MONDO ZOMBIE BOOGALOO
Los Straitijackets, Southern Culture On The Skids & The Fleshtones
Yep Roc, 2013
Christmas came early and it’s disguised as Halloween. Yours, mine, and every last honest person’s favorite holiday, Hall-O-Weeeeeen!
Yep Roc released this slice of undead reverb heaven that’s a three way split release between the masked men in Los Straightjackets, Queen’s, New York’s The Fleshtones, and the North Carolina’s Kudzu encrusted Southern Culture on the Skids.
Each band gets five songs apiece and it’s hard to pinpoint standout tracks as the whole thing is amazing from start to finish. The tracks are staggered so you can forgo shuffle play.
Los Straightjackets get this zombie apocalypse party started off with “It’s Monster Surfing Time,” and there’s no turning back. “Ghoulman Confidential” by The Fleshtones is a farfisa driven number perfect for your beach blanket bonfire. SCOTS deliver a ravishing version of The Cramps classic “Goo Goo Muck” with vocals courtesy of bassist, Mary Huff.
With “Que Monstros Son,” all three bands collaborate on the Spanish language re-make of “The Monster Mash.” This song demands to be on your playlist as of right this second and never leave rotation, EVER.
This is the sort of release you’d expect some musical left turns on. “La Marcha de Los Cabrones” is an unexpected instrumental from SCOTS. Not because it’s an instrumental, but it’s of such a different stripe, at least initially from their previous instrumentals. This is another song I wouldn’t be surprised to hear on a soundtrack soon. Grandiose and overblown, everything about the song is epic.
Los Straightjackets give a breathtaking reading of “Theme from Halloween,” while their version of “Ghostbusters” feels off the cuff and goofy. But seriously, “Quien llamaras?”
If you are lucky enough to live in a town where these three bands are splitting a bill, get thee there immediately! This is garage/surf/horror rock bliss right here. From start to finish, everything on this disc feels and sounds like a guilty pleasure, because it is!