THE YOUNG ANTIQUES
Clockworker (Two Sheds Music)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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This band with two blokes named Blake ain't bad. Blake Rainey's guitar and vocals lead the way for The Young Antiques, a band whose name suggests retro even though their sound is anything but, unless you consider any band with the ability to rock and roll "retro," in which case they're guilty as charged. Their music has edges all over it, but there's a kind of warmth to some of the tunes, a bit like a thoroughly updated John Cougar thing, before the Mellancamp when it still rocked. Rainey, bassist Blake Parris and drummer John Speaks blow that approach out of the water on other tracks, kicking it into full fledged hard rock glory, then riding the energy into the next track. Whether that's the way it went down in the studio or just good sequencing, I can't say, but it works for the listener. Sure cuts down on my coffee bill. I like bands you can't easily categorize, and that's what we have here. The CD will be among the Alterna-clones in the store, but it's at least a cut above.

© 2003 - DJ Johnson