The Grinds – 5 Song EP
If you’re looking for misery, detachment and ironic nods to musical genres epitomized by indie rock; well look no further. Look no further, actually, in fact, click off this site, RIGHT NOW, because you won’t find that anywhere here and you certainly won’t find that with the passionate, fun, sincere music of The Grinds.
The Grinds are garage rock which, if you grew up, like I did, in the eighties in the smoky punk and rock clubs of Boston, garage rock was “King”, it was the prominent music played by popular bands like The Titanics, The Turbines, Classic Ruins etc. Now, Erin Wickens, the lead singer of The Grinds, grew up in Detroit so she comes from a town with a link to such heavy pre-punk influences as the MC5, Alice Cooper and Iggy & The Stooges. Not a bad heritage by any means and if you think I’m going to mention The White Stripes well, think again (I only talk about bands I like).
I call The Grinds garage rock but they have so much wild energy you could say its punk with a sixties feel. This CD has as much energy as any punk, hardcore or thrash record just minus the brutal aggression and sometimes downer vibe. The music on this CD is pure fun, pure energy and pure joy. To me they’re like a punked out Paul Revere and The Raiders and if that sounds bad to you, aw, go listen to your Vampire Weekend records.
A big part of their sound, I think, is their production, which makes me think of listening to a car radio in the seventies, meaning it’s more treble-y sounding, the bass and drums are less pronounced making it more authentic sounding toward that garage-y sound.
“Hound Or Hare” starts with a descending bass lick bringing in a Velvet Underground like propulsive rhythm guitar that brings it toward a chorus that has Chrissy Spoiler chirping some harmonies along with Erin and everything is going great so let’s blast this bash into the stratosphere with a rockin’ guitar solo- “OH, YEAH….
Next is “Don’t Need You,” which is their hit on the local college stations and with its catchy walking rock and rock bass line complementing the chorus I can see why. I love all the songs on this CD (including the next one “Lost Our Fun” which has a great guitar solo and bass and drums breakdown) but my favorite tune is actually the one after that..
“Black Top” starts off innocently enough with an energized drum hit to a beat until it explodes into a more conventional surf beat in the chorus with harmonies that make me picture I’m riding a surfboard over a volcano on jet skis with Elvis Presley and Ann Margaret by my side or it could just be an acid flashback. But seriously, this song kicks major ass and when it modulates at the end into pure musical heaven before fading it’s all we can reasonably ask for out of life, folks.
Now that you have me/ You don’t want me/ And I just want someone/ To talk to- is the chorus of the last song that has an intro on that verse that recalls “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley and my second favorite on the disk, another great track.
So as we go out with another two or three minutes of blistering energy I’m pleased to strap on the jet skis with Elvis and Ann as we sail off into the heart of the volcano, sure to disintegrate with molten lava, momentarily, not a bad way to go, not with this soundtrack, OH, YEAHHHHH, HEY YEAHHHHHH- open your deaf ears and hear!
(Jimmy Thrash)
