Alien Nosejob: Stained Glass LP

Much loved, relentless rocker, Jake Robertson is back yet again with the next instalment of his ridiculously productive solo project, Alien Nosejob. Jake’s got a brand-new bag of tricks and I ain’t gonna beat around the bush; it sounds like AC/DC! Stained Glass may be his finest and most stylistically suited work to date. Ironically, and to quote his own sarcastic lyrics from the album’s second track, he definitely fits this shoe. Not only does Jake have the high-pitched pipes while many others don’t (obviously a vital part in this sound), but the guitar chops to pull off the sweet, sustained lead breaks of this particular style. And he does so in great fashion as you’ll be made immediately aware from the scorching solo on album opener, “Beatles vs, Stones”. Trust Jake to write a song with that title! But alas! it’s not all Bon Scott’s and Angus Young’s. Some Rikk Agnew guitar lines shine through on album closer, "Mouldy Dough". "Shuffle Boogie" marks Jake’s first ever stab at the shuffle backbeat - which he says is him knicking from Rose Tattoo what they knicked from AC/DC - but it also kinda sounds like a sped up Jean Genie or some lost Bowie boog. "RNR Rubbish Bin" stomps its way through five minutes of electrified solo’s and witty lyrics. Even Brian Johnston makes an appearance on the Ausmuteants sequel, “Coastal Living 2”; about growing up on the NSW Central Coast. The bulk (backing tracks) of Stained Glass were recorded by Mix Master Mikey (Young), over a Friday / Saturday in October last year - but by the sounds of it they spent just as much time eating Guzmen y Gomez, talking shit and hanging out as they did recording. Jake took the beds for the eight tracks home, tucked their sheets in tightly and the record was complete before years end. Some may think it’s a touch too much, some might shoot him down in flames, but I say this rock ’n’ roll singer’s got rhythm.