There are some artists for whom deciphering artistic influence is as complex as hieroglyphic analysis; Matt Sonic isn’t such an artist. There’s a definite precision in Matt Sonic’s historical roots – ’60s Detroit via ’80s Geelong garage rock, ’70s English glam rock, a thick dose of pan-scene metal and everything sub-culturally in between.
And not that that’s a bad thing – sincerity and honesty are sorely underappreciated virtues. Madamoiselle hits the spot like a fifth of single malt to an alcoholic cowboy, Into Wonder is as emphatic as a Collingwood supporter offering constructive advice to the white maggot brigade and I’ve Arrived Like A Hurricane offers a dirty rock narrative of Matt Sonic’s musical memories. There are flashes of Thin Lizzy greatness in These Are the Days of La Conquista; Break Free Your Mind is a call to arms for all those sucked into the subliminal vortex of insipid commercial radio rock.
The sound of Matt Sonic’s fuzz pedal (and surely he’s got about 20 of them, each of them presumably with an amusing and descriptive title) is omnipresent; so much so, in fact, that there are times when you might hope that the fuzz stands back for a moment to let the vocals (including Adalita Srsen on Travelling Light) shine through. The appearance of the Dean Turner (who passed away before this record saw a release) on Navigating Home is poignant; Turner’s band mate Raul Sanchez (lately of River Of Snakes) lends a hand on Into Wonder.
If Matt Sonic and the High Times didn’t already exist, the Melbourne music scene would have to invent it. Dirty, scuzzy rock’n’roll has rarely sounded so empathetic to the cause.
Key track: Madamoiselle
If you like this, you’ll like: your music dirty
In a word: Scuzz
