ROCK 'N' ROLL RECEIVER - The Sewergrooves (Wild Kingdom)
There's lot to love about the music of Sweden's Sewergrooves but breaking new musical ground isn't one of them. Which is fine by me. The old axiom about being on a good thing and sticking to it applies in bucketloads. If you're doing this sort of melodic, guitar driven stuff well, why change?
By now, if you're a fan, you'll know the modus operandi. It's all in the steady backbeat and the bold, clean guitar lines; they carry most of the songs, melodically-speaking. Kurt Dracke's vocals are still solid and soulful. His guitar interplay (when has a Mosrite sounded as good as this?) with Packe Wahlqvist is, if anything, even tighter than on previous records. These guys remind me of where the Hellacopters (their close mates and with whom they shared a drummer) have ended up in that they've both struck a tidy balance of melody and power.
I know they've drawn comparisons to early urge Overkill and Thin Lizzy elsewhere so I won't labour those references. There are about 15 others you could chuck in there as well (echoes of Australia's Yes-Men, for example.)
Thematically speaking, "I Sold My Soul to Rock 'n' Roll So Help Me Lord" has been done to death, but rarely has it done as well with a harping, insistent guitar figure riding the melody line. Sometimes you might wish the Sewergrooves would take a few more risks and ditch some of the '70s baggage but I still think it works better than something as forced as The Datsuns or as one dimensional as The Casanovas.
Opening track "She's a Punk (Just For One Day)" doesn't so much get away on a pogobeat as a '70s groove. The title track hangs its hat on a simple but effective guitar figure that's as insistent as a five-year-old in a confectionery store. The title tune's as regressive a '70s song you could find, but it sho'nuff sounds fine in the Sewergrooves' hands. "That Woman She's a Dead Woman" pulls down a singalong chorus and a dash of cowbell ("more cowbell!") to come up trumps.
Little to fault, much to admire, the Sewergrooves remain a tight, unbloated rock and roll band with riffs to burn. Why is that not a surprise? - The Barman
CONSTANT
REMINDER - The Sewergrooves (Wild Kingdom)
The
blizzard of Scandinavian bands of a few years ago has slowed to a moderate
flood these days, but that's making it all the more easier to pick the cream
from the crap. There's no doubt that The 
Sewergrooves
remain up there with the best.
Firstly, what they aren't, and don't expect to hear metal-obsessed, Steve
Vai clones or obsessively under-produced Music Machine copyists. And while
on the subject of role models, although The Sewergrooves have undoubtedly
benefitted from the patronage of countrymen and friends, The Helllacopters,
they're not slavishly ripping off Nicke and co either. This is a band still
going its own way on its fourth album, adeptly marrying hi-energy, '70s-inspired
jams to melodies in a way few others are capable of doing.
A few things set The Sewergrooves apart: Kurt Drackes' clean guitar tones
and their collective commitment to hooks, both vocal and instrumental, are
two of them. Most of the melodies hang off or are carried by Drackes' sharp
playing, and the entire bands' under-stated but compelling harmonies. Drackes
handles vocals with aplomb, but don't expect the Beach Boys. There's a sense
of minimal multi-tracking (a bit of rhythm guitar apart) and it sounds crisp
and live.
The Sewergrooves are first and foremost a rock and roll band with a dynamic
engine room. But they're one that's not burying their playing under layers
of distortion and multi-tracking.
Most importantly, The Sewergrooves have great songs with the quartet of "Down
on You", the title track, "Son of god" and "I'm on the
Run" (tracked consecutively and at the heart of the disc) stronger than
anything on their last couple of albums.
For a band that's been around since 1997, The Sewergrooves don't seem to have
changed a lot - but that's a good thing. No sense in going alt.country when
they do this stuff so well anyway, so who's complaining?
- The Barman
REVELATION
TIME - The Sewergrooves (Low Impact/Desert
Tones)
Occasionally,
you hear a band from the Good Side of Rock that's brimful of goodness but
who might just have the element of sheen that could help them cross over to
the dark side of major airplay. Sweden's Sewergrooves fit that bill and make
you wonder why "commercial radio" aren't playing them to death.
That's more the case now that they've scored a local label in Brisbane's Desert
Tones - so no excuses like saying it's not available in the shops.
Album Number Three for these guys and it's is a winner. Play it without fear.
It reeks rock 'n' roll, yet puts on the glad rags to the extent that you could
imagine it blaring out of the stereo of that jerk in your office who thinks
the Offspring are cutting edge. (Not that it's remotely anything like the
Offspring, but you get the drift). The bottom line is that the Sewergrooves
have melody to burn with a major groove streak running through their tunes.
A song like the slightly downbeat, ballad-like "North By...", with
its insistent guitar figure and sense of melancholy, shows the Sewergrooves
are more than your average bluster-and-solo merchants. There's plenty of gas
in the tank on a cut like the ball of fuzz that's "The Jug" or the
very rocking "It's a Revolution" to satisfy the Hellacopter fans.
(The cred suffers no harm either from the fact that 'Copters drummer Robban
Ericksson is a former member either.) The opening "Five Times More"
suggests the influence of the all-pervading Nomads (and they could do worse).
It's polished rock and roll but not within an inch of its life. The central
core is Kurt Drackes (vocals and guitar) and bassist Andreas Broman who formed
the Sewergrooves in Stockholm in 1997, but the writing credits are equally
shared with rhythm guitarist Packe Wahlqvist and drummer Fredrik Hartelius.
While the 'Copters run into accusations of stylistic whoredom at every turn,
you'd be hard pressed throwing the same brickbat at the Sewergrooves. The
hype that would have Urge Overkill as a major influence actually sits pretty
well here - like Nash Kato and Co, the Sewergrooves bend the music to fuck
with preconceptions. This is more guitar rock - and if you're not into that,
what are you doing here? - but it won't fit easily into a more specific descriptor.
Guitars and hooks. Ya can't go too far wrong. - The
Barman
3/4
