Band : Astrolites

Album title : Hard Luck

Label : Hepcat

Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous (Evil Bitch 666 promotion )

Release date : 02/05/2008

Release : CD

This Swedish "High Speed" Rockabilly band was started in 2002 as Tom Wilson & Astrolites . In the beginning the other members were guitarist/ singer Örjan Jönsson (formerly of Raging Hellbilly's and Alien Cowboys ), and bass player Torbjörn Viström with a variety of drummers. Then, Tom Wilson left...and there was only the Astrolites !

In 2005 Marku Kallunki (whom played alongside Örjan in both his former bands) took the task of drummer on his shoulders, and a couple of months later "legendary" bassist Uno Elving (played with Black Out , Jack Baymore , and Green Kryptonite ) joined to constitute the current stable trio line-up. Only then did the band's current musical style, containing influences from Be-Bop, Swing, Rockabilly, Surf...and some Punk...develop. Hard Luck , recorded in September 2006, and already released in Sweden (Scandinavia?) during 2007, is the band's debut which is now also issued in the rest of Europe.

With track lengths varying from 86 seconds (the catchy instrumental "Flying Duece" , which has a bit more of that Surf influence ) to 4:36 (album closing cover song "Prison Bound" , originally written by Mike Ness of Social Distortion for their 1988 album by the same title), the sum of the 13 tracks on the album get you nearly a 36 minutes worth listening session. Although a self-acclaimed "High Speed Rockabilly" band, the boys dó take things a bit calmer occasionally (check "She's A Knockout" , "Justine" , "Swinging Cats" , and the album's title track, plus that cover), and it's then that a certain Stray Cats resemblance comes surging up. When checking out the songs posted at myspace.com/astrolitesband, you'll find only the cover in the calmer category of tracks, which is after all somewhat representative of the band's material overall. My favourites are definitely the instrumentals (nót on their Myspace page!), which doesn't mean that I don't like the other stuff they do. Quite on the contrary. In fact, I pretty much like this album as a whole...not that I would put it into my year-lists, you kow, but I may very well be tempted to play the album again on a hot evening this Summer (even if that sounds like somewhat of an eufemism...aach, where have all our hot Summer evenings gone, eh?)...if at least my editor-in-chief lets me keep the promo copy, because he's developing some awkward musical tastes lately!!!

85/100

Tony.