The Sonic Thrills

A hot, fat bucket of garage, '60s soul, and rock rock rock 'n' roll that tantalizes the jaded tongue with potent drops of the Kinks, the Detroit Cobras, and the Sonics — that's right, the Sonics (why yes, it is a strangely similar name). The suavo-seductive attack formation of intense Sinatra-esque love-stare proportions assumed by the Thrills on the album cover shows they're into the "retro cool" crap — which wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't retro cool without much imagination. On one hand, the Thrills can play their asses off — Michael Johnny Walker's guitar careens, clangs and etches lewd suggestions into your forehead with laser-beam precision — and the production on Get Up! is top-notch (very clean and heavy), but don't expect any lyrical insights beyond yayuh yayuh yayuh and baybee baybee baybee. The Sonic Thrills are a garage rock bar band, albeit a shit-hot good one, which is to say they're as boring as they are exciting. Without a doubt, though, the Thrills hold their own with the Dirtbombs and all those nasty Detroit knuckle-grinders, and they're definitely better than nine-tenths of Arizona's musical wheezes.