CD Reviews

Bunny Ranch

Luna Dance | Transformadores

By BRETT MILANO | October 15, 2007

3.0 Stars

“We got a thing going on, this lovely romance/You can call me anytime, to do a dance!” Okay, so their English idiom is a little exotic. But these garage-rockers from Coimbra, Portugal, get the music exactly right, and the quirks of language (imagine a fist-pounding chorus of “We must join forces! We must join forces!”) only make them more endearing. I can’t say what they were thinking when they wrote the chorus “Never on my watch/Never in my face,” but it just might be the political statement of the year. Bunny Ranch strike the proper mix of three-chord stomp and soulful swagger. Some of the influences are close to home: “B” begins with a Vox-organ flourish that sounds just like the tune-ups at the start of a Lyres show. They’ve listened to some ’60s soul as well, and they’ve picked up some obvious pointers about working a groove and writing a hook. Their best track, “Can’t Stop the Ranch,” is the kind of band anthem/themesong that endeared the Hives (and for that matter, the Monkees) to US ears. And if the Swedish band could move units in America, these guys surely have a shot.

Bunny Ranch + Almighty Terribles + Lyres + Doom Buggies | Cantab Lounge, 738 Mass Ave, Cambridge | October 20 | 617.354.2685

Related: Slick Weave, the Ruler, Hey, hey, we're the Monkees, Best left alone, More

Topics: CD Reviews , The Monkees

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