Throw Rag--Desert Shores
BYO 2003
The best surprises are those which seemingly come from out of nowhere and rock you to your core. Of all the rock n' roll surprises over the last few years, nobody fits that description better than Throw Rag. With their new album, Desert Shores, these guys have dropped one of the all-time masterpieces of rock n' roll bad intention. It is, to say the least, a stunner of epic proportions.
Throw Rag play a brand of swaggering, no-bullshit rock n' roll akin to that of the Heartbreakers and Deadboys, with just a pinch of AC/DC thrown in for good measure. It's a formula that is tried and true. However, the difference between Throw Rag and all the pretenders out there is that this band has the intangible "it" that elevates the music to something vital and great. In fact, Desert Shores is dripping with that "it" factor in a way that hasn't been heard for a very long time.
From the songwriting standpoint, Desert Shores is completely without flaw. This is a collection where all the stars lined up right and something magic was born. It's paced perfectly with the two best cuts falling square middle of the order, "Bag of Glue" and "Beware of the Dog." Once you reach this point, it's over for you--there is no resisting what's coming through the speakers. From here, Throw Rag continue to pummel you with killer originals like "Bad Seeds" as well as a twisting wig-out of a cover in "Please Don't Touch." When it's all over, you're left wondering what the hell just hit you and how you ever lived without it.
If not for Turbonegro's Scandinavian Leather, Desert Shores would be the hands-down rock n' roll album of the year. How important and essential it is that you score Desert Shores cannot be expressed enough. Throw Rag are absolutely sick--and I mean sick--in concert, so you can't afford to miss them live either. Un-fucking-believable, top to bottom, from the thoroughbred dark horse of 2003.
Score this CD directly from BYO
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