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Although I admit that I was won over when I saw that their press photo is an Olan Mills portrait, I am happy to report that Major is pretty incredible. Judging by the amplifier tones here, these Brooklyn-by-RISD guitar heroes play pretty bleeding loud. It’s a happy-loud — almost like Mogwai cheered the fuck up. The many-splendored guitar blitz of Major rings in the return of good old-fashioned butt rock, but played to the squarely measured rhythms of ’90s emo and Northwest indie stuff like Built To Spill. Harmonized solos echo the parallel-third boogie of Thin Lizzy (“Make Me”) while tricks like false harmonics and finger tapping (“Never Understand,” “Chompers”) peer straight into their crusty Guitar World collection. Be warned! This is no ’70s MOR Butt Rock — it’s more like Switched-On Butt Rock. From the twinkling piano arpeggios on “Kindergarten” to the even more laser-fast ones on “Victorinian,” it appears that the fancy lads are throwing a little J.S. Bach into the mix here. It’s a good move for an album that needs a little variety, which it gets finally about half-way through when the band freaks out with the mad Fahey-chops of their deliriously decadent instrumental “Dooney Rock.” Fang Island? Why not?
