Album Mini-review: The Roaring 420s – You Can’t Get Out Alive
File next to: Elephant Stone, Allah-Las, Fuzztones
For The Roaring 420s, everything old is new again. Across the twelve songs on *You Can’t Get Out Alive – their second full-length – this Dresden, Germany based quintet crafts original songs that bear more than a whiff (or a toke if you like) of late 1960s psychedelia. Go-go combo organ (think of The Doors or ? and the Mysterians) and twangy, reverbed guitars all endeavor in the service of the snappy tunes. Florian Hohmann betrays not a hint of a German accent – in fact he sounds more like Tom Verlaine, or an uncharacteristically upbeat Lou Reed – as he sings the collectively written groovy tunes. “Hey Lou” sounds like a rocked-up rewrite of The Velvet Underground‘s “After Hours” (or the pop interlude from The Mothers‘ “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It”) with better vocals and electric twelve-string straight out of A Hard Day’s Night.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.