I figure I’ve only got a few more summers left to throw lawn chairs, swim with shoes on, drink out of a hose, gawk at tanning teens, and really shake it. Of course, I probably wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t dig the fundamentally smart and hip sounds of Eagles of Death Metal so damn much. See, if EODM actually played death metal, I could go on running naked through backyard keggers well into my 30s, but they play this garage groove that’s so tight and delicious it actually makes you stop and think and put down the carton of eggs. It could have something to do with the fact that EODM are, quite rightly, one of those something-to-do-because-we-can bands, equally pretentious and righteous, notorious for their revolving door line-up, which has featured such notables as Dave Grohl, Jack Black (!), and Josh Homme, who just so happens to be behind the kit on this trip. Regardless of what’s going on in the background though, Death By Sexy is a delicious ice and spiked lemonade, a fuzz n’ falsetto good time of handclaps, tambourine shakes, and condemning persuasion. There’s a whole lot of MC5 jam kicking here, but you can also feel plenty of Scissor Sisters (minus the glam), Danko Jones (minus the snarl), and Immortal Lee County Killers (minus the roses and bones). And if that isn’t hip enough for you, they’ve also tossed in a drop of acid drone, a lick of ‘billy, and a whisper of gospel.

I mean, with EODM you can still use your summers to throw caution to the wind, you just gotta be sophisticated about it, like confidently approaching the girl you admire, smiling, and lighting her cigarette with one hand while undoing her bikini strap with the other. Instead of, you know, screaming “Show me your tits!” at her from across the street. So, here’s to the stupid days behind us, and to the steamy and sexy days to come.
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-Jeff Warren