Alien Snatch! Records
Mojomatics - A Sweet Mama Gonna Hoodoo Me – New LP
Regular price
$ 19.00
NOW WAVE MAGAZINE (USA) The Mojomatics are one of my two or three favorite bands on the planet right now. I've got their logo painted on the side of my house.
I recently traded my car for a gold-plated copy of their first album. I can't reach orgasm unless "Run For Your Life" is playing in the background. Do you really have to ask what I think of their latest single? This thing called rock n' roll, it's not that complicated. You can deconstruct every song, chord, and note if you want, you can debate such things as the importance of musical skill or the significance of stylistic originality, you can theorize on the consequence of production values and lyrical substance...but in the end, you either have it or you dont..."it" being that spark, that magic, that mojo (no pun intended), that un-quantifiable special something that separates great, electrifying rock n' roll from derivative, mediocre crap. I could talk about their songs (catchy as hell) or their delivery (wild and energetic) or their influences (mostly old blues and British Invasion rock), but all that really matters is that the Mojomatics HAVE it.
Brian Mosher's all-time best description of the Mojomatics sound ("like Ray Davies suddenly time-warped to a cotton plantation in 1936 and hooked up with Sonny Boy Williamson") is dead-on. But although the lo-fi blues/punk/pop/garage/rock n' roll thing is the group's style of choice, they'd still be a great band if they played polka, Mariachi music, or lounge jazz. They're just a special kind of band, and they succeed in making half-century old musical styles sound as fresh, new, and exciting as if they were just invented yesterday. Simply put, Matt and Dav write great songs and perform them with energy, enthusiasm, and that deep-burning rock n' roll spirit that can never, ever be faked. And Matt, a top-rate howler indeed, is one hell of a singer. These boys are making some of the best music in the world right now - in any genre. The EP's title track is actually on Side B - and it's a real bluesy smoker in an Animals vein. A-side cuts "You Know My Name" and "I've Been Waitin'" are poppier but still maximally rocking.
As much so as any band going right now, the Mojomatics exceed the bounds of ordinariness that too often define today's garage/punk/rock n' roll scene. If you don't like them, there's probably something wrong with you. (JR)
DYSSEY ZINE (US) Looking at this thing, I was bracing myself for some a Zydeco record or something. It must be the cover & the band name. One look at the young white fellers inside, though, and I could tell I was wrong. The MOJOMATICS could play a ho-down with their swampy folk-country and blues, which is the meat of the record, but some of the best songs are their amazing 60s-inspired, slightly somber, garage punkers with big buzzing guitar and a infectious choruses that burrow in your skull (Please Think About Me and It's Such A Shame, comes to mind here). I'm loving the harmonica too. It's some quality stuff for sure. It's raw, good for those liquor-drenched evenings, where you want to see a band you can jump on a table, shake and snap your fingers to.
SLEAZEGRINDER (US) Most blues-punk-roots-rock duos are fuckin’ BORING, and they can’t write any good songs, and there’s nobody with an extra couple hands to play tambourine or spit beer at the crowd, or drop their pants, or dance like loons. The third dude, that’s what most of these bands need. Or at least a chorus, ya know? That being said, the MOJOMATICS are only two fellas, but since they CAN write good, catchy, hummable, drinkable songs, the third guy can go fuck himself. Part 60’s psyche-rock, part dirty-ass blooze, part hook-heavy Britrock, these L’Italia cool cats are big on charm and chime and not nearly as lo-fi as 2-man gutbucket rock-slop usually gets. Add some blazing harmonica action, a little stray cat strut, some string ties and wraparound shades, and you’ve got it, daddy-o, the most happening two-man party machine since the Hunch’s evil twin brother crawled outta the swamp. And we all know how much fun that was.
