Have you seen a low-cost music biography TV show: the type that turn up on digital channels around midnight and are infuriatingly light on content? They usually don’t have the licence to use the original material of artists from the sixties and seventies but solve this problem by drafting in session players to perform sound-a-like versions of hits. The chords and melodies remind you of the songs you love but there's something missing. Along with being subtly different enough to avoid a massive lawsuit it's all too slick and unlovable compared to the originals. The drums are too tinny, the guitars are too thin and it's all covered in a disgustingly plastic reverb. Unfortunately that's what The New Evils sound like.
The New Evils hail from New York and (as their myspace deliciously observes) are "probably older than your dad". When I first saw this statement I hoped it was a pre-emptive strike; that behind the crow's feet and thinning hair there was a fire that could take on and destroy the many other mediocre bands influenced exclusively by music made up to The Stooges' 'Raw Power.' Instead it seems the band wear this fact as a perverse badge of pride. It's as if they are saying "this is how music should be, we are not going to play anything different".
And again, that idea has some promise. What is more thrilling than a group of friends denouncing the modern trend and working relentlessly on creating the music they believe in? Unfortunately, when it's done by a band hurtling towards their twilight years with nothing to prove or say, it's dreary.
There is simply nothing new or exciting on offer here. The band is clearly so in love with their 1960s garage influences that any sense of originality was rehearsed out of them years ago. You can hear chord changes and riffs approaching from about three weeks away. Lyrically too, the record is practically anonymous: "Its such a drag to see you again" is an example of something that could have been a withering put down if performed by Bob Dylan or Jarvis Cocker, but when it's sung without conviction it sinks without a trace.
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The main thought that keeps repeating whilst listening to Piece Of Tomorrow is that The New Evils must be a fantastic proposition in a small venue. The ludicrously retro Hammond organ that punctuates opener Maryann and the Rolling Stones-y shuffle of The Drag are done with such enthusiasm that it must be impossible to ignore in a live setting. Singer Denny Morrison's meticulously rehearsed Lou Reed impression is also a joy on a few tracks. However the clinical way the record is overdubbed to maddening perfection takes all the warmth and satisfaction away from the songs. You are constantly yearning to revisit your old record collection rather than persevere with what's on offer here.
The heartlessly pristine production eventually leaves in time for the album closer As Is, a refreshingly sloppy talking blues style number. It's the first time The New Evils allow themselves to reveal a sense of humour. It's swampy and knowingly throwaway and as a result the most enjoyable moment on the album.
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