The Young WerewolvesReviewed: "Cheat the Devil"As close to a perfect album as I've heard so far this year, The Young Werewolves fuse traditional garage rock with a psychobilly twist to form a sound that is sharp, fresh and edgy with an underlying poppiness unheard of in the rock scene since the early demise of the Pixies.
Sounding like a head-on collision between The Hives and The Horrorpops, if The Young Werewolves were a film they would (quite appropriately) be "An American Werewolf in London" - spooky, horror infused, edge of seat stuff, with plenty of memorable moments but with a tongue that is continuously wedged firmly into the side of their lycanthropic cheeks.
Add to that the fact that any band who can name drop the legendary Sid Haig in a press release (yes, THAT Sid Haig, and yes, that's him on the front cover. He's also on the back cover. And the CD itself. Oh, and he appears on one of the tracks as well. Plus he was the executive producer. You get the idea...) and you know that they have to be good before even pressing play - and, luckily, the CD doesn't at any point disappoint.
Standout tracks include the Vegas infused strut of 'Devil Dancer Girl', the horns in the air pomp of 'Guns, Guns, Guns' and the plodding beat of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' featuring none other than (you guessed it!) Mr Sid Haig himself.
The highest accolade I can give the Young Werewolves is that I would quite happily go out and pay for this album - if it wasn't for the fact that one of the perks (the only perk?) of doing these reviews is a free copy.
But the one thing I should stress to anyone thinking of picking up this album is that each track is infused with such a pure pop sensibility, with hooks and harmonies ozee-ing out of every riff and chorus, that for anyone out there who wants to wallow in self misery - keep away. But for everyone else out there who wants music that will put a smile on your face, a tap in your foot, a click in their fingers and hairs on their chest - go forth and hoooooooooooooowl!
Reviewed by ME Contact: www.theyoungwerewolves.com |
