Dollhouse - The Rock And Soul Circus

On their debut, The Rock And Soul Circus, Dollhouse bring all three; throwing herky-jerky, sloppy rhythms and slamming power chords. The album, much of it balancing on propulsive, chaotic energy, fueled mostly by the pummeling drumming of Marcus S. Davis, sounds as if it were recorded in the 70s, and the band certainly plays as if they’re still there. Maybe Dollhouse is a boogie-blues band playing the kind of sludging metal that came early on in the 70s, as on “A Man On The Move,” when they sound like the MC5 playing Black Sabbath songs. (The fact that Michael Davis of the MC5 produced the album probably helps with this.) Most of the time, however, they sound like the Mooney Suzuki’s first record with a hot shot of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. On “Shangrila Tiger,” “Bang Bang Bang” and the MC5’s “The Human Being Lawnmower,” or the first three songs on the album, Dollhouse set out just how good they are. It sounds like the instruments are playing the players, like the stereo is going to explode because the band can’t contain the energy, like maybe these guys are just banging on their instruments and really have no idea. Dollhouse, with Davis’ help, are the sum total of the years 1965 to 1973, all in one band. The Rock And Soul Circus is more primal than recycled, as far as retro-sounding rock is concerned, and they’re too busy working the satanic church of the Crossroads to work with The Matrix. Or, they’re just too busy kicking your ass with nothing more than their music. [www.dimmak.com]