Ink

Bleach Bloodz

Pure Rock N Roll

Pure Rock N Roll, the new album by Kansas City’s Bleach Bloodz, comes out swinging with 10 tracks of dirty, piano- and bass-fueled garage rock that sounds right at home in seedy bars and darkened nightspots.

There is nothing subtle about this album, including its influences. It’s obvious from the first 15 seconds that Bleach Bloodz really, really like ’60s garage rock and ’70s glam.

“Two in the Bush” starts the album off with some jangling piano work before adding a driving bass line and some backing vocals during the bridge. The song serves as a great litmus test for the rest of the album, as it reflects the kind of energy, production and song structure Pure Rock N Roll features throughout.

There’s fun to be had here, if you’re up for it, but if you can’t get behind the opener, go ahead and quit while you’re ahead.

The casual nature of Pure Rock N Roll is not without its charm. Hearing members of the band talking during tracks or interjecting whoops and shouts fits the jagged nature of the album. And the resulting songs are undeniably fun because of it.

“I Try” stands out as one of the album’s best and most driving songs. It manages to balance the band’s on-the-fly approach with quality lead guitar work and semi-restrained vocals. The result is a song that fits the album’s title perfectly.

And while the band tries nine other variations on the same theme, none of them really click into place as fully as “I Try.”

That’s really the biggest problem with Pure Rock N Roll: It’s an album dedicated to retracing the same steps musicians have been retracing since 1969.

On one hand, the album never aspires to be more than a fun, jangling rock album that demonstrates some of the band’s energy from its live shows. On the other hand, it’s an album that doesn’t do anything particularly new or inventive.

Every record doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel, and there’s something to be said for imitation, flattery and the lost art of the three-minute rock single. But there’s also just as much to be said for originality.

Pure Rock N Roll never aspires to be anything more than a quick, dirty rock ’n’ roll outing, and in that respect it succeeds. Anyone in need of a fast, concise rock record that wears its influences on its sleeve will find what they’re looking for here.

— trevan mcgee { ink }

Find it

Pick up Pure Rock N Roll at Prospero’s Books, Streetside Records and Zebedee’s RPM in Kansas City, at Kief’s Downtown Music and Love Garden Sounds in Lawrence, and via iTunes and cdbaby.com.

See them
See the Bleach Bloodz live at 8 p.m. Saturday at Danny’s Bar & Grill in Lenexa.