Jon Spencer & The HITmakers
★★★★
Spencer Gets It Lit
BRONZERAT. CD/DL/LP
NYC post-hardcorist keeps the blues exploding, with bonus synth.
AFTER CALLING time on JSBX in 2016 due to guitarist Judah Bauer’s tour-nixing respiratory condition (among other unspecified woes), Spencer struck back with his HITmakers, the name a wry nod to 37-odd years of ramalama excellence without the faintest sniff of a commercial garland. This hugely entertaining second long-player mixes the madcap fun of early Blues Explosion records (Extra Width; Orange), with the junkyard wallop of JS’s late-’80s combo Pussy Galore, even administered by re-hired drummer Bob Bert. Primary Baby and the Cramps-y Germ Vs Jerk generate in-yourface slam-punk /blues. Elsewhere, a welcome spaciousness allows newbie Sam Coomes, of Quasi fame, to tootle amusingly no-fi retro keyboards for an all-new Spencerian sonic balance. Opener Junk Man boasts an infuriatingly catchy, Trio-esque two-finger melody, The Worst Facts imagines a tinpot Devo, and funk strut Worm Town culminates (possibly) in demented downtuned Theremin.