World, I bring you news of a band you need to know about. A band so awesome, so strange and so wonderful that to not know it is to know only sadness. I’m talking about Rock Sugar.

Now on their site they have a whole story about the band, a great fake history. And that’s great for what it is but let’s cut to the chase. Rock Sugar takes 80s metal songs and then uses 80s pop songs for the lyrics. Mostly. Sometimes its mash-ups of two or three songs, and so on. They don’t limit themselves. The thing is they play the songs and sing them. This isn’t a DJ remixing an awesome mash-up. This is a band playing its heart out and selling the fuck out of this madness.

Let me give you an example, and then after the video we’ll continue this discussion:

So yeah there you go. Rock Sugar’s Don’t Stop the Sandman. And it works. It damn well works. So there you have it. Rock Sugar is onto something. I think it’s part of why Glee works, by the way. I mean, among many reasons, the idea that they do mash-ups that are sung – so you can really hear what it would sound like for that mash-up to happen, not just spliced but fully brought to life – it’s a great thing.

Oh here, have another song:

I would not have thought that those songs would be an awesome and interesting fit – but they are. Huh. One more, you ask? Well… all right, but then we have to go back to talking:

Rock Sugar, man. Dear lord that’s awesome. And they have an album out! Here’s the track list –

Don’t Stop The Sandman
We Will Kickstart Your Rhapsody
Crazy Girl
Voices In The Jungle
Here Comes The Fool You Wanted
Shook Me Like A Prayer
Straight To Rock City
Prayin’ For A Sweet Weekend
Heaven And Heaven
Breakin’ The Love
I Love Sugar On Me
Round And Separated
Dreaming Of A Whole Lotta Breakfast

Though now here is where I get a bit annoyed. You can’t buy the thing from Amazon, fine. But they don’t offer an electronic option. I don’t like iTunes (it isn’t there either though) and don’t want to buy physical media. All I do is rip it to mp3 and then have a CD taking up space. I want to be able to pay them for high quality digital files. No waiting, no shipping, no damage in the mail, no CD laying around later. It kind of frustrates me that I can’t do that with this. So while I’m sure I will order the CD (and oh yes I will) I will also hesitate, and have hesitated, because I would much rather pay them, even the same price, for a bunch of files.

I would also love the chance to interview the band, but without the cover story in the way. I dunno. Maybe I’ll try to. Maybe they’ll read this, even. I mean, hell, remember No More Kings? That was a strange little interview, wasn’t it?

So yeah. This band here, Rock Sugar might be the best band find since Pink Steel. And I mean that with absolutely zero irony. They rock, they rock hard and they’re fun and inventive. Go give a listen and consider supporting inventive, great artists!