ess than 12 months on from the triumphant rock ’n’ roll record that was Stained Glass, Australia’s most tasteful sonic culinary artiste Jake Robertson serves up another platter in his never-ending, ever-extending Alien Nosejob banquet.
Since initially firing out similar flavours on his first offering, Alien Nosejob has conquered the challenges of disco, hardcore, new wave, rock and roll (all drowned in his characteristically sweet sense of humour) before finally returning back to his musical roots: the jangly, adolescent feel of 1960’s garage.
After one of Jake’s first bands, The Frowning Clouds, reunited for a few shows in September 2022, he found himself digging up old songs and riffs from the period – some spanning back to as early as 2006 and up until around 2012. This record features many of those song ideas – some reworked, some rewritten, some exactly the same. All together now as one hot package.
Leaning into his musical tastes from the Clouds’ period of existence, Jake digs up inspiration in some teenage staples: The Troggs, Mike Furber, the under-appreciated bands that make up the Shutdown ’66 / Back from the Grave compilations. Without overdoing the sugar, salt, MSG, whatever you wanna call it… this record was recorded by Jake all by his lonesome over a weekend in his garage. There’s no paisley shirts, no skinny-ties, no winkle-pickers, no slim-fit suits and no haircuts – just Jake and his 1964 MacBook Pro.
Garage rock revival is a sound that’s often overdone, drenched in nostalgia and small-minded attitudes, but this album is not just a throwback to the sounds of yesterday. It doesn’t belong with the golden oldies or your usual garage resuscitations. Anti Fade Records (AU) and Goner Records (US) are proud to present, “The Derivative Sounds of… Or… A Dog Always Returns to its Vomit.” The sixth piece of Alien Nosejob’s eternal buffet and the “all you can eat” of record titles.
