the 55's on purevolume™

Alternative / Country / Blues

About the55s

67% of people make love on the Sabbath (anon)

the rambling rocket brothers met some years ago in an institution (writing songs and playing live came naturally). inspiration was never a problem (the smell of coffee in the morning, the feel of a good carpet on bare feet, schoolgirls and young librarians) and the will to succeed in popular music was always an unspoken bond.

some years later the rockets decided it was time to form a rock and roll combo. they decided to base the band in edinburgh, as it is one of their favourite cities. the people of edinburgh they had met, though much the same essentially as most of the peoples of europe, were more primitive and with them they felt more comfortable and advanced.

the 55s represent a sea change in post-modern entertainment.

my head above the broncos neck
my back 45 degrees to his, i cant swallow (flavours of marlboro country p24)

the 55s couldnt care less about their music, about which they are passionate. the 55s are interested in sin.

one might wonder at the odds of finding the greatest singers, guitarists, bass guitarists, and drummers in one group. the 55s certainly were amazed. and so, this special little rock group have been playing sutra rock around edinburgh since the summer of 2002. last year they visited a blue shed in glasgow where they were given magic powers and returned with music on disk.

this year its personal.

the 55s have rocked and rolled all over this old land.

in recent months the 55s have enjoyed extensive radio airplay on shows such as the session in scotland and john peel.

October 10

some reviews

some reviews
************

CLEAN UP & CLEAN UP The 55s Cobra (SL Recordings) I should take the fifth, or the fourth, maybe not, Ive drunk both of them and The 55s still sound like frantic, fractured, skating on the thinnest ice, pop-rock genius to me and thats just the radio unfriendly No Stop, best not touch the beast that is the please fucking clean me up and trouser a zillion quid beauty of Cant Sleep, it has everything, catchy chorus, storming guitar, an organ swollen beyond porntastic and a kind of shimmer that only I can detect. And, lets be upfront about this, there are sixteen likewise tunes on this slab and even if you dont like a whole one, the, for example, drift and spike of whine vox n guitar on the outro of Spanish Song should be enough for any man. If not, go straight to Damnation and twitch through the yelp, jag and thrashed chord, kind of traditional frenzy thatll save your sorry soul, but be sure that Folk Song isnt, except in the loosest possible sense and that Fuck Me Hard does pretty much that with its manic mumble over smashed to shit chording and dead drum smacks. You often wonder where all this stuff comes from and how a gang of guys from Scotchlandshire come to be fielding switchback, western Americana road-rock guitar lines in the middle of a messy proto-punk death shuffle is beyond my ken, but I can love it and I do. Maybe you too?
"unpeeled magazine"

Something definitely seems to be stirring north of the border at the moment. From the epic R.E.M aping Idlewild to King Creosotes refreshingly modern approach to folk music and back around to Sons & Daughters idiosyncratic take on the blues, Scotlands indie alumni definitely seem to be at the top of their game right now. Add to that list SL Records The 55s an Edinburgh band from the same side of the beaten track as Sons & Daughters, this band are certainly no bandwagon jumping chancers however and Cobra their debut album recalls at various points along the way those indie heroes of the past The Fall, The Meat Puppets and a host of other lesser known C86 bands. This album for all its lo-fi production is an endearingly shambolic beast. Cant Sleep jangles along like a bright and breezy Pastels, Spanish Song is a drunken Ballboy messing around with flamenco guitars and the fantastic Damnation is all fiercely strummed guitars and barely discernible vocals. Although Cobra is at times so unhinged you think its going to fall apart, the band certainly have a knack for pulling the odd gem out of the middle of nowhere. Witness the rollicking country punk blues of Height Of Nashville and For Their Hides And Tallow the albums undoubted highlight and perversely the most conventional song on offer. Over 16 tracks the vocals can grate a little but one thing is for certain these sutra rockers are keeping the D.I.Y. spirit alive and kicking.
Review by Clark Summers

Edinburghs 55s have only been together for a year, and god only knows what they were doing before that; whatever it was they probably werent making much music. You think thats a prelude to a diss? Nah, theyve taken suitably ridiculous names (Mother, Elvis, Blondass and 5 String Al) and knock out a ramshackle hybrid of blues (of the sort that shows theyve never actually heard blues), indie rock (its equally plain theyve been playing it on worn-out vinyl) and laptop folk (heard over a telephone). The results? Mad, bad and dangerous to listen to; gloriously unaffected, cut from the same cloth as early New Wave, though its unlikely theyve ever heard that either. This years most honest band, and thats praise of the highest order.
Suzie q logo magazine

Before the judge turned us to shadow is not the sort of CD that should be listened to quietly through a single earpiece of a Walkman whilst sitting in a stuffy office on a grey December day. It should be played unconfined, loud, and in stereo. However if you do chose the option to listen to the CD by the former method you may just find that the rebellious off-kilter screeches of the 55s improve your day somewhat. The 55s are a puzzling bunch of people who live in Edinburgh because The people of Edinburghthough much the same essentially as most of the peoples of Europe, were more primitive and with them they felt more comfortable and advanced. The bizarrely named members of the band joined together to form a rock combo formed a year ago, and since then have made it their mission to be a sea change in post-modern entertainment. Before the judge turned us to shadow is simple but unpretensious rock. The hyperactive Ep is filled with guitar driven riffs and off key harmonies which shriek riotously. The distorted warped sound, is surprisingly upbeat. Cymbals crash and guitars wail, and the repeated lyrics quickly find themselves ingrained in the brain.
Rachel Queen Friends of the heroes