It’s hard these days to find a straight up good rock band. What was once rock’n'roll has now evolved into hundreds of little sub-genres. Sure, you have bands whose sounds harken back to music of yore and try to channel the attitudes of rock legends, but they never really quite seem to stick. Is there hope for rock’s true comeback? For now I’m going to say no. But when I listened to the Gay Blades’ single, “Oh Shot,” my heart jumped a little. The Brooklyn duo’s guitar-driven brand of trash rock made me feel a bit nostalgic for the ancient genre, but it also seemed to tie itself down to a hipster attitude that’s more prevalent among members of today’s indie community. I wasn’t quite sure what it was about this song that I liked, but I was at the very least intrigued by the band’s approach to their music.
Something inside me wants to say that “Oh Shot” is a straight up rock song, but it’s not. Although the track’s repeating guitar riff is reminiscent of other gritty garage rockers like The White Stripes, its pairing with singer/guitarist Clark Westfield’s voice give’s the song an undeniably poppy feel. There’s no doubt that Westfield can definitely belt it out just as hard as any good rock frontman, but his voice has enough sass to give the song a more modern vibe. It’s hard to tell what sound dominates in the end, but this strangely groovy rock hybrid is unique and good enough to warrant multiple listens despite its repetitive song structure.
