Review: Mick’s Jaguar ‘Salvation’

I’m a sucker for a great band name. A great band name can not only quip the listener’s curiosity, but it can also give a pretty good hint at the sonics that the band are proffering. New York’s Mick’s Jaguar own just such a name. The second I heard it, I thought ‘great name, I’m betting these guys are into 90’s style, garage punk rawk, sign me up’ and sure as shit, I wasn’t far off at all with my initial assessment.

Mick’s Jaguar ‘Salvation’

Evidently, and not surprisingly based on their name, Mick’s Jaguar started out as a Rolling Stones cover band, before morphing into writing their own songs. Forgoing a bass player, the band interestingly opt for a punchy, ‘ three-guitar-attack, featuring Alex Forbes, Grace Hollaender, and Donald Meehleis, which is completely effective, and separates them a bit as the band’s sound is treble-y crispy, and catchy.

Salvation, the band’s second full-length, sounds pretty much exactly what I imagined. Opening with the driving, riff-y Skin Contact checks a ton of boxes right off the bat. Phil Rudd-style-thud on the drums, catchy-as-shit riffing, and John Martin’svocals are dripping with rock ‘n’ roll attitude and delivered with authority. Handshake Deals is an early favorite as the riff, and chorus are catchy as hell, with the bands shout-along-chorus getting stuck in the listener’s head pretty much instantly. Definitely some driving, AC/DC-style rock action.

Free On The Street is an upbeat, bouncy rocker, complete with the now-familiar shout-along vocals in the chorus, and all sorts of killer shred, which, with three guitarists, is almost stating the obvious. One of my album highlights is Molotov Children, with its AC/DC-style intro, attitude drenched vocals from Martin complimented by well-placed, gang-shouted, ‘wooh-oohs’, that accentuate the chorus. Additionally, Forbes, Holllaender and Meehleis’ presence is emphatically felt, as the three of them bounce off each other, interplay between riffs, and produce some all-around rockin’ guitar playing. An album highlight for sure.

straight-up rock ‘n’ roll, delivered with punk attitude…

Other highlights include the catchy, riffing 5am, the slow-build, AC/DC riffage of Hell’s Gate, and album closer Georgia Pine, as Martin takes a back seat on the mic, allowing Hollaender to step up on vocals, her silky smooth voice, riding perfectly parallel above the riffs & drums, complimenting them well, and giving this track a nice curveball to end Salvation.

Taken as a whole, Salvation is a pretty killer, driving garage rock ‘n’ roll album with all sorts of catchy, early AC/DC action to be found, with Martin’s attitude-drenched, punkish vocals, taken with the three-guitar-attack, give Mick’s Jaguar a Turbonegro Scandinavian Leather-era feel to go with aforementioned AC/DC vibes.

As well, drummer Sam Cooper deserves plenty of praise heaped on him, for his solid, rock-steady, Phil Rudd impersonation, holding that low-end down, minus a bassist, and keeping these songs marching along. Mick’s Jaguar’s sonics matched their cool name with some ‘70s energy sprinkled about and if one is in the mood for some straight-up rock ‘n’ roll, delivered with punk attitude, Salvation will certainly scratch that itch.

Label: Tee Pee Records | Totem Cat Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram

Scribed by: Martin Williams