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| |  | |  |  | | To say that things "came together quickly" for Detroit avant-rock outfit SSM is the mother of all understatements. Like a torrent of madness, the kind that produces works of shocking brilliance, the trio of singer/keyboardist John Szymanski, drummer Dave Shettler and singer/guitarist Marty Morris ground a pearl from sand in less time than it takes most bands to tie their collective shoelaces. Known best for their significant contributions to Detroit rock via the HENTCHMEN, the SIGHTS and the CYRIL LORDS, respectively, SSM came together in July 2005, and have been thrilling audiences since with their shocking new creation. Lumbering bass, Samba, pop and art-rock all find their way into this brilliant debut album which also features the collaboration of guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach of Akron, Ohio’s BLACK KEYS. SSM is burning brightly, moving toward a sonic revelation of indeterminable power. \"There are two differences between SSM and countless garage-rock revivals: the sound is scruffier and the songs are smarter. Unruly analog keyboards and dinky rhythm machines define the sound as much as overloaded fuzz-tone guitar, and the tunes slip free of three-chord orthodoxy. Despite the vintage equipment, this is no 1960\'s revival; it\'s a warped reinvention.\" The NEW YORK TIMES | | | | |
| | | | | Disc 1
- Exit Strategy
- No Looking Back
- Ain't Love
- Sick
- Candy Loving
- 2012
- Put Me In
- Worst of Me
- Viking's Daughter
- You're Next
- Dinosaur
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| | | | | | Garage rock with some twists |  |
Alive continues to find contemporary garage-rock bands whose guitar/bass/drums dragging the original '60s DIY ethic through the harder attitude of '70s punk and the aural assault of '80s grunge. This Detroit trio, singer/guitarist John Szymanski, drummer Dave Shettler and singer/guitarist Mary Morris, has the requisite overdriven amps and three-minute songs, but with a deep swirl of droning chaos that recalls the paisley underground works of Dream Syndicate and The Rain Parade. "Exit Strategy" opens with a space-age collage of sound, Joe Meek style, before finding its bass-heavy groove, launching into a wilder double-time passage and resolving back to the original groove. "Ain't Love" and the intergalactic love saga "2012" match Perry & Kingsley styled early-60s synth sounds with '70s drum machines and roaring electric guitars. Even stranger is "You're Next," mediating its blistering guitars with warm organ interludes that provide unsettling shelter from the psychedelic storm. This trio rocks hard, retaining the raw energy of '60s garage rock while seasoning their productions with exotica, primitive electronica, punk, blues and more. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]
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