Song of the Day - July 31, 2006

It's time to end July with a bang. Awesome Color's debut self-titled album is awesome in more than just color. It is one of the best albums I have heard all year! This Ann Arbor, Michigan band captures the spirit of their forebearers, Iggy and the Stooges and The MC5. In fact, lead singer and guitarist Derek Stanton grew up across the street from Stooges' guitarist Scott Asheton. Though the band presently is based out of Brooklyn, that raw powered Michigan sound permeates every note of Awesome Color's work. With the help of producer Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Awesome Color has created a masterpiece of garage rock. There is not a low point in the whole album. I am particularly enamored with "Hat Energy," with its screeching sax and Derek's prowling vocals, the fuzzed out bluesy guitar solos of "It's Your Time," and the interchange between guitar and vocals on "Free Man." If you only listen to one tune on this album, make it "Ridin'." The energy literally overflows out of the recording, igniting everything in its path. Click here to listen.