|
The Cheeks - Royal Pop Elevation |
|
|
06 August 2005 |
The Cheeks
Royal Pop Elevation - (Wolverine)
Get ready for a wild ride - Germany's The Cheeks are here with Royal Pop Elevation and offer fourteen tracks that serve as a mission statement for the glory that is the three-minute hook-filled dose of pop perfection.
From the My Sharona / Gimmee Some Lovin' opening of their Toms' cover Let's Be Friends Again (an inspired choice) to the acoustic balladry of the closing I Can't Really Go On Without Her , The cheeks run roughshod throughout Royal Pop Elevation by bringing Mersey sounds along with Who and Kinks inspired edge to the mix with fantastic results. A healthy Rickenbacker obsession that would make any pop fan smile is also at work here along with a great vocalist in Kono - oh yeah, that's another thing; you can tell these guys are serious just by monikers like guitarist Sugar and drummer Cheeky Olav.
The Cheeks add quite a bit of variety to the mix while maintaining a retro charm that succeeds in being contemporized as well (current success stories in this regard include The Shazam and The Fletcher Pratt). Some More Action is supercharged enough to find appeal in any punk fan's ears, while Disappointed is as perfect a ballad as any lover of softer pop will hear. The Cheeks deliver a nastier garage sound on It's Too Late To Stop Now with great success, while Mr. Rain is so authentic sounding that you'd swear it must have been a hit for The Dave Clark Five back in the 60's. Even surf culture gets a prodding in Can't Stand Surfin' , which doesn't rely solely on it's funny lyrics but instead keep solid Rickenbacker hooks front and centre.
This is a seriously good time, and one of the better releases of 2001. Make this a "must".
7.5 |
