Album Review: The Shang Hi-Lo's - "Aces, Eights And Heartbreaks"

 

Another group from the Rum Bar records stable, the Shang Hi-Lo's hail from Boston (obviously) and this album definitely has a bit of a retro feel to it as you would expect, dipping its toe into both garage rock and classic '60s pop. But that's not a problem.

Kicking in with the swinging Takes One To Know One which takes the old rockabilly template and adds a dose of candy floss sweet melodies to it, second track Monsieur Valentine could almost a great lost Revillos song (maybe with a hint of Kirsty MacColl in there as well) with its girl group style vocal harmonies and retro power pop rhythms. The title track goes into almost '70s disco territory which is...well, okay but it doesn't quite sit as comfortably as the first two tracks did but thankfully the Ronettes-meets-Ramones Plymouth Rock is on hand to right things afterwards - again, the duelling male and female vocals definitely hark back to Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife a bit.

Billy has an almost spaghetti western feel to it and adds a much needed curveball into the mix with its Mariachi trumpets although These Four Walls which follows it is a bit anonymous, leaning towards being power pop by numbers unfortunately. Again, thankfully it's a temporary blip as the frenetic Castaway sees the quality restored with its pounding drums and whirling guitar riff. Victoria's Garden takes things forward into '80s new wave territory with its Go-Go's style keyboards before the Runaways-esque Ingenue (which has a riff reminiscent of the Dictators' first album which is never a bad thing) signs things off.

Although it's not the best thing I've heard from Rum Bar's impressive stable in the last year or so, Aces, Eights And Heartbreaks is still a competent effort which will appeal to power pop aficionados at least even if it's unlikely to convert those who aren't fans of the genre. A solid effort which suggests this band have definitely got a bit of potential to build on what's here in their future efforts.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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