Southern Culture On The Skids

This is one of those bands that keeps getting better and better with each release. The vast array of musical tastes and sounds mirrors an unusual fashion sense (a perk of seeing them live). S.C.O.T.S cover a strange variety of genres from the Creation's "Biff Bang Pow” to Jody Reynolds’ "The Fire of Love,” which is not unusual for the band as they’ve covered other great ’60s British bands like the Pretty Things. But perhaps it’s unusual for the audience given the band’s North Carolina roots and signature style of American blues driven hillbilly punkin rock’n’roll and self-described "monkey-paw” surf. Rather than any departure in style from their past, this album is a fine tuning of an established, original-sounding swamp rock mixed with excellent trashy guitar riffs. The opening track on the album, "Smiley Yeah Yeah Yeah," is a fantastic garage-pop rocker, written and sung by guitarist Rick Mills (as are most of the songs). Drummer Dave Hartman's rolls on the snare and Mary Huff's fat bass lines really add to Miller's talents, one of which was recording, producing and mixing this release in his own studio, "Kudzu Ranch."