 Guitar
Wolf
"Loverock" CD
Narnack
Records
Genres: garage rock, punk rock
Narnack Records
381 Broadway
4th Floor
New York, NY
10013
Mar 28 - Apr 3 2005 |
I've played Loverock for a number of people, and opinions have
certainly been mixed. A number of folks absolutely loved it, and
have since named Guitar Wolf one of their favourite
bands. Others have just laughed at the music's absurdly brash
formula, complaining about the poor recording quality and over-the-top
musical style. I'm somewhere in between - Loverock is a great record to
have around, because there are many times when you'll be in the
perfect mood to crack it open and give it a whirl - but it isn't the
most versatile album. Over
seventeen tracks, Guitar Wolf can get a bit tiresome - the
relentless energy can be a bit much at times, and there isn't a lot that distinguishes the songs from each other structurally. The
band has a furious, garage-rock-gone-insane style that never really
lets up, sort of like the Sonics meeting the Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion in a Tokyo karaoke bar. When you are
in the right gear to put Loverock in the stereo, there's
nothing else quite like it. Crank up the rock, and you'll be
jumping around like mad. Highlights like "Universe
Youth" and "Black Hawk" are absolutely essential to any
house party, and you'd never be forgiven for missing these guys live.
So Loverock is a moodpiece - an awesome record, for sure,
but one that requires a level of energy to match the noise. I
can't imagine myself listening to this while sitting around on a
solitary evening at home, but I still would never willingly give the
disc up - heck, it's the hardest rocking record of 2004.
87%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
17 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
