Hunger

Album Review

In retrospect, Hunger was a transitional record for the Makers, both in image and substance. Shucking their mod suits for a more sleazed-up, greasy presence, they turned out a record that was as aggressive as any of its predecessors, yet intensified by a production that harnessed the group's hoodlum energy into something more sinister. New member Jamie Maker was critical to this change — with his muscular guitar playing, he heralded a shift toward a larger, more swaggering sound, and next to this, Mike Maker's flamboyant bawl gained an additional malevolence that made one wonder if the group was growing too large for garage rock. Indeed, 1998 showed that big changes had come, and in the aftermath of their glam rock conversion, it quickly became clear that Hunger was the last breath of the Makers' life as garage punk hooligans.