However, especially in the last years, I listen to a wide variety of music, you do not see all that much of that here. It proves hard to keep up with all kinds of scenes and when I run into something good, usually we are talking about stone-age releases. One of the styles that I listen to more and more is psychobilly. I probably heard Kamikaze Queens on Last.fm some time, but a while ago I saw them live in Utrecht accompanying a “burlesque circus”. KQ just released their second album. They are not “psychobilly” strictly speaking. The booklet says: “this is Berlin punk cabaret” which I also do not find a perfect description. Sure, the band has come cabaretesk elements, here and there in the music, but this is mostly in performance. Both “Voluptuous Panic” (2008) and “Automatic Life” are (in my opinion) better described as rockabilly-based punky alternative rock music (perhaps even ‘pop music’). The rhythms could navigate the band in rockabilly/psychobilly areas, but the music is more straight-forward poprock, with a serious punky edge, but ‘cleaner’ than some psychobilly. The last part of the album is more interesting with more cabaret and psychobilly. I must say that however the music of KQ is enjoyable, I prefer the ‘real’ psychobilly sound. Not a bad album though with some nice songs.
Links: Kamikaze Queens, Sounds Of Subeterrania
