I Cyclops b/w Pride of the Savanna – Guerrilla Teens (Heavy Medication)
There’s a certain irony in three-fifths of a Long Beach, California, relocated to Portland, Oregon, putting out a single on a label run by an expat American based in Warsaw, Poland, when you realise that the first recording of the original group from which the trio sprang came out on a label in Yugoslavia back in the late 1990s. Confused, much? Let’s make it simple…
Guerrilla Teens feature ex-The Humpers singer Scott “Deluxe” Drake up front, aided and abetted by old bandmates Jeff Fieldhouse and Saul Koll on guitars. The Humpers were up with the best of a crop of Sympathy For The Record Industry labelmates like The Lazy Cowgirls, out of L.A. Bill Connolly (bass) and Anna Anderson (drums) make up the Teens’ line-up. Ex-Lazy Cowgirl Pat Todd hipped me to a copy of their album so the ears were receptive to hearing thie single.
Guerilla Teens aren’t as flat-out frantic as The Humpers, but have an intensity all their own, with a dark ‘60s vibe. The guitars are worth bottling, the engine room is as tight as a drum and Drake remains a lethal weapon on vocals, so prisoners are not taken.
“I Cyclops” steams out of the gates with a weaving guitar attack and a psycho killer vocal. The Elephant Man had nothing on this. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and a grim delight. “Pride of The Savanna” backs off on the tempo and is lightened by Anna Anderson’s backing vocal and a wash of keys before Bill Connolly’s jungle beat toms outro ultimately drags the song down into the undergrowth. Be assured that it ain't no theme from "The Lion King".
Limited to 250 copies on vinyl and procurable from the label's Bandcamp.
