Chinese Democracy Manifest: Greatest Hits Vol 2 – Mazinga (self released)
Born in the 1990s Basement Scene of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and honed in countless dive bars across the wide expanses of The Great Lakes State, cosmic punks Mazinga have re-emerged after a decade break with their second long-player. The title, “Chinese Democracy Manifest: Greatest Hits Vol 2”, is a mouthful but the record packs a big enough punch to make your teeth rattle.
The band calls it "Maximum Cosmic Punk". Coffee farmer Deniz Tek labels it “tight as hell with great rhythm playing behind killer solos” and drums that remind him of the late Scott Asheton.
Momentum is Mazinga’s by-word. The engine room of bassist Big Tony Fero and Donny “Downtown Detroit” Blum (The Von Bondies) on drums is relentless. They lay down a solid runway for the fuzz-laden psych jams of Chris “Box” Taylor (Scott Morgan’s Powertrane, Blue Snaggletooth, The Avatars) to take flight; “Labot’s Task” being a spectacular case in point.
None of which is to underplay the contribution of vocalist and the band’s Anime infatuated graphic artist, Marc McFinn, who alternately croons and declaims with single-minded fervour.
“Chinese Democracy Manifest” is just 26 minutes but Mazinga makes them all count. There’s a tension in the playing, not to mention an electric energy that would make bands 20 years their junior spark up with envy.
The songs hover close to hardcore territory. “Super Karate Monkey Death Car” crosses the border without descending into the genre's monotone greyness. Taylor’s guitar keeps it psychedelicised. The surging “This Is Fine” and bone-rattling "Final Detonation" are keepers, too.
If you’re looking for an Australian comparator, The Meanies come close. Can’t help feeling that Japan would love Mazinga - and not just for the artwork. Anyone seen a Hotaru Akane movie, the Tokyo porn actress whose name has been appropriated back-to-front for one song? Me neither but they’re supposed to be piss funny.
If Mazinga’s intent is to put its home town of Ann Arbor back on the global musical map sounds ambitious, you need to know that two tracks, “All Rise” and “Rock N Roll Jihad”, were recorded at 107 Sound, the studio in the basement of Kathy Asheton’s family home and site of the birth of The Stooges.
One more thing to note: Box Taylor got to play through Ron’s guitar rig and you didn’t.
Available via the ubiquitous Bandcamp as a vinyl LP or a download and streaming on all services.
