Obnox Boogalou Reed

 

Don’t be fooled by the punny song titles, “Boogalou Reed” and “Cynthia Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” Cleveland’s punk rock ‘n’ roll destroyer, Obnox, isn’t going cute on his next 12XU LP.

Perhaps the more interesting of the two, “Boogalou Reed,” finds Lamont “Bim” Thomas taking on the role of urban soul poet. However, in this updated take on ’70s conscious cool, the beat is a big Bonham-like electronic thump and the synths owe more to the outsiders of modern head music than any standard motif.

 

 

The second track, “Cynthia Piper at The Gates of Dawn,” is the more meat and potatoes of the two. Over the course of three LPs, plus near constant singles and EPs, Thomas has all but perfected his signature model of blasted out soul punk by ceaselessly stacking rowdy, blasted out guitar tracks atop a classically styled garage rock melody. And yet, it still thrills every time.