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Custom Acceleration
Artist: The Calicoes
Label: Velvet
Blue Music
Length: 10 songs / 31:53 |
Sample
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The recent rise of interest
in various alternative versions of rock-a-billy may be largely owed to
the resurgence of former Stray Cat's front-man Brian Setzer's success and
his imitators. Yet, The Calicoes have wisely avoided trying to mimic either
the Brian Setzer Orchestra or the Stray Cats, though they come closer to
being a psycho-punk-a-billy version of the latter. Like Setzer, The Calicoes
can pen a good old love-gone-wrong song, but it's not likely you'll hear
Setzer making spiritual overtures to the Lord of all Creation anytime soon
as The Calicoes do with sheer Sunday School gusto. For the most part, The
Calicoes keep their lyrics as simple as the musical style: straight forward
and in-your-face. The production renders the music loud, fuzzy and sparse
as well, leaving this Texan trio ample room to churn their drum, guitar,
bass mix to the max with little if any studio embellishments.
Custom Acceleration
is an apt title for this rowdy, revved-up rock-a-billy. This album would
certainly qualify as an entirely full-throttle rock assault if it were
not for the ballad "Greaser-show" which provides a welcome respite. When
cranked up to 11 the vast majority of these tunes will put a throbbing
bass beat in your chest and a silly tap in your penny loafers. The Calicoes
also offer some rambunctious instrumentals, like "Cosmic Thrill" and the
almost instrumental "Rice Burner (#2)," both of which, even in the virtual
absence of sing-along-able lyrics, are good party numbers ala The Ventures.
Riding the tide of the current fad to fuse punk's raw power with the jangle
of old time rock-a-billy, The Calicoes make a solidly convincing, well
constructed contribution to the genre. Elvis on fire, indeed.
Steven Stuart Baldwin
10/24/00
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