Another day, another “lockdown album”. Recent months have been full of them. From Bon Jovi, to Drive-By Truckers to Robb Johnson and the Irregulars, I’ve scarcely reviewed anything else for days.
Muck And The Mires, though, these boys aren’t messing about. This is the second they’ve done in 2020. Back in May I reviewed their “Quarantine Kicks” album. Back then, I’d had about six weeks without a gig, and it was alright. I was enjoying the sunshine. Now its October, its damp, the dark nights are drawing in.
Good thing, then, its always sunny where Muck and his boys are. Good grief, if you can’t raise a smile listening to this, then brother, you might want to check your pulse.
So full of beans do they sound on these six, that you can – just for a bit – forget that we live in a world where people actually voted for Johnson and Trump and you can remember that however rubbish things are at work, then you are still going to get paid, so yeah Muck, you lovely man, bring it on.
“Whatever happened to the world I knew” he sings, on the opening line to the title track. A plea for normality, maybe, but from a bunch that are never without their red and black suits, a Garage Riff and a song in their hearts.
Is this a concept record? Probably. I’ve never cared about storyline, though, all I wanna do (to paraphrase Bryan Adams) is rock, and there’s loads of that here. “6 O’clock Baby” is glorious, a sweet, innocent 1950s rocker that even manages to make “cos I got all the fun I need in my hands” sound as wholesome as a Church Picnic. Well done, sir, well done!
“Hey Sunshine” has those Spector-ish harmonies that you can’t resist, “She Blocked My Number” gets all Sonics on your ass (and this might have happened to me once or twice, maybe….you can normally get them back though, its all good) and everywhere you look there’s something ace.
“He’s Not The One” is like The Ramones have just discovered harmonica’s, and if “Zoom Breakup” isn’t the perfect summation of our times then I don’t know what is. I can confirm this hasn’t happened to me, as I try and avoid any sort of video call at all costs, but the concept is just dandy.
“Take Me Back To Planet Earth” actually does the opposite, for 16 sweet as sugar moments it takes you away from all this, and who can’t love that?
Rating 9/10
