TOO SOPHISTICATED
The Sweet Kings of Rock N’ Roll
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Ok, so
it takes a cuppla tracks for lead warbler Sativa Sunrise to get in tune –
you pretty much have to leave the disastrous opener “I’m Loose” for dead –
but once ol’ Sunny finds a key he can actually sing in, this ‘un settles
in for a quartet of pretty great drunk n’ roll. With an obvious Smack/
Dogs D’Amour influence, these seasoned Finnish rockers just chug out one
drawling gutter-rock riff after another, let ‘em crawl around the floor
for a few minutes, and then kick them in the belly ‘til they shut up. It’s
the perfect prescription for this kinda back alley swill, and on the boozy
title track, the hand-clapping sleaze-pop sunshine of “20,000 Dollars a
Day”, and the rip-snorting “Down on My Knees”, they nail the dizzy
decadence of their heroes perfectly. It’s all pretty convincing, too – you
can almost smell the cheap liquor and puked-on leather boots when this one
spins. Like I said, the opener is a little too wobbly for it’s own good,
and the weird syrupy acoustic closer is a bit of downer, but the shit in
the middle is pearl. These boys have been around since the mid-90’s, but
it looks like they’re just hitting their stride now. Whether they make it
to the next level is entirely up to their livers.
Ok, so
it takes a cuppla tracks for lead warbler Sativa Sunrise to get in tune –
you pretty much have to leave the disastrous opener “I’m Loose” for dead –
but once ol’ Sunny finds a key he can actually sing in, this ‘un settles
in for a quartet of pretty great drunk n’ roll. With an obvious Smack/
Dogs D’Amour influence, these seasoned Finnish rockers just chug out one
drawling gutter-rock riff after another, let ‘em crawl around the floor
for a few minutes, and then kick them in the belly ‘til they shut up. It’s
the perfect prescription for this kinda back alley swill, and on the boozy
title track, the hand-clapping sleaze-pop sunshine of “20,000 Dollars a
Day”, and the rip-snorting “Down on My Knees”, they nail the dizzy
decadence of their heroes perfectly. It’s all pretty convincing, too – you
can almost smell the cheap liquor and puked-on leather boots when this one
spins. Like I said, the opener is a little too wobbly for it’s own good,
and the weird syrupy acoustic closer is a bit of downer, but the shit in
the middle is pearl. These boys have been around since the mid-90’s, but
it looks like they’re just hitting their stride now. Whether they make it
to the next level is entirely up to their livers.