Tiget Bear Wolf

Tiger Bear Wolf - S/T
(2005, Hello Sir Records)

I try my best to remain non-prjudicial about new bands. The one thing that can put a bad taste in my mouth before even popping the disk into my player though is the assertion by some boneheaded critic that a band is going to "save rock and roll". Rock is apparently a highly fragile damsel tied to the railroad tracks by a mustache twirling, top-hatted villain. The truth is that Rock and Roll doesn't need saving, never has. She's a shit-kicking hell raiser who can take care of herself. She just needs celebrating. If you're THAT concerned then start a damn preservation society or something. Its also interesting that none of those bands ever sound anything like Bill Haley and The Comets, instead they wallow in the bloated self indulgence that was killing rock in the mid-70's.
On their self-titled debut, Greensboro, NC's Tiger Bear Wolf actually have something new to bring to the table. When they say, "I'll take up my guitar cause I know one thing worth saving is rock and roll," there's a bit of cheekiness to the statement. They are the celebrators and not the self-proclaimed saviors. Don't take that to mean that they're the least bit ironic, when it comes to kicking out the jams they're serious. What they don't do is rest their laurels on emulating a specific rock sound for the sake of nostalgia.
What Tiger Bear Wolf does is incorporate the last thirty five odd years of rock history into their sound. There's the impetuous energy of The Stooges, the sloppy production and heavy riffage of The MC5, the braying bark of Fugazi's Ian MacKaye, the acrobatic guitaristry of Drive Like Jehu and the sophisticated innovation of Mission of Burma. One thing these guys aren't are posseurs. This album proves that sweaty energy ain't just for cock rockers anymore.
The bursts from your speakers sound so spontanious and primal that the complexity of the songs may pass you by on first listen. They don'y just grab you by the balls, they also grab you by the head. There's as much math as there is testosterone in Tiger Bear Wolf. With this release we've come closer to the day that mullets and mohawks can embrace in fellowship. I will never say that rock and roll needs to be saved, but I will admit that they've saved me from boredom and monotony.