The Hall Monitors

The Hall Monitors

The Hall Monitors
Unsigned

Nobody really knows where The Hall Monitors came from. They have their own legend drenched in booze, singing The Standells covers, NY Yankee fans, and a love child, but you'll have to check out their page to learn the legend. By description, they're a garage/R&B quartet from Washington D.C., better known for some punk rock icons, but not garage rock. The blues, maybe. If you had to live there, you'd be singing 'em, too. Believe it or not, these anonymously documented legends have shared the bill with some great acts, of whom I can't name since the only documentation of those appearances are from eyewitness accounts posted somewhere in their myspace comments. And from the album/CD cover, they're contributing to the delinquency of minors. Well, one at least. So they probably lay low and sneak beer to elementary school kids in D.C., which is probably acceptable by authorities given that there are many worse things going on in D.C. than a few kids chugging buds. However, I have their CD sampler from their upcoming full length debut, Girls. How did I get it? I saw them play. How else? Or maybe it was shoved under my door in a plain brown paper bag. Needless to say, I've got a copy. If this is the kind of rock 'n' roll you end up playing having to grow up in D.C, count me in.

The Hall Monitors play down home, no holds barred, howlin,' shake your butt, bluesy rock AND roll! No filler, no surf guitar, no British beat, no matching outfits, none of that. Sean Crowley sets the pace on "Give You All My Love" with his sweat soaked wail like a crazed preacher enough to make your women swoon, put their hands in the air, and start speaking in tongues. Matt Sullivan puts his sweet bass rhythm down on "Girls," with just a little bit of fuzz and a hell of a lot of groove right out of Strychnine while Ginger Richards (think lovechild of some people here) rocks out her strings, then Sean comes in shaking the tambourine with a rhythm that's like a rattler ready to strike, It's been a long time since anyone could think a song with lyrics like "I want a woman to understand me, I want a woman I can understand, I want her to by my girl, she'll want me to be her man" could mean real rock 'n roll. It sure feels good. "I Been Cryin" has Sean wailing his heart out so well that you know he's been crying. Mike Sullivan pounds out a ferocious 1-2 beat on "Be Your Man." These are just small examples and it gets too easy to describe what they're doing and it really doesn't do justice but it gives you some highlights of what they can do. The Hall Monitors are loud, no holds barred, girl left me, all night loud blues that religious leaders and uptight, god fearing moral authorities have warned the world about ever since rock 'n' roll was invented. The EP has six songs that fall around two and a half minutes each, so I'm assuming the full length will have around 12. They make their point, wail, scream, holler, beat, bare, and strum you into moving your feet, goddamn the consequences, in this life or the next. It feels good. Damn good. That's all that matters.

The Hall Monitors have a reputation for playing short, fast and loud sets and are gaining a following. An almost religious following, in fact. Look for their debut full length CD/LP Girls to come out soon. Since they are currently listed as being unsigned, your best bet is to use the links in this review to go to their myspace page for more info. You can also subscribe to their mailing list at http://www.hallmonitors.net. If you haven't heard of them yet, you're likely to hear them soon, and be converted in heart, mind, body and soul.

The Stems: Heads Up!

The Stems

Heads Up
Shock Records

My favorite music 'scene' and perhaps, the one that has really withstood the test of time as far as the number of bands that are still together or have reunited to recod and tour is the Aussie Garage Rock scene from the late '70s to the mid '80s. What made this scene so good was its size, which was very small, but more prolific compared to its size, but likely overall than any other rock scene. The scene was split between Melbourne/Sydney on the east coast, and Perth on the west coast. Everybody not only was in a band, they were in a few, so they all played together, went to shows together when they weren't playing, and developed a scene that put out more great music both in volume and quality than anywhere else. Aussie garage rock is based on the influences of bands like The Master's Apprentices, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, The Loved Ones, Black Diamonds and most notably, The Easybeats. Many of these bands had people who were recent immigrants from Britain, so there was a British beat influence that was somehow combined with American garage rock to form its basis. In the 70's, it was reborn in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne almost simulataneously, and with little or no regional differences. '70s Aussie garage rock has a basis in a combination of two things: Many families emigrated to Australia from The UK, so they had relatives and access to British music and fashion in the '60s and thus, Aussie rock had a '60s British beat sensibility, but a little bit of rawness brought on by the Australian sense of independence and dislike of authority.

