Romero Records are very happy to announce the release of ‘Space Sounds’, the first single from Darth Vegas’s second album ‘Brainwashing For Dirty Minds’.
Download the song for free: http://romerorecords.bandcamp.com/ – then tell your friends, request it on your favourite radio station, and all that stuff that people do…
The 4th release for Romero Records will be ‘The Mango Balloon, Volume 2′ by Julian Curwin – the leader of The Tango Saloon developed the project in 2010 between TTS albums. It is essentially a stripped-back chamber version of The Tango Saloon, distilling all of the elements of the larger band down to various smaller configurations, mostly quartets. The sound is lighter and more laid back, with a style which adds lounge, exotica and continental jazz to The Tango Saloon’s tango/western blend.
The album features 6 members from The Tango Saloon, plus special guest vocalist/guitarist Brian Campeau, who aside from his solo work, has recently been touring and recording with The Rescue Ships, a collaboration with Elana Stone.
‘The Mango Balloon, Volume 2′ will be launched November 10th at Venue 505.
Just thought it was worth mentioning, our semi-official outlet in the US, Wayside Music now have the first three Romero releases in stock. The links are below:
Meanwhile Norman Records in the UK also has all the Romero ‘back-catalogue’ available, along with some great reviews…
‘Brainwashing For Dirty Minds’ is currently Album Of The Week on Eastside Radio 89.7FM – tune in to hear the standard programming regularly (but pleasantly) disrupted.
In other news, the band will appear on Stay Tuned, a kids show (!) on ABC3, 7pm on July 13. Read more about it here.
Romero Records is thrilled to re-release ‘Transylvania’, the second album by The Tango Saloon, originally released in 2008. 13 tracks imbuing the band’s tango/western blend with a touch of vampiric horror. Featuring fourteen of Australia’s finest instrumentalists, as well as vocals from Jane Sheldon and Mike Patton. The album can be purchased from Newmarket Music (and of course all good music stores), iTunes or direct from Wayside Music in the US.
It should be noted that Darth Vegas ‘Brainwashing For Dirty Minds’ and The Tango Saloon ‘Shadows & Fog’ will both be available from Wayside soon also, and are now available from Norman Records in the UK.
Darth Vegas ‘Brainwashing For Dirty Minds’
from The Brag, May 2012 (4 stars)
This long-awaited release from Sydney seven-piece Darth Vegas lurches from fun house to haunted house, vaults from church organ to circus organ, leaps from vaudeville to heavy metal – and that’s just in the first 90 seconds. Led by multi-instrumentalist, screen composer and singer Michael Lira, Darth Vegas’ follow up to its 2004 self-titled release picks up right where the band left off. Brainwashing For Dirty Minds is just as uncompromising, blitzing through dozens of genres at a blinding pace.
But is it ‘music for musicians’? Likely, it will indeed appeal to musos who themselves enjoy lampooning then skewering the status quo of rhythm, song structure and time signatures. But approached alone with headphones, anyone could appreciate the craftsmanship of these songs as long as they have the concentration to keep up with the mostly instrumental pastiche of mayhem. The rapid and reckless genre abuse is confronting at first but, with repeated listens, the marvel of Darth Vegas’ accomplishment reveals itself. ‘Music for a Haitian Voodoo Priestess’ takes you to a seedy Caribbean lounge party, with gurgling synths calling out to big band horns before some Melvins-esque metal swoops down for a punishing cameo. ‘Swamp Thing’ begins like Dragnet noir on acid before descending into a sci-fi attack of distorted guitars and spooky Theremin. ‘Prokletsvo Gummina Kokoshke’ teases us with gyspy guitars only to morph into a perfectly bungled death polka with a four-second jazz break.
Brainwashing For Dirty Minds is the soundtrack for a freakshow on Mars watched by zombies in tuxedoes. It’s not a journey for everyone but for those that do take the trip, a preposterously peculiar experience awaits.
- Tyler Broyles
Ok, so the label is officially launched now, thanks to all the performers, and to all that attended!
The website has just been updated with new gigs, and media, including a brand new review of The Tango Saloon’s ‘Shadows & Fog’ in The Sydney Morning Herald, as well as some great Darth Vegas album reviews…
Coming soon: a Romero re-release of The Tango Saloon’s ‘Transylvania’, the second installment in the ‘Mango Balloon’ series, and much more!
