Lock Down this Rock – 03 – Royal Headache, S/T

I like music. I have a band. I’m gonna tell you all about it. 

 What I look for in rock: guitars, melody, guitars, energy, guitars, and guitars.
You ever have one of those fitful nights of sleep, filled with tossing, turning, and panic that manifests itself as a certainty that you are going to die because you have a mosquito bite, and probably have Eastern Equine Encephalitis now? And then somehow wake up refreshed? Such is my life.

What does this have to do with Royal Headache? Let’s see… they’re from Australia, are descended from The Jam/Paul Weller branch of the punk family tree, and like short, short songs. So no, the above have nothing to do with Royal Headache, other than they both exist in my rambling brain.

I have previously tried to share my feelings on this self titled disc by these boys from down under. The comment I got back is that all their songs are too similar. This is great if you like them, and devastating if you don’t. They’re an ‘all-in’ kinda band.

The guitar is full of jangle, and many of their songs ramp up to highway speeds, but I think the vocals stand out as their greatest weapon. The singer obviously comes from a Town Called Malice, and I was suspicious of this at first, but I’ve decided that I don’t find it annoyingly derivative. I’ve decided that I enjoy their immediacy and melody. Upbeat driving music. Good for a Friday afternoon, when you’re waiting on the clock to slowly tick down to the weekend.

Check ’em out!