The Ribeye Brothers

If I Had a Horse (MeteorCity)
by Brian Varney

The press sheet and the advance word from MeteorCity made repeated mention of this CD’s country flavor, which is probably why I didn’t like it at all the first time I played it. I like country. I was ready for it. I wanted to hear two guys from Monster Magnet (John Kleiman and Tim Cronin) make a country album. And I’m still waiting for it. Besides the two-step beat of “Mister Ray Charles,” a brief, jokey mock-yodel version of the Creation’s “How Does It Feel,” and passing mentions of Johnny Horton and Red Sovine in “D.W.I.,” there is approximately no country to be had here.

Considering The Ribeye Brothers‘ members’ lineage (Cronin was Monster Magnet’s original vocalist and Kleiman, who plays all the instruments here, has drummed in MM since the early days), you’d more than likely expect a psych album, which is precisely what you get. While the Ribeyes favor compact, song-oriented ’60s garage punk like the Seeds over the druggy epic jams that were early Monster Magnet’s specialty, psychedelia is the common link. I’m not much of a garage guy anymore, but this CD appeals to me a lot, which I think is mainly due to the songwriting. Though things get a bit hit-and-miss by the end, the early part of If I Had a Horse… has a handful of those songs that you find yourself humming all day at work, mad because you’re stuck in a windowless office instead of sitting on the front stoop, drinking bottles of beer and listening to this CD.
(PO Box 40322 Albuquerque, NM 87196)