Anyone mistaken enough to declare that rock and roll is stale, or that it’s missing something, or that it’s not what it used to be, never listened to bands like Junk Boys, whose debut LP just dropped this past Friday. The Brooklyn supergroup featuring ex-members of Organs, Brian Chillemi, and Hartwick Hanson, along with Russel Hymowitz (of Dream Police and MPHO, and formerly of Highway Gimps), and Alex Fippinger (of Yin Yangs), recorded ten songs at Brooklyn’s Seaside Lounge with Jonathan Schenke that rip through attitudinal, turbocharged power-chord riffage, with crude, impassioned soloing, and incensed vocal howls. “Arizona Nights” seems to capture all elements of the record, and the band’s sound, contrasting slick palm-muting and anthem-like ring-outs in a perfect balance that drags you straight to a 70’s rock club, kicking you to your knees and dropping an amp right on your head. The record is a perfect soundtrack for one of those slow-motion riot scenes in movies, with people looting and throwing things through windows, as the lyrics literally radiate, “take the money and run;” the camera capturing everything from the inside and having its world of protection shattered.
