This article also appears on www.soundsxp.com
Such is the Britishness
of Muck and the Mires sound
that it comes as a big surprise to find that they hail from New
England. 'A Cellarful Of Muck' doesn't try to hide its influences, it
doesn't push boundaries and it doesn't try to pretend otherwise. This
is pure, old fashioned garage rock 'n' roll and whether or not this
album is for you depends purely on your stance towards the genre.
Those looking for innovation should stop reading now, those looking
for a primal collection of two-and-a-half-minute retro guitar
numbers, however, are looking in exactly the right place.
There
is no pretence here, 'A Cellarful Of Muck' is a riot. From the opening bars of the rifftastic 'King Of The Beat'
through to the final thud of 'Love Is Knocking At Your Door' the pace
is relentless, the album's producer Kim Fowley hit the nail on the
head when he described the band as “1964
Beatles meets The Ramones”.
The themes covered here rarely stray far from the age-old problem
that seems to affect men in garage bands: not having much luck with
the ladies. The song titles speak for themselves; 'Tired Of Losin'
Sleep', 'Laura's A Liar', 'Love Hates Me', and they're heading for a
restraining order with lines like “if
I can't keep your love I'm gonna creep you out”.
There's
little here that strays from the template and you can't help but feel
that a little more variety wouldn't go amiss, such as the chimes on
'I Don't Need A Reason To Miss My Baby' which make for a welcome
break from the simple guitar/bass/drums layout. Criticising Muck and the Mires for sticking to the format is a bit like having a pop a
Slayer for being too heavy; it's what they're trying to do. Evan
Shore's vocals have a similar feral quality to that of a young Paul
Weller and they can certainly knock out a catchy tune. This isn't an
album that will change your life, but it will put a smile on your
face, and you can't knock that.
- Muck & The Mires - "Creep You Out" - ‘A Cellarful Of Muck’ (Dirty Water Records 2011) by Cani Planeta
Muck and the Mires website
Buy the album.
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