Pressure and Time

The second album from LA-based rockers Rival Sons sees them being touted in certain quarters as the new saviours of American Rock. Certainly there are riffs aplenty that echo the likes of The Beatles and some that fly a bit too close to the sun (Paul and Ringo may wanna get the legal team to cast an ear over ‘White Noise’, a cheeky ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ facsimile). The loose crash-bang-wallop of opener ‘All Over The Road’ is all ether and exuberance. ‘Young Love’ takes Roky Erickson’s elevator to the 13th floor and steps into the corridor of U2’s ‘When Love Comes To Town.’ The staccato stomp of ‘Burn Down Los Angeles’ is overlayed with big riffing and dirty slide that manages to be both tongue-in-cheek and reverential. The monster bombast of ‘Gypsy Heart’ undulates with quiet soul stylings and funk tinkerings, while closing track ‘Face Of Light’ allows singer Jay Buchanan to release the full range of his Jeff Buckleyesque vocals. Pressure and Time? What pressure? Rival Sons are heading in the right direction.