Th’ Losin Streaks Last House LP
Rock’n’roll serves those who give themselves to it completely. I know a band of lifers when I hear one, and it’s always exciting. This Sacramento group has been around, and while this grip of tracks doesn’t exactly break new ground for them, it cuts like a knife through the pale flab of pretenders that make up most of contemporary garage. There are more polished R&B affairs stacked next to ferocious and fiercely-paced ragers like the hook-laden “Cake and Ice Cream Too,” plus everything in between. The production really shines, somehow keeping the piss and grit baked into these songs while also shimmying them up mighty pretty. The playing is all top of class, especially the nimble guitar work and full-throated vocal performances. There’s even a damn decent ballad in the mix, the surprisingly tender and bittersweet “For a While.” The standout has to be the bombastic, melodic, and nearly operatic “Cooler Heads.” It swings like an axe all the way to hell and back, ending in true chaotic clatter. There’s not a note out of place on this record, but while that can sometimes read as too sterile, it only serves to bolster the true spirit of rock music and of this band.