SWEATMASTER (Tom Tom Bullet) LP/CD
Their last full-length release dates a while back.... 2002, and who would have believed they were still kicking up some dust above in Turku, Finland? Well, of course, some of you dear readers! A new longplayer, again released via Bad Afro Records in 2005, shows us they're still at the ball, more exactly right on top. SWEATMASTER still write their own songs, so they're better off than most of their contemporaries covering what's fashionable at the moment aka 60's garage rock and 70's rock 'n' roll. They have a solid power pop backbone, they know about The Jam and The Undertones, they have learned to capture the energy of The Sonics and transported all this into this decade.
But "Tom Tom Bullet" is a twisted album for me: while the first half is really great, including some of the best cuts I ever heard from this band like "Dirty Rabbit" or "Alpha Male", the album becomes less enjoyable for me after the the seventh track. The songs are nice, but I miss good ideas and better hooklines. And I remember, that I never was really into power pop or bands like The Jam. But I prefer a varied rock 'n' roll album more, than one where every song sounds the same, and currently hundred of those bands are crawling over this planet. But SWEATMASTER are a nice alternative to the average ones and "Tom Tom Bullet" will surely find a lot of fans. I will not become a fan of the band, but the album contains some real convincing songs, and so its always a good idea to give it some spins. And if you like enhanced CD's, here's a video for "Song With No Words" included!
(KK)