SHEER MAG "What You Want" 7inch EP

     Based off this Philly band's name and especially logo one could be a little wary. Did a cheesy group that one their high school's battle of the bands contests back in the mid 80's finally get around to releasing their original songs (which basically sounded like Styx songs altered just enough to keep any possible lawsuits away) that they recorded with the free studio time they won as said contest winners? Or is the RAWK sound that Gearhead and Hit List ballyhooed about at one time rearing it's head in the "punk rock" world?
      Though the opening guitar run on this slab's lead off/title track may get people thinking they should get ready to all pile in an IROC-Z, swig some Southern Comfort with Mountain Dew chaser and yell "Hey, your got an doobers, brah" at random passersby while Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion gets turned up louder and louder, there's a whole 'nother kinda 70's/80's inspired action happening here.
     It's the kind of action that makes you wonder why so many powerpop bands of yore never realized that though a band like Cheap Trick may have had cleverly crafted songs they also rocked them out. Maybe it never occurred to those bands though as because they were too busy learning perfect hair feathering, practicing adjusting the skinny tie just right and finding some producer who would bullshit them into thinking that the frosting he would pile on their sound make them the sensation where others failed.
     The cats in Sheer Mag look like their in need of a shower, probably don't have a tie even if they gotta go to a funeral and sound like the only thing like stacked is toppings on a pizza and tall guitar cabinets.  Be it the southern rock twang tinge on "Sit & Cry", sounding like a Nikki & the Corvettes song being deep fried on "Point Break" or the choppy pogo dancing party downstrokes of "Hard Lovin'" the band brings it straight up and unadorned. Punky rock-n-roll that easily rings the bell of some great forgotten single on Sympathy.
sheermag.bandcamp.com

Comments