A change in reviewing style

One of the things that I prided myself on with Sonic Ruin was the in-depth nature of the reviews. I have always liked the reviews or retrospectives that took the albums apart as much as they could. This is what lead to the third issue of Sonic in which I delved into the Trashcan Darlings release Getting Away With Murder as much as we could.

I still have intentions of bringing Sonic Ruin back to print, in that exact same format. Each issue being an in-depth study of a certain release. It is all a matter of finding the time now. Whereas Sonic went into hibernation due to funds previously, now it is 100% an issue of time.

So, in the interim I am going to handle my album reviews a little different than other publications and blogs. I might not be the only one using the following method, but it did just come to me and I like the idea. So, if it is how another site or publication does it, I am not trying to steal their method, it just seems like the best method that will fit with my ultimate goal with Sonic.

Albums are collections of songs. I like to figure that a band puts the songs onto their albums because they feel all of the songs are worthy of being heard by the public. Every song should be a matter of pride. Nothing that lands on the finished product should be a filler. We all know that bands do release filler on their releases, but those songs should still be held up against everything else just the same.

My mind goes back to being a kid. I had just bought a 45, it may have been Journey's "Who's Crying Now," released in 1981. She asked me if I liked the b-side of the single. She then told me that the record companies usually placed a throw-away song on that side, but if the band puts a good song on that side then we win. This was the start of my realizing that bands and labels might actually have lesser quality songs, or as I would learn, filler.

So with Sonic I am going to start judging albums song by song. Each song will be getting a rating. Each song will be worth 5 points. So, an album that has 10 songs will be worth a total of 50 points. Then as the end I will calculate the total point value earned by the album and figure the percentage. The percentage that the album gets will be the rating. So, and album in which every song rates a 4 would be worth a total of 40 points, but its percentage would be 80%. Which would make sense, as every song is really good, but nothing achieves that over-the-top greatness that should be in the 90% area.

This experiment will be starting with the current releases from T.S.O.L., Bash and Pop, and the completely and ridiculously biased review I will be writing for local defunct Death Metallers Suspiria.

Getcha Rocks Off: Sex & Excess, Bust-ups and Binges, Life & Death on the Rock 'n' Roll Road - Mick Wall (2015 UK; 2016 US)

If you were into Rock during the 80s to any degree more than siphoning your knowledge from the radio or MTV, chances are you are familiar with the name Mick Wall. If you lived in the UK you are familiar with the name for sure. If you lived in the US and were interested in the UK scene, chances are you learned the name by mid-80s. If you never ventured outside of the shores of the US then you probably became familiar with Wall by the late 80s.

Mick Wall, during the 80s, was probably the most respected Rock journalist of the era. The man the bands trusted. The man who fit in perfectly with them due to his not being star struck and his being able to hang with the bands and their activities. He made his name mainly as a writer for Kerrang!. In my mind he was the Rock writer. Malcome Dome was the Metal guy, Howard Johnson the Glam guy.

Eventually Wall turned his eyes towards the US and started to write for RAW magazine. His hands were in many ventures and many areas. Eventually wandering on his way to the pages of Classic Rock magazine.

Getcha Rocks Off . . . is an account of his breaking into journalism and different nuggets from the years after. The stories take us from the mid-70s up through the early 90s, with slightly stepping into current years. The bulk of the tales take place during those years and we are only brought up to current dates when mentioning current whereabouts or mentioning the last meeting with Lemmy (Motorhead).

The book takes us through many an encounter with Phil Lynott, a quick passing with Johnny Rotten, David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Don Arden, Steve Clark, Jimmy Page, Guns N Roses, and a gigantic slew of supporting characters. The stories are outrageous, unbelievable, a little scary, and in the case of Clark, Lynott, and Lemmy, heartbreaking. The Lynott and Clarke stories due to their passings in the book. The Lemmy due to much of the subject matter (Lemmy telling Wall he isn't dying) and the book coming out before the truth being the opposite of what Lemmy had claimed.

There is no shortage of discussion of drugs, booze, or sex. Open any page and one will find any three of these being discussed. Wall himself abused all of these possibly more than all of his subjects combined, if his tales are to be believed. What I took away from this was what separated Wall from the others. Most of the Rock stars would be using to ridiculous levels, and then venturing out onto the night to further adventures. While Wall would usually seem to be ending up face down and unable to move.

On Mick Wall's website his own description of the book states:

"A semi-fictionalised account from a time when giants really did walk the earth, stalked by overpaid and overindulged rock writers like this one. You couldn’t make it up."

So how much of what we are treated to his actually fact is a little questionable. I find it odd that the two lines, however, contradict themselves. If it is "semi-fictionalised" then you surely could make it up. I expect that much of the semi-fictionalized aspects are the bits of dialogue and the actual ways certain events played out. One bit with Rick James may also be a little bit of a stretch. Maybe.

