Customer Reviews

Electric Sweat

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I don't care what anybody says, these guys sound like the Flamin' Groovies: guitar driven, R&B-based garage rock slightly out of step with the times. And yeah, the Mooney Suzuki showed up alongside a spate of other garage revivalists, but there's something I can't quite identify that sets them apart (not above, just apart) from bands like the White Stripes and the Strokes. The whole affair sounds very unselfconscious; even the stuff that should sound forced, like the chorus from "Young Man's Mind," comes off naturally. Even the really corny material, the ballad "Oh Sweet Susanna" and "Natural Fact," don't make me cringe -- obviously, the band's grimy garage band pose is studied, but it fits like a glove. I still think the Flamin' Groovies analogy comes closest to describing these guys: the Groovies rocked like it was 1967, in 1971, blissfully ignoring the fact that popular culture had passed them by. I guess I can see the Mooney Suzuki generating a considerable buzz for a year or two, then dropping more or less out of sight while continuing to make strong records. In summation, then, this album sounds like a foundational recording from an also-ran with a well-deserved cult following.

... Perhaps garage rock is continuing to make inroads but what makes it especially nice is that Electric Sweat is such a good disc and far better than many of the heavily hyped garage CD's of the day. I've owned it for less than a week and listened to it at least a half-dozen times, which certainly isn't the norm. It's easily my favorite disc of 2002 so far.

..., I like Electric Sweat better than People Get Ready. The songs are tighter and more consistent here. "In A Young Man's Mind" is as good a rocker as you're likely to hear..., I really enjoy "A Little Bit of Love", which may have the best hook on the entire disc.

The 70's influences are undeniable but "Natural Fact", for example, sounds quite a bit like a Sean Bonniwell composition. The early Who also seems to figure into the mix. Yet, the Mooney Suzuki manage to whip all of this into a sound they make their own. They aren't your average garage band. In fact, calling these guys garage rockers seems to be selling them short. This is great rock and roll, period.

Everything here, including the pair of instros, is compelling, with the exception of "The Broken Heart", which is too slow and almost twice as long as most of the rest of the songs on the disc. Luckily, it's towards the end and I reckon 9 for 10 is a pretty good batting average.

A strong recommendation.

This is their latest album, and while it's not as good, track for track, as their EP and "People Get Ready", it still has some fantastic cuts on it, coyly split into "Side One" and "Side Two" on the CD.

The title track opens nicely, with the shriek of feedback, before they take off. "In A Young Man's Mind" is a lot of fun ("It's a simple world/there's a little room for music and the rest is girls"), and "Oh Sweet Susanna" is a nice change of pace, with wailing guitars. Other tracks I really liked are "It's Not Easy", the instrumental jam session "It's Showtime Pt. II", and the rocking "I Woke Up This Mornin'", which has the stomp-stomp-stomp driving rhythm that makes them so much fun. All of these cuts are more than worth your time.

Not so fond of the slow dance number, "The Broken Heart", and didn't like "A Little Bit of Love" (although Graham Tyler's guitarwork is incendiary), and "Natural Fact" (good retro sound, but overshadowed by the others) as much as the others. "Electrocuted Blues" is another instrumental, and Tyler's guitar is impressively fuzzy and wild, but I liked the "Showtime" jam better, lick for lick.

You NEED to see these guys play live, to fully appreciate their work, because they absolutely rock the hell out of their material; I saw them play at the Empty Bottle in Chicago and they blew the roof off of the place; their stage presence is fantastic, their energy undeniable, and they are TIGHT, never missing a beat or a note while diving into the crowd and jumping all over the place.

This CD adds some welcome material to their catalogue, and anybody who wants to enjoy serious R&B should get it.

How do these guys do it? Relentless rocking garage. Catchy tunes and great guitar riffs. Why are the Strokes, the Hives, and the White Stripes deemed the kings of the current Garage Rock scene? Why? Especially when it is evident that these Mooney boys along with the Greenhornes should be placed at the top of this pyramid (if there was such a pyramid). Some things in life will always remain a mystery. However, on the plus side, it means we can still see them play live in good small venues. Rock on!

I fell into the same trap you did. I heard about this band from everyone under the sun. Bought the album. Got rid of it the same day. Of all the New York bands going now, the two best are BONA ROBA and YEAH YEAH YEAHS hands down. But the cool part about Bona Roba is that no one knows them yet. mooney is boring rock with an overblown reputation.

I would have bought this album if it had all 10 of the songs on the original version. But what happened to Natural Fact? Is it a cover?

The Mooney Suzuki practically invented the "New New York Rock Scene." Their debut album, People Get Ready, was released in 1999 and set the scene for all that has followed. Electric Sweat shows the band growing in both their musicianship and songwriting. "Oh Sweet Susana" is a classic Rock'n'Roll pop gem, while the instrumentals "Show Time Part 2" and "Electrocuted Blues" shake and wail like an all-nite riot. Of course, all who have seen the boys live now that NOTHING can compare to the Mooney Show. However, for the uninitiated looking for a great Rock'n'Roll record from a great Rock'n'Roll band, this is it!

I saw MS live after hearing their CD and was blown away. The tongue- in-cheek rock star strut they all do on stage (along with chanting "we're number 1!") left me dazed and amused. They are no Yeah Yeah Yeahs (or Drunken Boat) but they know how to rock with abandon. Lovely, but more lovely live.

Real rock, real R&B, with their own spin on it. Yes, we've all seen 'em on MTV now, we've all been reading. But unlike the new crop of "real" rock bands...these guys do the thing that The Strokes, The White Stripes, and whoever else they're being compared to cant do and that is ROCK. The Mooney Suzuki delivers the goods in a big way and one of the few outfits around that can really call themselves a rock'n'roll band, because clearly they know what the term ROCK'N'ROLL means!

A welcome record that hasnt come a moment too soon!!!

this album is as great as The Strokes-Is This It and The Libertines-Up The Bracket, yeah,thats right i just said that it is as great as those two.This album is amazing, Electric Sweat is a song that builds you up and then lets you be released, its amazing, all of the songs are great on this album