Mooney Suzuki - Alive & Amplified

Electric Sweat, these New Yorkers proved they knew a thing or two about dirty-ass rock 'n' roll. Here, they pounce on the opportunity to show they can clean up just as well. Thanks in part to the production work of the Matrix -- who have turned the knobs for Liz Phair and, yes, Avril Lavigne -- Alive & Amplified does have a noticeable pop sheen, one that's oddly reminiscent of latter-day Urge Overkill. That touchstone is evoked most clearly on the sensually shuffling "Love Bus" and the title track, which boasts a giddy falsetto chorus that shows off Sammy James Jr.'s split goofball/soulman personality. Clever, catchy riffs crop up at regular intervals -- "Legal High" is a sure bet to get lodged in the gray matter after a listen or two -- but the Mooneys have begun to take greater care in shaping them into fully realized songs.

CONDITION: NEW. Punched upc.
TRACK LISTINGS
1 Primitive Condition
2 Alive & Amplified
3 Legal High
4 New York Girls
5 Shake That Bush Again
6 Sometimes Somethin'
7 Loose 'N' Juicy
8 Hot Sugar
9 Messin' in the Dressin' Room
10 Naked Lady