Demolition Doll Rods
Album:
On
DEMOLITION DOLL RODSOnSwami Recordswww.swamirecords.com
When a devotee of the Demolition Doll Rods says, “You gotta catch their live show,” it’s not remotely the same thing as when a Phish fan says it. In the latter case, recommending a live show translates into, “They’ve never really been able to capture their peculiar magic in the studio.” In the former, it translates into “They wear pasties and g-strings.”
Although, in the five years since the trio last released an album, Thumpurr and Margaret Doll Rod – drummer and rhythm guitarist, respectively – seem to have switched to less revealing outfits. (Aguilera and Spears wear less to buy a gallon of milk.) Lead guitarist Danny generally remains as nude as possible, which is fine since he’s the most straightforwardly pretty member of the band, and the least likely to jiggle in a distracting manner.
Then again, the 12 songs of On could use the visual stimulus. Because the Doll Rods reminded the world how great and vital Detroit rock ‘n’ roll could be – a reminder that hasn’t hurt the White Stripes or the Von Bondies – it’s disheartening how plainly sloppy and leaden their sound is on their latest release.
A couple of garage classics await a postmodern Nuggets compilation, but they’re buried under so much rubble (a song title like “Fat Pussy,” a dull cover of “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” production sludge throughout the album) that even diehards might wonder if the band’s onstage presentation hasn’t become a cheap dodge, where once it was just part of a real cool time.
Jon M. Gilbertson is Vital Source's Music Editor. He also freelances for just about every pub in the region that writes about the subject.
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