Here We Are

After 23 years of preaching the garage rock gospel, the Cynics have significantly outlasted the vast majority of bands that inspired them in the first place, but despite all that mileage they still have plenty of rock action left in them, and 2007's Here We Are is a solid and exciting set of '60s-influenced wailing. Recorded in period-appropriate mono at an all-analog studio in Spain, Here We Are features founding Cynics Michael Kastelic and Gregg Kostelich backed by a crew of like-minded Spanish rockers, though this set offers a bit more aural variety than some of the group's best known LPs from the '80s. "Slide Over" and the title cut are folk-rock workouts featuring actual acoustic guitars, "Me Wanting Her" could pass for Gene Clark-era Byrds in dim light (complete with a McGuinn-esque 12-string guitar lead), and "All About You" is a high-strutting slice of rockin' rhythm & blues. The group really stretch their boundaries with the moody, slightly psychedelic "She Fell" and "Courtney" is a piano-based meditation on the travails of a certain noted female musician. But if you're looking for some fuzzbox abuse in the classic style, the Cynics are still delivering the good stuff, and "Coming Round My Way," "The Ring," "Last Mistake," and "Hard to Please" show Kastelic and Kostelich can still write songs that rival the work of the old masters, and Kostelich's guitar leads and Kastelic's vocals are in great form. The Cynics remain one of the best bands to emerge from the '80s garage rock revival, and Here We Are shows they can still rock the house while taking some welcome chances along the way.