Sic Alps: U.S. EZ

Label: Siltbreeze

It’s tempting to lump Sic Alps with the other garage bands du jour (Jay Reatard, Times New Viking, King Khan, etc.), but beware facile comparisons: the San Francisco duo of Matt Hartman and Mike Donovan have given us one of the year’s freshest (and finest) rock albums. After toiling around the Bay Area psych scene for years, the group has hit its stride with U.S. EZ, a heavy, dark and melodic record, with echo-shreiking vocals, jagged, start-stop riffs and rhythms, and thundering bass lines. The bluesy stomper “Gelly Roll Gum Drop” shows that the band can deliver some hooks, while “Mater” combines a deliriously catchy guitar riff with harmonies worthy of the Velvets. The songs are short and economical, delightful free of pretense and filler, straightforward in their exuberance and sheer joy. One of my absolute favorite albums of 2008 – check it out! (James)