Playing Favorites＜Wax Drip Vinyl＞

On their third album and Third Man Records debut, 2024s Playing Favorites, Sheer Mag deliver their most stylistically ambitious and well-rounded record to date. Arriving four years after the old-school sonic gut punch that was A Distant Call, Playing Favorites finds the Philly outfit summoning all of their deep 70s and 80s vinyl passions. With their retro influences and ripped T-shirt and jeans-style swagger, Sheer Mag have always seemed like the type of band that would have gotten rotation on the 80s radio station sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati; their diverse rock & roll blend runs the gamut from Foreigner and Eddie Money to the Cars, Kool & the Gang, and the Knack. Its an evocative notion and one Playing Favorites only serves to underscore. The impressive thing is that while Sheer Mag celebrate their rock heroes openly, they never sound derivative or too overly indebted to any one band. Whether its singer Tina Halladays full-hearted snarl, the double-tube-amp guitar attack of Matt Palmer and Kyle Seely, or the pumping bass grooves of Hart Seely, Sheer Mag are the kind of group where each member is vital to the sound. On their previous albums, they kicked down the door of classic rock, conjuring the carnal, clenched-fisted spirit of bands like AC/DC, Kiss, and Thin Lizzy. While that spirit certainly lives on here, theres a more relaxed vibe as they explore an array of sounds that still fit easily into their analog aesthetic. Particularly engaging are cuts like "Moonstruck," with its smooth country-rock-meets-tropical island reggae vibe and "I Gotta Go" with its working-class power pop energy. There are also a few dancey post-punk moments, as on "All Lined Up," which has a kind of Blondie-meets-Nile Rodgers pizazz. Yet more unexpected is "Mechanical Garden," a largely instrumental prog track that sounds uncannily like it was culled from an early-80s Japanese city pop anime soundtrack. All of this is impressively executed as Sheer Mag deftly employ the occasional pedal steel, string section, and fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Theres also a sense of coming home on the album, a kind of emotional taking stock as if the band are looking back on their almost decade-long career and celebrating who they are and what theyve accomplished. Its a sentiment Halladay highlights on the title track, singing, "At the end of the day, baby were all you need." With Playing Favorites, Sheer Mag have made an excellent rock & roll album, and yes, sometimes that is all you need. ~ Matt Collar

パワフルな女性シンガーを擁するフィラデルフィアの4人組がジャック・ホワイトのレーベルからサード・アルバムをリリース。パワー・ポップという大枠の中でディスコ、フォーク、ブギ、カントリーが入り混じるダサかっこよさは、〈アメリカン・ロックの良心〉なんて言えるかも。その意味ではセンスの塊のようなバンドだ。時折閃かせるツイン・リードのハモリもたまらない!
bounce (C)山口智男