Charlie Watts, Overend Watts, the Watts riots, and amplifier wattage... if ever a band christened themselves with an appropriate moniker, it's these guys. Like Charlie Watts, the band's principal songwriters John Blout and Danny Kopko keep their rock 'n' roll simple and direct, unadorned by any frills that aren't necessary. Every song here is confident enough to just hit the groove and let it swing, steamroller, or otherwise lay waste to the listener. Like Overend Watts and his bandmates in Mott the Hoople, they rock relentlessly without ever betraying their melodic instincts. A track like "Northen Boys" even taps into the tough metallic bubblegum of Cheap Trick's debut, while "Better (For a Girl Like You)" and "Wrapped Like Candy" slow the pace enough to touch into power pop. Like the Watts riots, Flash of White Light is barely contained chaos, a wholly masculine aggression willing to duke it out on the street corner. That cover shot of an uncontrolled horde of elo kiddies setting fire to stacks of vinyl is no accident - this is music meant to incite righteously unholy humping in the streets. And amp wattage? Well, just try to play this tightly packed firecracker superstring of Keef riffs, ACDC stomp, bad attitude and pop smarts without cranking the volume way up past ten and straight into broken rental agreement.
Flash of White Light on CD Baby
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