Shots

Album Review

A further sign of a new generation in rock & roll — that a group like Ladyhawk, dedicated to pursuing that kind of music beloved of fans of things indie rock in a proto-grunge sense, can call a song "Corpse Paint" and likely have the reference understood even by people who aren't normally dressed like members of Emperor or Burzum. (Never hurts, though.) This said, Shots is the kind of earnest record that is enjoyable enough on its own merits without standing out as something new — it's worth a listen well enough if your artistic lodestone is fixated on early-'90s radio rock and the band does a good job at adding some sprightliness to a lumbering aesthetic, but that's about all that can be said. Still, the best moments are enjoyable enough. The near-metallic (as opposed to metal) screeching in the distance on the chorus of the opening "I Don't Always Know What You're Saying" contrasts with the chug of the music overall, while the concluding "Ghost Blues" stretches the band's ability to jam in an understated way to good effect. "(I'll Be Your) Ashtray," meanwhile, is a great song title, period. Beyond that, though, Ladyhawk just aren't memorable enough to stick in the mind as they could.