Oblivians are back with their first studio album in 16 years. 'Desperation' (In The Red) sees the return of rampant garage-rock-blues stylings they're known and so well loved for. These 14 blistering new songs are unmistakably our favourite Memphis trio as they beckon 50's rock 'n' roll, 60's garage, soul and blues. During their break Eric, Gregg and Jack have been continued to write music (Reigning Sound, Parting Gifts, Jack-O & the Tearjerkers, The Dutch Masters, True Sons of Thunder to name a few) and what sets 'Desperation' apart from previous albums is you can hear how working apart has brought something new to the table. The songs sound more slick without losing the wild and rambunctious nature of their approach. A great example is "Loving Cup" featuring hyper chugging rhythms, smokey vocals, crunchy guitars and a savage guitar solo sailing over the top of the whole thing. From there The Oblivians continue to turn up the heat with brawlers like "Run For Cover", "Fire Detector" and one of my highlights "Oblivion". 'Desperation' finishes with "Mama Guitar" playing out scratchy strings, rock 'n' roll howls and thumping beats seeing the album blasting on all cylinders before it leaves you in the dust. Really great new record, when it comes to trailblazing rock songs Oblivians dish 'em up in spades.
