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Nov 06, 2015 Web Exclusive By Nate Daly

Remember that band that you were going to start? You guys were going to get together to make party music and just have a great time playing raging guitar solos at backyard BBQs. Oh, and your friends happened to be Brad Truax from Interpol; Kid Millions, Barry London, and Papa Crazee of Oneida; insanity guitarists Mike Bones and Matt Sweeney of Chavez (and a billion other bands); and Jesper Eklow of Endless Boogie. You guys messed around about a decade ago and finally got together in ‘10 to record that EP. Nothing really happened with it, but five years later you started working on something new. And then some other friends like Stephen Malkmus, Cass McCombs, and Dan Melchior dropped by to lend vocals, and it all just fell together in a few days in the studio.

Do you remember that? It’s okay if you don’t. It was a heady time.

For such a fun, loose rock record, Early Risers has a drive that drummer Millions and bassist Truax can take credit for. Even with the blazing guitar overload, the songs are solid, brawny, and looking to fight. Opening track “Nails” lays out the band’s bullish intentions with a full boogie guitar onslaught. On “Campus Swagger” Malkmus pulls out his best Wowee Zowee bluster, “Pure Shame” is pure crescendo with muted mutterings from Melchior, and Clark Bronson’s leering sneer on “Which” is vicious, backed by a flood of organ and guitars. Can’t wait for the next BBQ! (www.soldiers-of-fortune.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8/10