BLUES EXPLOSION have dropped the 'Jon Spencer' bit because as the man himself says "we're brothers...this is just a show of our solidarity, our strength and love." Yet that doesn't mean they're any less committed to blazing a white hot trail to the core of pure, adrenalised rock'n'roll.
And, whew! New single "Burn It Off" is one sidewalkin', hipshakin' mofo of a thing, replete with Keef-o-matic riffing, handclaps best described as 'heroic' and the whole band turning up the heat like they've been confined to solitary since their last album "Plastic Fang" in 2002. "Burn it awfff, I'm gonna rip it dahawannn!" drawls Jon in best mic-munching form before Judah Bauer brings on the cherry bombs and The Blues Explosion parade arguably their very best single to date.
The B-sides are due a place in the overall scheme of things too. "Fed Up And Low Down" finds them in tandem with DJ Shadow and initially sounds like it'll be an UNKLE-meets-Grandmaster Flash style workout, with cut ups, edits and The Blues Explosion held like ravenous greyhounds in the traps. When Shadow finally allows them to let rip, they pounce on the hare like someone's shoved mustard up their tookers - and (hey!) - isn't there a bassline in there, you filthy cheats?
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Dastardly. To finish with, we get a lean and fuzzy demo of "Cold, Cold Eyes" which is merely OK in this company, but still spews grubby attitude aplenty and makes your eyes bleed when you crank it up. Which is surely a job well done in Blues Explosion parlance.
Note to the discerning: the coolest bass-free outfit on this planet ain't necessarily The White Stripes. At 13 years of age, The Blues Explosion may be growing long in the tooth, but their fangs are sharp and contain deadly venom. Provoking them in their natural habitat will still have fatalistic results.
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