The Tells of Parallels - EP

Album Review

Chicago's Mike Maimone now has a group, but the music remains an ornery, snorting, cacophonous blues-rock stampede. Maimone's low, guttural, forbidding voice sets the speed, while heavy, distorto bass and pound-pound-pounding drums channel Blue Cheer, Cream, and Hendrix's Experience while Maimone introduces his central weapon: forsaking all guitar, his organ is so piercing, loud, harsh, and mean, you don't notice. Shifting from New Orleans funky rock like "Masquerade" to a Dr. John-goes-Funkadelic hangover like "Junior," or throwing needles in the red on the Doors' "L.A. Woman"-on-angel-dust (or steroids) with "Terranaut," Mutts will gleefully wreck a bad party — or save it. (All their releases are on CD or pay what you want [including free].) ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, Rovi