A one-man band consisting of Mikey Devigne, a 30-something Brooklynite who lists as his idols the likes of Highway 61, the Stooges and “the nutty guy that plays guitar at the 14th Street F train stop,” Guitar Bomb is a fascinating study in dichotomies. This is instantly apparent on Devigne’s debut CD. A collection of eight raw, gritty punk-blues tunes that sound as if they were recorded in someone’s bedroom, Back Alley Jesus certainly recalls at times the output of Iggy Pop and his buddies (particularly on the rowdy opening track, “Angels and Devils”), but is actually a bit closer in nature to some of Bob Dylan’s most recent output, particularly Time Out of Mind, the Oscar-winning “Things Have Changed” single and last year’s Modern Times. This is in part due to Devigne’s grizzled voice—a hearty concoction of raggedy hillbilly charm and down-and-out desperation that is at once familiar and, strangely, cozy—as well as the music itself. Devigne may incorporate electric guitar and drum loops into his sound—and recall iconic punk bands like the Clash with his wink-nudge song titles (one track is called “Rudie Can Fail”)—but his tunes are pure rockabilly blues, mixing heartache, righteous indignation and a fondness for backwoods Americana into a wholly listenable result. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this record is one of 2006’s most criminally overlooked albums. Devigne might not be Dylan, but, with his lived-in voice and knack for imbuing his brand of punk with the spirit of the Delta Mississippi players of the '30's, he certainly gets credit for being nearly as inventive.
~ Ken Knox
http://www.craftyrecords.net
http://www.craftyrecords.net/guitarbomb.cfm
