MOG

Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion weren't fucking around when they cut Damage. After the King Kong-stomping title track peels your wig back, take a whiff of "Burn it Off" that rolls straight past anything the Stones ever did on their drug-addled, bed-headed best day. While "Crunchy might be a tad too "mueslix 'n yogourt" for some -- so this is that "noodle-rock" that Jack Nicholson was talking about. If you hold tight, however, the highlights are just around the corner. Things pick up when Public Enemy's Chuck D, swoops in with a 1 ton uzi on "Hot Topic" and later things get of the chain on "Mars Arizona." This one, should have been called Crunchy because it so is; the Explosion rolls right through this one form and color. "Fed Up and Low Down" is another standout cut: it's F-R-E-S-H. Here, J.S.B.E. mix meloditron vocals, made popular by Peter Frampton and later Zapp's Roger Troutman churchified testifying, break beat looping and punk-chunk segueways with superlative results. Asses are going to shake on this one. There's a truckload of goodies within the 12 tracks of Damage. You'll have to wade through a couple of let's-show-how-tight-we-are-with-a-wierd-time signature-and-instrumental-effects moments but if you're a fan of jam bands and newfangled bluesy musings, this won't be a deal-breaker in the least.