Light Bulb Alley

Boys, do we really need a photo on the CD cover? Well, your mothers must love you. I prefer the website, where you are blurry, looking away or hidden. After a rumbling, shuddering cover of ‘Who Do You Love’ we get into a CD of damned fine originals. This is neo-garage psyche delivered good and ugly. “Pepper Spray“ is a jaunty two minutes and “Eye in the Sky” met with the approval of my kids as they went past the shaking room in which I pen this stuff. They are very hard judges, so well done you. Montreal has given the world many good things over the years, but barring the Ice Hockey team I can’t think of anything else, or better than the dazzling, beautifully battered Light Bulb Alley. - Leicester Bangs

Light Bulb Alley (http://www.myspace.com/lightbulballey)
The Sound Of Things
Ricochet Sound (http://www.myspace.com/ricochetsoundrecordings)

Stratified clouds of cigarette smoke in a bar are the images invoked by the music here. A smoke filled bar out of the 1960s is the style of venue I would expect to see Light Bulb Alley play. A trio from Montreal, they're heavy on garage rock and lighter on the psych.

The debut album, The Sound of Things has twelve tracks including one Bo Diddley cover. Refreshingly under produced and simple, they state that it was “recorded live in studio”, i.e. no overdubs.

Besides the raw garage sounds of Karlo Sno on the bass and Ockert Greff on drums, Alister Booth (vocals and guitar) sounds so wounded that he brays and bawls through much of the CD. One might imagine Booth not as the singer but as a theatrical character who smoked and drank heavily while fretting over the situations that he sings about. It would explain the vocals. “Bad Day” is the track that sticks with me most. Not a polished gem, but a rough rock which does just that.

By David Tymoshchuk
Sep 13, 2011 - Earshot ( The National Campus and Community Radio Report)

Review from Rock En Caux Radio 103.1 in France Http:/rockencaux.musicblog.fr

Light Bulb Alley : ' the sound of things ' CD ( Ricochet Sound rds . / 2011)
Ooooooh ....this young tyrants Light Bulb Alley get the Gruesomes music way with primitive & garage stereotype !
First , the totaly amazin ' Mc Daniels classic cover cut " who do you love " dig the energy of a real garage band .
... I love it 'coz 5'14" of lotsa raw beat , indeed . Dunno , Their own inspirations tracks like " long time comin ' "/
"why don't you " 're not bad too. In spite of that form , my fave song is " eye in the sky " which give more punk /
psyche 6'T's sound than most Nuggets tracks , nowaydays . " pepper spray " get frantic roll 'nd roll rythm a la Jim Jones Revue /
Steve Hooker music trend , a real bargain to dig this song at the party or listen on the radio !.
L.B.A. don't need to be drive as stars .... they need to dig their energy with a solid blues beat section thru live acts . Dig it .... !.
Radio 103.1 / Soubielle Patryck / Sept . 2011 / France - Rock En Caux

LIGHT BULB ALLEY - THE SOUND OF THINGS CD from RETROPHOBIC (Italy) in ENGLISH!!
Light Bulb Alley "The Sound Of Things", 2011 Ricochet Sound
Ricochet Sound, after having given us the full-cycle of Gruesomes reissues, is back to show how Canada is in turmoil: the scene in Montreal is robust and in excellent health. Light Bulb Alley testify to this with a record of crude, dirty, greasy broken-down an......d messed up blues angst. Recording is loud, add a troubled voice, with an industrial steamroller rhythm section to the ingredients plus attitude to this beautiful Stone garage sound, which often allows feverish drifts in psych ("Bad Day," "Eye In The Sky"). Just jump on board and listen up to this collection of blood sizzling songs, simple but very effective. A traditional dish, but cooked to perfection. If the first part of the disc is more abrasive, the second part focuses on a psychedelic rough edge in a convincing treatment of the Sixties models more related to the blues ("Stranger In A Strange Town"). The debut of Light Bulb Alley has the effect of a spoonful of something nice, the content satisfies...... and for a hard case, this is essential. - Retrophobic

Bo Diddley’s bloated rotting corpse is gonna chop your motherfuckin’ head off with that square guitar. He will dice and slice it like some slick Iron Chef wanting to win and eat the heart of Gordon Ramsey. A nice slice of disease oozing from a popped blister on the labia of rock and roll. Seedy underbelly stabbing at your eyes like Jack the Rippers surgical knives. Leaving you for the crows, vultures and worms. Alas, I have been moved to panegyrize and thus must stick to the details of the vibrations rattling your rotting bones. I have been driven to dipsomania and lust the dirty, meanderings of foreign travelers and one French Canadian. Smear Poutine on my thighs and let the festivities begin..Ladies I give you curds and gravy on two dangling participles ready to thrust them into your ever so ready to yap trap. Mmmmm we will dine like Kings by Lightbulbs and fall further into our addiction problems and distaste for the self help groups we never attend.. - Sugar Buzz Magazine

Playlist for 12/30/11: Favorites of 2011 - Zero Hour

Light Bulb Alley: The Sound of Things

Diddley meets garbage can lid flappers, Pussy Galore bucket trash and rawk, baby, surged and shabby, sore-throated garage door catastrophe! - Big Rock Candy Mountain

Light Bulb Alley

The Sound Of Things

Ricochet Sound

It's been a while to get excited with a new band! That happened with Light Bulb Alley: Alister Booth (guitar-vocals), Ockert Cool Bananas Greeff (drums), Karlo (bass-harmonica-organ). They come from Canada and this is their first album. Be careful! They don't play something that you haven't heard before and they aren't such skilled players (guitar, bass, and drums). But they have a lot of talent and energy plus vocals that sometimes are quite discordant but that fact is that take off all songs!!! Booth has a magical tone in his voice and the way that sings touched me greatly!!! Their songs are emerged from all the genres of rock'n'roll. Sometimes are blues, other times guitars reminds Velvets. Eye in the Sky is a great acid garage song (in the way Hidden Peace did in the 80's). Their cover in who do you love is simple but stuck in mind. Great songs are 'my love' and 'why don't you' Those are heavier (high energy rock'n'roll called) with screaming vocals shouting for love!!! Plus 'bad day' that recalls Dream Syndicate from the Days Of Wine And Roses period! Sound of things is the most psych song, long time coming is a true 70's punk while the softer songs are tonight (very good) and backslider. The greatest song of the album (and maybe in the last years) is stranger in a stranger town. I can't describe properly how great it is! Moody guitar, bass and drums with vocals and trashy performing are still shudder my body!!! Excellent!!! - Gew Gaw Fanzine ( Greece)

In Rapport Newspaper (National Sunday Newspaper in South Africa)
Rapport.co.za
http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/rapport/2008/12/10/RH/22/andries1.html
Writer and South African Rock Star Andries Bezuidenhout, writes about visiting his old band mate, Ockert, now playing with Light Bulb Alley in Montreal. Translated from the original Afrikaans.

Ockert plays the drums in Light Bulb Alley. I guess one can describe it as alternative country-rock.
Alistair, the lead singer and guitarist, comes from a town called Yellowknife. It is in the North of Canada. De Beers mines for diamonds there. When he says the name, it sounds like “Yewalknife”.
Light Bulb Alley appears with two other bands – one from Montreal and the other from Chicago. I threaten to grab the microphone and present them as: “Ladies and gentlemen, from Karasburg and Yellowknife, the sensational Light Bulb Alley!” - Rapport Newspaper

Earshot Charts in Calgary - Earshot

Montreal Rant Line - Rant Line