holds to the Pentagram/Sabbath food group and the fact that Mascis is in the band is not at all distracting. There are also touches of more modern stuff like the Burning Brides and, ahem, Dinosaur Jr., but this is a '70s rock record. This shit will rule my car's stereo for more than a minute.

-Mike

www.teepeerecords.com/bands/witch/