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DEUTSCH
WER SIND- The Christian Family?!? Sind sie Jesus-Freaks?!? Kultanhänger?!? Okkultisten?!? Nein, ja, nein, ja, nein! (In irgendeiner Reihenfolge)
The Christian Family sind Sister Ann und Brother Daniel, eine Familie mit 2, manchmal 10, manchmal 100 Personen. Wenn Sie in ihrer Gegenwart sind, werden Sie zweifellos vom Geist als Teil von ihnen indoktriniert.
Sie verehren Götter wie Saint Bo, Saint Chuck, The Divine Little Richard, The Saints, Saints Ivy and Lux, Saint Estrus und die Heiligen und Geister aller Garage-Punk-Unbekannten.
Sie begannen ihren löchrigen Weg im Jahr 2016, spielten und beteten überall, pressten eine unverschämt inspirierende (und ihrer Zeit voraus) 7“ Single und verschwanden schnell wider, um in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Aber die Berufung war zu stark, das unersättliche Bedürfnis, ihre andere weltliche Art von 2-Akkord-Garage-Trash-Gebeten zu verbreiten, einfach zu stark, und dieses Album, das sie jetzt hören, kam mit einer drogengetriebenen, lusterfüllten verrauchten-Vorahnung zu stande, die Sie auf die Knie gehen und beten lassen werden, auf den Kopf stellen und sich drehen oder die Person neben Ihnen im Zug ins nirgendwo begrabschen.
Der Teufel und sein Kumpel Jebus versuchten jedoch zu verhindern, dass dieses Album das Licht der Welt erblickte, bis VOODOO RHYTHM RECORDS mit dem Schwert in der Hand darum kämpften, der Welt diese blasphemische Wachsplatte zu geben, um mehr Unordnung in unsere Welt zu bringen des Chaos.
Also, diese Familie ist für Sie da!! Genau hier und jetzt, Brüder und Schwestern, hier, um mit euch zu trinken und zu beten, mit euch zu schwitzen und zu lieben und zu singen, zu stampfen und zu schreien und alles mit euch auszuarbeiten und die unheiligen Götter von Punk und Trash anzubeten, bis wir es sind alles wirklich durch Rock and Roll gerettet!
REVIEWS:
SCENE POINT BLANK (USA)
Repent, Repel, Rejoice, Rejuvenate, Respiritualize, Requiem, Repeat
Friends, I come to you today with a message of hope and salvation. In a world filled with darkness and despair, it is easy to lose sight of the light and The Christian Family's love. However, I urge you to remember that no matter how complex your circumstances may be, The Christian Family is always with you, guiding and protecting you. Many of you may be struggling with fear, anxiety, or hopelessness. But I want to remind you that through the Christian Family, we can overcome these things. I urge you to turn to The Christian Family in prayer and ask them to guide you on their journey down the slippery descent into the lava fueled maelstrom. Hailing from Phoneix, Arizona Daniel and Ann lure and hypnotize with raw energy and unbridled passion. Gritty high rocket fuel octane caffeine-driven espresso. Picked up by The Reverend Beat-Man and added to his cast of loveable misfits on his “Jack is never a dull boy label - Voodoo Rhythm Records. Preaching songs of purity and positivity with a throbbing driving beat mixing the best of Detroit Garage Rock and Roll and Sister Rosetta Thorpe. The Christian Family appear to celebrate past musical landscapes in turn by throwing their unique twist on an old formula perhaps subscribing to the old adage “if it ain’t broken, why fix it”! Hope to see future releases by The Christian family with slimmer timelines between the anticipated releases 8.0 / 10 — Christopher D • February 2, 2023
Reverendo Lys (IT)
Fratello Demonio è Daniel Shircliff dei Freaks of Nature (se non sapete chi siano, passate oltre, che appartenete alla parrocchia sbagliata, NdLYS) mentre Sorella Anna è Ann Seletos dei Cherie Cherie. Dopo aver sentito i sermoni del Reverendo Beat-Man si sono entrambi convertiti al primitivismo rock and roll e hanno iniziato, assieme, la stesura di questa enciclica. Pestano e ci fanno le carni nere, un po’ come i compagni di etichetta Devils, ma l’approccio del duo americano è meno estremo, meno deragliante, più diddleyano. La partita è giocata dentro una giungla di riverberi, di elettricità spuria e valvolare, di ritmica essenziale ma (e questo li distingue nettamente dal duo napoletano) anche una proiezione melodica verso le all-girls band degli anni Sessanta, come una Zebra Stripes recalcitrante e brada. Una roba come Time to Pray, coi suoi mille riverberi da caverna, è un torvo riadattamento e ulteriore svilimento della logica lo-fi che era alla base dei Gories ma anche dell’”accomodamento” fra armonia e rumore praticata dai Jesus and Mary Chain ad inizio carriera. Anche se qui cambia del tutto la prospettiva, meno crucciata e neo-esistenzialista e più incline ai peccati, carnali e non, del rock and roll e alla sue origini tribali. Un atto di fede, in qualche modo. ( Franco “Lys” Dimauro )
