[BLA dahmp] You gonna need! [BLA na nuh na na nEH BLA dahmp] Youre gonna need my help I said! Whats that coming out of the electric mud? Why, its Danny Methrics moustache. The joyful blues-fueled wail of Methrics electric guitar leads us through the Muggs new self-titled LP, and hes met at every bent note and thick-cut power chord by the rhythm section of Tony DeNardo and Matt Rost. The trio never wastes anything, and what fat there is just sizzles because they ride such a tight line between hardness and deftness. Monster hits heavy, decelerates into its gentle midsection, buries the gas pedal right where it has to, and finally becomes a bird floating on the sunlight. Its effortless, like a six-minute abstract of the 1971 classic Vanishing Point. Meanwhile, the stomping Shouldve Learned My Lesson rolls a giant rusted-up STP sign right through your front window, and you love it. Because despite using simple tools to make their rock, the Muggs make music evocative. The fervent harmonies of Said and Done, the sinuous build on the instrumental Underway, Methrics lick and a promise on Rollin B-Side Blues this musics vintage-minded, but its professional-grade.
Johnny Loftus writes about music for Metro Times. E-mail [email protected].