The Tinglerz - TINGLERZ

The Tinglerz recently split up so that mighty guitarist Kei could concentrate on his new project with his wife Kelly, Tiger Sex, but but anyone who ever experienced the group will never forget them! This CD of 6 studio and 4 live tunes is a cool document from one of the best punk'n'roll bands ever to come out of the Las Vegas valley!

Here Kei was the singer as well as guitarist and was backed by manic bassist Eric and alternatively drummer-about-town Turbo Proctor (on the live cuts, as the most recent percussionist) and Dusty Watson (on the studio numbers), all providing a powerhouse sound. This is punk'n'roll they way it is supposed to be - a cross between crazed punk rock, garage, 50's rock'n'roll and whatever else the guys could think to throw in! Real songs, high energy and hot playing!

The CD opens with the studio cuts, starting with the garage/punk "Fever Hell". Taking cues from the Del-Vetts "Last Time Around", Kei shrieks until he voice is raw in this wild pounder. I really don't think that I am just referencing their shared ethnicity when I say that this reminds me of Electric Eel Shock - same kind of delivery and power, though I think I like these songs better. "Get it On" continues to exploit their garage roots with its chord-riffs, catchy chorus and Johnny Thunders-styled leads. The boys get downright poppy in "Into the Sun", sounding like a rawer Undertones - proving that they weren't afraid to add melodies to the madness. Back to the growlers with "Fancy Heart" - if cavemen got r'n'r instruments this would probably be what they would come up with! They slow things down a bit for "Revenge Beer" - kinda their take on something like the Stooges "Dirt" in feel - far from copying that classic, but that idea. Lots of terrific noisy/feedback-ing leads on this one! Their masterpiece here is "Die Tonight" - amazingly crunchy Heartbreakers punk rock that moves into garage/pop - complete with tremeloed guitar - and back again. Watson is damn maniacal here and he propels this through the roof!

The live numbers are just as terrific - and sound just as good. "Merlin Bay" opens, showing a variety of guitar tones and dynamics within one tune. The garage madness continues in "When You Got No Shoes" with more cool guitar licks, and "Coyote Walk", with its truly interesting chord progressions, minor-key accents and Kei's guitar-strangling solos. The whole she-bang concludes with "Escape From the Moon", where Kei really shines, while Turbo and Eric provide some cool dynamics and everything finally explodes into a rave-up worthy of the Yardbirds!

I was really sorry to hear that these cats broke up as they were one of my faves, but make sure that you follow Kei as he tears it up in Tiger Sex!