The old saying of old is new again is certainly very relevant to the rock scene at the moment. So many bands, even established bands like The Rolling Stones and Foo Fighters, seem to be hopping in time machines and heading back to the good ‘ol days for rock to once again visit the sound that the pioneers of the genre once made famous. Well if you are loving that revival than you may want to check out the new album, Skydogs, by Belguim rockers The Sore Losers because this fantastic new album would easily also have won over fans during the 1970s.
This late runner for album of the year contention kicks off with The Sore Losers sounding like a very early Black Sabbath as their drawn out rock riffs create a gem of a song with Blood Moon Rising. They follow that up with Got It Bad a track that conjures up thoughts of a Guy Ritchie gangster flick as lead singer, Jan Straetemans, drawls ‘girl, I got it bad.’
The Sore Losers pick up the pace a little with Cherry Cherry, a track that is once again made up of some great rock riffs (it seems to be the band’s speciality) from guitarist Cedric Maes and the very summery feel to the track remains right down to the last chords when a new psychedelic sound creeps onto the album… a feel that I perhaps should have been expecting given the album’s artwork. That psychedelic sound sticks around for Can’t You See Me Running which is how I imagine The Beatles would sound if they were still churning out music today.
One of the best things about Skydogs as an album is that no two tracks sound alike. The Sore Losers seem to mix and match their sound as they seem fit so one moment you are listening to the slower pace of a track like Emily and the next moment you’re hearing the manic sound of Dirty Pretty Little Thing. The opening of All I Am captures that classic Black Keys sound and then morphs into a catchy slowed down track.
Nightcrawler sees a more fun sound of The Sore Losers while a more aggressive, darker side of The Sore Losers comes out to play on Don’t Want It Here. Despite the darkness the track remains catchy and that darker sound remains on White Whale which also sees the band bring back their psychedelic sound which makes this album such a great listen.
The Sore Losers are one of the rock finds of 2016 and if you love your rock music this is one album that you need in your collection.
5 Stars