SAVAGE (SWEDEN) Pretty doggone good americana-inspired garagerock. Loads of blues and bluegrass vibes but it comes out as great garagerock (most of the time). Some toons are really catchy punkrock but against a blues/country background. Great idea, and a great execution. The result isn’t that far from what LES SEXAREENOS and BBQ were/are doing but this sounds different. There’s a few songs that get kinda tedious with a little too much blueswankery. DM Bob & the Deficits were moving around in this same territory and while they were more cajun the MOJOMATICS are punkrock. There are a few real gems on here, like the folksy punkrock of “The Story That I Tell” and the sheer catchiness of “The Letter”.. I like this a lot..(Thomas)
ALPHAMONIC (ITALY) I meant to describe the tracks I love most, but I can't really make up my mind, and if I had to go through all of the single songs of the album it would take me a whole page, so I'll go straight to the point: YEP, YOU NEED IT, FOR REAL. This album is written, played and recorded with great competence, variety and soul, letting aside any kind of purism and shaking together the first 40 years of "black" music, from the very first days of blues to 60's rock and roll. No joke: this platter, their debut on the long distance and yet another great release for ALIEN SNATCH!, smokes right from the go. You can feel the urge of their live sets in it, a mixture that combines wildness and melodies that leave you defenceless. I firmly believe that the MOJOMATICS have an enormous commercial potential, if I had a "serious" record label I would sign them for a lifetime. In this weird world, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them score a deal with a major. I wish them all the best, hope they'll be makin' big money in some months' time. The first step will be an European tour in Springs, don't miss them. (Johnny)
SOUNDFLAT(GERMANY) Oh sweet lord!! Couldn't believe my ears when I popped this one in the player! Out of my brandnew speakers came some of the most intense sound I heard since long!! Thanks to Daniel of Alien Snatch fame this record is now available for the masses! Kicking off with the stunning opener "my mojo starts workin' now" this platter contains 16 dirty Mississippi delta's bluespunk tracks by a duo from Venice! And the hits go on?like "its such a shame"? What a bonecrunching song! Stolen by "shapes of things to come" this is a harpwailing 6ts buzzsaw scorcher!. Nothing can stop these guys?! Listen to "kiss me when I'm old & pray for more! One of these songs that you put on your carstereo tape x times in a row!! What a piece of art this record is?even the coverart, done by Grego, is an eyepoppin' monster! Buy 10 of this? this one smokes!
CAPINCH (Italy) By Unknow a.k.a. Bob Fuller) I MOJOMATICS sono riusciti con un’incredibile facilità nell’intento di costruire un album di puro garage ancorato alla tradizione come neanche chi quelle tradizioni dovrebbe averle scritte nel proprio DNA. Di solito, come nel caso dei Blanche, quando si entra nel campo dell’applicazione di un background fatto di country, blues, folk e garage music si corre il rischio di ammiccare a blande sonorità quasi di tipo west-coast; al contrario i MOJOMATICS zompettano stomps e vivacità per tutta la durata di queste 16 canzoni, e quando parlo di canzoni intendo un altro parametro di quel background di tradizioni di cui parlavo poc’anzi. I MOJOMATICS hanno la capacità innata e sorprendentemente facile di scrivere canzoni con una fantasia rara. E a tal proposito non si può parlare della loro scrittura se non si ha ben presente una cosa nel loro modo di plasmare la materia ‘parole+musica’: il tutto nasce in un’ipotetico triangolo un cui i lati sono rappresenti da A) Bob Dylan; B) Beatles e sixties correlati; C) blues (dagli anni ‘30 agli Stones). Che la scrittura sia devota alla genialità della penna del menestrello di Duluth è chiaro sin dal rifacimento di She’s not good (originalmente di Jesse Fuller e che un Dylan esordiente coverizzò a suo modo nel lontano ‘62, episodio presente in questo full-lenght come una sorta di cover della cover), ma non contenti i nostri hanno voluto cimentarsi in un episodio simile e con le stesse modalità (ovvero cambiando il testo), prendendo di mira How Long (“buck”) di un Skip James di annata 1931. E come Dylan si trascinano dietro uno strascico fatto di Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Johnny Cash ed altra ‘rootsaglia’ simile. La lezione invece dei 4 di Liverpool è presente in ogni anfratto tra i solchi di questo album: ovunque si guardi ci si accorge che il tutto non è che un pretesto per far collimare metrica e melodia. Ci si chiede spesso come facciano a risolvere ritornelli, strofe e ponti con questa facilità. E ogni canzone è un discorso a sé, con nuove soluzioni, nuovi scenari e solita disarmante bellezza. E per finire il trittico, parliamo del blues e tutto quell’immaginario (non solo musicale) di cui è pregno l’intero disco, a cominciare dal grande artwork curato da Grego ‘Mojohand’ (vedi intervista). Walking blues, minstrel shows, juke joints, turn-round in mano a Legba, donne in balià di amanti senza scrupoli, cattive medicine, strade polverose col treno che taglia la notte e tutto il resto. E con grande capacità di esecuzione e un suono che li rende al massimo (si sono registrati nel proprio studio, l’Outside Inside) non mancheranno di catturare molti altri proseliti con questo disco di fattura pregiata. Non si tratta di punk blues, o blues trash o cosa, questo è un disco di canzoni, e quindi pop in quanto tale, con un bastimento carico di ciò che si definiscono radici, background e capacità tecniche a iosa. Continuo sempre a considerarli una versione riveduta e corretta dei Violent Femmes, solo che dove la band di Milwaukee cercava di contestuallizzare le proprie visioni folk al proprio tempo, se non addirittura cercando di proiettarle verso certuni scenari futuri e post-punk (con risultati alterni, a dire il vero), i MOJOMATICS invece percorrono un cammino opposto riconsegnando la materia prima di cui sono fatte le loro composizioni in mano ai loro legittimi e antichi proprietari. Bringing it all back home, come diceva il poeta, appunto. (BC)
I recently traded my car for a gold-plated copy of their first album. I can't reach orgasm unless "Run For Your Life" is playing in the background. Do you really have to ask what I think of their latest single? This thing called rock n' roll, it's not that complicated. You can deconstruct every song, chord, and note if you want, you can debate such things as the importance of musical skill or the significance of stylistic originality, you can theorize on the consequence of production values and lyrical substance...but in the end, you either have it or you dont..."it" being that spark, that magic, that mojo (no pun intended), that un-quantifiable special something that separates great, electrifying rock n' roll from derivative, mediocre crap. I could talk about their songs (catchy as hell) or their delivery (wild and energetic) or their influences (mostly old blues and British Invasion rock), but all that really matters is that the Mojomatics HAVE it.