These two things provide a basis that was nurtured by The Easybeats, but more notably, their rhythm guitarist George Young, who went on with former lead guitarist Harry Vanda to produce the first seven albums for George's two younger brothers, Angus and Malcolm, obviously the legendary heavy metal boogie rockers AC/DC, and combined this influence with The Stooges and MC5. The result was bands like The Saints, The Geeks, and Radio Birdman. Later acts to follow were The Victims, Lipstick Killers, Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists, The Screaming Tribesman, and The Lime Spiders,, just to name a few. They all sounded different, but had a basis in the above influences, which created an almost metallic style, loud pop rock with '60s hooks, which is what one could call powerpop, but in varying degrees. Not only was the music great, it's quite enduring. Recently, The Hitmen, Radio Birdman, The Hoodoo Gurus, and Perth's The Stems have reunited to take advantage of the old rule in rock 'n roll: Great bands are not recognized until they're gone or dead. We should consider ourselves lucky that they reunited.

The Stems December 2007 new release Heads Up is definitely garage, but most definitely, Aussie Garage. Guitar/vocalist Dom Mariani rocks his Gibson SG with enough fuzz to sound rough, choppy, and clean simultaneously on "Leave You Way Behind", but combines it with voice of confidence and authority that comes from years of both keeping his pipes clear with the occasional whiskey shots, but combines it with a subtlety, range and heart that is also reflected in his words that can only come from experience on when explaining "I take a self prescribed medicine, I know that's good for me. I don't want to get down by the things that are around" on the equally L.A. Folk Rock and British Beat inspired "Surround Me." Dom's talents combine on "She Sees Everything" with some great, R&B mouth harp work from Keyboard/guitar/harmonica wizard Richard Lane. Other tracks like "Undying Love" further emphasize The Stems' great song structures with a basic foundation, then showcases drummer Dave Shaw's perfection in combining the primitive with the complex in its changing beats. One of the staple instruments of great '60s garage, an Ace Tone, is added by Richard on "Hellbound Train" but combines with a dual fuzz guitar by both Richard and Dom. Julian Matthews takes his own lead as bass man by giving everyone else the basis to play, fuzz out, and groove along to the soul rocker "Get to Know Me." Richard takes us on a catchier, '60s Aussie Beat inspired ride with some great vocal harmonies on "only if You Want It" but Dom's guitar gives it a raunchy feel that takes the song, and us by extension, to somewhere new.

Comeback albums, even if they're done by legendary acts, are hit and miss; either it's great or it doesn't measure up to they're earlier days. Heads Up is telling you to listen again, or if you listen for the first time, you'll hear your new favorite band, but the announcement seems both internal and outward. The reason for that is because Heads Up is loud and wild, but comparable, if not better than their earlier work, which is seminal. In other words, this is a great album, but it also shows how great The Stems ARE, not were. After so many years off, a reunion in 2003, and a new release that is an absolute rocker, they haven't missed a beat during their long hiatus. Instead, they've returned with an album that shows a real band that rocks better and harder with age. There are few, if any bands like that which come to mind.

You should crank this up!


Click on the photo to see my photo album from the Get Hip! Records Showcase at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas this year.



For more Australian garage rock, here are a few other recommendations:


Radio Birdman
The Essential Radio Birdman: 1974-1978
Sub Pop
URL: http://www.myspace.com/theofficialradiobirdman


The Hoodoo Gurus
Stoneage Romeos
There are three versions: The original from A&M/Big Time, The 2002 reissue from Arcadia, and the 2005 EMI reissue with extra tracks, a foldout poster, and new liner notes
URL: http://www.myspace.com/hoodoogurus


The Lime Spiders
The Cave Comes Alive
Just about everything by them is rare and out of print. There's a good collection available that's in print called Nine Miles High
URL: http://www.myspace.com/officiallimespiders

That's a start, but due to the fact that almost all of the material put out by the Australian garage rock scene, one can only have their favorites, but there is no way to rank the bands since for the most part, all of it was incredible. Other great bands include The Scientists, Hard Ons, New Race, Died Pretty, Johny Kannis, The Hitmen, and many, many more. There's a great compilation of the Australian garage scene that is quite extensive for a compilation:

Do the Pop! The Australian Garage-Rock Sound 1976-1987
Savage Beat/Shock Records
URL: http://www.myspace.com/dothepopsavagebeatrecords

The Launderettes: Fluff 'n' Fold

The Launderettes

Fluff 'n' Fold
Wicked Cool Record Co.

