MC ROADS
"No Nostalgia" (Golden Robot
Records; 2021)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
"No Nostalgia," by MC Roads, is a fat granite slab of Detroit style rock'n'roll. It's got huge guitars, driving rhythms and a vocalist who almost calmly tells his stories, track by track, with a smooth, warm voice.
MC Roads is the new project by Mike Cross, founding member and guitarist for the band Sponge, who has returned to rock'n'roll after a several years break. After giving "No Nostalgia" a listen-through, I dug out my old Sponge tracks and gave them another listen. "No Nostalgia" is pretty different from "Rotten Piñata" (although there are, of course, similarities). MC Roads has a heavier sound, more of a rock'n'roll sound, than Sponge did. I mean, Sponge did kick it up sometimes, but MC Roads does it more consistently, at least on the five tracks here.
Strangely enough, the sound and feel of "No Nostalgia" made me think of Alice Cooper's latest album, "Detroit Stories," which Cooper called a tribute to the Detroit sound. I really don't know the Detroit sound from the Barstow sound but I know this: "No Nostalgia" kept me entertained throughout.
My favorite tracks were "My Insane Friend," with its eerie Roy Orbison feel, and the opener, "Smile Like a Knife," which gets points for its title alone but also for its rolling, raw atmosphere and irresistible chorus.
For more information, check out https://mcroads.com/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2021 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
