The Flaming Sideburns – Save Rock’N’Roll (Jet Set)

Dullards among us might say things like “Scandinavia is the new Seattle!” and “Rock and roll is back!” But most sensible people understand that the rock never left, whether we’re talking about the Pacific Northwest or the Great White North. The latest import from the land of the midnight sun? Finland’s Flaming Sideburns. Having bounced around in garage land for a few years (a 7″ on Estrus; collaborations with The Hellacopters), the Sideburns are using rock’s current populist resurgence to nick US ears with Save Rock n’ Roll. While the title might be an overstatement (and hailing from an outpost like Finland is THE ONLY way you can have a name like the Flaming Sideburns), the record is an adequate amalgam of all the elements and influences that make up the best garage rock albums. Treble-kicking 60s lead guitar, hammering bottom end, a frontman who reaches through your speaker to punch you in the chest. Eduardo Martinez is the fella’s name, and I’m sure he does a fabulous Mick Jagger impersonation at cocktail parties. The garage rock songbook titles are all here: “Loose My Soul”; “Street Survivor”; “Testify.” And the Sideburns might sometimes lean too heavily on Martinez’s passionate shrieks to authenticate their straightforward take on heavy R & B. But it’s honest rock and roll music to drink canned beer to, and the album’s few quieter, more melodic moments show some real depth. (I kept being reminded of Brian Jonestown Massacre). But The Flaming Sideburns understand that their music belongs out in the garage, and not spilling Black Label on your new shag carpeting. And despite the hype storm descending on the Sideburns and the larger Scandinavian scene, it’s that knowledge that will likely save themselves.