No, this is not the U.S. band of fame, but a pop punk neo-’60s band. At times they sound like LOVE, especially the Arthur Lee-type vocal inflection, though the music is a bit more modern. I knew that France was isolated musically, but this is a bit much!
This band reminds me most of the earliest incarnation of the FLAMIN’ GROOVIES (circa 1967-’71), with their rockin’ R’n’B. The singer has a definite ROY LONEY feel to his voice, which has to be more than a coincidence. OK, but not as cool as the originators.
A live EP that’s a bit of a letdown from their awesome Outburst. Four songs that are rockin’ R’n’B, but nothing to write Sweden about. “ESP” is the hottest track of the lot here.
Sounding a lot like the FLAMIN’ GROOVIES in both their early ’70s “Slow Death” sound and their later jangly guitar stage, this single is pretty rockin’. While they don’t flip out totally, it’s good, powerful R’n’B rockin’, especially the B-side.
A good rockin’ pop-punk song with ’60s influences on the A-side, a more contemporary, ultra-fast-paced pop-punk tune on the flip. The latter is pop only in form, as the delivery propels it well into the ’80s.
Awesome! As with their incredible 7″, these eight songs combine the power and freshness of ’77 punk with the pop songwriting mastery of the VELVET UNDERGROUND, producing crunching, up-tempo, and harmonious ravers. They’ll knock your socks off.
Like their previous releases, this album evokes the ’60s, but their earlier fixation with surf music has been replaced with a folk-rock obsession. There’s some great material here, especially “Grammar of Misery,” “Shades of Today,” and “Eleventh Hour,” but there’s also quite a bit of chaff. If you like FLAMIN’ GROOVIES, you’ll go for the BARRACUDAS.
If you’re familiar with the FLAMIN’ GROOVIES’ Shake Some Action album, you’ll have a general idea what this third Barracudas long-player sounds like. They even look like the GROOVIES! Personally, I think a lot of the material here is pedestrian—it certainly doesn’t even begin to approach their best—but if you like that melodic, jangly-guitar folk-rockish genre, some of it might click.
Most of the six songs included here are a bit annoying. While the instrumentation is of a ’60s derivation—kind of more flaccid EASYBEATS—the vocals are too “clean” for my taste. But on one song, “Car Crash,” it all works together, producing one eerie classic. Worth the price alone.
