For those swayed by the long-running accidental influence of garage rock,
the Compulsive Gamblers appear as a plausible reverse extension of
the Mooney Suzuki,
the White Stripes, and the many projects of
Billy Childish. Listless
Dylan-esque vocals run alongside lounge-lizard Hammonds and the raw joy of
Chuck Berry. The recorded performances, though modern, are rushed, rough, and sloppy. Nothing less than 20 tracks are included, with the horn-packed ragtime rock of "Scaring Myself" and the lurching
Oingo Boingo nod "Dead Waltz" holding together a large number of unremarkably mature efforts such as "Name a Drink After You," "Sour and Vicious Man," and "Handful of Burning Sand." Ultimately, absent the shock value of their higher-profile band
the Oblivians,
the Compulsive Gamblers come across like a tribute band already tired of its own tribute.