Straitjacket Fit - The End (2019)

This one came out of the blue and it just blew me away. Straitjacket Fit are from the Greek city of Patra and their fate had been unknown for 10 years, since their second album, Lies. The special thing about this band is that they always lived by a certain code, according to which they never received money for their music, played live only in squats and free places without any economic payback, and generally refused to be part of the "music labels slavery trade", as they called it.

Reaching today, it seems that Straitjacket Fit had recorded their new album The End (a title that signals that this is their final release maybe?) in 2014, and just now they are finally ready to release it. And this is a pleasant surprise, to say the least. The band continues to demonstrate their unique alternative mix of rock, with the Primus-esque bass and the whole Faith No More intensity, to name only a couple of influences off the top of my head. Yes, it all does reek of the '90s, but it sounds anything but outdated, with their certain noise rock chaos being put in a strange order by the almost math structures. This is not just dry experimentation, but it rather exhales rock 'n' roll with every note. Check out one of the albums of the year and download it freely at the band's bandcamp site.

Michael Guratza - Songs that Speak the Truth (2018)

This is one of the first great surprises in Greek underground music in 2018. Michael Guratza (also the singer/guitarist/mastermind of Bat Signal from Thessaloniki) released this gem on just the second day of the year. Even being aware of his talent and musicianship from his work with his band, this here was anything but expected for me. Michael strips his tunes completely naked of needless and unnecessary bearings and delivers them just as they are; only with his voice and guitar. And this is exactly what they need, since they alone have a reason of existence and are full of emotion. If I had to describe it musically, it all moves within a folk/americana/alternative area, at times borrowing other elements as well (like traditional greek rhythms, for instance), and with Michael giving them his own distinct character. The lyrics add a special spice to it all, overall making this work worthy of getting as much attention as possible. Discover this hidden treasure and spread the word. It really deserves it.

Belated obsessions: Los Tromos - Boooo (2005)

I've been stumbling on the Los Tromos name for years now and I always wanted to check them out, but never got around to it. This changed when Fuzztastic Planet 2013 was announced; this gave me the motive I needed. I got hold of their 2005 Boooo album and, to put it mildly, I was blown away.
This is the definition of cool music which gets even cooler by the relaxed and "easy" way these guys are performing it. The genre is basically rock n'roll, but the band makes a habit of crossing over to other areas, be it surf, alternative, garage, americana; at times they even show some postrock/shoegaze wannabes how it's done. Boooo's 38 minutes flow almost unnoticeably, as one great tune follows another. This is an album that can haunt your lazy summers for a lifetime, an album that speaks directly to your mind, despite the fact that most of the songs are instrumental. Don't make the mistake I've been doing up until now; that is putting off discovering Boooo, even eight whole years after its release. And join me in praying that Los Tromos will be back together in a more permanent manner and will offer us more great stuff in the future.