ARTNOIR (CH)
Sie verehren Götter wie Saint Bo (Diddley), Saint Chuck (Berry), The Divine Little Richard, The Saints, Saints Ivy & Lux und viele weitere Heilige und Geister des Garage-Punk-Underground. Wem The White Stripes mittlerweile zu Mainstream und zu prätentiös sind, der ist bei Sister Ann und Brother Daniel von The Christian Family richtig aufgehoben. „Devil Music? Gospel Punk? Total Trash?“, fragt uns schon das Albumcover. Die Antwort ist: Ja. Bereits der Opener (und gleichzeitig die erste Single) „Who’s gonna catch me“ zeigt die Marschrichtung auf: Catchy Hooklines und Handclaps, entrückter und doch melodischer Frauengesang (und Geschrei), Gitarreneffekte auf 11 und ein dumpf hämmerndes Schlagzeug, das auch den grössten Sünder:innen den Teufel aus dem unwürdigen Leib prügelt. Die Texte der elf kompakten Songs wie „You Gotta Love“, „Oh My Don’t Cry“, „Time To Pray“, „Baby Wants More“, drehen sich meist um zutiefst menschliche Themen wie Liebe, Hass, Glaube, Erlösung und ein bisschen Wahnsinn. Auch das einzige Cover – der 1959er Rockabilly Klassiker „Tornado“ von The Jiants – macht keine Ausnahme. Unterm Strich also das, was man zumindest inhaltlich von einem ordentlichen Gottesdienst erwarten darf. Lasst uns gemeinsam singen und schreien, schwitzen und stampfen, beten und lieben, trinken und leben. Kann ja nichts schaden. Danke Voodoo Rhythm Records für die Rettung und Veröffentlichung dieses Lo-Fi-Evangeliums. Wenn The Christian Family demnächst mit ihrem „raw and primitive sound“ irgendwo in der Nähe eine Messe (zer-)lesen sollten, könnte sogar auch ich mich zu einem Kirchenbesuch bewegen lassen. Schon allein um zu überprüfen, ob ich dort tatsächlich Lust bekomme Klebstoff zu schnüffeln. Denn genau das verspricht das Albumcover.
RADIO FALS (CRO)
Phoenix i Los Angeles današnja su prijestolnica za Lo-Fi Gospel Trash. Predstavljamo vam jedanaest divljih kompozicija garažnih pankera koji će vas navesti na snifanje ljepila u crkvi. Tko su The Christian Family? Isusovi pratitelji? Kultisti? Okultisti? Ne, da, ne, da, ne – bilo kojim redoslijedom! The Christian Family su braća Ann i Daniel, obitelj od 2, ponekad 10, a ponekad 100. Ako ste u njihovoj prisutnosti, nesumnjivo ćete biti indoktrinirani od strane njihovog duha. Oni štuju bogove kao što su Saint Bo, Saint Chuck, The Divine Little Richard, The Saints, Saints Ivy and Lux, Saint Estrus, te sve ostale svece i duhove svih garažnih punk sastava. Započeli su svoj sveti put 2016. godine, svirali su i molili se posvuda, objavili nečuveno inspirativni (i ispred svog vremena) singl, a zatim su scenu brzo podijelili kako bi nestali u mraku. No poziv je bio prejak. Neutaživa potreba za širenjem njihovog svjetovnog branda od dva akorda te garažnih trash molitvi bila je jednostavno previše, a ovaj album s kojim ćete se tek susresti došao im je u maglovitom predosjećaju ispunjenom drogom i požudom. To su pjesme koje će vas natjerati da kleknete i molite, popnete se na glavu i zavrtite se ili milujete stranca do sebe u vlaku koji vodi nikamo. Sam đavao i njegov prijatelj Isus pokušali su spriječiti da ovaj album ugleda svjetlo dana, sve dok se Voodoo Rhythm Records nije izborio, s mačem u ruci, da svijetu objavi ovu bogohulnu ploču kako bi unijeli još više nereda u svijet sačinjen od kaosa. Dakle, ova obitelj je tu za vas! Upravo ovdje i sada, braćo i sestre, ovdje da piju i mole s vama, da se znoje, vole i pjevaju s vama, da gaze i vrište s vama, te da štuju nesvete bogove punka i trasha dok svi ne budemo spašeni Rock ‘n’ Rollom!
