The Mooney Suzuki Aim to Update

 

By Bernie Bernard

The term "garage rock" refers to the raw, basic music made by aspiring¹ bands that practice in garages and warehouses². The four-man band known as The Mooney Suzuki says they're committed to updating old-time rock & roll and garage rock for the 21st century and has a new album, Alive And Amplified³.

(Music)
New York City band The Mooney Suzuki cites influences from the 1960s, such as The Kinks, Rolling Stones and MC5, along with punk from the 1970s and 1980s. They take their name from members of the pioneering 1960s' German synthesizer band, Can, referring to them as "the godfathers of electronica." That type of music inspired The Mooney Suzuki to replace the electronic samples with real guitars and drums.
Guitarist and vocalist Sammy James says, "I'm not anti-computer, but anyone can turn on their computer and make electronic sounds. The idea of artistically⁴ limiting yourself to a specific set of techniques is what excites us." The Mooney Suzuki made their debut⁵ on an independent label in 1999, and wrote music heard in television commercials for Coors Beer and Nike shoes. Steady touring led to more exposure and a new deal with industry giant, Columbia Records. After traveling with the Lollapalooza Tour in 2003, they performed the title song for the Jack⁶ Black film, School of Rock, then headed back to the studio. They decided⁷ to turn away from the Detroit sound of their first two CDs to 1960s California pop, with influences from The Beach Boys and The 5th Dimension. The result is The Mooney Suzuki's album, Alive And Amplified, which was produced by the hit-making team, The Matrix.
(Music)
Alive And Amplified combines the flash of late guitar god Jimi Hendrix along with classic rock, the raw sounds of garage rock and catchy⁸ pop melodies. They also borrow from 1950s surf music and the psychedelic 1960s.
Guitarist Graham Tyler admits, "It's just a matter of playing stuff we like, whether it's soul or straight-up rock and roll or garage stuff."
Group member Sammy James adds, "I feel that you can be a lean, mean machine and be sloppy⁹ around the edges in a good way. The best soul and blues¹⁰ music is like that. The spirit has not been beaten out of it. There will always be an element of rawness and filth¹¹ to what we do. We love the sound of wrong notes."
Steven Van Zant, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, invited The Mooney Suzuki to play at his recent all-day Underground Garage Festival in New York City. The band has also been featured on his radio show, "Little Steven's Underground Garage." The band is about to start a major club tour of the U.S.
From alive and amplified, here is the Mooney Suzuki with "New York Girls".
I am Bernie Bernard.

(Music)
注释：
aspiring 热心的，积极的
synthesizer 合成器
artistically 在艺术上
catchy 易记住的

1 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

2 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

3 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

4 artistically   

adv.艺术性地

参考例句：

• The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美，装帧高雅。
• The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 catchy   

adj.易记住的，诡诈的，易使人上当的

参考例句：

• We need a new slogan.The old one's not catchy enough.我们需要新的口号，旧的不够吸引人。
• The chorus is very catchy to say the least.副歌部分很容易上口。

9 sloppy   

adj.邋遢的，不整洁的

参考例句：

• If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。
• Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

10 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

11 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。