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About
I was first introduced to The Science Fiction Idols when Da-Core Records sent me a Spooky Sugar promo package for review. “Cool” I thought. Who doesn’t love getting free stuff in the mail? I popped the disc in the player and wouldn’t you know it. It’s actually a good listen!
The Sci-Fi Idols are Bobby Lamonde (vocals/guitar), Gary Strutt (guitar), Angel O (drums), and Greg Brancati (bass). They formed in 1998 out of Pittsburgh and were “set forth upon this plane in an effort to bring back the lost ideals and new hope” to their realm.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about Spooky Sugar. My first thought when listening to track 1 was that their vocal sound reminds me a lot of L.A. Guns; Phil Lewis turned down. As much as I hate comparing, and bands hate being compared to, you can definitely hear traces of the Gunners and some New York Dolls, who, by the way, they list as one of their inspirations. Honestly, that’s not a bad combo to be compared to…
The album as a whole has a “honky-punk” sound to it. No really, I just made that word up! To define honky-punk, I’d call it a little honky-tonk thing mixed with some punk and a pinch of sleaze. “Little Fly” is a perfect example of this.
As I said before, the whole disc is a good listen, but if I had to name a few tracks that stood out for one reason or another, “I Love Your Mouth” and “Ballad of the New Young Creeps” are EXTREMELY catchy and fun. “Cats Galore” is pretty good too. Gary Strutt actually takes over the lead singer duties on this one. He seems to have a little more power and a certain crunchy-ness that Bobby tends to tone down. Don’t get me wrong though, both singers can get the job done when the cards are down. I hesitate to reference Phil Lewis again, but it’s the same as when he and Steve Dior go back and forth on their Filthy Lucre disc. It just works.
On the Sci-Fi Idols web site, there are a few live tracks worth downloading from a local radio station appearance. I really hate buying an album and the band sounds great in the studio, but sucks when they’re missing their digital delays and compressors. This is not the case with The Science Fiction Idols. The live versions are just as good as what you’d hear off the CD.
So to wrap things up, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give Spooky Sugar a very high 7. I would love to see this band blow up and start a nationwide tour. For more information about The Science Fiction Idols, check out The Sci-Fi Idols' site or Da'Core's site.
