Here is “Fuzz You”, the 4th LP from The Giant Robots, the Swiss garage rock quintet ready to make all the gramophones on the planet roar.
After “Invasion” (DAB Records), “Too Young To Know Better. Too Hard To Care” (Voodoo Rhythm) and “Delightfully Refreshing” (Soundflat), the new opus of the giant robots is released by Groovie Records, the so exciting groovy label from Lisbon. This new album was mixed in Gijon by maestro Jorge Explosión (Doctor Explosión) and mastered by the US citizen guru Mike Mariconda, in Barcelona.
The LP begins with the pure garage-punk instrumental entitled “Fuzz You”. A contagious theme with the very important organ in the foreground, while keeping very tasty melodies. Then comes the first single, a total hit in Italian entitled “Avanti La Macchina”, reminiscent of Cynics, Fuzztones or Chesterfield Kings. Remember that the group comes from this multicultural Switzerland where Italian is the 3rd national language. But the Italian language pays tribute above all to the true love of the garage carried by the public of the south, of Italy, of Spain, Greece or Portugal. A heavier atmosphere follows in “No Way To Hide”, with very sixties voices, contagious choruses, a brutal break and even a prodigious organ solo. “PartyPartyParty” you can probably already guess what it’s all about… You have to party at all costs, that’s all that’s enjoyable. Then the Giant Robots rebound in their native language, French in “Schizophrenie” with its very danceable guitar riff, its wild drums, its prominent harmonica and its tribal groove with very sixties refrains. Finally, the last hit on side A will be the first of the three covers of this LP, this one by The Uncalled Four. “Do Like Me” is rather low tempo, played in a laid back way and filled with nonchalant “Yeah” at will.
“We All Love Peanut Butter” starts the B side and sounds like the classic it is, covered in a casual and energetic way. The original version was the work of One Way Streets. The vocation of the Giant Robots has never been to be a cover band par excellence, seeking perfection, their versions always being alternatives to the originals, but with this characteristic spontaneity of that time. Then comes the second single ‘She Don’t Like Me’ with a captivating chorus, a looser version of the guy looking for love. ‘Leave Me’ is probably the strangest track on the album, with a very strident farfisa that accompanies a solid (even sordid) rhythm and unmotivated vocals. ‘Panam’ is a fun instrumental version for non-stop dancing, guided by a clear analog keyboard and also features a striking guitar. This is a cover of the Swiss group The Sevens who had the audacity to create this piece in 1966. Finally the album ends with… “Terminé” in a joyful way to dance all night long. A good combination of farfisa as well as a rhythm section that provide the backing for piercing guitar in just over a minute and a half. Real garage rock.
Enjoy ! And Fuzz You Babe.