Grains of Oats

The Movements are a Swedish garage-psych rock band that formed in 2001 in Gothenburg and have since transcended the genre they define. The band (at one point known as The Lost Movements) released Grains of Oats in 2006; it showed up in the U.S. in 2010. The album deserves to be recognized as a classic. The band's energy is relentless, rocking exponentially harder than The Strokes and Hives (to take two popular examples of their contemporaries). When The Movements do turn down the volume, it’s for a minor-key modal tune (“Being”) that recalls the tension of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black.” Gustaf Gimstedt’s Farfisa organ supports Christian “Krita” Johansson’s guitar, with singer David Henriksson knowing when and how to scream for maximum effect. Thomas Widholm’s determination to fall into the Keith Moon camp of manic drumming only pushes the group even further into the "essential" category. “Five Steps Ahead” brings back memories of Miracle Legion at its edgiest, mixed with a slice of The Nomads. This set was overlooked in the U.S. on its original release, but there’s no reason not to catch up and discover a fantastic rock ’n’ roll band.