Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Hi- Frequencies

Released in 2002 the Hi-Frequencies feels and sounds shimmeringly and like it could have been cut in 1963. The
Hi-Frequencies throw detail-obsessed surf rock and early garage playing into a blender and hit the majestic power pop button. But as much as audiophile-level mono sound replication is a key to the group's sound, so is conjuring the spirit of the pleasant part of the early '60s on the West Coast, exploring its boundaries and expanding them.

A combination of instrumentals and vocals. The rollicking "Clairton Beat" tumbles wonderfully into the opening "Mr. Tambourine Man" jangle of "To Do." "Jerome Green" is a shaking Bo Diddley-beat revival, played with style and pride. The album's best track, the beautiful "Stranded," is deceptively simple and effortless, with Kate Daly's bass working up a throbbing jungle beat, McAdams weaving an intoxicated reverb frenzy, rhythm guitar player Jason Lizzi hitting his chords always at exactly the right moment, and drummer Bill Scully alternating between rolls and four-on-the-floor playing, the whole thing timeless, effortless, and perfect. Bonus points for the meticulous All Summer Long send-up cover art and the deliciously quirky liner notes. A fully realized and convincing debut.

1. Clairton Beat 2. To Do 3. I've Got to Know 4. Junior Varsity 5. Wrong Again 6. Eldorado 7. Shaky 8. Peggy Sue Got Married 9. Jerome Green 10. Stranded 11. Riviera 12. Hodad's Revenge 13. You Never Win 14. Corvette Hollow

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