Less than a handful of things come to mind when you think about Norway. Maybe three things: Fjords, Vikings, and Turbonegro. Oh, and it's damn cold. That's really it. The fjord is easy; it's a long, steep, narrow inland bay caused by a glacier moving inland towards the sea. For many of you who had their education in the US and thus, know very little geography, you might recognize the word from a Pinky and the Brain episode, and for those a little more enlightened, you might remember that Michael Palin told John Cleese that his dead Norwegian blue parrot was "pining in the fjords." The Vikings are better known: Ruthless pillagers who sailed, invaded and conquered wherever they went, but had the sense of humor to call a desolate place Greenland and a warmer place where people could actually live got named Iceland. Musically, there's Satanic death metal, church burnings, and cannibalism. There's also Turbonegro. For a description of them, go back to the Vikings description and take out "sailed." Like their ancestors, they also assault you and leave a wake of destruction wherever they go, leaving irrefutable evidence that Turbonegro has been here, especially to your ears. So Norway isn't known as being a rock and roll capitol, but what they have is so damn good that it sets some high expectations if anyone else from Norway wants to play rock and roll. The Launderettes, a quintet of Valkyry goddesses from Europe's Great White North, are following in the footsteps of their ancesters (see the description of Vikings) on their late 2007 release Fluff and Fold. Judging from this late introduction, get ready for the invasion.

The Launderettes don't play nice. They play loud and cool. Songs like "Bring Me Down" have guitarist Linda Kaastbakken playing a low, gutsy riff with a compliment of neat, spacey farfisa sweeps from organist Randa Nordenborg. One really can't deny an interest in a band that has the guts to take Stiv Bators' "I'm not looking for Romance, I just wanna get in your pants!" -either out of interest in what they do with it out of sheer offense that they would have the nerve to do it. The only similarity to the original ends there. "Jump your Bones" has cool surf guitar surf refrains and still has a good, trashy sound, but Ingvild Nordang's tugging at your shirt tone of sounding nice but more persuasive serves as an apt tribute. She then does a complete 180 degree turn into a sultry, smooth songstress on "Fading Out", which sounds like a hot dark night in California. The Launderettes are good enough to not break a sweat on the faster cover of The Isley Brothers frat rock classic "Nobody But Me," originally made famous when covered by The Human Beinz, but Cecilie Asker's drums pound louder and the tempo is a lot faster, turning into a song more for dancing that will leave your "frat boy" friend or relative finally sitting down to catch their breath after trying to dance to it at your next party. On that advice alone, it's recommended. Like any good garage rock band, it's almost a requirement to have a party anthem. Finally, there's one for the women! "What Would Joan Jett Do?" will have the girls "screaming out loud till you shake the ground" and have the guys singing along too.

This release from Wicked Cool is a "best of" compilation of their first two albums and an EP, so it covers different musical ground from basic powerpop, garage punk, and surf all in the same release. That's a good thing considering that most of their earlier material is hard to find or out of print. This is garage based rock 'n' roll. It uses the formulas, but when a band can keep it simple and add enough of themselves into it to make it their own, it's completely original. The production allows each band member to show how good they are without anyone taking lead, and one can tell from the recordings that The Launderettes play better than others, which gives the songs a feel of more renown, veteran garage rock bands.

Fluff 'n' Fold is a great introduction done by people who know their rock and roll, play their instruments loud but better than most, and do some pretty damn fun but crafty songs. This is great music that's "Fluffed 'n' Folded" into something new and "rock 'n' roll fresh!"

Take Me to the Race

The Right-Ons

The Right Ons

Tour Of the Americas - 80.81 Album Sampler
www.2ferrecords.com
www.lovemonk.net

One of the most important influences to great rock and roll that is now overlooked is soul. Soul music was born out of the mix of gospel (the sacred) and R&B (the profane), so there’s a strong emphasis on vocals as the melodic force, combined with the raw emotionality of R&B. In differing degrees, soul and R&B form the basis of rock and roll. In case that sounds too removed from what you call rock and roll, bands like The Who, The Sonics, or The Stooges have an R&B base. Bands like The Jam or The Dirtbombs have a more soul based sound. Of course, this is all in varying degrees with nobody being almost exclusively one influence, but maybe one more than the other. More importantly, soul and R&B are the basis for rock ’n roll, at least the majority of what we like to call good rock ’n roll.

