Demolition Doll Rods: Tasty

In the Red Records

Sure, the Demolition Doll Rods have enough shtick to rope Jon Spencer into producing half their songs, and enough Motor City cred to get Mick Collins doing the other half. They've got enough moxie to release their debut on one of the West Coast's grittiest labels, and enough smarts to realize that performing in their panties will keep most of the audience up front regardless of the music. Fine and dandy, but have they got any songs?

Believe it or not, yeah. The opening track, “Motor City Dragway,” is epic girl-group narrative a la “Leader of the Pack,” but trashed out with untuned, overdriven whack-off guitar solos, not-so-celestial background vocals, and a chord progression bombastic enough to make Bono blush. “If You Can't Hang” is more traditional Doll Rod fare: primal, bassless Cramps riffs held precariously together by legally blind drummer Christine Doll Rod's minimalist tom-tom racket, while barely male guitarist Danny Doll Rod begs for “ass-shakin' mamas” in between spurts of glitter-rock guitar cliché. The rest of the disc is fleshed out with slow, filthy blues ballads and Detroit-style glam-rock, spiced up a bit with brain-piercing catcalls and estrogen-drenched purrs.

Is there a point? Does there have to be?

—John Pecorelli

Alternative Press magazine