My Midnight Creeps
Histamin
MMC Records/EMI

My Midnight Creeps are fronted by the dynamic duo of Robert Burås from Madrugada (here going by the name Bobby Cagehill) and Alex Kloster-Jensen from the Ricochets. That's a great deal of guitar power, and they put it to good use on their second record, which is a considerable improvement on their strong debut. They make no pretenses to originality. To the contrary, they offer a familiar take on swampy, bluesy, dark and heavy rock'n'roll. The old blues singers of the Deep South meet the British 60s, wind their way through 1970s Detroit and 1980s LA, and land in Norway, bringing some touches of Scandi guitar psychedelia with them. They swagger through songs about women, having the blues, and being wronged. It's big, it's bombastic, it's meant to be played loud, and it covers no new territory. But it's so very well done. The musicianship is stellar, and the band seems to be having such fun playing that it's hard not to feel good listening. Then there are passages in these songs - mostly instrumental - where they achieve that rare wall of surging atmosphere that transcends everything else and makes you stop whatever you're doing just to revel in it. Big bombastic rock'n'roll fun interspersed with moments of rock'n'roll perfection? Play it loud.
- Nancy Baym