Sounds of Subterrania

»Garbage Dreams«

LP 2023

Sounds of Subterrania

SoS 225

1. Born To Lose (For You)
2. Is It True
3. Natural Good
4. What’s Mine
5. Finish What You Start
6. Wasted Youth
7. The Jigg Is Up
8. Tell Me
9. It Ain’t Nova
10. Garbage Dreams
11. Too Little, Too Late
12. Liar
13. Hong Kong Sally

The Sha-La-Lee’s are a belgian/dutch Proto punk/ Garage rock and roll band with former members of El Guapo Stuntteam, the Sore Losers, the Kik and Powervice.
Way beyond their teens, close to being deaf, backpains and receding hairlines they are still too dumb to quit... A new album will be released end of May '23 containing 13 songs about the usual shit , love, frustation ,tragedy and lies.
Link Wray, The Sonics, Oblivians, Roky Erickson, The Deadly Snakes,Chuck Berry MC5 and Reigning Sound are some of the bands the Sha-La-Lee’s have stolen from.
Everything would be said in a nutshell if there wasn't more to it than that. The Sha- La-Lee’s is the logical step after 30 years of experience in the music business. Everyone knows these kitsch films, man/woman from the village goes out into the big world, does business, feels empty, comes back and finds happiness. Even if this image conveyed is wrong, there is an important narrative in it. Happiness needs direct contact. And that's how it is in rock 'n' roll. Big stages help the ego, but they never convey the real idea of rock 'n' roll. Perhaps this thought was the inspiration behind the founding of the Sha-La-Lee’s. The smell of cigarette smoke at the concert, a beer bottle to your lips instead of a half-crushed plastic cup. Conversations after the show with like-minded people instead of the same small business talks in the locked backstage area. It's a guess, but one that's suggested by the sound of the album. This rough form of writing songs, paired with 30 years of band, stage and whatever experience, makes old garage punk hearts swarm. "Garbage Dreams" has something timeless about it, a sound that doesn't pander to anyone, that's what it is - garage punk the way I love it.

»Hex«

LP 2025

Sounds of Subterrania

SoS 250

1. In Motion
2. My Love Is Gone
3. I See, I See
4. O, Oblivion
5. Not my Love
6. End Of The Line
7. Ride
8. Soft Kill
9. Birds
10. Gentle Rain
11. Rise
12. Hex
13. Don’t Bury Me Before I’m Dead

Third album from this flaming Flamish/ Dutch Four-Piece - the second on Sounds of Subterrania. Guitar, bass, harmonica and drums. The basic tools you need to grind out solid, loud, prime crawl, top notch rock’n’roll. “The stuff that don’t save souls” as Lux Interior puts it! Featuring 13 songs of love (both good and all gone wrong), death, life and just general fucking around on a daily basis. Stuff you can relate to. As a huge fan of the superb Belgien beers I would love to write something clever about this record and relate it to Quadruples and Trappists and Saisons, but fuck that for now. This goes perfectly with loads of lager - preferably in big glasses - and cheap alchohol!
Kicks off in perfect style with what you think is an instrumental with an in-your-face harmonica solo followed by a blistering guitar! But what for it! “In Motion” dives into a perfect little r’n’r tune with a certain Memphis feel to it - heavily amplified by the chorus line “Strong Come On”
I’m sure fans of Reigning Sounds and Oblivians will have a small (drunken) smile on their face while listening to this fine slab of hard bluesy rock action. My original plan was NOT to mention “O, Oblivian!” but there you go…
There is a certain laid back 70s rock inspiration sprinkled all over the record recalling splendid bands like The Dictators, MC5 and Rory Gallagher during his “Top Priority” and “Stage Struck” era. Songs like “My Love is Gone” and “Soft Kill” are knee deep stuck in the best sounds of the 60s rock tradition. However these guys never sound retrospective or old-school. Totally fresh and rocking in a free new world of people who actually believe that true rock’n’roll never dies. Short, sharp, to-the-point compositions with no superflous bullshit or pointless ideas. You even get a one and a half minute ballad and a two minute country tune - electric spaghetti style! I feel like writing motherfucker now, but I can’t really get it context. Wait a minute! Maybe “motherfucker” is the best way to describe these four fine fellows. I’m sure that is the word I’ll be throwing at them next time I see them live!
Closing number “Don’t Bury Me Before I’m Dead” is a plus four (no pun intended) minutes bluesy death rock tune, not unlike something Jeffrey Lee Pierce could have written on a good day (if he had any good days that is). Sheer class!