Terry Anderson and The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team “National Champions”
Terry Anderson has a world class band with The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team. A real treat that keeps the energy throughout, the band has a sound that combines the Dave Edmunds, Tom Petty and the Stones in one tight package. The guitar attack of the opener “Goin’or Comin’” chugs along with a great hook and rhythm guitar riff. “Wille Mays” is playful sarcastic rip on Barry Bonds, and would not sound out of place on YepRoc’s Baseball Project. It’s a great song full of power and fury. It’s hard to make domestic violence funny, but it works with “You Had Me At Get Lost” and Terry channels’ classic Who with “Is We Or Ain’t We.” He continues to bust chops on redneck life with”Pow’ful “Merka” and rockabilly sweetness with “Indy 500.” Other songs deal with sex and sexy women — and the OAK team really sounds like it’s having fun playing all this. Every song here cracks with excitement and hooks, and even Terry’s inner Jerry Lee Lewis comes out with “Found Missin’.” If the first album was merely very good, “National Champions” gets elevated to greatness. Don’t miss this one.
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Brass Bed “Midnight Matinee”
Brass Bed is like digging through a record bin and discovering an unknown album by a favorite artist, only to find it better than the one’s you’ve already heard. So say the press notes. It’s fair to say that’s partially true. After a very Wilco-like opening “BBC Midnight Broadcast” with strange percussion it begins to kick into gear with catchy “On The Road” lead by strong guitar strumming and drums. The mix of instrumental styles and effects is similar to those great Elephant Six bands like Olivia Tremor Control, with the strange but compelling “Olivia.” The punk rhythms and jangle guitar work well on “Split Decision” too. Standouts here are “Make Me Cry,” a piano and vocal harmony duel with a quirky doo wop texture and the excellent “Polar Birds” with amazing guitar skills at the songs end. However, there are too many odd fits and starts to keep the intensity of the album afloat. Often songs like “Killer Bees” seem calculated to be “weird” for weirdness sake. Otherwise this is a band to keep your eye on.
