Suspicious Beasts - Never Bloom [Import] – New LP

Wonderful jangle garage pop from Japan, in some ways recalling the psychedelic-era folk-rock of bands like The Byrds, the forays into hillbilly-rock with bands like Quicksilver and the Stones and the power pop bands of the 1970s--the ones who included some inspiration from the Everly Brothers.  And while we are going back to Don and Phil, we should go back further and recognize that the blues element of this outing clearly owe something to Broonzy and Leadbelly.  On the other hand, the second side makes it clear that this is still a punk band, and the personnel involved help point out that even the more subdued material is like a slowed-down toned-down more-front-porch version the Denton (and Japan) additions to the Dirtnap label (additions that helped define the sound of the seminal label), and this album helps show that under that hard-driving punched-up rhythm that makes much of the punk rock of Dirtnap so enjoyable, you have the careless joy and heartfelt melancholy that graced so