Album Review: The Shang Hi-Lo's - "Aces, Eights And Heartbreaks"

 

Another group from the Rum Bar records stable, the Shang Hi-Lo's hail from Boston (obviously) and this album definitely has a bit of a retro feel to it as you would expect, dipping its toe into both garage rock and classic '60s pop. But that's not a problem.

Kicking in with the swinging Takes One To Know One which takes the old rockabilly template and adds a dose of candy floss sweet melodies to it, second track Monsieur Valentine could almost a great lost Revillos song (maybe with a hint of Kirsty MacColl in there as well) with its girl group style vocal harmonies and retro power pop rhythms. The title track goes into almost '70s disco territory which is...well, okay but it doesn't quite sit as comfortably as the first two tracks did but thankfully the Ronettes-meets-Ramones Plymouth Rock is on hand to right things afterwards - again, the duelling male and female vocals definitely hark back to Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife a bit.

Billy has an almost spaghetti western feel to it and adds a much needed curveball into the mix with its Mariachi trumpets although These Four Walls which follows it is a bit anonymous, leaning towards being power pop by numbers unfortunately. Again, thankfully it's a temporary blip as the frenetic Castaway sees the quality restored with its pounding drums and whirling guitar riff. Victoria's Garden takes things forward into '80s new wave territory with its Go-Go's style keyboards before the Runaways-esque Ingenue (which has a riff reminiscent of the Dictators' first album which is never a bad thing) signs things off.

Although it's not the best thing I've heard from Rum Bar's impressive stable in the last year or so, Aces, Eights And Heartbreaks is still a competent effort which will appeal to power pop aficionados at least even if it's unlikely to convert those who aren't fans of the genre. A solid effort which suggests this band have definitely got a bit of potential to build on what's here in their future efforts.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: The 69 Cats - "Seven Year Itch"

Image
  Started up as a side project a decade or so ago by frontman Jyrki from Finnish goth/glam legends the 69 Eyes and guitarist Danny B Harvey (Lemmy's six stringer in his Headcat side project), the 69 Cats have been joined by Damned drummer Rat Scabies for this, their second album. A hell of a pedigree then, but can this album live up to it? Pleased to report that the answer is yes - opener She's Hot  kicks in with a winsome mix of Jyrki's Glenn Danzig-meets-Pete-Steele croon, Harvey's frenetic shredding guitar and Scabies' pounding drums and when it's followed by a superbly sinister cover of Post Malone's Hollywood's Bleeding , you know we're in safe hands here. You're The Kind Of Girl  starts off as a mid-paced rocker before unexpectedly breaking into a full on psychobilly breakdown for the middle eight. Decent enough but it feels like a bit of a step down after that opening one-two. However, the spaghetti westernisms of Good Time To Die  take th
Read more

Garbage Days Revisited #38: Slaughter & The Dogs - "Do It Dog Style" (1978)

Image
"When you're gonna sink so low/That's when you wanna have another go..."  - Slaughter & The Dogs  - You're A Bore I've often said in past editions of both Sounds From The Junkshop and Garbage Days Revisited that the best rock 'n' roll, whether it comes from the midwest diners of the '50s, the garages of the '60s, glam rock, punk rock or anything since, is something deeply primal. It's the sort of thing that makes you want to neck a beer, howl at the moon and headbang along until your neck snaps. And that's, to me, what makes Slaughter & The Dogs arguably the great unsung heroes of '77 punk. The group were there right at the beginning of punk and were straight out of the gate with the Buzzcocks in the first wave of Manchester punk although as their name (half Bowie's Diamond Dogs  and half Mick Ronson's Slaughter On Fifth Avenue ) suggests, their roots actually lay in glam rock a couple of years earlier. Their first s
Read more

Nite Songs Top 50 Albums of 2023 - Part 1 (50-41)

Image
  Okay, here we go friends, once more unto the breach... You know how this thing works now, ten albums a day from now until New Year's Eve - Bandcamp links (where we've got 'em) by clicking on the title. Let's do this. 50.     ASH - "Race The Night" I suppose the big problem with Ash is that, for better or worse, they will always be singing over the echoes of their glory years in the late '90s and early '00s. However, Race The Night  might just be their strongest effort since Meltdown  way back in 2004 - an enjoyable slice of power-pop with the tunes and melodies of old rightly pushed back to the fore where they belong. One of the more unexpectedly enjoyable comebacks of 2023. *** 49.     OBEY ROBOTS - "One In A Thousand" This collaboration between Laura Kidd (She Makes War/Penfriend) and guitarist Rat (Ned's Atomic Dustbin) proved to be another good addition to both of the involved parties' back catalogue. A collection of dark odes t
Read more