Brian Mosher's all-time best description of the Mojomatics sound ("like Ray Davies suddenly time-warped to a cotton plantation in 1936 and hooked up with Sonny Boy Williamson") is dead-on. But although the lo-fi blues/punk/pop/garage/rock n' roll thing is the group's style of choice, they'd still be a great band if they played polka, Mariachi music, or lounge jazz. They're just a special kind of band, and they succeed in making half-century old musical styles sound as fresh, new, and exciting as if they were just invented yesterday. Simply put, Matt and Dav write great songs and perform them with energy, enthusiasm, and that deep-burning rock n' roll spirit that can never, ever be faked. And Matt, a top-rate howler indeed, is one hell of a singer. These boys are making some of the best music in the world right now - in any genre. The EP's title track is actually on Side B - and it's a real bluesy smoker in an Animals vein. A-side cuts "You Know My Name" and "I've Been Waitin'" are poppier but still maximally rocking.
As much so as any band going right now, the Mojomatics exceed the bounds of ordinariness that too often define today's garage/punk/rock n' roll scene. If you don't like them, there's probably something wrong with you. (JR)
DYSSEY ZINE (US) Looking at this thing, I was bracing myself for some a Zydeco record or something. It must be the cover & the band name. One look at the young white fellers inside, though, and I could tell I was wrong. The MOJOMATICS could play a ho-down with their swampy folk-country and blues, which is the meat of the record, but some of the best songs are their amazing 60s-inspired, slightly somber, garage punkers with big buzzing guitar and a infectious choruses that burrow in your skull (Please Think About Me and It's Such A Shame, comes to mind here). I'm loving the harmonica too. It's some quality stuff for sure. It's raw, good for those liquor-drenched evenings, where you want to see a band you can jump on a table, shake and snap your fingers to.
SLEAZEGRINDER (US) Most blues-punk-roots-rock duos are fuckin’ BORING, and they can’t write any good songs, and there’s nobody with an extra couple hands to play tambourine or spit beer at the crowd, or drop their pants, or dance like loons. The third dude, that’s what most of these bands need. Or at least a chorus, ya know? That being said, the MOJOMATICS are only two fellas, but since they CAN write good, catchy, hummable, drinkable songs, the third guy can go fuck himself. Part 60’s psyche-rock, part dirty-ass blooze, part hook-heavy Britrock, these L’Italia cool cats are big on charm and chime and not nearly as lo-fi as 2-man gutbucket rock-slop usually gets. Add some blazing harmonica action, a little stray cat strut, some string ties and wraparound shades, and you’ve got it, daddy-o, the most happening two-man party machine since the Hunch’s evil twin brother crawled outta the swamp. And we all know how much fun that was.