IN YOUR EYES EZINE (IT)
La Voodoo Rhythm Records, da sempre, è più di una label musicale: è una garanzia. Se siete irrecuperabili reietti della società e/o balordi outsider in cerca di gente, situazioni e vibrazioni musicali altrettanto anticonformiste che operino fuori dai circuiti mainstream, siano suonate con imperizia tecnica e in bassa fedeltà, incuranti di virtuosismi e altre seghe mentali, e che trasudi sporcizia musicale, “morale” e concettuale, allora l’etichetta di Berna è il posto giusto per soddisfare la vostra fame di rock ‘n’ roll scassato e sgangherato, e l’ideatore di questa depravata giungla elettrica, il mitologico Reverend Beat-Man, è una leggenda vivente del rock ‘n’ roll underground, oltre a essere una continua fonte di ispirazione per chi vi scrive, cioè uno sfigato che ha mutuato quasi per intero il suo nickname in segno di affetto e perversa ammirazione. A questo giro vi presentiamo l’album di debutto di uno dei nuovi fiori all’occhiello del roster “peccaminoso” del Reverendo Zeller, i Christian Family, un duo proveniente da Arizona (Phoenix) e Los Angeles e formato da Ann Seletos alias “Sister Ann” (batteria, voce e urla) con un passato nelle Cherie Cherie e Soft Shoulder, e Daniel Schircliff alias “Brother Daniel” (chitarra e voce) già all’opera nei Freaks Of Nature. I nostri, cresciuti ascoltando garage pop, folk, psichedelia, beat e le mitiche raccolte garage rock/punk “Back from the grave“, “Pebbles” e “Garage Punk Unknowns“, hanno unito le forze per colmare un vuoto nella scena musicale di Phoenix, sprovvista di band dedite al Trash rock e al Gospel punk, così hanno deciso di creare un loro stile particolare per la musica e i concerti dal vivo, citando Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Little Richard ed Elvis Presley come numi ispiratori che hanno avuto il merito di fare da ponte tra il gospel e il rock ‘n’ roll primigenio, e divertendosi a mischiare il sound degli Staples Singers col garage punk di metà anni Sessanta. Ma anche a livello di immaginario, i due non hanno lasciato nulla al caso e, un po’ come i nostrani DEVILS (anche loro, guarda caso, facenti parte della scuderia Voodoo Rhythm fino a qualche anno fa) condividono l’affinità per certa “blasfemia” goliardica, presente già nel monicker, dichiarando di non parteggiare per “Gesù” né per i “demoni”, né essere spaventati da essi, ma considerando il tema della religione divisivo e perfetto carburante per infiammare il punk rock, sottolineando che però prenderebbero volentieri una birra con “Gesù” perché è stata la persona/entità che, ai suoi tempi, tutti amavano odiare, e quindi potrebbe essere identificato, nel mondo d’oggi (che si nutre di odio e di haters) come un omosessuale o un punk musulmano o un immigrato ebreo che indossa una t-shirt dei Ramones, dunque soggetto a discriminazioni e aggressioni di ogni tipo. I Christian Family professano il loro amore per i rockers dei Fifties, il doo-woop, le girl groups, i primi Cramps, i dischi gospel del Mississippi, Bo Diddley e gli elvetici SEX ORGANS (tanto per gradire). E, giusto per restare in tema di argomenti a minaccia di scomunica papale, la copertina del loro disco d’esordio, “The raw and primitive sound of” ci fa sapere che contiene “11 selvagge canzoni di garage punk che vi faranno sniffare colla in chiesa” (tra le quali trova posto la cover del singolo rockabilly “Tornado” dei Jiants) giocando col fuoco nella definizione del loro genere musicale: “Musica del Diavolo? Gospel punk? Total trash?” Sì, tutte queste descrizioni calzano a pennello col rock ‘n’ roll sgarrupato proposto da Ann e Daniel, che non si bagna nel vino né nell’acqua santa, ma con eiaculazioni cacofoniche di fuzz e garage trash Lo-Fi blues, atti impuri di cui riscontriamo evidenti segni in tutti i pezzi dell’Lp, dunque nessuna analisi track by track ma un’unica benedizione che consuma il suo rito pagano primitivo in meno di mezz’ora (e sempre sia lodato il R’N’R che esprime tutta la sua essenza in meno di tre minuti) perché la Famiglia Cristiana ama tutto il suo gregge di pecore (nere). E se ve lo dice anche Reverend Shit-Man, potete fidarvi e acquistare a questua chiusa. Chissà che un giorno non verranno notati per omonimia anche dal settimanale Famiglia Cristiana, con tanto di demonizzazione del duo, sbattuto in prima pagina, e l’invito alle famiglie, al MOIGE al boicotaggio del “rock satanico”. Peggio per loro, si tengano la trap music, i Maneskin, Achille Lauro, Young Signorino, quelli de Il Volo e la piaga della canzone neomelodica come “esempi” da imporre ai giovani d’oggi (sui quali una volta Manuel Agnelli ci scatarrava su, salvo poi passare anche lui dall’altra parte della barricata) tenetevi le vostre ostie campionate sintetiche, le vostre chitarrine acustiche e i cori angelici, noi invece educheremo i nostri figli (se ne avremo) a un sano rockatechismo Lo-Fi a base di chitarre elettriche distorte e organi combo slabbrati. Amen.
