4.0 out of 5 stars
Garage rock with some twists, May 24, 2006
This review is from: Ssm (Audio CD)
Alive continues to find contemporary garage-rock bands whose guitar/bass/drums dragging the original '60s DIY ethic through the harder attitude of '70s punk and the aural assault of '80s grunge. This Detroit trio, singer/guitarist John Szymanski, drummer Dave Shettler and singer/guitarist Mary Morris, has the requisite overdriven amps and three-minute songs, but with a deep swirl of droning chaos that recalls the paisley underground works of Dream Syndicate and The Rain Parade. "Exit Strategy" opens with a space-age collage of sound, Joe Meek style, before finding its bass-heavy groove, launching into a wilder double-time passage and resolving back to the original groove. "Ain't Love" and the intergalactic love saga "2012" match Perry & Kingsley styled early-60s synth sounds with '70s drum machines and roaring electric guitars. Even stranger is "You're Next," mediating its blistering guitars with warm organ interludes that provide unsettling shelter from the psychedelic storm. This trio rocks hard, retaining the raw energy of '60s garage rock while seasoning their productions with exotica, primitive electronica, punk, blues and more. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]
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