Loons - Miss Clara Regrets

THE LOONS have been playing their smart, inventive brand of psychotic beat music for almost twenty years. On stage and in the studio the Loons remain at the top of their game. Shindig Magazine described them as 'a perfect pairing of Love-influenced garage-psych and the '60s British underground in the mould of the Pretty Things, played with preternatural style and ability'. This single features two exclusive tracks recorded especially for Dirty Water Records to precede the release of their new album on the legendary Bomp Records which will be followed by a high profile live appearance at the Le Beat Bespoke festival in London over the Easter weekend. Lead singer is Mike Stax of Ugly Things magazine, Anja Stax plays bass, Marc Schroeder and Chris Marsteller are the guitarists, and Mike Kamoo is their drummer and producer. Together they have seen more releases over the two decades than we can list here. And every single one of them is worth owning. A review of their last album said, 'This recalls as much the Stooges and MC5 as Arthur Lee's Love or the Kinks. It's a terminally-cool and hip rock and roll sound. I like that Loons aren't afraid to be "pop". But in their case the "pop" is neither manufactured nor artificial. The Loons concoct a natural, organic form of music that favourably crosses strong songwriting with an air of regal garage rock recklessness (and attitude). Their warm and classic sounds should find favor with a wide cross-section of listeners.' The music of the Loons will appeal to the oldsters who dug the Nuggets sounds way back before the band even formed and also to the current crop of kids digging the modern garage rock of the Black Lips and The Parrots and the many others out there you've not yet heard of. While these tracks could easily go head to head with anything on one of those ubiquitous garage or freakbeat compilations, there is a timelessness about the music. As a music historian and archivist, Stax is a purist when it comes to sixties rock'n'roll and psychedelia. But when it comes to his own music, his need for guitars that jangle, ring and buzz, a throbbing rhythm section, and concise tunes, has a miraculous shelf life - because he and the other Loons are about breathing this stuff - to them, it's not history, it's life, it's music.