The band that’s influenced heavily and directly by such icons as Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, The Beatles, and many more released “Emotion Potion” on March 4th and the band’s third full-length album, THIS IS MY STORY, is set for April 22nd.

“Emotion Potion” is a new stride for the band in a couple of ways. It’s THE BAWDIES’ first release in a year — a follow-up to 2008′s masterful Awaking of Rhythm And Blues. The band’s sound also gets somewhat of an update. With each release, THE BAWDIES get more original and continue to develop a sound that’s more their own yet still fashioned out of vinyl and vacuum tubes.

Like the tracks off of Awaking of Rhythm And Blues, “Emotion Potion” hops along with some that 50s/60s rock ‘n roll bounce. The overall sound does step in a modern direction, though not too far. The small leap conjures up images that may appear more in color than in black & white.

Vocalist & bassist ROY still sings in his unmistakable raspy style that sounds a little bit like a lot of classic singers and strums away. The guitarist duo of JIM and TAXMAN (yes) go at in memorable fashion. JIM wisely brings a slide with him for this song while TAXMAN maintains the vivacious rhythm. Drummer MARCY backs the band up with hard hits and crashing cymbals.

“Emotion Potion” doesn’t have the same catchiness of THE BAWDIES’ previous single, “I’m In Love With You”. Instead, “Emotion Potion” is more of an adventure that rocks to a tune that stands out and is less predictable. It is a track that may not seem like too much at first but can really, really grow on you.

The b-side off of “Emotion Potion” is also considerably solid. More solemn, “Nobody Knows My Sorrow”, doesn’t possess as much bounce as its a-side counterpart and though more conventional, it is perhaps more catchy. This isn’t intended to be introspective art rock, so ‘catchiness’ is definitely a valuable quality.

A history lesson will certainly enrich a listener’s experience of THE BAWDIES. Since going back all the way to a time like 1956 to explain roots will take too long, we’ll just jump back to 2006 (and substaniate the above claim that wth each release, THE BAWDIES “continue to develop a sound that’s more their own”):

THE BAWDIES’ first full-length release, 2006′s YESTERDAY AND TODAY was mostly a cover album. The release featured the band’s take on such classics as “I Got You (I Feel Good)”, “Tutti Frutti”, “Have Mercy, Miss Percy”, and more. The second effort, Awaking of Rhythm And Blues, saw THE BAWDIES take a more inspiring approach. Songs still flickered with that late-50s flair but the compositions were original. This break-out release boasted tracks like “I’m In Love With You”, “I’m So Lost Without You”, and “I Beg You”. Awaking of Rhythm And Blues was remarkably solid and had ‘catch’ around every corner. THE BAWDIES set the bar with its release so expectations for future efforts are very high.

Considering the style of the band’s music, releases on vinyl are very appropriate. THE BAWDIES have released copies of the I BEG YOU EP and Awaking of Rhythm And Blues as records and will release THIS IS MY STORY on vinyl as well. That version of the album is produced by Naoki of LOVE PSYCHEDELICO fame.

THE BAWDIES were formed on New Year’s Day in 2004 when classmates since grade school ROY, JIM, and MARCY were joined by TAXMAN, a high school classmate.

These guys toured around Australia in late 2008 and it’d be great to see them play some shows in North America.

Watch the PV for “Emotion Potion”:

Visit THE BAWDIES’ official site and MySpace page

I had to share “I’m In Love With You” by THE BAWDIES. The song was released with the band’s 2008 album Awaking of Rhythm And Blues. These guys are my latest infatuation. They sound like they’re straight out of the ’50s American rock ‘n roll scene and I just can’t get enough.

I guarantee an article on their upcoming release soon! Guaranteed =)

Puma’s Japanese Monster Pack updates some of the company’s greatest classics like the Clyde, First Round, Stepper, and Puma Mid with some stunning new colorways and designs. All five sneakers in the collection are inspired by beasts from the classic Japanese moster movies of the ’50s – ’70s.

The sneakers in the Japanese Monster Pack are the Moth King, Ape King, Mecha King, Lizoid King, and Terror King.

“Puma has gone all out to make their monster creations really come to life through the use of reptilian scales, multi-patterned cloth, shiny metal, feathers and fur,” Kicks on Fire pretty much sums it up.

I think my favorite is the Mecha King since it’s all bolted and chromed out. I’ve been partial to the shine since I bought a pair of Nike Air Force 1 Olympics a few years back.

The Puma Japanese Monster Pack is set to come out March of ’09.

via Kicks on Fire and Hypebeast

“이름 모를 소녀” by 김정호 – a beautiful song by Kim Jung-ho (1952-1985). His voice in the song is so pure and the melody so wonderful. He’s one of my favorites. Watch a live performance (on YouTube)

“우울한 편지” by 유재하 – “Sad Letter” by Yoo Jae-ha (1962-1987) from his only album. The original and remastered versions are available on iTunes. I just bought the remastered and it will keep me going while I’m away.

“행복” by 이수만 – a fun pop song by Lee Soo-man. Yes, the guy who created the huge pop label SM Entertainment. I’m in no way a fan of SM Entertainment’s talent but some of Lee’s old songs are nice.

[MYPLAYLIST=7]

Thanks to this great site for reminding me how much I love the classics.