Current mood:
artistic
CD release party for "Break Your Arm For Evolution" this Friday, February 1 @ El Comal Mexican Restaurant, 3456 W Vernor Hwy, Detroit, Michigan 48216. $10 w/ Serenity Court, Eons + Bad Party. call (313) 841-7753
Last week, SSM wrapped up a two-week tour with the Von Bondies and garnered rave album reviews from the New York Times to the Washington Post and URB Magazine (featured in URB's "Next 1000').
SSM - BREAK YOUR ARM FOR EVOLUTION
"The kind of distortion that edges the vocals and most of the instruments on the album "Break Your Arm for Evolution" (Alive) tags SSM as garage-rock or psychedelia, and most of the songs would go nicely with a liquid-blob light show. But this three-man band — John Szymanski on keyboards, Dave Shettler on drums and Marty Morris on guitar — doesn't stay within any particular school or era. SSM also toys with electro, progressive rock and punk-funk. What the songs share is a cantankerous rock spirit and, behind it, musings on life and death, from "Let's Make a Baby" to thoughts like "Before long you're gone, so prolong the inevitable" — which is tucked into a song called "Start Dancing."" - New York Times
"Using keyboards, vocals, guitar, drums and sweet, sweet programming, SSM is out to prove that they aren't afraid to go against the grain. Chances are they'd be more afraid to follow it." - URB Magazine's "Next 1000"
"…funk, synth-pop, glam-rock and psychedelia…"Break Your Arm for Evolution" certainly isn't technocratic enough for electro purists, but SSM can show garage-rock buffs that there's more than one way to start dancing." - Washington Post
"A romp in Iggy-esque, slowed down, Hentch rock 'n' roll, the band's overall sound is something that is catchy, groovy and danceable, all while maintaining the basic rock esthetic. Tracks like "Déjà Vu," "Regenerate Your Face" and "Now We're Six" are trance-inducing psychedelic jams that meet Fun House-type grooves and would be perfect for your next drug session." - Real Detroit Weekly
"…an unusual and delightfully schizoid take on Motor City rock. Psychedelia mingled with kraut-rock as the avant-pop trio shifted gears with synth freakouts and odd time signatures that managed to be both experimental and accessible at the same time." - Boston Herald
"SSM deviate from the classic Detroit rock band mold. They have mixed garage rock with psychedelia, electric dance sounds and prog rock and come out with a unique sound…The new album sounds like Daft Punk-meet-Electric Six-meet-The Seeds, with a couple emotional ballads thrown in as well as some pop-dance tracks." - The Aquarian Weekly
"SSM, play a riveting combination of electronic and psychedelic garage rock-physical proof of which can be found on the trio's latest, Break Your Arm for Evolution." - Time Out New York
"…their second album for Alive Records, John Szymanski, Dave Shettler, and Marty Morris have updated a steadfastly rigid genre with a synthetic, robot groove that bridges the divide between Detroit's storied histories of techno and garage." - I Rock Cleveland
"Taking the more danceable side of post-punk from Public Image Limited and meshing it with '80s pop projects like Gary Numan and Kraftwerk's synth-laden material, SSM creates a killer sound that blows most conventional stuff out of the water." - Real Detroit Weekly
"…return of the vox-heavy trio, now flirting with robot love under the hand of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach" - CityBeat
okay
drunk