Lover @ The Rock Box

Flytjendur

• 

  Lover!

  Rich Crook is not new to this whole rock ‘n’ roll thing. As a member of Reatards, Lost Sounds and Viva L’American Death Ray Music, Rich was kicking around Memphis, Tennessee in the late 90s and early aughts making sleazy garage, punk and no-wave that helped launch the entire garage rock revival we’ve been witnessing since. That’s a hell of a career for any musician, but he didn’t stop there. When Rich moved to Chicago a few years back he brought his new project, Lover! along for the trip. Essentially Rich’s personal creative vehicle, Lover! is both a far cry from -- and a close cousin to -- his early work. While Lover! lacks the sleaze and snarl that Jay Reatard brought to those earlier bands, it certainly maintains punk ethos and energy, albeit in a much brighter, friendlier way. In Lover!, Rich presents barn-burning power pop that makes you stomp your feet and pump your fist. Rich’s southern heritage certainly plays a part here as well. It’s not uncommon to find a little countrified twang under all that lo-fi fuzz on tracks like “Foxhole Madness”, an anti-war rally song that showcases Rich’s songwriting expertise. It tells the tale of young Ronny, sent off to mindlessly wreak havoc in a fictional World War III. It’s Rich’s ability to channel the power of his rich musical past into these songs that further sets Lover! apart from the garage-pop masses.