Thursday, May 15, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

CDVS

There's an interesting sociological thing going on in rock music. The 1970s are hot. Bands are emulating either the intensity and swagger of garage rock pioneers such as The Stooges and the MC5 or the big, un-ironic anthems of arena rockers such as KISS and AC/DC. In either case, the mission, articulated or not depending on the band, is to save rock 'n' roll from the navel-gazers and rap rock clones.

Yet most of the bands that are the inspirational basis for this '70s revival were, in their day, savaged by music critics, most of whom did not take '70s rock seriously in the wake of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Doors and Jimi Hendrix. Those critics (Lester Bangs excepted) basically didn't see anything new and interesting between, say, Abbey Road and the emergence of punk.

Most of today's critics don't have the same biases, and, as a result, the new garage/arena rock bands are getting serious ink. Perhaps too serious. In any case, having set this elaborate stage, we now go ringside for a match between the D4, from New Zealand, and Electric Six, from Detroit. With hard-rockin' guitar licks at the ready, these two throwback outfits are certain to give us our money's worth.

The D4 features all the elements of classic low-fi garage rock--except for any evidence whatsoever of distinctiveness. It's by-the-numbers material promoted solely to capitalize on an emerging musical trend. The lyrics are revealing: "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah," "Party, party, party," "Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night." And you can hear these groovy guitar riffs on any TV commercial for sports cars or McRib sandwiches. The Black Jetts, a Vegas band just getting started, do this kind of thing a lot better than the D4.

Electric Six (formerly the Wildbunch), meanwhile, is more original, though it's clear from the opening bell that it, too, draws its inspiration from the '70s. Electric Six is cock rock, funk and disco--plus a pinch of '80s techno new wave--thrown into a fondue pot. The result is a lot more challenging--and frequently amusing--than most of the neo-garage widgets coming off the music industry production line.

Disco beats crop up all over Fire, to mostly good effect. The highlight is the ultra-catchy "Danger! High Voltage" (featuring an unacknowledged guest shriek by White Stripes leadman Jack White). With funtastic lyrics such as "Danger, danger/ High voltage/ When we touch/ When we kiss" and a kick-ass sax solo, this is one of the more exhilarating anthems in some time (it was a British club hit last year). Other tracks follow suit, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics predominating, from "Nuclear War (on the Dance Floor)" to "Naked Pictures (of Your Mother)."

It's hard to believe that Electric Six recently was opening shows for the D4, because Electric Six is by far the more entertaining and musically inventive of the two--a standout in an emerging genre already in need of a fresh approach.--Geoff Schumacher