Album Notes

DROPPED ON THE HEAD, VOLUME TWO / Illbilly
By Milo Ippolito

This raucous compilation takes on the unwieldy task of capturing the current state of garage rock.

The standout performance, The Load Levelers on "You're a baby," is a glorious shitkicking speed punk hoedown with a catchy refrain: "You are just a little baby, cryin' on the phone."

The mysterious Michael Rattray scores the weirdest hook with "I'm just an ordinary geezer, until I cut your head off and put it in the freezer." His creepy lo-fi tune is about an internet chatroom predator.

The most lighthearted and humourous (and Gram Parsons influenced) track is by The Sindys. Their song title alone (which I won't repeat) includes enough obscenities to yank a radio license. It's about a record company guy.

Bangers and Mash contribute a swampy near-instrumental "Nervous" that reminds me of The Raunch Hands, one of the all time great unsung garage bands. The Goblins and Marshmallow Overcoat recall the classic '60s garage band sound. So does the hotrod and honey album art.

Indie producer James Richard Oliver pulled the comp together on Illbilly Records as a sequel to the fine country-punk collection Dropped on the Head Vol. 1.