Leighton Koizumi feat. Tito and Thee Brainsuckers
When the Night Falls

Strange beast is r'n'r. Those who follow its wild call risk either burning out quickly (the list of famous rock deaths is all too long) or fading away slowly (see aging rockstars who still want to act young, and here everyone can have their say). It seems that the faithful follower of the r'n'r spirit is destined for an undesirable end in both cases. But, fortunately for us enthusiasts, some artists manage to keep the wild flame of r'n'r alive over time without being consumed by it. The first example that comes to mind is Iggy Pop. But right after him comes the character in question, Mr. Leighton Koizumi.

A key figure in the 80s neo-garage scene, first with the Gravedigger V and then with the Morlocks, he disappeared from the spotlight towards the end of the decade in question, coinciding with the low tide of the garage revival. Some say he became a slave to heroin, others even say he was dead and buried. Then, at the dawn of the new millennium, like a futuristic Lazarus, he resurfaces and decides it's time to return to the scene. He forms a new band in his homeland (Featherwood Junction), and in 2003 he tours twice with a local garage band, Tito and thee Brainsuckers.
The impression left by their live performance is that of a successful blend between a pagan rite and a music history lesson; a live set focused on revisiting lesser-known rock classics of the sixties, interpreted as wildly as possible by our Leighton.

The album indeed gathers these covers, but in their studio version. The result is nothing short of amazing, making the work a Bignami of garage rock, an album to be revisited cyclically to remember and honor a certain way of making music. The most famous names and songs are represented by a fiery No Fun by the Stooges, I Need You by the Kinks, and the only ballad, the poignant Signed D.C. by Love. But the most successful episodes remain others: 99th Floor by Moving Sidewalks, more punk than the original, Cry in the Night by the semi-obscure Dutch band Q '65, and especially the fiery versions of two garage gems, No Friend of Mine by the Sparkles and Born Loser by Murpy and the Mob. The title track, originally played by the English The Eyes, is a sort of psychedelic voodoo dance that unfolds for over seven minutes, where the guitar sketches out psychotic phrases; it is certainly the masterpiece of the album and worthily seals the end of an encyclopedic work.

The possession of such an album can provoke various effects: some of your so-called r'n'r CDs will be so ashamed they will try to commit suicide by throwing themselves off the shelf; you will find yourself wandering like a sniffer dog through local record stores, trying to track down some of the bands represented here. In any case, the important thing is to abuse the product in question to better enjoy the long-term effects both in body and spirit. Long live r'n'r!