|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Thee Shams:
Please Yourself
In a time of over-fed, glossy garage rock, Fat Possum still manages to find a band that pulls off solid, krusty rock n roll with a good ol dirty southern drawl. At the same time, when Stones worshippers and followers have devised schemes to carry their music through to the end of time, Thee Shams know exactly who they are. At first I was wondering why this label was going the way of garage rock, veering away from their more blues rock base with which I am more familiar. However, on listening to this album more and more, it made sense; this piece of work has a real, true blues swagger running through its veins and a pure, soulful rock n roll heart. Although it is certainly derivative of the Stones, they do not drop down any notches in my listenin pile. Theres a sense of something new and fresh. Thee Shams are a tight group of real rock musicians with feeling and heartache. The sound of Please Yourself lies somewhere in between the raunchy maxed-out levels of In the Red Records very own Stones-ish Mystery Girls and V2s glossed out, tidy Von Bondies. The musicianship is probably more on par with the former of the two, meaning that its a pretty full and heavy sound. Besides all the conventional rock instruments, harmonicas dance through the thick drum beats, organ lines jump and spit in the background, and slide guitar skims across the top. As an album, the tracks range from upbeat, shaky rhythm and blues numbers to soft, wandering piano ballads and everything in between. Their singer and main songwriter holds a strong thick-lipped vocal squawk which can dip down into easy croons when needed. The guitars are perfectly on cue and sound very well thought out and constructed but still keep a somewhat loose roll. The organ and harmonica lines are what make this album shine a bit above of the rest of the loose garage records of our day, as they add that extra edge. With a bit of a deep southern haunt and groove, these guys create some great swampy garage rock. I give it abuy.
This album can be purchased at Amazon and CD Universe About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
