Transmitting infectious old skool rock vibes, Radio Moscow completely owns rock’n'roll in 2009. The massive power and forward-thinking drive of progressive rock. The dirty, romanticized blue feelings of blues rock’s lament. The acidic and addictive fluorescence of psychedelic rock. The regeneration of the rock’n'roll myth that garage rock brings. All the toughness and coolness of the electric guitar-based hard rock. The dope and awesome pounding beating of stoner rock. All can be found in the dirty album-formed rock bible that is Brain Cycles.
The album wraps my brain cells around its finger and I’m caught. Sending me into a spiral that repeats itself in a cycle of a new, free-spirited instrumental spree of the band that most likely is caused by the fact that lead vocalist Parker Griggs has produced the album himself this time. The Black Keys‘ Dan Auerbach is not around this time but the band is obviously fully capable of coming up with a rock album that astounds and amazes me until I go mental - all by themselves. However, I must say that a cohesiveness and a few of the catchy hooks are missing on Brain Cycles that made the band’s selftitled 2007 debut so extremely striking. Nonetheless I praise this album for its backstriving (!) innovation and for saving my kindred rock-loving soul from a world of empty beats and synthetic basslines. The boys have taken wider turns this time and go more loose and go much harder on their instruments in a most high-spirited and exuberant fashion that fuses pure joy into my soul. I am glad that some of the best indpendent rock this year didn’t have to be your ordinary indie rock…