Twice as Good as You!

Swaggering garage rock in the Ann Arbor tradition, yet having nothing to do with the Ann Arbor/Detroit band of the same name, this Aussie/Philly connection present themselves as bearers of the torch, it would seem. The album opens and closes with a cover song, either the Flamin' Groovies or the Stooges. The influences of the band aren't too hard to guess, as the instrumentation is tight and pretty good at following the lead of the brothers Asheton. Thundering bass, crash-booming drums, and twin guitars, one of which slices while the other cuts. Johnny Casino and the Cosmic Commander, however, need some help in their Iggy-ing. An aspect that makes the album stand out is an interesting addition on a couple of the tracks -- a theremin. These guys sound like the Stooges had happened upon a theremin one day, and managed to record something without breaking it or selling it for dope. It's here that the Cosmic Commander is able to equally freak out with his bandmates. Can't do the Iggy voice? Let the theremin do the psychotic twitching for ya. There's even some shades of those other Aussie Stooges followers, with a Radio Birdman-like instrumental track. Fun record.