L.A.'s own Garage Kings, THE UNCLAIMED, return with a brand new LP, the first since 1989's "Under The Bodhi Tree." OUT MARCH 15th, 2024.
 
THE UNCLAIMED CREATURE OF THE MAUI LOON LP TEENS 092 Anticipated by the release of the single 'The Heart Never Forgets' last November, the new album by the Unclaimed and Shelley Ganz’ final sonic testament, "Creature Of The Maui Loon," will be released on March 15, 2024. Shelley Ganz, one of the last and p e r h a p s t h e p u r e s t o f t h e “cavemen" of the ‘80s Los Angeles Garage scene, has left the cave. For Shelley, music crystallized around the mid-sixties and little had happened of particular relevance since then. 1960s pop culture (ie: B movies and comics) and the era’s aesthetic in which he grew up, informed his entire outlook and style. It is thanks to this dedication to mid-‘60s style that a certain type of songwriting has remained alive. It was a dedication that all the members of the Garage revival have put in place and perpetrated with an obstinacy bordering on the maniacal, like Greg Prevost and his Chesterfield Kings, sometimes interpretive, as in the case of Rudi Protrudi with the Fuzztones, or totally original, as with the Vipers. These three aspects converge in the compositional ability of Shelley, who had always been a legendary character in the international Garage scene. He was also a sensitive and shy soul who holed up in his cave for quite some time. However, in recent years, Shelley had awakened from this stupor and, together with his creature, the Unclaimed, had begun to more frequently get onto the stages of his city, Los Angeles, as well as San Diego and San Francisco, thanks mainly to guitarist Patrick Cleary who from 2019 had supported Shelley, not only as a band member, but also as an agent, friend and supporter. Their collaborative partnership brought new life to and facilitated the realization of many projects, including reissues of the Unclaimed catalogue on Teen Sound Records. Cleary, a multifaceted guitarist who has done many collaborations, has been present for years on the Los Angeles scene, including a solo career inspired by the Country and Folk-Rock of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. In 2019, the writing of the songs for 'Creature of the Maui Loon' began, composed by Ganz and arranged with Patrick Cleary, with the contributions of an excellent rhythm section composed of John Worley on bass and great Shaun Bryant on drums. Cleary’s influence can be clearly felt in the opening track of the album, 'The Heart Never Forgets,' a light-hearted Bubblegum-Country-Garage song, the catchiest of the Unclaimed’s recent work. THE UNCLAIMED CREATURE OF THE MAUI LOON LP TEENS 092 ‘Hunters and Gatherers,’ the second track on the album, lands halfway sonicly between the style of “Primordial Ooze Flavored” and “Under The Bodhi Tree”: fuzz and primitive rhythms cadence, enriched by poppy choruses. '(Not So Good) Queen Bess' opens with a horror atmosphere, but the dark cavern is soon lit with the fire of ‘60s Punk. It is clear that Shelley never lost his path; on the contrary he had found new inspiration. 'I Found a Girl' continues in the vein of Tiki-Surf and classic Garage. The Unclaimed know to do this all too well, having invented the hybrid! 'Maui Loon' closes the first side of the album. A few seconds of a bass line that recalls the Doors’ 'Strange Days,’ then a brutal fuzz-beat that bursts, as a tribute to the Zakary Thaks of "Bad Girl" and the Syndicate Of Sound of 'Little Girl,' two of the bands that Shelley adored. The voices blend beautifully and add that ‘60s Pop taste that makes 'Maui Loon' one of the most successful tracks of the album. The B-side of the album opens with "Guitar M'Sheen Gun," reminiscent of The Stems' 1987 garage classic, ‘Sad Girl.’ But the Unclaimed here are also free from the stylistic restraints of the Garage Revival; the splendid choirs let the imagination travel and it is nice to think about what this opening could have lead to in the future. The Garage-Pop of 'Just Can’t Understand' continues on this road. The unexpected whistle in the middle of the song makes you smile with joy because... is simply a brilliant idea. No other band since the ‘60s could have produced a Bubblegum song so catchy and pleasant. That Shelley’s voice and guitar reminds one of the Count Five’s John Byrne is certainly no mystery. In 'Calling All Girls' there are elements that would convince anyone to believe in the Lithuanian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik’s theories of "suspended relationships.” It’s clear that Shelley’s connection to his youthful myths has never been broken. ‘I’ll Always Cry For You’ is, in my opinion, the second most intense track of the album after ‘Maui Loon.’ After few seconds of great suspense, there is again a cliffhanger effect: the crazy creature that inhabits the island of the Unclaimed has composed an immortal anthem and its poppy chorus seems to want to repeat endlessly. We find ourselves singing along as if we had always known the song. Having had the pleasure of meeting Shelley in person and having had long chats over the years (often at 5 AM here in Italy, the most predictable time to receive a call from him), it was with a mixture of disbelief and sadness that I found myself repeatedly listening to the next song, 'Y.D. Girl,' which captures the fascinating style that was somewhere between the mid ‘60s US Folk Garage and Pop that was so deeply loved by Shelley. I listened with with great pleasure as Shelley told me of his esteem for my work, and for including some obscure Garage Pop bands in the compilations THE UNCLAIMED CREATURE OF THE MAUI LOON LP TEENS 092 released by Misty Lane over twenty years ago. Among the grooves of 'Creature Of The Maui Loon' now emerges a softness not very far removed from the New Colony Six, Castaways, Five Americans, Buckinghams, Robbs, and the atmosphere of the Toads of ‘Leaving It All Behind’ or the Castells’ 'Save A Chance.’ After all, Shelley Ganz was a soft-hearted person, a 'gentle soul' as many have eulogized him. Shelley knew how to charm us in a natural, unselfconscious way. The lyrics of his last songs are the proof, the enchantment of the feminine world that continued to fascinate him, despite his 65 years. Shelley still played the figure of a proud caveman in contrast to a world that has apparently adopted a very different awareness and sensitivity towards “chicks.” For this reason, his final album will take some time to be fully understood and evaluated for what it really is: a wonderful little concentration of music deliberately démodé. Don’t miss one of the 300 limited-edition vinyl copies, and treat yourself to a trip to “Shelley Island.” You’ll be happy to get to know his creatures better.