The Saint James Society The Saint James Society
Tee Pee
The Saint James Society are an Austin, Texas collective, all droopy hats and opulent jewelry, raven clad and ultra rad, who are just as likely to be selling fragrances at a desert bazaar as they are pushing garage psych in a dimly lit back room full of stony, armless idols. Thankfully, we get the latter (although it won’t hurt if you want to envision the former too), and despite the fact that their self-titled debut is but a four-song EP, it oozes with enough mystic mojo to melt the moon. Like a switchblade hypnotist with an Edgar Allen Poe mind, The Saint James Society taunt you with their BEAT, a tell-tale rhythm that drives the entire EP so that the acid drone and dark fuzz of its pulsing quartet (“Reflections,” “Of Silver and Gold,” “The Ballad of the White Horse,” “The Devil, An Angel, and a Broken Window”) fills up the very marrow of your bones. It’s a moving (dare I say sexy?) trip, equal parts style and sound, and will surely find favour with fans of Black Mountain, Quest for Fire, The Black Angels, and The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, as well as restless sinners and the terminally cool.
Check out the video for “Reflections” from The Saint James Society!
Brass Knuckle Evangelists No Sin No Soul
Self-Released
There are places all over the world where people much cooler than me — people who accessorize with ascots and fedoras instead of a beard — are having a Devil approved good time. They’re sippin’ bourbon and throwin’ dice in smoky rooms filled with ebony beauties and slick-grinned denizens. New York’s Brass Knuckle Evangelists play rooms just like these every night of their life, whether they’ve actually got a gig or not, and their woozy rock ‘n blooze is the midnight match for mischief’s fantastic fire. No Sin No Soul, the band’s debut five-song EP, oozes organ-fried righteousness and pulpit bravado, but the preachy Memphis soul of “Good Time (Ain’t No Crime),” “You’re The Devil,” “Work Me,” and “Up All Nite” are infused with a greasy, burnin’ rubber punch, no coincidence given the band’s sleaze rock roots (ex-members of Joker Five Speed). The EP’s final selection, a cover of Don Nix’s “Goin’ Down,” offers a gritty, city take on the well-traveled song also covered by such legends as Jeff Beck, Deep Purple, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joe Satriani, and Gov’t Mule. No Sin No Soul ought to put an ultra-shine on your alligator shoes, especially if you’re into Beasts of Bourbon, The BellRays, The Booze, Chinatown, Diamond Dogs, The Dirtbombs, Izzy Stradlin’, or The Jim Jones Revue. I hope New York City is big enough for two goddamn savvy bands because Brass Knuckle Evangelists are giving The Compulsions some funky company.
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.
The Saint James Society
Brass Knuckle Evangelists
Urge Overkill