Moonhearts

iTunes Review

Orange County’s Charlie & The Moonhearts shortened their name and made friends in deafening places (Ty Segall’s garage, for one) before letting lose this awesomely noisy and messy bit of fun. Previous spasms of fuzz-coated garage rock in the form of singles and tapes (and one split 12” with Teen Anger) were so brutal they required a preventive dose of anti-inflammatory meds before listening, lest the relentless pummeling render you swollen and regret-filled. Here, the boys turn it down just enough to prevent injury and ennui from overkill: “I Hate Myself” and “I Said” buck and kick with such ferocity, you fear the next nine tracks, but “Shine” offers some respite; it’s the Everly Brothers gone punk. Acoustic and electric guitars brew up something like a surf melody (quite shy here, compared to the shredstorm that is “Deathstar, Pt. 1”), topped with pining harmonies — you feel you’re in noise-pop nirvana. With careful pacing and balance, the rest of Moonhearts follows suit: grimy guitars swoop and stomp, layered up in voluminous reverb and effects, bassist Mikal Cronin mewling and howling like a Nuggets treasure who just found the light of day. Spectacular.