Mooney Suzuki
Electric Sweat
[Gammon; 2002]
Rating: 7.5
The Mooney Suzuki, named after two members of influential kraut-rockers Can,
think they're pretty damn radical. From their press photos, one could gather
that these boys have raided Lou Reed's attic (or at the very least, made off
with some of the Strokes' luggage). Complete with tight leather, black jeans,
and dark shades, these kids are ready for fame. In just about every picture,
you've got a guy doing the rock splits, kicking out the attitude and the
sexed-up pouts. With more poses than Zoolander, they'd best be able to back it
up with some decent rock.
Well, for the record, they do. Last year's People Get Ready was an
amazing debut from the leather-clad lads, and proved to be a wonderful fusion
of punk ethos and a dirty garage-rock dance party. You could throw on the LP
just about any time of day and party along to the Mooney Suzuki's simple guitar
hooks, a thundering bass, and tight disco drumming. With Electric Sweat,
the band brings more of that goodness to the table-- and this time with more
style than a Barbizon School for Modeling.
Electric Sweat was recorded in Detroit, the birthplace of dirty rock 'n'
roll. Jim Diamond (of soul-punk outfit the Dirtbombs) has brought a gritty
recording aesthetic to the group. Electric Sweat was created at Ghetto
Recorders, where the White Stripes, Jon Spencer, and the Come Ons have cut
tracks recently. And the Mooney Suzuki have certainly soaked up the atmosphere
of Motor City. Electric Sweat is an infectious collection of grooves
that proudly utilizes the traditional vocabulary of rock 'n' roll and R&B; to
maximum effect.
The title track opens the record up with a guitar line courtesy of Graham
Tyler's axe (rumor has it his guitar was fashioned out of a piece of wood from
the bar top of the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans) that could be straight
off Exile on Main Street, setting the pace for the rest of the record,
lyrically and musically. "Get ready/ Get set/ What you get is electric sweat,"
completely sums up the energy and the simplicity of this album. Or the intro
to "Oh Sweet Susana"-- a bluesy, acoustic guitar rant that leads into a laid-back
southern rock groove that would make Muddy Waters grin from ear to ear. The
swagger factor reaches its peak at "Natural Fact," with its foot stompin' chorus
and lines like: "Mother Nature leave me be/ Desire off my back/ All this feeling
killing me/ I need you girl before I crack."
It's exciting to hear the influences of such monumental groups as the Who and
the Yardbirds being waved all over the record with such youthful exuberance.
Overall, there isn't much to complain about, even when it all sounds vaguely
familiar. Like the Strokes and the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki pulls from
all the right influences to make a very cool, danceable sound infused with
enthusiasm and energy.
-Brock Kappers, April 17th, 2002