Have Some Fun, Asshole!
Do you like rock and roll? I do. I feel cool when I listen to this. I’m nods and shades. I’m down in the bar, The Budapest Lounge (RIP) in New Brunswick in the 90s and even though The Idolizers have not formed yet, I can sense their sound in the air around me.
A shaggy-haired garage rocker walks into the place and buys a drink. She’s a looker and she’s got my attention. She smells great. Like pressed flowers and leather. We sit together and smoke cigarettes. I tell her, “You should hear this band that’s gonna be around in the early part of the 21st century. She looks at me a bit confused, smirks and asks, “Oh yeah? Whadda they sound like?” I tell her they sound like this moment, right now, right here with her, in our rock and roll isolation chamber. They are gonna call themselves The Idolizers. She digs it. I buy the next round. Everything is perfect. A snapshot of true bliss. A warm heart filled with the thump of young dreams and a great four song release that is meant to complement your rock and roll soul. I’ll never be cooler than I am in this moment, with this girl, and this record.
There are guitars that are all snarly and snotty. They’re not afraid to have definition around 5th chords, not afraid to dispatch with the myriad effects pedals so many bands have these days. They plug their shit in, burn down the house, and saunter off. They bring you rock and roll and they bring it swaggering.
The sound is reminiscent of The MC5 and The Mad Daddys. These four songs are uptempo rock and roll burners. Everything is there - the attitude in the vocals, the great drum fills, the punchy bass parts, the gnarly guitar solos. I feel good when I turn up my speakers. I could HEAR it, you know? It’s meant for being loud. A burning dream, a tribal throb.
The first track, “Stranded (Again)” has a great hook. Melodious use of back-up vocals punctuate the chorus, giving it contrast to the verses. Each instrument knows where it belongs. There is a great balance in the sounds. The guitar solos bounce between the 50s and the 70s. This is a good thing. “Golden Days” swings and churns, a great body rumbler. Reminds me a bit of The New Bomb Turks. Punchy! “Exile on Pain Street” makes good use of those backups to accent the chorus (great singalong!) and “She’s A Killer” brings the tempo down, driving with purpose and thick with guitar.
Garage, punk, a nod to power-pop, glam, whatever man, it’s rock and roll.
Let’s hear more!
- GregJaw