Arts & Entertainment
 

'High Life' feeds off garage's greatest

By Jim Parsons
The Daily Cougar

It's pretty clear where The Forty-Fives get their inspiration. Their music, a gritty mix of rock and blues, brings to mind some of the best rockers of 40 years ago -- The Beatles, The Who, The Zombies.

It isn't surprising, then, that the group's latest album, High Life High Volume, is so satisfying: We've heard it all before. The music worked the first time, and the Atlanta-based foursome's reworking succeeds just as ably.

It starts with "Who Do You Think You Are," a straightforward garage-rocker packed with gritty guitars, sneering vocals, horns and an abundance of tambourine. There's nothing fancy here, no innovative sounds or soul-searching lyrics, but all the songs give the impression that The Forty-Fives really like what they're doing.

The group began in the late 1990s as a trio, but the original members -- vocalist Bryan G. Malone, bassist Mark McMurtry and drummer Adam Renshaw -- claim to have found their real sound when they added Trey Tidwell, who adds a shimmering layer of Hammond B-3 organ to The Forty-Fives' sound.

The problem with listening to High Life straight through is track after track of relentless, guitar-driven rock. It's fun, it's reckless, it's classic and it's almost more than you want in one sitting. That's what makes tracks like the instrumental "Backstage at Juanita's," which showcases Malone's guitar work and Tidwell's B-3, and the ‘60s pop "Junkfood Heaven" such a treat -- they're different.

That sameness should make the down-and-out lament "Too Many Miles" a welcome change, too, but it doesn't. The song aims to be a tear-jerker, but misses the mark. A saxophone solo materializes in the final 30 seconds, but it's too late.

High Life is, overall, an enjoyable, high-energy listen that should appeal to devotees of original ‘60s rockers and their more recent incarnations, like The Mooney Suzuki and The Hives. Local fans will be glad to know that The Forty-Fives will open for The Reverend Horton Heat at the Engine Room on July 28.

That's ample time to work up an appetite for some raucous bar rock.

The Forty-Fives

High Life High Volume

Yep Roc Records

The verdict: It's familiar, but a lot of fun.

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