The book is definitely fascinating. The stories are wild and fun. Mick Wall shows why he is considered to be one of the best. His writing also shows why he is trusted by the stars. At no point is any of this an attack. He is sure to speak honestly and humanize everybody he discusses. Axl Rose started as one of those on the side of Wall, but due to events he turned against him and railed against him in the temper-tantrum induced GnR tune "Get In The Ring." Wall speaks honestly about the events that lead to whine from Rose, but he never gets whiney back. He never attacks Rose. In fact, he is understanding of the person that Rose became, and he almost feels bad about the things that happened. It appears that Wall has always attempted to understand his subjects, rather than just make assumptions.

Getcha Rocks Off . . . is a great book. If you enjoy great writing, Rock N Roll, and a massive slice of debauchery, do yourself a favor and grab this and spend some time in a truly hedonistic past era.

Can the Trench Dogs save the world of Trash?

 Over the past few years I have not spent as much time in the company of Glam, and its like, as would have been normal for me in the past. From time to time I have wondered why this might be the case. In the past year I have spent more time listening to Progressive Rock. The two styles share a few things in common. They are both misunderstood by the masses and they both enjoy excess in one form or another. For Prog it is the excess of musical style. Grandiose arrangements and concept albums that deal in high concept ideas. For Glam it is excess of, well, just about everything else. 

But my distancing myself from Glam has confused me a bit. I was not sure why I have stepped away. I suspected why, I was just having a hard time admitting the reason. 

Let's take a step back in time. Step back to the wonderful year of 1984. A year when I first found Glam in the guise of Hanoi Rocks, T-Rex, the New York Dolls, and other such lovely bands. It was the year I grabbed Slade. It was a sound and a style I never heard on my radio. 

My love of this style soon came with frustration, as in the U.S. the style of music quickly fell into the realm of the Hairband. Some bands carried a look that fit, but the music sounded more like commercial rock. It was lacking an edge. The audience didn't sway and groove to the music, they headbanged (which was something that was beyond ridiculous to me). There were bands playing the style I enjoyed, but these bands were located outside of the U.S.

Flash forward to the present day. Over the past few years I have noticed a similar thing with Glam. But this time it is a worldwide issue. The world of Glam is now dominated by Sleaze (*snicker*, get it!?!). The color has been removed and replaced by black. We do have some bands still giving us proper Trash, such as Hard Luck Street. But for the most part Sleaze has become where it is all at. 

So when I recently saw a picture of the Stockholm based four piece known as Trench Dogs I naturally got a little excited. However, I held my excitement at bay. I had been here before. I have stood at the gates of excitement for a cool looking band, only to be crushed by a terrible sound, one too many times. 

I first checked out their video for "Self Sabotage," a song from their Fashionably Late EP (2015). Now, while the film footage that went along with the band footage left me a little bewildered (a gas mask adorned person in his skivvies rolling around in the woods), the footage of the band made me smile. We had a style of dress straight from Dog's D'Amour, and we had a variety of hair colors. Blonde, black, RED!!! To make matters even better, I very much enjoyed the song. It sounded not too distant from what one would expect Hanoi to have rolled out from the Bangkok Shocks. Raw as heck, but obviously performed by a group of skilled musicians. 

I knew I had to check out more. So I quickly went to their "Burn Church Street" video, from the most recent 2 song release Wine Stained Eyes (2016). Yes, I was using the videos instead of just going straight to search on Apple Music, as in this day and age if I can see a band in action I want to do that while checking them out for the first time. 

It seems that they are using shocking images to help them along. As this video is another confusing number with the band enjoying a meal of some rather nasty looking items. I was also a little saddened by the amount of black hair. Oh well. 

What put a smile on my face was the song. The band seems to have wandered even further into the Hanoi/Faster Pussycat sound of Glam. No chunky guitars, no music to bang your head to, just brilliant and hooky Rock and Roll! Wonderful guitar playing with a swagger and style that would put a smile on the face of Ron Wood, Keith Richards, or anybody else who wishes to appease the Gods of Rock and Roll. No over the top acrobatics, no out of place flash. It is all well placed groove and feeling. 

The song sways from verse to pre-chorus to the ridiculously catchy little bit that will get stuck in your noodle for days that these guys call a chorus. Each section moves fluidly into the next. Each section catchy, but building to the next to make each moment better than the prior. 

Now, imagine my surprise when I found that I still had not found their best song. That would be the brilliant "Devil and the Deep" from the same 2 song release, Wine Stained Eyes. Similar in feel to "Burn Church Street," and hopefully signaling that the band has found their true path and their own style. "Devil," however, is even more fluid in the movements and carries more hook. It is a brilliant tune with one groove after another and with brilliantly done backing vocals. 

Trench Dogs have one EP, Fashionably Late and two singles. Giving us a total of 8 songs to groove to. Each song is of the Trash and Glam style. No Metal to be found, just straight up trashy Rock and Roll. For fans of that style who have felt a little neglected over the past few years, I encourage you to check them out, if you have not.
Another thing to love about them is that during their live acoustic videos one can see guitarist Mattias playing a Hagstrom acoustic! Anybody who plays a Hagstrom is way cool with me. Considering they are a Swedish company seems a no brainer, but still, Hagstrom are the best. 

A little something else. I have been streaming all of their stuff through Apple Music. I really, really, really want the physical copies, but I am not able to find an address or anything on how to purchase their material.
Now gents, when can we expect a full-length release?