Posted on: November 15, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

“35 Hours” is a great introduction to the Neurotic Swingers, as it shows them as purveyors of an early (read 1990)-era Green Day cut in with more than a fair shake of rockabilly. This means that the tracks on “Sexy & Mysterious” are catchy but still contain a modicum of solid musicianship and interesting arrangements. “Grand New Wave” shows the band as purveyors of a style that is not changed throughout the majority of the disc; everything has the same brand of party-punk that starts and ends this album.

Kudos to the Neurotic Swingers for including a guitar riff that brings together surf and pop-punk during the track, as well as continuing to create a style of music that has current relevance. I find a heavy Social Distortion influence in the Neurotic Swingers in the sense that both acts can create a number of tracks that are inherently catchy and repeatable while using the fewest tools possible. This means that the Swingers do not really derivate from a few chords throughout this album along with having similar drum and bass lines accompany these guitar riffs.

Still, the band is cognizant enough to add something small to each of these tracks to make them different enough to allow listeners to continue with the disc. Throughout “Sexy & Mysterious” there is nothing that can even start to be construed as a weakness on the Neurotic Swingers’ part; “Bloody Summer” brings the circle of influences to a slightly newer set of acts; hints of both Offspring and Face to Face can be found. “I Live In An Ellis Book” is a track that has much more in common with X and the bands of the late seventies and early eighties; the more sedate sound of the track has a guitar line prevalent that sounds like The Cure before they gothed up (“Three Imaginary Boys”-era). The track also has a connection with the vocal delivery of the Ramones during tracks like “Chinese Rocks” or “Bonzo Goes To Bitzburg”; any way one cuts it, the band is looking back a few more years that has been the case with previous tracks on the album. With a disc of tracks that could conceivably find it onto the radio or MTV, The Neurotic Swingers show that they are mature enough to create a cohesive sound without making the disc a rehash of itself . Pick it up.

Top Tracks: I Live in An Ellis Book, 35 Hours

Rating: 6.6/10

Neurotic Swingers – Sexy & Mysterious / 2006 Lollipop / 12 Tracks / http://www.chez.com/neuroticswingers / [email protected] / Reviewed 18 February 2006

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