Spain’s The Right Ons are some great rockers who love their soul, which means they have an emphasis on vocal style, but still will rock and groove you. The first track off the the tour sampler is "Do Your Thing, Babe," with drummer/vocalist Ramiro Nieto taking the vocal lead while guitartist/vocalist Alvaro Guzman steps into it, then second guitarist/vocalist Rafa Fernandez steps in to complete the picture. They get so funky and rocking at the same time that you’re going to look for the nearest cute girl in the room when you hear it, grab her and proceed to shake your booty while singing along "Na na na na na na na na!" The following "Pretty Slick" gets a little heavier with some distortion, backwards chord strumming from Alfaro, and some hot but never over the top licks from Rafa Fernandez and some definitely "shakin’" maracas. It’s guitar based funk, which is to the point since they ask "Girl, can you make it funk?" in the song. Other tracks like "Sometime" settle into John Rodo’s deep, funky bass groove that lets drummer/vocalist Ramiro Nieto keep the beat and pushes the blues out at the same time. That’s no small feat.

When soul music is pushed to its limit, it becomes a wail, a lament, and a plea that starts at the heart, but passes through your guts, giving the urgency and the occasional scratch. I guess it could be called "singing your heart out." Ramiro Nieto doesn’t just get the job done on "Walking On the River" from the opening command "Easy!" to "All I gotta know is that I want, want more. It never is enough so I gotta push a little bit har, har, harder," but shows that he and The Right Ons are the real thing: Great soul rock ’n roll with deep vocals that pull and that also push into the profane, as expressed in the last lyrical example from "Walking To the River," smooth beats, and guitar that can range from smooth to choppy and then feedbacked while still accentuating the real power of soul, which lies in the hands of the vocalist to express it.

Since The Right Ons have only played in The States for the past month, their music is presently hard to come by. They have one full length CD out now that one can purchase at www.lovemonk.net for the unreasonably steep price of $22.14. The good news is that they have a distribution deal. So if you add them to your friends, you’ll know when "80.81" becomes available stateside. If rock ’n roll flavored soul is your thing, it will be worth finding out when the full length CD/album becomes available.

Upcoming Shows

Apr 11 2008 8:00P BNS Club Santander, Cantabria
Apr 12 2008 8:00P Sala Oxido Guadalajara, Guadalajara
Apr 18 2008 8:00P Boogaclub Granada, Granada
Apr 19 2008 8:00P Iroquai Jaen, Jaén
Apr 20 2008 8:00P Código de Barras Almansa
Jun 27 2008 9:00P Rock In Rio Madrid (Hot Stage) Arganda, Madrid

The Right Ons - Do, Your Thing, Babe!br>..

Detroit7

Detroit7

Thirds Star From the Earth and other material
Rudie Records

Japanese rock, no matter what kind of style it is, whether punk, pop, garage, etc. is an animal unto itself. The Japanese seem to take any American cultural phenomenon and then add something to it that gives it more energy and makes it more fun. Japan’s Detroit7 is no exception. Although the real exciting part of Japanese rock and roll is a live performance, this band sounds great recorded too. Unfortunately, the language barrier has alway been an obstacle for great bands who either don’t sing in English or when they do, it’s hard to decipher. That’s unfortunate for us but also unfair for them, considering American and English bands are popular all over the world and people in non-English speaking countries will sing along to every word from a band who might only know English. However, not knowing the language also leaves one’s ears open to really listen to the music. "Owari wa Hajimari" has a Stooges influence but has the organ addition, which works well.

Detroit7 just rocks. It’s full of power riffs and great attitude. The songs have a heavy Stooges influence. Everything is loud and cranked all the way, but the Japanese sensibility puts it all up a new notch and into its own place. It doesn’t matter when you can’t decipher most of the words to "Raise High" except those two words when it’s a feedback laden guitar assault with a fast, tight, but advanced beat and Kotajima’s bass line that’s both subtle but not basic.

One could probably never imagine themselves nodding along to a loud, nasty track that has a chorus of "We’re gonna lay in the sunshine," but one just might sing along once they hear it after noticing how original Miyoko’s drumming is. "Akai hana" is a great song that makes one think of The Pretenders’ more melodic work but with a heavier feel. The only word I could pick up from the song is "Arigato", but the melody and structure are enough to let one know it’s a lament that has a universal emotional appeal. Lead singer/guitarist Nabana has both a great wail and a narrative tone that gives one a strong confidence in her role as front of the band. When she sings "Don’t feel so blue, I’ve got your blessing" and then wails on the guitar in "Beautful Song," one only comes to realize that Detroit7 is the real thing: a great, loud, rock band that stands equal to some better known garage influenced rock bands and deserve to be BOTH seen and heard.

