Review
Brown Brogues
Zoloto

In an alternate universe, Brown Brogues' "Shit In Your Eye" sits atop the charts; following in the lineage of other certified gold cuts such as Ty Segall's "Girlfriend" and the Black Lips' "Bad Kids." As the shit-kicker guitar rings out of the speakers, you can practically see someone beating their fist atop a jukebox or pool table in approval. It's the sort of song that wouldn't sound totally out of place in a commercial for sunglasses, jeans, or bottled beer. However, we don't live an alternate universe and what we're left with is just another sneering, assured rock 'n' roll tune, made by two guys more concerned with how many cigarettes are left in their pack than worried about dollar amounts and dotted lines.

Hot off the heels of last year's Triflin', Manchester two-piece Brown Brogues return with the special Record Store Day release, Zoloto. Comprised of four brand new songs, two live cuts, and two previously-unreleased tracks, Zoloto finds the band working with a certain glam by way of garage sound that wasn't fully on display with the last effort. The aforementioned opening track "Shit In Your Eye" sets a loud, confident, downright anthemic tone for the rest of the album. It's followed by the more breakneck "My Birthday," which at first sounds like a breezy romp but after subsequent listens reveals itself to be more of a take-no-prisoners, late night rallying call for poor decisions. Opening lines "They said, 'Oh, it's your birthday,'/ I said 'I'll fuck you up," only reinforces the brand of swagger being conjured up here. Nimble guitar riffage navigates it's way through the crashing drums in a manner not unlike a seasoned surfer maneuvering their way through a barrel. 

"Booooooom" has a nice catch-and-release feel to it where the guitar riff pulls you in just before the cymbals crash and sends you tumbling back toward the curb. "Getting Caned" finds the band back in the leering, stomp territory that they demonstrated at times on Triflin'. Over the course of these first four songs, there's a real nighttime creep vibe on display. Put another way, the duo are kicking against the pricks. 

The second half of the album is two live cuts ("I Drove For Miles" and "Grind A Go Go") and two effective demos ("Still of the Night" and "I'm a Man"). What could have been a tight, taut EP falls victim to a touch of excess. While "I'm a Man" sports some of the affective, winning harmonies found on Triflin' track "Shake It", these tracks probably could have been left off this official release. 

Regardless, Brown Brogues prove themselves to be a hungry band and the glam rock aspirations suit them well. Seemingly all too often, garage rock bands opt to rest on their laurels and stay with the date they brought but that isn't the case here. The eight tracks here feel fresh. This time around, there's no concern of anything being rehashed. When the record ends, there are two big questions left on the table, though. Where will these guys take their sound next? More pressingly, who's picking up this next round of lagers?