On their 2007 release Kevin shows that their love for all that is eternally '60s, garagey, psychedelic, and more besides is well in place -- "The World Outside the Window" practically begs to have been in a party scene from an LBJ movie, though arguably the way the fuzz guitars rip through the mix couldn't have been done quite that way at the time. It's a seemingly minor point but an accurate one -- something not always understood about a lot of seemingly "retro" bands is that many are able to use more up to date technologies to create some stellar performances that don't sound like hollow re-creations. Kevin manage that brilliantly throughout
Bad Dream Stone Mystery, touching on everything from post-
Byrds folky wooze to acid rock mania, not to mention any number of later bands who brought their own particular spins to the styles ("Töölönlahti" might be the best song early
Primal Scream never were able to write and record, for instance). For all their particular focus on one decade, they actually bring in more from others in sometimes bemusing ways, including sprightly British indie pop, classic soul, and even more surprising sources. "Big City" (not a
Spacemen 3 cover but it wouldn't have been inappropriate) somehow manages the next trick of sounding both like
Kiss and
the Smiths -- in a way, at least. Meanwhile, the nervous kick of "Me and Mine" renders
the Strokes even more irrelevant than they already were. ~ Ned Raggett