It’s quite a task to review a band when you’re not able to understand them, but as cheesy as it may sound, a love of great rock ’n roll is universal. If it weren’t, American and British bands would not have a worldwide following, but we’d also not have such influential rock acts from Scandinavia or other places like we do. A lot of us love to see Japanese rock ’n roll bands because they bring an energy and enthusiasm that almost flatters us since they’re doing something that is American and putting their own twist in it to make it in a way we would have never thought of. Unfortunately, that makes some great bands seem like novelty acts to us. Detroit7 is not a novelty: They’re a great band with great music and talented people who stand up and rock equally, if not better to many of our favorites.

Popup: A Time And A Place

Popup

(Cover art not available at press time)
A Time and a Place
Scottish Arts Council & swg3.com


In their two years of existence, Popup has received tons (and tons) of critical praise, turned down record label contracts, Wowed audiences, played backyards, and engaged in a lot of partying 'til dawn. All these things were not done in order, but done all at once! Most of you probably haven't heard them (yet). These fine Glaswegians are familiar but different from anything you've heard. Most obvious is they're a Scottish rock 'n' roll band. A Time and a Place is their debut. They are at times melodic postpunk, some full charge roar, pub sing alongs, nods to some fellow better known Scottish bands, and Velvets minimalist approach. That's a lot, but one has to really struggle to think about their influences because Popup can best be described as unique. Their music is their own and it's hard to call it anything except Scottish rock since it touches on things but not enough to make one think "they sound like _____."

As if prophetical, A Time and a Place is filled with songs that occupy different times and places with little connection to each other. Each song is different and stands there, pulling one in to listen out of being catchy but not categorized easily. Michael Cross and Nicholas Giudici's guitar and bass on "Love Triangle" recalls the perfect synergy that Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook had at the height of their creativety with New Order, but without effects, extra pedals, and studio manipulation, thus achieving a pure approach more characteristic of Joy Division. Tracks like "Poison Apple" take an uptempo approach that can only make one think of their fellow countrymen Franz Ferdinand with a more tongue-in-cheek attitude playing a loud singalong at a pub after using up their free drink tickets along with a few pints from the patrons. Songs like "Pure" take a minimal vocals and electric guitar only approach with a romantic barbed whit from lead singer Damian Gilhooly that could have been a long lost ode from Lou Reed with lyrics like "You're purer than sarcasm...You're purer than bullshit." "Chinese Burn," a song that's already available as a single, has the full on guitar assault and shout of The Pixies, but with a faster guitar chop more like early British punk, and uses breaks that keep the same tempo but a more developed drumbeat in comparison to the slow then loud/slow then loud formula.

The narrative "Pull the Fuse" is a low fi "Death Valley '69" with the dischordant fight of Damian's 4 chords that are almost antimusical coupled with his vocal arguments against drummer/vocalist Adrienne Giudici, whose screams fire back at his own equally. "Lucy, What Are You Trying to Say?" has earned a comparison to The Proclaimers for its acoustic rhythms and energy, but that's inaccurate since Popup turn songs inside out instead of just carrying a theme. Other songs show an incredible lyrical talent and invention like "The Saviour of Judas McDade" that are well deserved compliments to both Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, but offer up shared male/female vocals and a deeper melody which explodes in a chaninsaw guitar feedback that communicates a stronger vulnerability as if admitting one's hopelessness. Out of all the raw craftiness on A Time and a Place, "Stagecoach" is a smiling departure with it's infectious verses sung in the round with Damian and Adrienne that are sweet like perfect formed sugar crystals instead of the lumpy rehash that's the common thread of mainstream pop.

Although distinct and with variation, A Time and a Place from Glasgow's Popup is well rooted, well thought out, but completely new. With it's different tempos and some sharp contrasts between them, this is not something a record company would want to put out since it's not packagable. It's too original. The fact is that Popup can do uptempo, abrasive songs and meaningful slow ones and both are done well. Thus, it's not something that a record company can say "They're this" or "They're that." A Time and a Place was funded by The Scottish Arts Council and SWG3 a studio performance space in Glasgow. Therefore, the circulation is narrow reaching. However, it's both optimistic and disheartening to know that certain countries view their musicians as artists and an important cultural resource while others see them as something that can be packaged, imaged, and sold into whatever conglomerate media companies want people to like and listen to.

