CD Reviews

The Go

Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride | Cass

By MIKAEL WOOD | June 26, 2007

3.0 Stars

SONS OF QUENTIN: The Go make junk-culture pop to the max.

To judge by the nutty stylistic experiments and the modern-studio production sheen of Icky Thump, Jack White no longer considers throwback garage rock to be its own reward. But fear not, Nuggets heads: on their new long-player, White’s old bandmates in the Go — a relatively obscure Detroit outfit with whom he played shortly before the release of the first White Stripes album — sound as if they hadn’t heard a note of music made since 1972. (In fact, Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride comes out July 3 on vinyl and won’t be out on CD until July 24.) When the songwriting of bandleaders Bobby Harlow and John Krautner hits its Kinks-Beatles-Troggs sweet spot, the Go’s studious retro vibe makes for some great junk-culture fun; opener “You Go Bangin’ On” and “Yer Stoned Italian Cowboy” deserve prime placement in a future Quentin Tarantino flick. About halfway through, however, the hooks begin to dry up, leaving the cardboard-box drums and aluminum-foil guitars all dressed up with nowhere to go.

The Go + Forest Henderson + 28 Degrees Taurus + The Have Mercys | Middle East upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge | July 2 | 617.864.EAST

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