Watts

The first thing you should know about the well-named Watts is that former Mono Men singer/guitarist/Estrus head honcho Dave Crider and ex-Mono Men drummer Aaron Roeder are in the band. The second thing you should know is that they throw down just as hard, if not harder, than the Mono Men. The main difference is that singer Jeff Braimes has a straight ahead, almost ’70s rock, vocal delivery, and there’s a lot of guitar soloing with wah-wah pedal going on. What sets this record apart from most releases is that it seems to really heat-up during it’s second half, as opposed to having all the best stuff right up front. By far the best track has to be the lead-off song from side two, “Tarantula,” with its blocky, powerhouse guitar riffs and crazy lyrics. Also super-strong is “The Kings Of Jackin’ You Around,” an anthem to the kind of guys who take over and ruin your party, which features back-ups by Mike Maker. Produced by Seattle’s Jack Endino, the Watts debut is a record that seems to get better as it goes along.