The Masons

Item: Plymouth Rock
Author: Earl Campbell

Plymouth Rock

(1999)

Reviewed by Earl Campbell

Discogs YouTube

Label Middle Class Pig RecordsBandoppler1999

garage rock rockabilly

Middle Class Pig Records, a German label with Marxist trimmings, brings us The Masons' first full-length, Plymouth Rock. They are an American band, with members originating from all corners of the western half of the USA, and this album proves their heritage. With stylistic elements of rockabilly, punk, dirty rock 'n' roll, and even some horror rock - via Misfits and The Cramps, The Masons thunder through seventeen tracks of garage fury. Their sound is obnoxious, their production value raw, and their song topics base - definitely American Rock.

Musically, this album is fairly creative, with psychedelic undertones layered beneath Buddy Holly guitars, clean percussion, and mock-Elvis vocals - sort of what one would expect to be produced from a marriage of Glen Danzig and The Ramones. Some of the song-selection is a tad redundant, and while the production value offers blue-collar color at times, it also becomes irritating and contrived after a while.

However, there is a redeeming quality in the subjects of some of their songs, with a call for "Justice to the People of Mexico," and an enjoyable playfulness to others, like with "Werewolf in Kansas City" and "Vomit in My Yard." Fans of Rocky Horror Picture Show or Tales From the Crypt or The Deadlines will definitely enjoy the dark, tongue-in-cheek theme prevalent on Plymouth Rock.

There is material that may bother some, with lewd allusions, and hints of coarse language, although it is undiscernable most of the time, covered by the gritty vocal tones. Overall, this is a pretty fun album, definitely not for the easily offended, but for those that can focus on the ruckus music, black humor, and Transylvanian themes, Plymouth Rock is a pleasant sampling of underground Americana.