The Willowz - Chautauqua

Their cynical artwork notwithstanding - female bassist Jessica Reynoza is more prominent in the photography than on record - The Willowz hark back to an age of rugged, sincere rock. Two guitars fight it out over a punchy rhythm section, the vocals groan in the old blues tradition, and gentle emotions are signified by the appearance of acoustic instruments and blue-grass picking. Deliberately unoriginal, it picks up on the warmth of 1970s blues-rock, dropping its machismo and introducing the rough distortion of 1980s No Wave. Unlike fellow revivalists, they don't strip the sound back but build layers of feedback and distortion over the riffs and solos, creating a familiar yet bracing roar. By the end of the album, they are beginning to repeat themselves - Choose a Side feels like a reprise of the sinister Take a Look Around, and Jubilee is a template for the other sensitive numbers - but each song is short and complete, rapidly sketching out a mood before disappearing. [Margaret Kirk]