Blues Pills
Pills EP
Crusher Records
Initial thoughts on this are that bands like Blues Pills are ten a penny and to be found playing in rock or blues bars the world over on any given weekend. It's psychedelic blues rock with -- admittedly -- some absolutely stunning vocals in Elin Larsson and it will naturally appeal to the classic rock crowd who love their widdly-widdly bluesy guitars with some Janis Joplin and a bit more grit. It does take a while before the indifference (sort of) subsides and the true potential of Blues Pills becomes evident. That potential is in the fact that these guys really can play. Bigtime. And if fretwankery is your thing, you'll love this. However, the fact remains that everything is still very formulaic and brings absolutely nothing new to the table musically, so if it's innovation you're after, you may as well forget about this international collaboration between Sweden, France and the USA. It's enjoyable, yes, but -- just like you could say about all those bar bands -- is it a patch on Fleetwood Mac? Not really.
- John Norby
