The Deal: Former Blues Explosion boy and Speedball Baby team up for rockabilly nostalgia.
The Good: As leader of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Spencer was more about noise than music. His collaboration with Matt Verta-Ray is pure rockabilly – much more melodic and interesting than the noise and blather of the Explosion. This second chapter of Heavy Trash is a love letter to rockabilly, a tribute to the “crying tramps” drunk on pomade and potted meat who tore up the circuit back in the day. It’s a greasy tribute heavy on reverb. “Kissy Baby” rocks like the ’50s, all swagger and hair oil. It’s obvious these guys have a love affair with the music from Eddie Cochran to Gene Vincent to Jerry Lee.
The Bad: It’s a bit over the top in places. Spencer is hiccupping so hard trying to emulate Gene Vincent on the opening cut “Pure Gold,” you can barely understand a word. But as connoisseurs know, in rock or its sister billy, incomprehensibility is a good thing.
The Verdict: Might make mainstream stars out of these boys yet. But given these guys’ anti-anything past, they’ll fight it all the way. It oughta be an interesting ride.
This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2007.
