The Hurricane Lamps
Sing Me a Song

(Sonic Boomerang)

First Appeared at The Music Box, October 2003, Volume 10, #10

Written by John Metzger

Disregard the serene sunset that graces the cover of Sing Me a Song, the fourth outing from The Hurricane Lamps. The D.C.-based trio puts a heavy emphasis on the first half of the term "power-pop," without forgoing the latter, raising quite a clattering commotion in the process.

Having released its debut just four years ago, The Hurricane Lamps are a young band, one that still wears its influences on its sleeve and continues to search for its place within the pantheon of rock ’n‘ roll. Its lyrics cover the typical ground of broken hearts and one-night stands, adding little in the way of insight, yet on Sing Me a Song it all comes together well enough for the ensemble that it just might break out of its role as local favorite to make a name for itself on the national scene.

Call it garage rock or indie rock. Call it revivalist-punk or pop-punk. It really doesn’t matter. Critics undoubtedly will scour their record collections searching for the most obscure ensembles from the ’80s and ’90s in any of these genres for comparative purposes, but the fact of the matter is that The Hurricane Lamps are caught somewhere between the mid-’60s sounds of The Who and The Kinks. Sure the group tosses about bits and pieces of other acts, such as the jangle-y guitars of U2 or the discordant pleasures of The Velvet Underground. But Sing Me a Song is, for the most part, brimming with a blend of British-invasion pop and maximum R&B-tinged rock. It really is that simple, and it really is that good.

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box