The Bandoliers
Prove Yourself
Self-Released

The Bandoliers are from Nashville, Tennessee and play American rock n’ roll. Well, of course they do. Since there’s not much innovation in that statement, I’m gonna go ahead and garnish it, shake it out of its cushy tin can, and tell you what you really ought to know. And that’s this: The Bandoliers’ debut album, Prove Yourself, is a ‘stache attack of stray cat struts and fever dog howls, all fuzzy vox, stomp n’ groove, and Sunday morning hard rock blues. They go whole hog with this first impression by bringing in everything from vibroslap to cowbell to Wurlitzer to trumpet to fill out their dynamite Southern sound, but it’s the heavy-riffed bare business – that’s feet and chest, boy — that drives this one up your lane. Of course, no stars n’ stripes jam is complete without that great missing Black Crowes ballad (“Give Me Shelter”), ivory and slide staple (“The Devil is a Friend of Mine”), and singalong crowd pleaser (title track), so it seems these here Bandoliers have put it all together just right, making Prove Yourself a drunken sunny day hit.

Listen to Prove Yourself by The Bandoliers! Oh, and you can get it for free too, so do it.

I prefer to review albums the year they are released in order not to appear dated, but sometimes albums find their way to me the following calendar year. I respect the effort (and, in some cases, money) bands put into sending me their music for review, so the least I can do is give them some blog time. Here’s a quick run through some music that was released in 2011, because it’s never too late…

Black Rainbows
Supermothafuzzalicious!!
HeavyPsychSounds Records

The title of Black Rainbows’ third full-length should be enough to break the handle right off yer crank, but in case you need extra convincing, this is some hot-as-the-sun Italian boogie doom from a power trio who are dwarfed only by the stacks through which they blast this dynamite rock. They sounded a lot like Kyuss on their 2007 debut Twilight in the Desert, but they’ve since molded their raw and green stoner sound into something heavier and bluesier, which means they now stomp and howl like a Small Stone band junked out on stardust and motor oil. Oh yeah.

Listen to “Behind the Line” from Supermothafuzzalicious!!

Shooting Guns
Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976
Self-Released

Instrumental psych-metal from Canada’s Shooting Guns, whose magic dealin’ dates should give you an indication of where they mined the fuzzy nuggets that fill this black sack ’cause the whole thing sounds like a 60s-fried stomp through a field of bear traps in foggy moonlight. Take the hairy doom of “Dopestrings” and “The Last Great Depression,” the acid drone of “Harmonic Steppenwolf” and “Liberator,” and the weird garage of “Public Taser” and “Stay Awake Forever” and you’ve got a debut full of toxic nocturnal emissions that’ll jangle your mind just right.

Listen to Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976 right here!

Re1ikt
Reki prabili liod
Vigma/BMA

I don’t know how to pronounce the band’s name, nor do I know the translation to any of the song titles or lyrics, but what I do know about this Belarusian band is that they’ve put out a slew of releases since 2008 and their 2011 effort, Reki prabili liod (which I do happen to know means ‘rivers broke through the ice’), is a daunting and epic blend of post-rock and progressive metal with some folk influences mixed in (like their chilling cover of “Rana na Ivana,” a traditional Belarusian folk song). Reki prabili liod contains all the melodic darkness of a Swallow the Sun without any of the death, which I suppose will remind you of bands like Russian Circles or Red Sparowes. With an Eastern European twist, of course.

Check out the video for the song “Reki pad ildom” here!

Mellow Bravo
Mellow Bravo
Small Stone

Mellow Bravo is the redheaded stepchild of the Small Stone roster, the outcast whose self-titled second album came attached with the following statement from the label: This is NOT stoner rock. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be scared or excited; it’s like going to a steakhouse and being told I wouldn’t be served a bleeding slab of meat. I mean, I love steak, but the unknown alternative could be just as satiating. So, what is Mellow Bravo if not a stoner rock band? Well, they’re dark blues foragers, hard rock hucksters, a sextet of rum running rock n’ roll pirates from Boston adept at seizing all kinds of loot in some very deep waters. They’re Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Black Mountain, Thee Hypnotics, Beasts of Bourbon, Zen Guerrilla, and Slash all at once, if you can imagine it, and tear through ragged harp (“Sad Sam”), aggressive riffing (“Ridin”), cowboy ballad (“Senorita”), temperamental slide (“Love Hammer”), and back porch folk (“Prairie Dog”) with all the sizzle and strut of rock gods going home to roost. The depth of sound and soul found on Mellow Bravo must truly be heard because it contains so many undefinable elements, but basically this is the kind of  guitar driven gusto that plays well from campfires to stadiums and any dive bar in between. And that’s saying nothing of the band’s ace in the hole, organist/vocalist Jess Collins, who adds all the smoke to this star-tickling fire. So, it turns out I was supposed to be excited. I am.

Listen to “Sad Sam” from Mellow Bravo!