On the first release of The Music Cartel's
Splitsville series,
the Supersuckers play their power pop-meets-'70s-cock rock, and
Electric Frankenstein gives punk the heavy metal treatment. It makes for a consistent split album, something that is usually hard to pull off, but it is difficult to get into either of the bands' styles. The Supersuckers sound more interesting when they play country music, and though their girls, alcohol, and drugs rock themes are done well, it seems like revisiting old territory. "Then I'm Gone" is catchy enough; "Shit Fire" does a great job crossing
Cheap Trick and punk; and "Devils Food" brings on the metal riffs, but
the Tight Bro's From Way Back When and
Rye Coalition do it with more flair. The acoustic cover of
Electric Frankenstein's "Teenage Shutdown" is the odd song out, with its singalong shuffle.
Electric Frankenstein treads similar ground, though, with more guitar wail. "Sweet Baby Ignorance" is part
AC/DC, part
Aerosmith; "Good for Nothing" messes with
Motörhead; and the cover of
the Supersuckers' "She's My Bitch" suffers from its blatant stupidity. Might as well listen to the originals. ~ Charles Spano