Back in 1986 or so, I must have first heard of THE FLAMING LIPS and a garage band called THE OLYMPIC SIDEBURNS possibly the same week. Seeing this I could not help but hearken back to the days when everything was new and possibilities seemed endless. Likewise, the cover here shows a skull faced individual digging a grave with a tombstone that reads “Flaming Sideburns 1965-1975”. Not sure exactly what this means to this Scandinavian five-piece full-on rock battalion, but from what I get out of it is that the band has the right mix of 60’s and 70’s rock. Apparently this is a compilation of new material, b-sides and unreleased tracks. Every guitar part is so perfectly placed; it’s hard to believe. After a healthy dose of reverb and tremolo, all of a sudden a phaser pedal may enter the mix. All of a sudden THE GUN CLUB might sound like FU MANCHU. The bass and the drums move around nicely as well.

The disc opener “Riding On Fumes” solidifies this act as badass. The Spanish language vocal of “Black Moon” and the even more reverb drenched delight of “Bad Trip” set the group further down THE GUN CLUB road to ruin. The MC5 cover “High Time” features plenty of trippy delayed effect guitars, flailin’ and wailin’ sax, and some obnoxious distorto lo fi vocals. Their cover of the THE JAMES GANG’s “Funk 49” may not be as cool as the KILLDOZER version, but it’s still doable. “Last Time Around” surrounds the listener with shards of nasty guitar and has some killer overdriven bass with some flange effect over the top. This could be the band’s most energetic track on a disc that has plenty of energy to spare. After that “BamaLamaLoo” ups the ante with a fast pace, walking guitar/bass parts and a raspy harmonica. The disc closes with an unbelievable cover of LOU REED’s “Leave Me Alone”. As a huge fan of the motorcycle man in black I would have to say this cover surpasses the original by a few hairs. These guys add a little more funk than the original and it actually works out real well. THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS prove that knowing how to play well and showing off some of your chops in the world of garage/punk is not sin by any stretch of the imagination. These guys are pros and kick more doo-doo tank than your half assed band ever will.

- Herring

OFFICIAL SITE: www.theflamingsideburns.com

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