Rating: NNNN
These Seattle-based brothers uphold the great Northwest tradition of dirty garage rock bands who rip your throat out one minute, then leave you tripping in a poptastic brown-acid haze the next.
Snow and Garnet Keim take their cues from New York-via-Spokane badasses the Makers, who also perfected the hybrid of quick-release garage punk and Small Faces psych-rock. Two Times grooves on Garnet’s low-end bass chords while Snow howls his best love-burned lyrics with lo-fi pride. The next song, Don’t Bother Me, gallops more melodically, as Snow gets Jaggerish over Bob Husak’s strutting beat.
This see-saw between guttural barnburners and thoughtfully composed pysch pop continues throughout the balanced, impressive debut. The Blakes burn down the Silver Dollar November 26.