VOIX DE GARAGE (FR)
En voilà un autre de 'groupe' qui annonce la couleur dès le premier abord : un titre d'album très signifiant, d'autant plus quand c'est pour un label comme Voodoo Rhythm Rds !
Habituellement il me faut 2 ou 3 écoutes pour rentrer pleinement dans un album signé par un duo Guitare/chant / batterie, mais là dès la 1ère écoute j'ai été happé par la musique de The Christian Family.
Ce duo mixte créé à Phoenix par un guitariste et une batteuse/chanteuse ayant chacun déjà participé à d'autres groupes (Cherie Cherie, Freaks Of Nature) présente ici son 1er album après un 1er EP en 2016... leurs 11 chansons ont donc eu bien le temps de mûrir !
Musicalement je trouve les chansons très travaillées en dépit du titre de cet album. Qui cependant ne ment pas ! C'est assez simple comme musique, mais il a toujours un côté créatif dans le jeu de guitare (est-ce parce qu'il n'assure pas le chant qu'il peut plus se concentrer sur ses progressions d'accords ? Probablement !) et la batterie est certe percussive, mais également capable de modulation dans un même titre. En dépit du fait que ceux-ci soient très courts (autour des 2 mn... jamais jusqu'à 3).
Et bien sûr le chant de Ann Seletos est brillamment & judicieusement mis en valeur dans le mix car elle à une voix très marquante !
Musicalement vu qu'on est chez Voodoo Rhythm Rds vous vous doutez un peu du type de musique que propose The Christian Family : Raw Lo-Fi Garage Blues Punk... mais jamais trop Raw, car les chansons sont de VRAIES CHANSONS, ni trop Lo-Fi, ni dans le son ni dans l'interprétation !
Et la composante "Gospel" de leur musique distillée avec parcimonie et quasi en filigrane est une respiration formidablement 'inspirante' et apporte une vraie respiration à l'ensemble !
LOUDER THAN WAR (USA)
Worshipping at the feet of the garage blues trash greats, The Christian Family release their debut album and it’s exactly what it says on the tin. Gospel punk trash Devil music. Johnson may have met the Devil and sold his soul way back when, but others needed no such trade, naturally dealing in the darker side, Black Mass Gospel Trash Blues. The Christian Family are such. Their songs are threaded with melodies that draw folk together in celebration; twisted, primitive, and pagan; while their stripped-back fuzzed-out cacophony rips from the torn speakers. Lead single, and opening song, Who’s Gonna Catch Me, starts with some kind of deep south church playgroup rhyme, all skips and handclaps, an innocence designed to draw the congregation under its sinister spell. But their music ends up spinning beneath like a hellbound Bo Diddley, an unholy racket that continues the basic blues trash sound that is prominent throughout the entire album. On Whatcha Got they are pounding beats into a bloody mess on the ground, constant downstrokes under a confrontational call out. Theirs is a crossroads where the girls from the garage groups of the ’60s meet with their Gospel-driven sisters to ply a wild and unhinged sound of abandon. On He’s Comin’ Down, one of the standout tracks, they kick up a more proto-punk sound, like a stripped-down and battered New York Dolls reduced to their most primordial form. Nestling in amongst their ten originals is a great version of The Jiants’ Tornado. That tremolo-laden sound of the original is filtered through their fuzz to layer a whole new level of menace on top. The Raw And Primitive Sound Of… is a rock ‘n’ roll hymnal that, from the hands of Sister Ann and Brother Daniel of The Christian Family, makes for a unique twist on that throbbing garage rock.
