Review Summary: These early garage rock pioneers haven't lost a step
The Sonics, for those who aren’t familiar, are one of the first major acts of the garage rock genre. The band and its peers mainly specialized in rockin’ out harder than anyone else had in 1965. Their aggressive style had become so popular that they ended up actually influencing important acts like The Stooges, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, The Fall, and MC5. Much of the music they made in their early days was heavily influenced by the bands of their era like the Kinks, Beatles, Beach Boys, and Rolling Stones, and it only took one spin of their debut album to pick up on how deep the influences were, with the harmonized chorus of “Do You Love Me” or the bluesy melodies of The Rolling Stones in their R&B days. Now with the band being this old the idea of an album in 2015 may be a source of concern, considering how the members by this point are probably more fit for the retirement home as opposed to the recording studio. But with their comeback LP,
This Is The Sonics, these guys prove to be as frantic and reckless as ever. And now with the help of producer Jim Diamond to bring out the fuzz to its maximum levels, one could easily put this alongside everything the Sonics did in their glory days in terms of reckless energy and general fun to be had while listening.
The three remaining members from the original band, vocalist/keyboardist Gerry Rosley, saxophonist Rob Lind, and Guitarist Larry Parypa, are in their element on this album. Gerry Rosley’s vocals have aged remarkably well, allowing him to sing at full blast yet still sound old enough to complement the classic rock feel of the songs, and his keyboard playing brings an up-tempo feel to the dirty riffs and mean sax playing of his fellow members. Larry Parypa is still able to shred, and doesn’t hesitate to show off his guitar prowess. The songs still carry off a very
very lively feel despite the band’s age, at first one might think it was still 1966 with how much the members put into each song. Old-school R&B is king in
This Is The Sonics. Pounding riffs, exuberant keyboard playing, and bluesy melodies permeate every corner of this album. Consequently,
This Is The Sonics really doesn’t have any weak spots, the entire album is a fun rock-n-roll jam for anyone, including older fans from the band’s early days.
This Is The Sonics’s biggest asset is how true it Is to the band’s original style, while never sounding stale in any of its tracks thanks to fresh production and the general enthusiasm of the members' playing. The album pays tribute to the classic material of the band’s early days instead of trying to capitalize on a legacy. The members, while obviously past their prime, have never really reached an expiration date, and come across as just as strong if not stronger than ever as musicians and songwriters. And finally,
This Is The Sonics is just a very fun listen from beginning to end. Addictive melodies and obvious love for what they do have kept The Sonics from coming across as anything less than a great band, and rarely miss a beat on their wonderful comeback LP.
