Window Pane b/w Born To Follow - The Tommmys (Fry Up Records)
With a storied membership of guitarist-vocalist Ollie Laurie (The Exotics), bassist Jonathan Lickliter (Died Pretty) and drummer Rob Lastdrager (T Bones), this red vinyl 45 from Aussie trio The Tommys promised to deliver something out of the box on this 45. And they do.
The Tommys play surf-influenced garage rock that's so out of kilter with anything you'd hear tin mainstream radio that it could only flourish in the darker recesses of the divergent Melbourne rock scene. Open chord twang and spiralling leads pull against alternately surging or shuffling rhythms to create a dark undercurrent.
People went nuts for this stuff in Europe in the pre-grunge 1980s - and probably still would, given the right distribution.
"Window Pane" is surf music for people who only paddle in an inflatable pool in their garage. "Well, alright," Ollie Laurie intones over some wild guitar and your probably don't need any more words as the rhythm section kicks arse.
The other side, "Born To Follow", is pinned down by a skittery feel as Laurie's guitar goes all sorts of places, and recalls The Missing Links. Interested? Let Google be your guide and order a copy fron the website of all good Melbourne record shops or
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