The Super Fuzz
Art Noise
Forward Motion Records 

From the press pamphlet: "When asked how he made the switch from [playing professional baseball] to music, [lead singer and rhythm guitarist] Chris Alvy said, "I don't know what the f*** I'm doing." Fitting: straight 1970's fuzzy re-poppers. Half "Rubber Soul" with no soul (or: hash re-hashed), half soul-searching (heh) quasi-profound flat lyrics - the vocal harmonies are the best sung part, by far. Very slick, especially the guitar and harmonies (the lack of titular fuzz is a letdown, though.) Being kind, at their best, they sound like a decent bar-band covering Cotton Mather; being realistic, drunk preteens covering Oasis. Lyrical subjects: love, lack thereof, Miami drugs, lack thereof, a life of substance, lack thereof, halcyon days, lack thereof; other forty-five-incoming problems. Super Fuzz succeed at what they were doing, rendering the album soulless and stale guitar pop. Unless you're really strapped for something decent, skip it for the better and more original -pop out there. 2012, Forward Motion Records.

FCC Violations on track five ("bitch") and twelve ("fuck.")

If you must, play track(s): six or ten, seven, four,  

1) Self-aggrandizing single 'bout the awesomeness of being in a band, and the power of music, man. Or something. (3:18)
2) Introspective, badly dreamy, dense, atonal vocal. Minorly catchy hook (byproduct of being pop, only.) (3:31)
3) Could have done MUCH better with different lyrics. (2:47)
*4) This one's not as bad. Reminds me of Dr. Dog. (3:52)
5) The man has troubles and apparently, a falsetto register. Nice descending vocal harmonies. (FCC: "Bitch") (3:14)
**6) Best song on the album; also descriptive: "I'm an empty man, with an empty head, with nothing new to say or share with you. At a loss for words in this empty land..." Nice jam, with harmonies and vocalisation at the end. Check track twelve for the radio edit, I prefer this version. (5:04)
**7) Second best on the album (arguably first, if ya swing that way) - great vamp, good melody and decent lyrics even - just not a fan of the singer's delivery. (4:42)
8) I can see this starting off a terrible movie, post-intro-credits, 'bout the rebirth of a once exciting & adventurous twentysomething who became stagnant and rigid and boring in their later years. Y'know? (3:24)
*9) Cool brief-noisy intro. Actually, sounds very much like a recent track off an Offspring album, with a *vague* later-Kinks aroma. (3:50)
**10) I totally lied, this is arguably the best on the album. Nice riff(s), great organ fills, the dynamics of the song pulsate well. Lyrics a little lacking. "Heartbreaker"-esque breakdown goes into longing solo (which, like the rest of the album, comes with realisations of "oh, I've heard that before.") then abruptly back to Zeppelin, then another solo, then it ends. (5:27)
11) Damn, they sound exactly the same in studio or live.  I thought this was an alt. version at first. (FCC: Fuck)(4:08)
**12) Radio Edit of track six. I prefer the original, but take your pick. (4:20)