The Deluxtone Rockets
The Deluxtone Rockets (Tooth & Nail)
by Marc Hirsh
The Deluxtone Rockets
The Deluxtone Rockets (Tooth & Nail)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in Space City Rock, Fall 2000
I must've blinked, because the swing craze seems to be over. What will become of those who benefited most from it? Brian Setzer'll go back to playing clubs instead of theatres, all the while collecting the royalties from every '80s compilation/soundtrack that thinks we don't have enough copies of "Rock This Town." Louis Prima will stop selling so many records, which is no big deal since the guy's been dead since I was 4. And bands like the Deluxtone Rockets will hurt.
And, really, nobody but the band will feel it. Bringing nothing to the genre but the genre, the Deluxtone Rockets latch on to the easy aspects of swing music and don't let go or attempt to broaden their grip (the inclusion of a more rockabilly-appropriate lyrical and visual focus notwithstanding, since it's not clear whether this is intentional). The result, as evidenced by The Deluxtone Rockets, is a record that sounds pretty good for a song or two and then suddenly doesn't. The songs are not exactly boring but incredibly samey; once you've heard one, you've heard them all. Actually, you've probably heard them all anyway.
The Deluxtone Rockets gain points for writing their own songs (take that, Setzer!), and see them when they come to town, by all means; I'll bet they put on a hell of a show. But when the show's over and you want something to listen to, you'll do much better with Prima.