Published on Jun 19, 2003
Keeping it real. That’s the stigma that garage bands carry with
them. Stripped-down production, one-take tracks and distorted
guitars, baby! Such simplistic tactics might have you thinking
these bands are low life achievers if you didn’t know any
better.
Scandinavia has been home base for the recent garage rock
revival. Trust me when I say that the Nordic area deserves the real
credit for launching bands like the White Stripes (U.S.), the Vines
(Australia), and the Strokes (U.S) into their various levels of
current stardom. All this while the true forefathers of this genre,
The Nomads and The Hellacopters, remain largely undiscovered by
anyone living west of the Atlantic Ocean.
And while Stockholm, Sweden’s A-Bombs have long since disbanded,
it won’t keep me from walking the plank and saying that these guys
deserve mention in the “essential” category by temporarily
overlooking the fact that they only ever released two albums
themselves. Sure, they missed the opportunity to cash in by
breaking up on the cusp of 2002’s garage-rock phenomenon. For that,
some might call them underachievers. And yes, they misspelled the
title of their five-track EP,
Low Life Achivement. I’ll credit this action as creative
genius since there is a beautiful irony in this.
Led by Chuck Pounder on lead vocals and guitar (yes,
Hellacopters fans, that Chuck Pounder) the A-Bombs fit nicely into
the fuel-actioned rock n’ roll category.
Low Life Achivement has all the elements needed to make this
a legitimate claim as the songs are built along slightly distorted
but accelerating guitar hooks and Pounder’s straightforward vocal
style.
“Satisfaction Got No Friend” is a quick gallop of a song that
showcases a number of Skynyrd-esque guitar solos as it stop-starts
its way through a varied mixed-tempo arrangement. While Pounder
vocalizes the track with authoritative conviction, it’s the
following track, “My Love is the Devil” that has him crooning at
his best as his style comes off in a more pleading manner. The
background vocals of Nicke Royale of the Hellacopters provide added
depth to make this the preferred song on the album.
The closing track, “T.C.B.” would normally be classified as a
ballad of sorts if it weren’t for the crunch of the guitars as
Pounder winds down each verse. The result is a gritty plea that has
Pounder declaring he’s a “living lie” as he asks if “it’s true what
they say about you.” The rest of the lyrics seem to have him living
dangerously in a state of self-doubt.
The A-Bombs’
Low Life Achivement is an EP that won’t strike anyone as an
overly complex production. It relies on plenty of guitar hooks and
wankery that naysayers of the band will cite as a certain typical
male overindulgence. That observation aside, Low Life Achivement is
an album that flows brilliantly from beginning to end with no real
surprises. Pounder’s vocals are heartfelt and that should count for
plenty as another guy who repeatedly cashes the same chip, Bruce
Springsteen, comes to mind.