Review: Various Artists ‘Day Old Donuts’
Wax Donuts Records latest release Day Old Donuts is a collection of covers of early rock and roll classics which, according to the album’s promo-notes, ‘pulls together a wild mix of new and old friends of the label, spanning rockabilly, post-punk, and alternative metal’.
It’s also a charity benefit with all proceeds going to CDP Global Recovery Fund who help those effected by numerous disasters. Not only are you guaranteed some kickass music but you’re also raising money for a good cause, that’s a win-win in my book.
LaVern Baker’s Voodoo Voodoo was a slice of up-tempo rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of Little Richard. In Night Goat‘s hands however, the track takes a darker Samhain/Danzig turn, so whereas the original was an invitation to party, this is more of an invitation to the dark side. A strong opener. LA’s Dead Senses update The Exciters Tell Him with an agitated noise-rock/post-hardcore sound and a horror-punk twist ala The Misfits, a whole heap of fun.
Next is the oft-covered Fever, the most recognisable version being Peggy Lee’s. French grunge/stoner duo Heckel & Jeckel slow the tempo yet further, extract the jazz and make it deliciously creepy sounding. Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals featured in Goodfellas and New Yorkers The Triceratops give it a Torche-sque atoner makeover with a Redd Kross power-pop flamboyance to powerful effect. Strychnine by Seattle’s The Sonics was already pretty raucous, but Genre Is Death make it even more discordant in the vein of noise-rockers Royal Trux. Raw as fuck and utterly engrossing, this is one band to keep an eye out for.
Wax Donut bring us yet another sterling compilation with excellent artwork and top-notch covers…
The Shirelles Baby, It’s You is a heartbreaking tearjerker to which Matte Martin (The Zap Guns) adds chamber pop flavourings and croons along in a fashion reminiscent of the late Scott Walker. That it outshines the original in its emotional devastation is impressive. The Big Hurt referred to by DJ Dick Biondi as Toni Fisher’s ‘weird one’ is reassembled by Pittsburgh’s Love Ethic as a late ‘80s/early ‘90s grunge belter with angst ridden vocals that capture the essence of the track.
The Tammys Egyptian Shumbah, a silly novelty song, is repurposed brilliantly into a sludgy Killdozer noise-rock bruiser by Detroit’s Balm and rendered unrecognizable as a result. I’ve a soft spot for The Four Tops It’s The Same Old Song ever since its use in the Coen Brothers Blood Simple and Wichita, Kansas’ Old Coffins perform a rousing and catchy version which belies the original’s otherwise downbeat lyrical subject matter. The track is actually a medley with Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, which the band do a gloriously sloppy early Replacements style version of. The Shirelles again feature with Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow though this time given the Americana treatment courtesy of Chip Whitson featuring Berton Averre. Both do a fantastic job of utilising the genre, thankfully coming across as more mid-period X than Garth Brooks.
Pittsburgh noise/punk/skronk outfit Skeletonized tackle Jackie & The Starlites’ doo wop classic Valerie and do a fantastic job. Sonically it recalls Frank Zappa whenever he dabbled in the genre, with exaggerated, albeit fond, vocal stylings. Bethlehem alt-metal eccentrics Bovine Nightmares do a superb job with The Ronettes Be My Baby, a faithful rendition that gives one goosebumps and Chaser utterly transform a pre-Ronettes track Change Of Heart into something altogether quirky and fun, concluding the album on a no-wave/prog/electro-punk note.
Wax Donut bring us yet another sterling compilation with excellent artwork and top-notch covers revamping some American standards into something altogether fresh and original.
Label: Wax Donuts Records
Scribed by: Reza Mills
