The Sights - The Sights

Whatever happened to the garage rock revolution? You know, a few years ago with The Strokes and The White Stripes and The whatever-the-hell-elses; what happened with that? Did they overthrow someone? Is there a new government? Have they drafted a new constitution yet? It seem like the whole thing just kind of fizzled a little. A lot of new bands released a lot of exciting music, and then it all just seemed to fade with subsequent releases. Casablancas is busy playing Tron, and White is married to some European model. The revolution seems pretty much over. The Sights, though, were always on the cusp. Their debut came too early and their sophomore album too late. They didn't sell out big concert halls or play Virgin instores but continued sweating it out at dive after dive, night after night. Mixing British psych-rock, retro West Coast pop and their own ragged edges - they fit in with other bands but with more of a history. The problem is, their edges kept getting more and more ragged as they strayed from their other influences. The new album is an example of this, opening with a few cliche and forgetable rock songs, throwing loud guitars on unispired lyrics. But as the album progresses, so does their sound. "Will I be True" bounces around with youthful vigor and excitement that just drips from each guitar riff and organ wail. "Scratch My Name in Sin" is a gospel-tinged sing along with an almost sea shanty beat to it. And "Backseat" is a teen-bop worthy of a "Buddy Holly" music video. The rest of the album shows the band taking from their strong points and experimenting with new sounds that aren't as well-executed as earlier ones but still show a band with potential. So the revolution isn't over. There are still good garage bands making good garage music, but they're just underground again. In the bars and in the old vinyls stores - frankly, back where they belong. [www.wearethesights.com]