THE NEW CHRISTS
We Got This! (Smog Veil)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Apparently, the New Christs are no more, but with them you never know. This great Aussie band, led by Radio Birdman singer Rob Younger, has had so many line-up changes that it's impossible to keep up. Yet, everything they've released has been gold. This CD was originally slated to come out on the Man's Ruin label a couple of years ago, but they went belly up, leaving the CD in limbo. The Aussie label Laughing Outlaw rescued the CD and licensed it for stateside release to Smog Veil. This is quite a coup for Smog Veil, as this CD is nothing short of brilliant. Excellent playing, amazing vocals from Younger, and most importantly, fantastic songs. The New Christs seem to combine the best elements of '6Ts garage rock, '70s punk and psychedelia. It's like each song comes on and I go "Oh, this is the best song on the CD," then the next song comes on and I'm equally floored! The title track just plain rocks, "Groovy Times" nicks a fair amount from the Clash song of the same name, using the catch phrase "Groovy times are here again." "Impeachment" features crazed wah-fuzz guitar and cool organ. "Sunny Day Sun," despite its cheery title, has somber lyrics and a dark, foreboding sound. The helium backing vocals courtesy of Suzy Goodwin are neat, too. Really, all of this is quite great. Any fan of Younger's work with previous New Christs incarnations, Birdman, Deep Reduction, etc. will be more than pleased with this release.

[Pick this up at www.citadel-records.com.]

© 2003 - Alan Wright