I am what someone might refer to as a closeted rocker. I don’t exhibit outward signs, no visual cues that might lead to that assessment. ‘Don’t own black converse all-stars, don’t have a studded belt or even a white leather one, don’t even own a wristband or a baseball style concert tee. Have never worn an even remotely hip leather jacket, and yet, when I scan through the catalogue of my CDs there’s that section that screams out, hard to ignore. And when I am alone, wanting some music to keep me company through either a bizarrely impromptu dance party or driving on some lonely stretch of unfamiliar road, these CDs are my constant companions; Oblivians, Shonen Knife, MC5, Mad Three, 5, 6, 7, 8s, The Lyres, Radio Birdman, The Saints, Joan Jet, the Ramones, the Stooges, and a lot of other ‘70s bands that could fit into the mad-lib formula “the + noun = band name.”
The lone article of clothing that would give me away is a very well-worn, highly coveted Guitar Wolf, “Wolf Rock” concert tee, from a show in the late ‘90s, early ‘00s in LA when they played with the Oblivians and the 5,6,7,8s. The dates and details are all fuzzed out now, but what has never faded in my imaginings, is the picture of Guitar Wolf’s Seiji, decked out in all leather with dark black sunglasses and sweat streaming down his face jumping off the stacks and landing on his knees one foot from the ledge of the stage, never missing a beat in the red-lined, wall-of-noise, guitar solo. My repressed rocker instincts could no longer be denied and I felt much like one of the teachers in Rock N’ Roll High School; instantly converted. Guitar Wolf delivered high voltage, high energy 100% pure rock. So yeah, I am a fan, and yeah, I was secretly snapping at the chance to review their latest release. And yes, “Loverock” delivers. It’s a 17-track paean to rock that takes it back to its unadulterated roots and shakes the earth right off them.
Founded in 1987 and growing to almost cult-status, Guitar Wolf offers their own version of the basic of good rockin’ music. The opening track, for example, smacks of the sort of raw, dirty rock of Radio Birdman, or the Saints with a lot more guitar driven sound. I can almost hear strains of “I Wanna’ Be Your Lover” in the riffs. Even with the jet-powered, ultra voltage sounds, over the years, their repertoire has become more musically nuanced while retaining the high, unfiltered energy. “Demon Card” the second track, is almost Blue Cheerish and Oblivians-esque, with solos that verge on the edge of musical disintegration. Seiji’s voice, in its code-switching japanglish, screams out with raw frenzied feeling and in its unintelligible screech, becomes another instrument propelling the music onward. Seiji, Billy, and Toru take ‘70s American Rock and do it one better, they always seem to find the extreme and push it into the red-line, an authentic exaggeration that shows us again what the primal great energy was, is, and can be.
Two other tracks are worth mentioning, “Shinkansen High Tension” has solos that sound like Dick Dale on methamphetamines as they barrel through changes and progressions. “Universal Youth” has a Lyre’s “Give it Up Now” rhythm married to some licks that come the long way from Link Wray. And my personal favorite, “Katsumiya Tobacco City” has a soul/garage feel with a few good nods to the Ramones and other defining ‘70s bands. The one criticism I have is that the album may be too much of a good thing if you intend to listen to the entire 17 tracks in one sitting…maybe you can do it, but I tend to flag a little after track ten and need a bit of a rest before I start up again with my own appreciative lunacy. They are definitely not for the faint of heart, so if you’re wanting a blisteringly good taste of heavily guitar saturated noisy rock, check out these boys. The shrine of Joan Jet awaits your mete libations. |