Customer Reviews

Nagasha

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Wildy's World:
Santa Barbara, California is home base for Loomis & The Lust, but after listening to their debut EP, Nagasha (July, 2009) I suspect they'll be spending a lot less time at home. With such diverse influences as The Kinks, The Animals, Chet Atkins, David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand, Loomis & The Lust create an original brand of Rock N Roll with an honest affection for 1970's classic rock and a hook-laden philosophy straight out of the 1980's. Nagasha was produced by Brandon Mason (David Bowie, Secret Machines, Bono, The Edge), and features some of the catchiest, most danceable Rock N Roll of the year.

Nagasha opens with Bright Red Chords, a song that will lodge itself in your brain before you even know it's happened. The melody here has a universal feel, like something you've heard so many times you know it even as you hear it the first time. With a catchy, dance-inducing arrangement, Bright Red Chords will stick with you for a good long time. Break On Love has a classic, Blues/Rock feel and would fit right into an AOR playlist. Sweetness sounds like it could be a mix of The Wallflowers and Dave Matthews (solo), carrying a chorus that's unforgettable, while Cure For Sale slows things down a bit in a gentle rocker that entrenches in the Wallflowers sound. Cure For Sale may well be the most marketable song on the disc, likely having significant allure for the licensing world. Girl Next Door is a big, raucous blues-influenced rocker that sounds like it could be the basis for a movie. The theme here is a classic for Rock N Roll, and Loomis & The Lust show what they're really made of, using double entendre and testosterone-laden intentions for an amusing bit of musical confusion.

Loomis & The Lust take Rock N Roll back where it belongs in the five songs presented on Nagasha, blending deep classic rock roots with some of the zeitgeist of the 1980's and a modern twist. I suspect Loomis & The Lust will see a lot of commercial success in the licensing realm, although I am not sure where they fit in currently in the world of radio. From anything I have read about the band the live show is the thing. Loomis & The Lust seems to convert new fans every time they step on stage. Consequently, while I highly recommend you check out Nagasha, I would urge you to make a point of seeing Loomis & The Lust if they come to your town.
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Loomis and the Lust's debut EP Nagasha may only be five songs and under fifteen minutes long, but that doesn't stop it from being a damn good listen. The album's opening track and first single, "Bright Red Chords," is a simple but impossibly catchy song that starts out with a steady drumbeat that is joined by a few strong electric chords that make up the melody; An obvious classic rock influence, it's the kind of song that is easily associated with good times. it gives me the urge to jump up and down, dancing with friends under the summer sun. The end of the song comes a little too quickly for me, but most good times usually do, I guess.


"Break on Love" has the same kind of fun energy. While the lyrics are repetitive, the guitar riffs show a lot of variance and the layering is more complex, saving it from feeling too similar to the first on the EP. The band switches it up on the slightly dark, slightly sensual track, "Sweetness," of which Will Loomis' voice dips lower than before and at times sounds downright suggestive. There's almost a slight edge of menace to it.

"Cure For Sale" is soft and sweet, different than any of their other songs on the album. It's a beautiful lazy day song, which I didn't expect to receive from Loomis, and it made me appreciate the range they display in just four short songs. It is definitely a track that stands out from the rest.

The final song on the EP "Girl Next Door" is a return to the material they started out with. It's got a good hook and speed, an area in which this band excels, so I'm glad they made their way back around. I can only hope that they have an LP on the way because I can't get enough.

I'm not one to write music reviews; just don't have the vocabulary for it. So I won't go on at annoying (or embarrassing) length.

I discovered this band when I saw the video for their single "A.D.D." and found it so well done (musically and visually) I checked out the Nagasha songs sampled here on Amazon and purchased the CD. Now I am a fan.