The Mystery Lights – The Mystery Lights

Album Review by Gary Kaill | 02 Jun 2016
Album title: The Mystery Lights
Artist: The Mystery Lights
Label: Wick
Release date: 24 Jun

Positives: expertly played, genuinely soulful and more grooves than Sandanista! on vinyl. Negatives: we've been here before. And haven’t we just? The New York-based garage act display sharp legacy chops, for sure, but more and more the raw power of late 60s rock'n'roll feels like an all-too-easy stopping off point for the next generation.

Is that The Mystery Lights' fault? Well, no (it's probably The Black Keys' – let's blame them anyway). The allure of an unprocessed, unspoilt scene is hard to deny. History, after all, is there not to be gawped at, but to be toyed with and explored. And the songs are solid enough, particularly Candlelight (a dead ringer for The Sonics) and Follow Me Home, which has the swagger and punch of Van Morrison's Them. If that whole milieu is to your taste, definitely worth seeking out.

http://facebook.com/TheMysteryLights