Power pop is in again and that's ok for me. Honestly I like these new bands 'cos they are more power than pop and most of them have really good songs. The Cheeks are exception 'cos their songs are not only good, but great. "Royal Pop Elevation" contains 14 great power pop tunes and it's full of catchy choruses, twang and melodic guitars and (for me very important) great vocal. The opening song "Let's Be Friends Again" is good, but great part starts with "Some More Action" (one of my favorites), "Inside Outside" and "Mr. Rain" (with strong touch of 60s beat). "Where The Time Goes" has sound of British power pop bands from golden period of early 80s. It also has something of early Robyn Hitchock & The Egyptians. Now I would like to write few words about my favorite songs like: "Everybody's Darling" (this is power pop which I like the most, great melodic guitars and great chorus) and "Can't Stand Surfin'" (great lyrics - i hate summer too - ha ha ha). Anyway I recommend this band not only to folks who like power pop, but everybody who can enjoy in good music, nice production and great songs.  Before I finish this review few words about really great vocal which is not so easy to describe. But if you can imagine mix of Marc Boland, David Bowie and John Lennon - you can get idea how Kono sounds. Anyway, don't wait - get this CD.
 

The Jerry Spider Gang's new album "Dope Takin' Kamikazes" starts pretty heavy and straight through your head. Their guitar sound is really great and fascinating - you just try to turn your audio set louder and louder till your speakers and your head explode. "Saturday Night" is great high energy/early 70s punk with great fuzz riff. But "Feel Like A Man" is even better, faster and more acid. It's dirty, fat produced, supersonic speed r'n'r for 21st century. "Psychiatric Hospitality" is more stoner rock, pretty acid and you don't have to see MC5 T shirt on one of gang members to realize that early 70s Detroit punk is their big inspiration. But I like Jerry Spider Gang because they are not some 70s retro band - they just play music they like on their own way giving it some new dimension and making it sound like 21st century. "I'm A Remrod"  goes after speedy "So Down". It's a great fast rockin' punk with tones of fuzzed & distorted wah wah guitar. "Do It!" is a bit too long for my taste - I like fast and short songs like "Burn Down In Hell" and "Little Girl" more. You can hear Radio Birdman influences in "Alien Nightmares". Then we have ultra mega big hit (at least for me) "Kinky Pussy" (check the 7" review). Metallic "Outerspace Part 2" closes this CD. It's not really my taste - it's too metallic for me, but OK now, I'm going deep into details. The Jerry Spider Gang did this really great album and I highly recommend it.
 

Maybe accidentally (maybe not), but Nerds invented hardcore garage punk. It's super fast, it's super noisy and super wild garage punk. I have to be honest I needed some time to get used to this sound, but at the end I really like it a lot. This CD is really enjoyable and great to make wild parties. It's definitely not for garage 66 purists - sorry guys, but fuck off - this is 21st century. My favorites are: "Good Looking Dudes" (garage punk with death metal vocal - you can't believe it, but this combination is possible and it sounds great), "Hate '68" - I can also add '66, which is great year, but enough is enough, "Amphetamine High" - my neck hurts from head banging, this is fucking great. This madness goes on for 23 minutes & 41 seconds and after you hear it you'll have nightmares for the rest of your life. This is music for no brains people!!!! IT'S GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!!!!
 

Robert And The Roboters is one more great surf band from eastern Germany, Dresden. They are little bit more traditional than their colleges - Los Banditos, but Robert And The Roboters are great too. I'm so surprised with this kind of bands that I'm becoming real fan of this sound of european surfers "created by the hands of an old Russian nuclear scientist livin in a secret catholic monastery at the north coast of the Faroese islands". It's marvelous mix of 60s east european surfbeat, neue deutsche welle and 21st century craziness. This CD-r is done really great - musically, but also visually. Sound is great as well as production, but the best part are of course their songs. My favorites are "Tanz Du Luder" - N.D.W. surf with great german vocal and great guitar, dreamy "Das Madchen Am Tresen" & great cover of Shadows' "Thema Fur Junge Verliebte" - when you hear it you will realize that Robert And The Roboters are way better than Hank Marvin and The Shadows. When you write about surf music, normally you write about guitar (which is here really crystal clear and warm), but I must mention also great bass guitar. "Muschi Rock" and mysterious bonus track are last songs on this CD-r and it's soooooo pity - I WANT MORE ROBERT AND THE ROBOTERS!!!!!!!!!! Labels, get in touch with this band 'cos they are really greeeeeaaaaaat and they really deserve to have proper release - vinyl if possible.
 
 

This is strange band. I heard them for the 1st time on split 7" with Sinisters (from Toronto). It was great glam punk and I was really happy when I got this CD in my mailbox. When I heard 1st song "Rocket To Heaven" - I thought: "WOOOOW!!! this is really what I want  - dirty and trashy glam punk in the best early 70s way". But next song "Imitation Generation" was disappointment. It has something Green Day-ish what is really not my taste. It's still glam punk, but there is something I don't like. Of course Trash Brats are much better than any Green Day bullshit. CD is ok, produced very well, songs are good and Trash Brats look really great. My favorites besides "Rocket To Heaven" are:  "A Nice Girl To Visit" (NYC glam punk like Johnny Thunders), "Must Be Cocaine" (trashy and dirty drivin' rockin' punk - why isn't the whole CD like this???!!!!???? - really great r'n'r wah wah solo), "Feeding The Mosquitos" (more glam than punk - funny old fashioned 70s guitar riff) & "Auf Weidersein" (glam rock like Sweet or early Slade stuff). Unfortunately the rest of CD is just ok with here and there some song I really don't like.