Medium Rare

Utilizing all things eclectic, from early Velvet Underground stomps to a twangy delivery by lead singer Andy Ranch a la Buck Owens, the album is a rollicking adventure of quasi-cosmic rock, punk and seediness. Despite the occasional hysteric utterances, the musicianship is first rate. Although a lot of the songs are under three minutes, the vast energy and oomph in each number is a tribute to a band that knows what it wants and how to get it. Lyrically a bit simple and structured, the trio feeds off each other to fully compensate and poetic shortcomings. Notable high points include (You Make Me Feel So) Smoky and High At Sweet D?s, inane but contagious diatribes. There is the occasional hue of surf guitar, but the majority of the record sounds beautifully dated and sonically crude. Short and to the point, Medium Rare is indeed a sleeper pick.