The new Tiger Army EP scores another great review

In 1995 Tiger Army formed in the Bay Area. They began to display an amazing example of good contemporary American Psychobilly. If you are not familiar with the genre of psychobilly think misfits-style punk mixed with American Sun Records rockabilly. Slap-stand up bass, twangy guitars and vocals, and upbeat drumming. This all takes place in a graveyard by the way. Tiger army recorded their fist EP in 1996-7 and Tim Armstrong (Rancid, Hellcat co-founder) caught wind of this recording. He got a hold of singer/songwriter of the Army, Nick 13, and wanted to sign them. Nick 13 said that the band had since broke up, but legend has it Tim kept believing in Nick, and before long Tiger Army had a new line-up. Since then, Nick 13 and co. have put out 2 full-length aLbums that have presented some of the best american psychobilly ever. This Ep is a re-issue of their original recordings, and demo releases.
The album starts out with "Temptations", and it is a great example of what makes Tiger Army so great. Nick 13's voice is very twangy, yet gritty. It matches the music to a tee. His vocals are great dark poetry. He sings songs of love and death and the demons that live elsewhere. The bass is played at super fast speed. If you have ever played a stand-up bass before, than you know how hard it is to play those things at warp speeds. The stand bass gives the signature sound of deep notes accompanied with the slapping and popping of the strings. Finally the guitar and drums going from punk rythms to rockabilly standards. Also available on this Ep are two cover songs. Twenty Flight Rock, which is a rockabilly traditional. Also is the cover of the Misfits "American Nightmare", which is perfect because where would modern psychobilly be without the influence of Glenn Danzig? Finally the album ends with the demo versions of Fuck the World (F.T.W.) and the T.A. classic "Nocturnal".
If you have liked Tiger army in the past, I would definitely recommend this album. It is an insight to where they have come from. They sound tight, but not as tight as they do now. Their is defintely more of a raw sound to this recording then to the albums they put out now. It is a cool look at where this promising band used to be at, and who influenced them. To those of you who have not heard them, what better an introduction? Keep in mind this is an Ep, not an Lp. It doesn't leave a feeling of closure...but it is more of a compilation of memories then a complete album. This album is going to cost like 7 dollars, so It is definitely worth picking up this little peice of modern punk history.