Martyr Privates – “Bless” b/w “Native Son” 7” (Bon Voyage)
Brisbane psych-garage trio that clings to the psych side, a la early Spacemen 3 or slightly less fucked-up American counterparts. Both tracks have kind of a stately feel about them that doesn’t dissipate in the gritty recording or workmanlike songwriting/playing. Neither one is too exciting, but play them a bunch of times and you’ll find things to like, such as their insistence on overdubbing a single-note lead over the rhythm guitar, and how they wisely push that a bit higher up in the mix. As far as the psychedelic part of this band goes, there’s a lot of competition and any of the good bands around today could easily meet or exceed what the Privates put down. For the garage side, however, this record is like a bunch of charm school graduates who have learned to push any attitude towards the music itself, rather than have a front man project it, and makes it seem like there’s a viable alternative to all that dismal Fonzie nonsense (Fonz-sense?) that keeps getting dumped in my bin. 300 numbered copies, Australian import. Duh. (http://bonvoyage.bandcamp.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