GROUND CONTROL MAGAZINE (USA)
While it would be easy enough to spill plenty of ink on the fact that The Christian Family is pretty evidently a kindred spirit to such popular “dirty shirt rock n’ roll” bands as The White Stripes, Boss Hog, Royal Trux, The Black Keys and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, actually making such comparisons is entirely too convenient and doesn’t actually do anyone any favors. Stripped even more to its essentials as the album is, in fact, only elevates the quality of of this debut, in fact; limited to an impossibly small drum kit (a kick drum and shakers), a very overdriven guitar and the voices of singer/drummer Sister Ann and singer/guitarist Brother Daniel, The Raw and Primitive Sound of… forces The Christian Family (and their songs, by extension), to either be good or be the single greatest waste of time in all recorded history. There’s no artifice to hide behind here – so there’s simply no choice for the band to either shine or burn and, after “Who’s Gonna Catch Me If I Fall” and “Mad-a-lyn” present that raw and stripped down sound as being the only one that the band makes for the early play on the album, listeners will find the prospect of settling in with them as easy as sinking into a mud bath at a high-end spa, or joining childhood friends for a dip with the frogs in an isolated, backwoods pond. Simply said, the experience can be great – just be ready to take a shower when its all done. As The Raw and Primitive Sound of… progresses and the songs have a chance to develop, they actually get even better; the first explosion of brilliance, “You Gotta Luv,” sees Brother Daniel step on a delay pedal and add some genuinely fantastic depth to the song, while his guitar playing actually gets close to that of Jon Spencer’s on “Oh My Don’t Cry,” and “Bbaby Wants More” swings into a hypnotic movement as it sidewinds along. As the album winds to a close, “I’ll Make You Cry” spontaneously shifts gearsand completely changes the sound of the song with improved production which implies where The Christian Family may be headed on future releases, in so doing. There, seemingly without warning, Sister Ann’s percussion spontaneously grows depth as her kick drum introduces low end, and her added vocals offer more color above it. While previous cuts on the album were easy enough to appreciate, “I’ll Make You Cry” introduces a sense of verve which follows up with closer to pop song dynamics, and “I Got Problems” then closes out the proceedings, strongly. That ending is solid, but really owes a tremendous amount to the inroads cut by “I’ll Make You Cry.” The energy that song injects gives a little more punch to “Tornado” and “I Got Problems,” and is the bright spot that listeners will quietly hope is the thing which reappears on future releases from the group. …And, after “I Got Problems” slams shut and listeners have had a chance to collect themselves, the’ll recognize just how good The Raw and Primitive Sound of The Christian Family is – and will be only too happy to indulge the album again; even if they are quietly hoping for the arrival of more music as soon as possible at the same time. How soon more music might arrive is up for debate, but that this band deserves a larger presentation is not; hand The Christian Family to Jon Spencer or to Patrick Carney or John Goodmanson – to a producer with the talent to help this band realize their potential, and watch them shine. The Raw and Primitive Sound of The Christian Family illustrates that the band has come a long way on their own, all they need now is a little push to reach the next level. [Bill Adams]
GONZO CIRCUS (BE)
We would like to introduce all interested parties, all Rotten Flower Children, to Brother Daniel and Sister An who together form the Phoenix-based duo The Christian Family. It wasn't supposed to be, because the recordings for this raw sounding lo-fi recorded album date from 2018 and were polished up a bit to finally see the Holy Light. They're short songs that will make anyone want to sniff some glue in some graveyard. Ten original songs and a cover (the surf classic 'Tornado') are featured on the far too short disc that succeeds in mixing the legacy of The Cramps, The Saints, Bo Diddley and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Trashy, two chords of garage punk made by a duo that had actually planned to release only a four track single (in 2016) and then disappear into purgatory again. It kept on tickling and lo and behold, three of the four songs resurface, along with some newer hits. We are happy that Daniel Shircliff and Ann Seletos were finally included in the Voodoo Rhythm stable. It will undoubtedly provide them with methamphetamine-soaked hosts.
SONIC WAVE MAGAZINE
The Californian duo continues to preach the benefits of rock and roll and its sacrificial lifestyle in this new leap of faith. The recent recording encyclical is loaded with activity and frenzy, as shown in the title, continuing through the eleven tracks full of vigorous garage, punk and primitive rock and roll -built all of it with two chords and simply based on guitar and drums-, their catchy choruses, concluding with the immediacy and punch of each song. The couple Sister Ann and Brother Daniel are enough to compose and interpret each of the tunes, daring to label them as punk gospel. The result of this are songs like the hit "Who's Gonna Catch Me", the addictive "Mad-A-Lyn", the overwhelming "Whatcha Got" or the vibrant "You Gotta Love". You no longer have an excuse to go to mass this Sunday.
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