Album Notes

Album review by Frank Gutch at FAME

Jesus. I'm on my fifth straight listen to Redgy Blackout and I'm knocked out. Surely those two guys splattered with mud on the cover could not have produced this but damned if they didn't and damned if I'm not enjoying the hell out of it. And they're from freakin' Vancouver!

Redgy Blackout are basically two guys, Scott Perrie and Jeremy Breaks, though they hardly sound like it. Backed by bassist Cory Curtis and drummer Niko Friesen on this project, they put out a sound worthy of a five or six man band with years of accumulative experience under their belts. They nail every one of the six (actually, seven) songs listed on the CD package (one is unlisted), from the very commercial Americana-ish 100 Cigarettes (it's a freakin' hit) through the semi-bluesy Bottom of the Sea (the guitar sound is straight out of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' version of I Put a Spell On You) to the folky When You Were a Kid (the melody and harmonies are outstanding). Midnight Lights is as solid a rock ballad as I've heard for some time (the tasteful banjo is a nice touch) and Once Knew You is folk/psych (uh, I want to say brilliance here, but if I do that you won't believe me, will you?). Suffice it to say that it starts on the acoustic psych edge and climbs the mountain in intensity and volume and does it very well, indeed. And speaking of psych, the phoenix-rising intro to Alexandria is just that before it gives way to a rocker of substance. It is a great capper, even if it isn't the capper. Redgy somehow saw fit to include an unlisted track and don't ask me what it's titled because, as I said, it's unlisted. It's a little rocking oddity full of psychoses and neuroses of the stalking variety. It's pretty good for what it is, but after the six preceding tracks, it would have to be a powerhouse to make a dent in the ears. Then again, I like it anyway.

This is the stuff I live for—songs revolving around melody and harmony pulled off without a hitch. Oh, and the vocals? They make the songs. These guys can sing, my friends. Lucky for us, they can write, too. The only thing they apparently cannot do is get out of the way of four-wheelers and mudders. Look at the cover. You'll figure it out. As soon as you do, scope these guys out. They might surprise you. In fact, I'm betting they will.