Urge Overkill
Rock & Roll Submarine
UO Records

Soundgarden is touring again, Kyuss Lives (literally), and I’ve heard rumors of a new Screaming Trees album, so I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that Urge Overkill has returned with Rock & Roll Submarine, their first album in 16 years. This is rock n’ roll, after all, and anything is possible, especially when you’re dealing with legendary lounge lizards Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser. I have to think the ironic duo’s leisure suits fit a bit more snug this time around, but the Windy City wish-masters, whose glitter-pop alt-rock lit up the early 90s like a strip bar sign, have dusted off the medallions and move comfortably enough around well-constructed hooks on songs like “Effigy,” “Thought Balloon,” and the title track to convince you that they’ve captured that cosmic clairvoyance once again. But, unfortunately, there are some things time does change, and while Rock & Roll Submarine is pleasantly passable for a comeback album, it lacks a certain amount of chutzpah, really, which means it won’t knock you out like a lethal cocktail of supersonic cool and saturated bliss, which is something Urge Overkill used to do with incredible ease.

Listen to “Effigy” from Rock & Roll Submarine!

I realize there’s still over a month to go in 2009, but hardly anything good ever comes out in December. The rock n’ roll release season always seems to peak in October and after that it’s a slow slide into a new year and, hopefully, new good music. So I like to get a jump on my end of the year list in the hopes that it will provide you with some killer bands and albums to catch up with before the year is out. It also gives me a chance to try and remember all the new shit I heard over the last 11 months. That’s not an easy task. In fact, some of this stuff may not even be from 2009, but so it goes.

As with all best-of lists, this one has its disclaimers. The big one here is that this list includes only the albums I listened to, so if I didn’t include Slayer’s new album or Immortal’s new album it’s because I haven’t heard them…yet. So don’t get your panties in a knot if there are some glaring omissions. And, of course, this list is exclusive to the music I listen to; it’s my favourites for the year…and hopefully some of yours.

Oh, and why 39? Because it’s one better than 40. If 666 is the number of the beast, think of 39 as the number of the beard.

All right, enough screwing around. Let’s get to it…

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