Thursday, July 21, 2011

CD/LP Review: The Cynics

THE CYNICS
Spinning Wheel Motel LP/CD (Get Hip)
Were I more fluent in the language and history of garage rock, I would spout off a litany of ancient band names and sacred recordings from which the Cynics undoubtedly draw inspiration. However, I'm not, so I won't. What I can say is that the Cynics have been playing Nuggets-inspired garage rock psychedelia for so long, you can hardly call it revivalism. At this point, it's beyond retro. The result has been a half dozen albums and a whole mess of singles over three decades--it's no wonder then that The Cynics are so good at this stuff. From the jangly rockin' opener of "I Need More" to slower, more reflective tunes like "Bells and Trains" and the title track "Spinning Wheel Motel," The Cynics seemed to have cracked the code for making classic-sounding records no matter what decade they find themselves in—Jubson Jones