The Lot Six

Animals (Espo)
by Craig Regala

Whether they know it or not, being on a label based in Allston, MA gives these guys a lineage of cool strummy acid folk vs. post punk stuff. Sometimes it’s just there carrying on, sometimes it gels and locks into a Gang of Four-ish fractured groove, or early Psychedelic Furs or Teardrop Explodes pop tune doodled around. Twas a time greater Boston graced the world with units that wanted to rock under their own terms, but – and trust me this is no joke (unlike many bands in the post-punk era) – were not ashamed of rock music or being in a rock band. That’s part of what’s going on here. They roll out some tunes that shake hands with Jade Tree emo, or jabber on, banging bits and pieces of the decent ’90s 120 Minutes stuff into half-remembered Pixies riffs or a snatch of melody from Mom’s Beatles records. No way you’d tag this as anything but current, and it seems as if – to paraphrase Jerry Lee Lewis – they know which end of the turtle to kiss. So there! Right?
(PO Box 63 Allston, MA 02134)