They say the third time’s the charm and on The Cuts latest, From Here On Out, the group delivers on the promise hinted at the first two times around. This album is the perfect distillation of garage pop, proto-punk, power pop, ‘70s glam and West coast jangle. Secluding themselves in a remote recording studio in Northern California for a lengthy stay with producer Matthew Smith (Outrageous Cherry), the quartet came up with an album that perfectly encapsulates everything the band is about. It’s a perfect rock n’ roll record, with sweeping, swirling guitar lines, a deep groove, great melodies and hooks aplenty. Andy Jordan yelps ‘n’ gulps like a less angst-ridden Richard Hell (or a less precious Tom Verlaine) while the band cranks out songs overflowing with lavender keyboards, Raspberries-esque harmonies, chiming guitars and shuffling, danceable up-beats. You know, that lovely stuff that smokes -n- boogies, too, just like they used to make. From Here On Out is a stunning collection showcasing the band’s delightful tunefulness on a range of fine tracks. But despite their obvious songwriting savvy and overt pop leanings, The Cuts pound away in such a non-wimpy manner that there’s no question what they’re making is genuine rock ‘n’ roll music. They might just be the best exemplar of this kind of tuneful dynamism since the ‘70s heyday of artists like Nick Lowe, The Talking Heads, Sparks and The Shoes. Indeed, The Cuts could easily be destined for the same kind of mass appeal.
LP $9.25
02/28/2006
CD $13.00
02/28/2006
***Modern day psychedelia — coming right at you with lightning speed. The Cuts’ self-titled LP is finally available on everyone’s favorite digital format! Several years ago rock scribe and all around tastemaker Mark Murman released this album on vinyl on his superb Rock’n’Roll Blitzkrieg label. The Cuts had already released a single for Lookout Records that displayed a straight-ahead punk/garage/rock’n’roll style a la DMZ or the Real Kids (and no one currently alive on Earth does not absolutely adore DMZ and the Real Kids), but by the time they recorded their first fulllength they had already moved on to a more psychedelic sound (by way of late ’70s NYC). Did someone say “13th Floor Elevators meets Television”? The Cuts stand apart from any contemporary garage rock purveyors. Tough as nails, neurotic, simplistic, big, deep, catchy and devastating all at the same time. Genuine decathlon scorch. “Set free after one EP and left to their own devices, The Cuts retreated to a muddy woods where they stumbled across Sky Saxon declaring himself as their own personal Yoda. Taking what they needed and ignoring his cosmic declarations they wandered back to the bright streets.… This ain’t the fake “look at my white belt” garage rock. It’s dirty fuzz invented the day before psychedelic rock (the war and LSD terror, not the flowers-and-weed scene). Even when they sound like they wannna have a good time, you’re waiting for someone to sneak up from behind and stick a knife in your back.” —Smashin’...
CD $12.00
05/04/2004
The Cuts are four twenty-somethings from Oakland, California, who make some of the best garage pop that you’ll find today. The Cuts’ wild sonic tantrums and lust-scorched anthems are so soaked in Nuggets history it’s hard to believe they weren’t conceived in the same fertile musical ground that produced bands like the Sonics and ? and the Mysterians. The band blends old-school, psychedelic garage with ‘70s NYC proto-punk noise (a couple songs are so Television it’s crazy) — but these guys make the blend seamless. The guitars come off cheap and messy; the vocals are amped, snotty, and slightly distorted; the keyboards whiz around like some woozy Dennis Hopper drug sequence, and the rhythms switch between jangling so loosely they’re gonna slip right out of your speakers and getting wound so tight they’re gonna snap. The band released their debut album as a vinyl-only edition on Mark Murman’s Rock n’ Roll Blitzkrieg Records (watch for Birdman to issue it on CD in 2003) and, though low profile in record stores, it received rave reviews. For their second album The Cuts drove down to Memphis and recorded at Easley Studios with Greg Cartwright (Oblivians, Compulsive Gamblers, Reigning Sound) at the control board. This album promises to be a straight up classic! • Recorded at Easley Studios by Greg Cartwright (Oblivians, Reigning Sound, Compulsive Gamblers)
CD $12.00
05/27/2003