Within a half-a-minute's start,
the Husbands have put in loud screams, swaths of echo, loud and harsh guitar riffs, and some insane harmonica sleaze. Garage rock never dies, it just re-combines in some enjoyable shapes when done at its best. The trio's second full-length is another rampage through a world where
the Trashmen and
Sleater-Kinney toured back in 1955 and destroyed America for the better (it's not the band's fault nobody else noticed this was the case). Lead singer
Sarah Reed flat-out kills -- "Cut Me Loose" is an anthem in the offing -- while Sadie Shaw and new drummer Casey Ward (along with a slew of guest drummers throughout) keep things explosive on songs with great titles like "Monster Party," "B.I.L.L.Y.," and the concluding "You Know What Sadie?" Meanwhile, covers abound and are assayed beautifully --
the Shangri-Las "Never Again" nods to an obvious source of inspiration, while tackling something as legendary as
Roy Orbison's "Running Scared" shows not a little courage. The hop/skip/jump through
Wendy Rene's "Bar-B-Q," meanwhile, demands getting down immediately, unless one's soul has been mortgaged (then again, these are hard times); elsewhere, Swami labelmate
Dan Sartain steps up for a smoky duet on Tarheel Slim & Lil Anne's "Much Too Late." But the band does so well with their originals getting not only the sound but the drama right -- consider the perfect
Phil Spector start on "Just Ain't Right for Me" -- that worrying about trainspotting is secondary. Seventeen songs in 35 minutes, barely a wasted moment, and if nothing is per se "new" on the entire thing, it doesn't matter one bit when you're dancing, screaming along, and cranking the volume. ~ Ned Raggett