It was a sad day when Auckland sci-fi surf rockers, The Drab Doo-Riffs hung up their riffs. Thankfully the four E.P.’s they’ve put out have been combined into something of a ubiquitous greatest hits rather than the obscure vinyl of old. The songs stand together here as an important slice of Auckland musical history with these quality recordings.
The sharp guitars and babbling vocals layer over the whirring and grinding rhythm section as snugly as they ever did live. The funky guitar snakes through this album - proudly as the main feature of opening track 'Motorscoot Scoot' and as the solid sidebar to the frantic story telling on stand out tracks 'Lunatic Fringe' and 'Hot Tanya'. The melodies are mirrored by the ever-frothing-over Karl Steven. His vocals ramble and rage, they spit and spark and, best of all, they come accompanied by a harmonica.
The sheer energy of these 17 songs is infectious. Rockabilly elements fuse seamlessly with garage rock and then shift into overdrive. Closing out with fan favourite, 'I Wanna be Spock', maybe that should be warp drive, but this album isn’t all speed. A certain depth is hidden inside the pounding basslines and snare rolls that keeps this album from drying out.