This band is uncompromising. They've turned down label offers, have sold music for commercials and as a result, have 100% of the royalties since they own the publishing rights. Had they been signed, half of those rights would have belonged to someone else. Therefore, Popup is thriving on what they've earned completely on their own, with the only support being from a government who values art. That's been enough. They were recently in the U.S. for South by Southwest where they played around 20 times to new fans and praising critics alike. They've made converts with their live performances, but Damian and Adrienne also play together as an acoustic duo, which I'm told is priceless. We can only hope they keep touring shores distant from their homeland.

In a time when record companies are either not making the billions they want off the hard work of others and even some small indie labels are losing their ground because people are copying illegally and their bottom line is going south since there wasn't much of one to begin with, Popup is succeeding as the true DIY band. Instead of taking the road less traveled, they carved out one of their own and they're quite happy on it. Maybe it was tough individuals like them who kept the Roman Empire from getting into Scotland. Even if they find a label stoked enough to want them as they are without molding an image onto them, they'll probably still rock out your backyard party even after the world discovers their genius.

A Scottish brogue, a female drummer who also sings, some loud guitars that convey The Fall and maybe even Stuart Adamson, some uptempo acoustic numbers the tune to XTC, a rousing pub feel, and some slow, bare boned raw VU atmosphered tunes. They're never monotonous, but up front and raw enough that their songs demand to be heard and once they do, you're hooked. They are the DIY band of the download age with complete independence and are a much better band for it. Rock, pub, pop, Popup!

A Year in a Comprehensive filmed by STV
..

The Gurus: Now

The Gurus

Now
Rainbow Quartz/Indiana

Not to be mistaken for The Hoodoo Gurus, The Gurus are a rock trio from Spain, although there are some good parallels in volume. Trios are a bit of an anomolie for the number of members in a band, but the really good ones stand out. The Jam obviously come to mind and more recently, the great punch of The Len Price 3. Then again, three people is all you need as long as somebody sings every now and then. On their third release Now, The Gurus pack a serious dose of British Invasion with a lot of dirty feedback that definitely makes a path to the garage but also has touches of modern powerpop. The songs have loud, buzz-saw powerchords but they're melodic enough to stand out, then there's just a hint of classic punk snarl to make it more fun. Not surprisingly, Yer Space Rocket jumps into the stratosphere with a great bass introduction from Sergio Bartel and a feedback driven guitar melody from Emili Ramirez that almost hints at ..< b>Drain You, but a lot less depressing even with the isolationist lyrics-"I don't feel safe, I think the place disturbs the way I feel." Other tracks like Second Scene stay grounded with with a more straightforward Byrds approach with a great guitar hook and some perfect vocal harmonies that almost reminds one of the only good thing about CSN. The Gurus manage to make music that is psych/powerpop but the guitar feedback gives the songs a great punch that distinguishes them on "Elizabeth Dreams" but then has some Robert Fripp guitar influence that's just waiting to get out, but only if Robert Fripp likes fuzzy feedback. Other tracks like In the Queue have an unmistakeable Ron Wood/Faces lowdown, dirty guitar feel that that jumps back upward.

The Gurus are hard to pin down. One thinks of simple songs that sound British Invasion inspired and are fun, harmonies that hint of The Hollies, some clever guitar that combines people and bands as diverse as The Byrds, The Stones, Robert Fripp, and even some early, louder Soft Boys and Marty Willson-Piper from some earlier works by The Church, but The Gurus still keep the rawk intact. Just when one thinks they understand them, an extraordinary soulful For the Things That You Show Me Know comes in with genius hints of Lindsey Buckingham. Make no mistake, The Gurus Now is not some stylistic experiment for a band trying to find their sound. Like a lot of rock 'n' roll from Europe, the genre lines aren't drawn in the sand, so maybe the appreciation for rock 'n' roll in general enables bands like The Gurus to transcend distinctions. Not a surprise. I've talked about that before. It's rock 'n' roll. Damn good, too, but The Gurus stand apart from a lot of other psych because theyvehas a louder, less polished approach that rocks harder.

One can't review Now without giving reverence to Why, Why, a short, fast song that echoes In The City by The Jam in both guitar punch and attitude, but has a chorus with the word "why" repeated 40 times! You can bet that once you hear it, you'll be singing that chorus at random times, annoying your friends until you play the song for them and get them hooked. The Gurus have created something completely new on Now. The hints at different styles are frequent and enough to get noticed but never enough to distract one from knowing it's not only a loud rock 'n' roll album, but a great one that's bursting with true originality.