Album of the Week: Stardeath and White Dwarfs’ Wastoid It can be a daunting to be related to a music superstar. Enter Dennis Coyne, nephew of Wayne Coyne, the insanely enigmatic frontman of acid-punk act The Flaming Lips. Dennis’ band Stardeath and White Dwarfs have a new album out called Wastoid and you can see the influence of his uncle throughout each track. What sets this act apart is the heavy fuzz from the bass and guitar distortions that can make your head spin. It can be tough living up to someone else’s fame, but Wastoid shows that Stardeath and White Dwarfs are looking to forge their own path. If you have heard the Dark Side Of The Moon cover album Stardeath and White Dwarfs did with The Flaming Lips, Peaches and Henry Rollins back in 2009, then Wastoid should show a lot of similarities. There’s a great psychedelic presence on the album with each song taking you from one place to the next. Each track provides a different experience but each is a pleasant one. Staying true to their crazy and weird Oklahoma roots, Stardeath and White Dwarfs never cease to astound from start to finish with their new album. It’s groovy, fun and trippy with a taste for the abstract that comes together to form something unique and wonderful. So the World Cup is finally over. Since a portion of your day is all the sudden freed up, dive into my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week. Maybe it’s not as fun as watching a bunch of dudes run around for 90 minutes, but it surely won’t be boring. The jungle beats and the raw riffs of “Frequency” make it a funky number at the start and then it gets all acoustic with Dennis strumming on his six-string. It reminds me a bit of mid-90s era Blur. A wonderful example of the fuzz is “Guess I’ll Be Okay;” the guitars hit you like a stick of dynamite over a nuclear power plant and it’s my personal favorite off of the album. Cool psych-jazz goodness is all over “Sleeping Pills and Ginger Ale,” a very entrancing song that features piano chords giving it a full body. Stardeath and White Dwarfs will be performing at The Wichita Psych Fest in Wichita, Kansas, on July 19 and at The Center Of The Universe Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 26. If you’re willing to make the road trip to one of these festivals I highly suggest you do. Hopefully they make it up to New England soon, but until then grab yourself a copy of Stardeath and White Dwarfs’ Wastoid. It’s the perfect album for the person who lives in another state of mind. Stardeath and White Dwarf’s Website: stardeathandwhitedwarfs.com Album of the Week: The Orwells’ Disgraceland Rock ‘n’ Roll from Chicago What do you get when a group of kids in their late teens and early 20s grab a bunch of instruments, turn the amps up to 11 and join forces with a lead singer who looks like Robert Plant? You get a rip- roaring, brain-melting rock ‘n’ roll band from Chicago called The Orwells. They have their second album, Disgraceland, out this week and it’s a doozy of a record. Each track has the right amount of grit, angst and devil-may-care attitude to give your ears exactly what they need. If Disgraceland doesn’t kick popular music on its ass in 2014, I might actually lose faith in humanity. It’s that good. Despite being so young, this quintet has been making music together since high school. Seven years later, you could consider them music vets even though they can’t legally drink. What impresses me the most about The Orwells’ new album is the perfect combination of production quality and powerful songs. Ranging from tales about innocent teenage love, to dramatic suicide and one night stands, Disgraceland is as rock ‘n’ roll as it gets. After listening to this beauty, I can’t imagine a better album coming out in 2014. Racist owners of sports franchises, angry middle-aged men throwing rocks at Ferraris, neo-Nazi reality TV one-hit-nevers and people talking about how World War III is going to happen by the end of the decade. We live on a pretty crazy, messed-up planet. Take a break from all the madness and ease your mind with the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week. It might not stop the impending apocalypse, but at least it can serve as the perfect soundtrack. Anyways, here goes something: If you have long hair and you don’t plan on cutting it anytime soon, “The Righteous One” is your ideal jam. This is an anthem for youth rebellion that will have you going crazy in an instant; once you hear that hook you won’t be able to stop. Another rocker on the album is “Let It Burn;” the drumming is simply seismic as the backbone for a song about lighting up a cigarette after a one-night stand. I always love the deep tracks of an album and “Gotta Get Down” is an exception. Those dueling guitars electrify the whole song by getting louder and louder with each riff. Disgraceland is a complete masterpiece from front to back. The Orwells will be one of the premier acts to see at Riot Fest in the band’s hometown of Chicago between September 12 and 14, which is a perfect way to finish off your summer music festival season. They’ll be going on tour with New York City punk act Skaters this fall with a stop at Brighton Music Hall in Boston on October 9. Hopefully The Orwells come down to Providence sometime and show us music fanatics what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Until then, get yourself a copy of Disgraceland. It’ll blow your music taste away to new heights and you’ll never want to come down. The Orwells’ website: theorwells.com Hail, Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll! Prom in July From Punk to Funk to Hard Rock at Dusk Here’s where it’s at, kids! The Gentleman Sound System is presenting their second Prom Show, and this year it’s a little different. This year, DJs Tom Butts, Miles (aka Skunk), Suicide King and a couple TBA guest DJs will be spinning a vast collection of hits spanning more than just the ’80s music scene they usually cover. This year they will cover everything from punk, metal, OI!, funk ‘hard rock’ ska, and rap to everything in between. But on top of this amazing group of DJs killing it as usual, also performing is Nailer, a multi-level slash textured sleaze band from RI with a couple of twists. Sleaze rock is the bastard child of heavy metal, a musical genre that has almost as much to do with attitude as music. The music itself is rebellious, aggressive and downright nasty. The PMRC hates it, as do your parents. They are at the top of their game when playing incredibly loud, abusing drugs and alcohol, and having sex with your daughters or wives. Their long hair that looks like it’s been washed with used motorcycle oil, black leather jackets and tight pants, and tattoos proudly displayed from head to toe are all trademarks of Nailer. They truly are the outlaws of rock ‘n’ roll. Manning the engine room on drums is Brutus Gash, a longtime gun for hire in the New England music scene with a backbeat that combines the best of Krupa, Bonham and Aldridge. His favorite pastimes are Bud Light and Marlboro Reds. Bringing the Thunderous Bottom End is Marky RÖkker. This dude knows what time it is and the time calls for some serious rhythm. Coming from the Dirty South of RI, he’s looking for some cheap thrills and fast ladies. The Riffmaster General (aka Big Bad John) wailing on the lead guitar while providing some sweet backup vocals hails from the sleazy bordertown of Attleboro, Mass.. To get the true ’80s metal sound, you need an axemaster from that time period and he is the perfect time capsule! Fearless leadership is provided by the formidable Adam Bomb, bringing the outrageousness straight outta South Central Los Angeles. This tattooed wildman is a combination of David Lee Roth, Jim Dandy and Paul Stanley. With that wicked Flying V of his, he leads Nailer to slaying the New England crowds. NAILER played their last show on August 6, 2013, and will reunite annually to decimate the crowds and show all the lesser bands how to RAWK! So clear your calenders, because on July 31, Nailer and Gentleman Sound System invade Dusk on 301 Harris Ave. in Providence to ensure that everyone who is in attendance leaves with their minds blown and a longing for the return of Gentleman Sound System and the almighty Nailer. Prepare thyself! Album of the Week: Clear Plastic Masks’ Being There Garage Rock from New York It’s always refreshing when you stumble upon an album by a band you never heard of and it rocks your socks off. The other day I got to listen to one from a group of Nashville garage rockers by way of New York — Clear Plastic Masks. Their debut album, Being There, is hitting record store shelves and (legal) music download websites all over the globe and I can safely say it’s one of the best releases I’ve heard this year.