Record Review: Pleasure Boys — 'Shadows'

Shadows transports you to 1960s Southern California, as a psychedelic haze permeates the record, a hint of The Doors here and there, but mutated through no-wave vibes, garage punk and plenty of group vocals. The opener and title track recalls the most bombastic moments of The Birthday Party, with post-punk insanity, interpreted by singer/guitarist McKinley Moore and company as a visceral, yet gleeful, exploration of noise and sound. Shadows builds a bold tapestry that grows and evolves less through compositional changes, and more through dynamics, featuring big ideas that are barely-contained — a chaotic and often beautiful landscape of primal madness.