"Yep, that's a dumb name. Yep, that's a drum machine. Yep, Boyjazz actually DO kick ass. Seriously, ya wanna rock? We've got a band for you here! They're called, uh, Boyjazz. Ignore their dumb name and enjoy their dumb rawk. This'll give you a buzz quicker than quaffing a six pack of Pabst. Boyjazz are a duo, consisting of Sexmouth and Supertouch (Adam and Aaron to their moms). Sexmouth sings and plays guitar and bass. Supertouch handles the production and the drum programming (although live, oddly enough, he plays real drums, but prefers to program them on record, which actually sounds great). The deal here is fuzzed out, distorted ROCK. Metal, punk, stoner, cock-rock. Simple, catchy riffage with a definite glam vibe (both '70s and '80s varieties of glam). The likes of Grand Funk, T-Rex, Sabbath, Kiss, Crue, are all no doubt influences, and we'd say that this oughta appeal to fans of The Darkness, Drunkhorse, and Andrew W.K. Not only does Sexmouth manage to actually pull off the rawk vocalisms required, he writes lotsa great clever/dumb lyrics. Sample song titles: 'You + Me = Fight' and 'Tuff Luv'. One song, 'Swedish Dates', is all about how they're gonna go over and tour Scandinavia and show the Hives & co. a thing or two. Might even be a true story someday. With very few of the dozen songs on this disc even reaching the three minute mark, you know they're all about dealing out the short, sweet, swift ass-kicking your rock needs require. F'n recommended, for when you're in the mood to hear a singer yelling 'yeah!' and 'all right!'"
What really strikes me about In the City Tonight, though, is how inspired every song feels. While most bands have a stock of chords and beats that they rearrange in different ways for every song, Boyjazz seems to be a band who are ready and willing to let anything happen when they pick up their instruments. The dance-inflected buzz of 'No Doubt About It' and the b-movie romp 'You + Me = Fight' are inspired by totally different muses, the former bouncing around like the stoner kids have crashed the raver kids' scene and the latter sexy and cheeky enough to be the theme to the next James Bond movie. From song to song In the City Tonight feels like a party where anything can happen.
If you've been a fan of what the Icarus Line has been doing for the past few yeas you should definitely check out Bodyjazz. They have the same fuck you rock and roll thing going on, only they actually have the guts to put their hips into it, refusing to maintain any sort of ironic hipster distance. Unlike most of the rock bands in your collection, Boyjazz aren't record collectors attempting to recreate the sound and style of something that already existed; their music seems to be a natural byproduct of growing up on a combination of 90s alternative rock and our generation's parents' 70s AOR rock. And as cheesy and lame as that combination may sound when written like that, once it's injected with the holy ghost 'o rock n roll it sounds pretty damn tough."
But the music--man, I gotta say, what you've done is so...FRESH! It's so boogie-woogie rock and rock, but yet it's got this futuristic rock feel to it. And yeah, it sounds a LOT like the 'honey, mister Mark. Especially that song 'Gravity,' man! That one blew me away--was this the seven-inch that Sub Pop didn't want us to hear? Was 'Tuff Luv' an outtake from Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge? And what's with the newfound pop sweet-tooth on 'No Doubt About It' and the rest of the record? That's what surprised me the most, man--but in a good way. You guys really did a good thing by coming back, even if it's in a different guise. I thought that last Mudhoney album was great, man, but In The City Tonight is like the best thing you've done since 1989!!
Ah well, welcome back, guys! My friend, she tried to tell me that you're not Mudhoney, but I know too many of her secrets, so I don't believe her. It's good to hear you guys sounding so fresh and so vital these days. Losing the grunge and going for fresh-sounding sounds? Best idea you've had since those Mudhoney football jerseys. I'd ask you when you're releasing a new record, but I like In The City Tonight, so this will do."
Yet you suspect that a dearth of creativity isn't a problem. For instance, why hasn't anyone thought of titling a song 'Potfinger' before? This one's the degenerate, distant city cousin, several dozen dive bars removed, of 'Powderfinger' made that much more delightful by the warmed-up Stooges riff wrapped around the tune like a homemade tortilla. Yep, Iggy smiles down on this bean-filled enterprise, much to the dismay of those sickened by the overuse of those rock tropes, but then again so do Paul Stanley, Ozzy Osbourne, and Marc Bolan. Thus there's a little more glitter here than gutter, despite spelling mishaps like 'Tuff Luv' And that yearning for the bright lights and even brighter stars gives Supertouch, a.k.a. Aaron Levin, and Sexmouth, alias Adam Hobbs, a kind of poignancy. They may be ace recyclers in a rock genre that could easily be pegged 'city trash' but the fact that they manage it with such conviction in this otherwise laid-back, almost always 'right-on' town is a true feat of - well, well, well - imagination."
In The City Tonight is their 30-minute, 12-track debut album, and it just plain bleeds a hardcore rock aesthetic. Brimming over like an amp-shaped toilet that’s clogged with high-hat print toilet paper, this LP vibes with jump-up tempos that’ll have you tapping your foot when you should be running for your plunger. The drum beats bump while the guitar riffs grind. And the eardrum-scathing vocals come in just at the right angle to further bridge the gap between classic hair metal bands like Iron Maiden and modern cock rockers like The Darkness.
As if that weren’t enough, the lyrics to this album are horribly fun. With lines like 'When you lick my dirty brown / Ooh, it makes a squeaky sound', it’s pretty obvious these guys are just having a hell of a good time. Still, this album isn’t even close to being as much of a retarded/genius good time as Fire, the 2003 release from Electric Six that touched on the same borders of glam rock and insanity. But, then again, what is?
Comparisons aside, pour it all into an evenly buttered pan, then top it with a homemade crust. Bake it for 45 minutes at 250 degrees, and you’ve got yourself the arena rock potpie for the 21st Century that is In The City Tonight."
--Aquarius Records
--Deep Fry Bonanza
--Exoduster
--Mundane Sounds
--S.F. Bay Guardian
--Skratch Magazine
--Tastes Like Chicken