The debut CD from this Hogtown quartet is full of surprises. First off, Snakehouse is an incredibly commercial album that bucks the trend of radio-friendly pop—it rocks. And rocks hard.
This is good old-fashioned, three-chord, guitar-based rock ’n’ roll supported by drumbeats that would make Kate Schellenbach (former drummer of Beastie Boys/Luscious Jackson) prick up her ears. And secondly, this is one of the few queer bands that is a band first and queer second. They’d be more at home at Lollapalooza than a Gay Pride celebration.
Vocalist Lucas Silveira has a rich contralto that can take a pop song like Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” and turn it inside out, wringing every last ounce of pain out of a lyric that speaks to gut-wrenching loss. But where Silveira really shines is when he rips into one of his own harder-edged compositions. The two singles, “Oh Yeah” and “Complicated,” are simply fantastic.
Often compared to early Pretenders, The Cliks’ sound is closer to that of the White Stripes. While guitarist Nina Martinez and bass player Jen Benton can hold their own, it’s drummer Morgan Doctor who’s the real standout here.
Produced by former The Pursuit of Happiness front man, Moe Berg, Snakehouse shares an energy that was apparent on the best of TPOH tracks, such as “I’m an Adult Now.” Berg understands the importance of wailing guitars in rock and takes every opportunity to show them off.
For chicks who like to rock.
