Thursday, December 2, 2010

EP review: Michael Lux and the Bad Sons - 'Neat Repeater'

Posted by Frank


There's something about the combination of raw and poppy that makes for some damn fine rock and roll. Sometimes there's just no substitute for hard-hitting, scruffy guitar and no-frills production living in perfect harmony with immediate hooks and melodies. Hollus guitarist Michael Lux seems to know this well, as made clear on the debut EP from his solo project Michael Lux and the Bad Sons. The five-song Neat Repeater is a rough-and-ready rock and roll invasion that also manages to charm your pants off. Think the Replacements, except even less polished and a touch more psychedelic.

Michael says he wrote each of the tracks in under 30 minutes, which makes the whole deal even more impressive. The meaty riff of opener "So Loud," for example, is too memorable to come across like it was born on the fly. As is the strong, nostalgic melody of "Posies" and the rave-up force of "Saturday's Boys." But we'll have to believe Michael and consider that maybe he's onto something with this 30-minute songwriting business, because all five of these tunes have a hell of a lot of heart.

The EP is currently up for free download via the Bad Sons' Bandcamp (enter "0" under "buy now," or better yet, throw Mr. Lux a few well-deserved bones if you are so inclined). Also be on the lookout for a Bad Sons music video and live gigs coming soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment