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 Post subject: Blues Explosion - Damage
PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 3:17 pm 
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frostingspoon
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The Blues Explosion - Damage (2004)

I have to admit I really disliked the Blues Explosion's previous disc Plastic Fang. It was an album which seemed to fossilize leader Jon Spencer's every impulse and utterance as mere schtick while presenting the band as tired and played-out. It sounded to me like a once-vital band ending their run with a sad whimper. And that would've been tragic because, in the Blues Explosion, Spencer has got one of the world's hottest bands at his disposal, and chaining them to the half-hearted po-mo noisewanks and static boogie sludgery of Plastic Fang was like buying the Batmobile to commute to a desk job at Sears.

Thankfully, any damage done by Plastic Fang is completely undone by Damage, easily the most satisfying album the Blues Explosion have ever released. It hits the ground running, moving imediately from the introductory bump'n'grind of the title track into "Burn It Off", a molten hot chunk of rock'n'roll sleaze that absolutely perfects the band's jones for the Stones. From there it's an eclectic journey through every variation on the Blues Explosion theme, allowing the impressive guest list (featuring luminaries like Dan the Automator, Martina Topley-Bird, and James Chance) to move the groove in a variety of directions. From the cut'n'paste clamor of the great "Fed Up and Low Down" to the hip hop undercurrents of "Hot Gossip" and the rhythm'n'blues approximation of "Chunky" (which may be the Blues Explosion's most straightforward song ever), Damage sounds like a band getting its shit together and reclaiming its greatness.

The Blues Explosion has always been about brash confidence, typified most usually by Spencer's gutteral howls and cheap come-ons, promises of blooze power and rock'n'roll detonation. But that was merely lip service, teasing promises of some glory to come. Damage finally delivers.

Radcliffe verdict: unfold your arms; you know you like it.


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 5:32 pm 
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Self-Released 7-Inch
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damn Billy--you sold me. I was holding out on this one, but I think I'll pick it up now.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:53 pm 
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Self-Released 7-Inch

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aerodynamics Wrote:
damn Billy--you sold me. I was holding out on this one, but I think I'll pick it up now.


I'll second this notion.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:52 am 
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Cutler Apologist
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I'll third it then. Martina Topley-Bird is on this? I want to hear this, like now.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:34 pm 
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Bedroom Demos

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Awesome review! People should do more of these.


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