Hank Robot And The Ethnics Elvis - Jello Mojo (LP)

(Moody Monkey Records) 12 tracks

The lost recordings of Dead Kennedy? No! The debut from Hank Robot & The Ethnics, a Powersolo side project that doesn't seem to take things too seriously, preferring to put out a 12-track party record that should put a smile on your face.
Label info: “A few months ago I had the honor of DJing a Powersolo show and that night I heard, saw and (I think) understood their wonderful ability to push boundaries, highlighted by their keen sense of absurdity. I loved these guys. A little while later, Sir Kim Kix sent me some recordings of another of his bands, HANK ROBOT & THE ETHNICS, and for the first time since listening to Destruction Unit (the album you listen to when you're seriously hopeless), I felt like I could destroy walls, and was frankly relieved. On first listen, you get a little taste of the Dead Kennedys - especially on their bombastic hit “Homba” - but don't be fooled: It's just a “trompe l'oreille” and soon disappears. There was something else, much more, something that made me feel “I'm in love and I'm fine”. Some would call it punk. Well, I think it's punk, yes! But punk with some nice surprises ... (don't ask, these are surprises). “Lightning Bolt” has that typical fantasy that doesn't easily fit into a music genre, and that I love with Kim Kix. The opener “Where Are You Gonna Go” may sound modern, but it's actually built like a wonderful repetitive 60s garage fuzz song. It just had to be a Moody Monkey thing! Thank you, Hank & The Ethnics! The really cool artwork was designed by Martin Thorsen of The Courettes.
Bobby McBride once referred to Hank's set as “an evil nightmare in human musical form”, adding that this is still true today. “Hank Robot is, of course, Kim Kix from Powersolo. They are dirty, evil, desperate men bent on destruction. They bridge a gap between psychobilly, punk, surf, garage and trashy French pop. Hank Robot is far from the only band Kim Kix has besides Powersolo, but it's my favorite band and I'm sticking with it. Robot has been announcing an album for a few months now - he's been getting drunk and recording tracks. He's been sleeping on stairs, he's that unwelcome house guest or uncle you had who gave you your first cigarette, a sip of beer and a cassette of Iggy Pop. You like him. You understand him. After recruiting Anders Birkekær from Drön and Per Silkjær from Fossils, Hank and his fired-up crew went into the studio and recorded 12 punk songs - the first of which is “Homba” - “a true story” according to Robot. It's a frenetic old-school hardcore punk song, not too far removed from the old Dead Kennedys and Dead Milkmen - the good old shit. If “Homba” is any indication of what's to come, I'm stoked. What a fucking piece of authentic trash this is. The whole world looks to Aarhus when it comes to “punk” music - we might as well serve it up with Hank Robot to bring it to the masses with his new band The Ethnics.” Bobby McBride