Gold Foil Fever - The Vibrajets (Off the Hip)
So much goodness over just five songs. Warm, fat guitars permeate this predominantly instrumental record like honeybees holed up in in an old hive.
The Vibrajets are Melbourne-based and include past or current members of The Stems, The Shimmys, The Futuras and The Breadmakers - which should tell you most of what you need to know. This 12-inch 45 is their second piece of recorded output, not so hot on the heels of a mono single four years ago. The Vibrajets sound owes its origins as much to the Chet Atkins as “Apache”.
The vintage sound of Sammy-lou Croissant and Julian Matthews’ guitars are all over rumbling opener “Greasy 186”, one of a brace of originals. The shaking cover of Long John Hunter’s “El Paso Rock” reeks of Tecate beer and Tequila chasers. Lick, sip, suck!
Flip the sucker over and “Let Me In” (the other original) is as bright and breezy as a slice of pizza with pineapple on a sunny St Kilda Beach day. The contrasting guitars of Sammy-Lou and Julian spar like long-boarders trying to drop in on each other while Gordo Johns (bass) and drummer Domenico Prattico lock in on bottom-end and tom-toms rspectively.
Roy Buchanan’s “Pretty Please” gets the Vibrajets treatment before the record winds up with “Mogul Monster”, a superb B side from Kim Fowley surf music proteges, The Rangers. Buy digitally or (more appropriately) on vinyl at Bandcamp.
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