I’ll come right out and say that their debut full-length, Allah-Las, is one of the most authentically textured pieces of Sixties nostalgia I’ve ever heard. Aside from even that startling fact, the songs are easily some of the best that have dropped in 2012. I’m having such a tough time even fathoming what will make my Top 10 of the year, but chances are that Allah-Las’ debut LP is making the cut.
Often compared to bands like Nick Waterhouse, and Tijuana Panthers (all fantastic bands as well), Allah-Las brings a psychedelia that invaded the rock’n’roll mindset of the mid-Sixties. It’s nuanced and exists mainly in the guitars, but it’s there. As a whole, the band is content with memorable melodies that recall the Ventures at times and the Black Lips at others.
Over the course of the album’s 12 tracks, there lies not a single dud. It’s obvious that these guys are serious about what they do. The melodies are too sharp, the tone is too specific, and the structures too tight to think even for a second that any of this album was taken for granted. Even the instrumental “Sacred Sands” plays itself out like a well-oiled machine. Elsewhere, on tracks like “Don’t You Forget It,” the band settles into surf-rock licks and a soul groove that begs you to shake your hips. At the 1:50 mark when it’s declared that “you’ll never find another man like me” and the drums and guitar cut loose, I dare you not to lose it.
Like most classic albums, Allah-Las knows the strength that comes with keeping a consistent tone throughout an album. It breaks and rolls back and breaks again like the workings of a California tide. Keeping every track under four minutes, they’ve honed these jams to a precision fight for a Bowie knife. Also like most classic albums, Allah-Las knows that ending your album with a killer track is as important as starting it off with one. “Long Journey” is 3-minutes of groovy bliss, and it’s landing about as high as anything other single I’ve heard in 2012.
It may not be summer in California anymore, but Allah-Las brings the sunshine like few bands have even the capability of doing.
