The Parlor Mob - And You Were a Crow

Roadrunner
Published June 26, 2008  by Keith Carman in CD Reviews

It’s about that time again. The fuzz-rock of the ’70s has circulated through the wringer and is enjoying a revival. And You Were a Crow is The Parlor Mob’s offering, an album obviously influenced by the groovy rhythms and blues-based riffs of Monster Magnet — a ’90s band, so we’re talking about second-hand ’70s influences at best. Strange, then, that with a vocal delivery closer to Robert Plant’s nasal wail, the end result is more retro-minded than even Monster Magnet’s Dave Wyndorf ever thought possible. Moderately catchy but still mired in the unavoidable trappings of cliché, much of And You Were a Crow follows a formula of gritty guitars ringing out over straightforward drum beats, with the occasional spaced-out, Nebula-esque jam thrown in for stoned measure. One can almost rhyme off the checklist of lazy elements: Thin Lizzy guitar runs? Check. Hendrix fills? Yep. Lack of anything unique to offer? Bingo. Welcome to another humdrum visit with classic rock’s unsurprising stereotypes.



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