The Sonics Boom
The Sonics Boom preserves the band's hard centre while revealing where their approach works less naturally. The best songs deliver simple riffs and a wild voice so firmly that little else is needed. Some other tracks choose a friendlier form. That provides variety, although it also reduces some of the tension.
Cinderella opens particularly well. Its rhythm is bare and purposeful, the guitar rough, and Gerry Roslie sounds fully engaged with every line. The song needs no complicated development to keep pulling ahead. Performance gives a small amount of material a much greater impact. The playing feels immediate rather than carefully arranged to impress.
He's Waitin' maintains the threat. Its simple, forceful movement suits Roslie's voice and brings an unease extending beyond sheer volume. Shot Down closes the original sequence with similar conviction. The combination of rhythmic directness and aggressive singing again works exceptionally well. Both songs make the band's identity clear within familiar forms.
Louie Louie receives an unusually heavy treatment. The recognisable riff sounds angular and assertive, as though the band want to put greater force into each return. Jenny Jenny also shows how convincingly The Sonics can claim familiar material. These songs develop a character of their own even when their melodies are already well known.
Since I Fell for You and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark make the record less uniform, but lack some of that compelling aggression. The quieter or tidier moments are not automatically the most interesting. The Sonics Boom is consequently more uneven than its strongest eruptions suggest. Plenty remains worthwhile: effective riffs, singing that gives familiar material character, and enough powerful songs to make this more than a repeat of an earlier success.
