What do the Black Keys, the White Stripes and Sacramento’s Middle Class Rut have in common?
Answer: all of ’em have managed to create a glorious cacophony despite (or, more likely, because of) being a two-piece band.
No Name No Color is the first full-length release from MC Rut and is culled from tracks from their previously released EPs alongside a brace of new songs. From the opening chord, they sound like a heady cocktail of Jane’s Addiction, early VAST, with a shot of 30 Seconds To Mars and a splash of Kings Of Leon’s pop sensibility thrownin.
Propelled by drummer Sean Stockham’s thunderous beats, guitarist/vocalist Zack Lopez’s Farrell-esque howl screams its way across relentless wall of guitar noise on tracks like the unstoppable USA and opener Busy Bein’ Born. Despite being a compilation of sorts No Name No Color hangs together well, apart from a momentary sag half-way in where things get a little samey with the lacklustre Are You On Your Way (which sounds too close to an Angels & Airwaves B-side for comfort) and Alive Or Dead.
But Thought I Was with its massively propulsive drumbeat and closer Cornbread bring things back up to code in fine style, the latter being a song that would have been a perfect fit on the last My Morning Jacket album – all southern rock swagger and monotonous (in the best possible way) melody.
