[This review was originally published in Badaboom Gramaphone #3 and appears here with permission.]
The Psyclone Rangers came into being in a spoil of sick jokes and lurid Americana at the ass end of the ’80s/start of the ’90s, in Allentown, PA. Having cut a few demos, sunk a few beers and caused a ruckus on the local music scene, the band was ready to call it quits until ex-Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen signed the group to his fledgling World Domination record label. The first fruits of that deal became Feel Nice: a mash o’ twisted rock ‘n’ roll, drug-addled excess and power riffage, all served up in an eye-straining Frank Kozik sleeve. A perfect balance between ’50s retro-isms and ’90s post-Nirvana punk rock, Feel Nice serves as a good opening gambit, with the likes of “Bigger Than a Gun,” “Christie Indecision” and “I Feel Nice” laying down the band’s hand with a mean intent. The only fault in Feel Nice is that the production is a little too pristine.
Followers of the band had to wait until The Devil May Care to get a truer picture of Psyclone Rangers’ true strengths. With producer Ian Caple in Memphis’s Ardent Studios, the band created a whole ‘other set of songs: scuzzier and willfully bad-minded. Vocalist Jonathan Valania plays the maniacal evangelist for the dark underbelly of American trailer-trash culture. High points include the back-from-the-grave stomp “Why the Hell Did I Die?” and the bad-speed-and-bourbon-fueled paean “Ain’t Goin Down.” Following trips to Europe to play with Mudhoney and others, the Psyclones’ rhythm section bailed and a short hiatus ensued.
The band returned in 1996 with a meaner, younger rhythm section and a fistful of meth-fueled tunes on the mini-album Beatin’ on the Batpole, a title inspired by rumors of the sordid goings-on amongst the cast of the kitschy 1960s Batman TV series. A split single with New York’s Chrome Cranks was released in Europe, and the band toured the UK in support of Gas Huffer during the spring of ’96. After returning to the U.S., Psyclone Rangers set about putting together new material.
Fans of The Cramps, Gun Club, Stooges, et al. should check out each and every of this band’s recordings forthwith.