Dave Chamberlain

By avoiding the seemingly inevitable loss of energy that accompanies the move from small to major label, The Mooney Suzuki confirms what a great many of us already suspected: these guys are the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the business. The band's soon-to-be-released "Alive and Amplified" (Columbia) has something for every real rock fan out there: brash sneers a la the young Rolling Stones, fuzzed-out nukes from thirty years of garage rock, some low-end blues from the likes of AC/DC, tambourine tinkles, lots of "oh yeahs" and "na na na"s and well-placed backing vocals, glam rock's perfect hooks at the perfect time, and--most importantly--real songs that restore rock's diminished danger without resorting to ugly and abrasive. Oh yeah, and there's sex--lots of it. On "Primitive Instinct" singer Sammy James drops "Say baby, you're the missing link/between my brain and my instinct." James sings the praises of ladies everywhere from L.A. to Amsterdam before letting us know he's really into "New York Girls." And there's no reason to further explain "Naked Lady," "Messin' in the Dressin' Room," "Shake That Bush Again" and "Hot Sugar." Most of this would fall into cliché land were it not for the lifeblood of the songs, a pulsing slamming jamming throbbing and absolutely rocking flow to every track that threatens to re-introduce uncontrollable dancing into rock 'n' roll. Go ahead and let the shoegazers gaze, the indie-rockers think, the metal-heads bang and the kiddie-punks do whatever it is they do nowadays--the soul of rock 'n' roll lives in The Mooney Suzuki.

The Mooney Suzuki plays July 7 at the Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-4140.

(2004-06-29)

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