The Aggrolites

by The Aggrolites

Overview

The band picture that graces the cover of the Aggrolites' debut album is somewhat deceptive. Dressed in black and staring malevolently at the camera, the bandmembers all look like young punks bent on violence -- the fact that lead singer Jesse Wagner is brandishing a baseball bat only completes the image of potential mayhem. With trepidation, you put the disc in the player, and what comes out is...James Brown? Yes, that's what it sounds like -- a slightly clunky version of James Brown, but still. And what comes next (and fills the rest of the program) is even more puzzling: absolutely pitch-perfect rocksteady of the type perfected by the Upsetters in the late '60s. Everything is in place, from the wonderfully cheesy organ sounds to the Wild West anachronisms ("Hey, amigo, why are you digging that hole?" "It's not a hole, it's your grave.") and the rubber-band guitar chops that sit rhythmically halfway between the galloping ska backbeats of 1964 and the one-drop reggae of 1972. It's a fair question whether listeners need this kind of revivalism when the Upsetters' 1960s catalog is so readily available. But I think the answer lies in the Aggrolites' infectious passion: they don't make this music their own by doing anything new or different with it, but by simply grabbing hold of it and refusing to let go. Highlight tracks include the genre-dissing "Countryman Fiddle," the excellent instrumental "Sound by the Pound," and the brilliant "Fury Now." ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	12/11/2020
Label:	Pirates Press
UPC:	0810017644315
Rank:	56003

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Funky Fire
2. Mr Misery
3. Time to Get Tough
4. Thunder Fist
5. Countryman Fiddle
6. Work to Do
7. Death at Ten Paces
8. Someday
9. The Volcano
10. Heavier Than Lead

Disc 2

11. Fury Now
12. 5 Deadly Venoms
13. Grave Digger
14. Prisoner Song
15. Love Isn't Love
16. Sound by the Pound
17. Lightning & Thunder
18. A.G.G.R.O.

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Aggrolites   Primary Artist
Roger Rivas   Piano,Organ
J. Bonner   Guitar (Bass)
Brian Dixon   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Tom Cook   Trombone
Scott Abels   Drums
Jeff Roffredo   Vocals (Background)
Jesse Wagner   Guitar,Vocals
Eitan Avineri   Trumpet

Technical Credits

The Aggrolites   Audio Production,Composer
Roger Rivas   Composer
Gene Grimaldi   Mastering
Brian Dixon   Composer,Group Member
Jesse Wagner   Composer,Group Member
Jason Bonner   Composer
David Jiro   Photography