Them Wranch
Medium Rare
Orange Recordings

Medium Rare is the second album from Columbus, Ohio threesome Them Wranch, presenting more of their dirty, sweaty rock music to be found in steamy, smokefilled little clubs with beer to your knees. Their debut Big Noise from East Maynard (2000) was quite well received, and the boys have been gigging a lot (doing shows with acts like Country Teasers, Dead Moon, New Bomb Turks, to name just a few), and I can imagine they're a live act worth checking out. The press sheet states: "it's not punk rock, but very punk rock in that it enthusiastically perverts punk with flair." Attitude, right. Go.

Them Wranch - Andy Wranch (vocals, guitar, lap steel), Gerald Morrison (bass, vocals, moog), and Joe Patt (vocals, drums) - present a mixture of psychotic garage rock'n'roll, twist-beat pop, and, yes punked rawk of med-fi sound colorisation. Sounding like they've built their musical platform after picking input from late 60s and early-to-mid 70s bands, like the Kinks, the Yardbirds, the Pretty Things, the Animals, the Seeds, Iggy & the Stooges, the Dictators, to name some. And the mixture is a pleasant meal of spice and taste. One strenght is their short and concise songs; only two songs ticks up to 4 minutes, the rest clocks in under 3 (most of them even under 2:30). The high octane driver High at Sweet D's reminds me slightly of Stooges' classic Search and Destroy - not bad. And they keep on, speeding out greasy, but popy (catchy, that is) songs. Love on Fire, the cocky Snakebite, the sneaky teaser Easy to Tease, and the more laidback Dark Circles. Other cool pieces are Headcast and I Need a Priest. Even though are some anonymous tracks inbetween Medium Rare keeps at a respectable level.

Medium Rare is, well, medium rare only, but really good company - along with a sixpack. Or, is that beer and fish tacos... Roll on!

Copyright © 2001 Håvard Oppøyen