Technopunkmusic.com reviews The Tiger Army EP AND first LP!

Tiger Army LP *****

Early Years EP ****

The debut from Tiger Army came out about three years ago and went largely unnoticed until last year when the group started gaining steam with their follow-up Tiger Army II -- The Power Of Moonlite! Hell, I'm a little slow, I just got that first release a little over two weeks ago even though that second disc has been haunting me for well over a year now.

I'm fucking fanatical about this group and Tiger Army does absolutely nothing to alleviate that obsession. The raw fire-starting power of "Nocturnal" is probably the best this group has ever done what with singer/mastermind Nick 13 growling like his feline mascot here. But unlike II, this debut is a little less of a punk and far less thrilled by the horror and influences of Edgar Allan Poe that drenched the lyrics of almost each song on last year's release.

Instead, Tiger Army goes for hard rockabilly, gorgeously true to the roots of rock'n'roll. Give that galloping "Fog Surrounds" or the slicked-back cover of Eddie Cochran's lightning strike "Twenty Flight Rock" a shot and I swear these claws may never let go of you.

But what I like is this group keeps surprising me. Hell, I figured designing an album after the morbid influence of Poe was enough. Wrong! Listen here cowboy, dust off that gallon hat, sling yer six-shooter on the bar and down a shot of whiskey and the sagebrush ballad "Outlaw Heart" will put yer heartbroken self at ease. Tiger Army is just as much a masterpiece as its sequel!

Alright, so I'm using Tiger Army's new EP release as an excuse to talk about their first release. Sue me! I dig the six-track offering but this is a group much better in mass abundance. Besides, half of this EP is available on the first two full-lengths from the Army, just in slightly different demo versions. Sure, "American Nightmare," "Temptation" and "Jungle Cat" are all good (who am I fooling? They're fucking great!) but I like the full picture here.

Anything less just isn't as satisfying. But I will say this, Nick 13 has a very legitimate point in the liner notes for this new/old Early Years EP. He writes, "If I really dig a band/artist, I want everything they've ever done." Well, I would feel pretty close to devoid if I didn't have this EP.

I think the same may hold true for Tiger Army's Temptation vinyl release, where the three new tracks off of this EP originate from. That piece of wax has been out-of-print for quite some time. As Nick 13 writes yet again, "We've had numerous requests to rerelease it, and with interest increasing steadily by the year (along with outrageous prices on certain online auction sites,) it seemed like a good idea to put it out again at a reasonable price."

Here's hoping this EP drives that price down a little. I'm Bill, a Tiger Army junkie and there's a piece of vinyl that I must track down now...

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