SAVAGE (SWEDEN) Pretty doggone good americana-inspired garagerock. Loads of blues and bluegrass vibes but it comes out as great garagerock (most of the time). Some toons are really catchy punkrock but against a blues/country background. Great idea, and a great execution. The result isn’t that far from what LES SEXAREENOS and BBQ were/are doing but this sounds different. There’s a few songs that get kinda tedious with a little too much blueswankery. DM Bob & the Deficits were moving around in this same territory and while they were more cajun the MOJOMATICS are punkrock. There are a few real gems on here, like the folksy punkrock of “The Story That I Tell” and the sheer catchiness of “The Letter”.. I like this a lot..(Thomas)
ALPHAMONIC (ITALY) I meant to describe the tracks I love most, but I can't really make up my mind, and if I had to go through all of the single songs of the album it would take me a whole page, so I'll go straight to the point: YEP, YOU NEED IT, FOR REAL. This album is written, played and recorded with great competence, variety and soul, letting aside any kind of purism and shaking together the first 40 years of "black" music, from the very first days of blues to 60's rock and roll. No joke: this platter, their debut on the long distance and yet another great release for ALIEN SNATCH!, smokes right from the go. You can feel the urge of their live sets in it, a mixture that combines wildness and melodies that leave you defenceless. I firmly believe that the MOJOMATICS have an enormous commercial potential, if I had a "serious" record label I would sign them for a lifetime. In this weird world, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them score a deal with a major. I wish them all the best, hope they'll be makin' big money in some months' time. The first step will be an European tour in Springs, don't miss them. (Johnny)
SOUNDFLAT(GERMANY) Oh sweet lord!! Couldn't believe my ears when I popped this one in the player! Out of my brandnew speakers came some of the most intense sound I heard since long!! Thanks to Daniel of Alien Snatch fame this record is now available for the masses! Kicking off with the stunning opener "my mojo starts workin' now" this platter contains 16 dirty Mississippi delta's bluespunk tracks by a duo from Venice! And the hits go on?like "its such a shame"? What a bonecrunching song! Stolen by "shapes of things to come" this is a harpwailing 6ts buzzsaw scorcher!. Nothing can stop these guys?! Listen to "kiss me when I'm old & pray for more! One of these songs that you put on your carstereo tape x times in a row!! What a piece of art this record is?even the coverart, done by Grego, is an eyepoppin' monster! Buy 10 of this? this one smokes!
CAPINCH (Italy) By Unknow a.k.a. Bob Fuller) I MOJOMATICS sono riusciti con un’incredibile facilità nell’intento di costruire un album di puro garage ancorato alla tradizione come neanche chi quelle tradizioni dovrebbe averle scritte nel proprio DNA. Di solito, come nel caso dei Blanche, quando si entra nel campo dell’applicazione di un background fatto di country, blues, folk e garage music si corre il rischio di ammiccare a blande sonorità quasi di tipo west-coast; al contrario i MOJOMATICS zompettano stomps e vivacità per tutta la durata di queste 16 canzoni, e quando parlo di canzoni intendo un altro parametro di quel background di tradizioni di cui parlavo poc’anzi. I MOJOMATICS hanno la capacità innata e sorprendentemente facile di scrivere canzoni con una fantasia rara. E a tal proposito non si può parlare della loro scrittura se non si ha ben presente una cosa nel loro modo di plasmare la materia ‘parole+musica’: il tutto nasce in un’ipotetico triangolo un cui i lati sono rappresenti da A) Bob Dylan; B) Beatles e sixties correlati; C) blues (dagli anni ‘30 agli Stones). Che la scrittura sia devota alla genialità della penna del menestrello di Duluth è chiaro sin dal rifacimento di She’s not good (originalmente di Jesse Fuller e che un Dylan esordiente coverizzò a suo modo nel lontano ‘62, episodio presente in questo full-lenght come una sorta di cover della cover), ma non contenti i nostri hanno voluto cimentarsi in un episodio simile e con le stesse modalità (ovvero cambiando il testo), prendendo di mira How Long (“buck”) di un Skip James di annata 1931. E come Dylan si trascinano dietro uno strascico fatto di Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Johnny Cash ed altra ‘rootsaglia’ simile. La lezione invece dei 4 di Liverpool è presente in ogni anfratto tra i solchi di questo album: ovunque si guardi ci si accorge che il tutto non è che un pretesto per far collimare metrica e melodia. Ci si chiede spesso come facciano a risolvere ritornelli, strofe e ponti con questa facilità. E ogni canzone è un discorso a sé, con nuove soluzioni, nuovi scenari e solita disarmante bellezza. E per finire il trittico, parliamo del blues e tutto quell’immaginario (non solo musicale) di cui è pregno l’intero disco, a cominciare dal grande artwork curato da Grego ‘Mojohand’ (vedi intervista). Walking blues, minstrel shows, juke joints, turn-round in mano a Legba, donne in balià di amanti senza scrupoli, cattive medicine, strade polverose col treno che taglia la notte e tutto il resto. E con grande capacità di esecuzione e un suono che li rende al massimo (si sono registrati nel proprio studio, l’Outside Inside) non mancheranno di catturare molti altri proseliti con questo disco di fattura pregiata. Non si tratta di punk blues, o blues trash o cosa, questo è un disco di canzoni, e quindi pop in quanto tale, con un bastimento carico di ciò che si definiscono radici, background e capacità tecniche a iosa. Continuo sempre a considerarli una versione riveduta e corretta dei Violent Femmes, solo che dove la band di Milwaukee cercava di contestuallizzare le proprie visioni folk al proprio tempo, se non addirittura cercando di proiettarle verso certuni scenari futuri e post-punk (con risultati alterni, a dire il vero), i MOJOMATICS invece percorrono un cammino opposto riconsegnando la materia prima di cui sono fatte le loro composizioni in mano ai loro legittimi e antichi proprietari. Bringing it all back home, come diceva il poeta, appunto. (BC)
