The Warlocks Surgery. Release Date : August 23, 2005. Label: Mute Records. Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. Surgery is juuust a little bit good. Energetic, lively, solidly mixed, and a vocal exasperation that drives me absolutely wild. "Gypsy Nightmare" has a 50's ballad flair to it, a trend that would continue to resurface frequently through the album. Sizzling solos, and that sound carries to "Angels In Heaven, Angels In Hell"... weird. And that song title certainly brings to mind those sweet, whimsical songs of the 50's. For some reason this sort of thing always brings to mind the high school dance scene in the first Back To The Future movie. Singer Bobby Hecksher has a soft voice, relaxing, like a lullabye... just, dammit, a good fuckin' album! Deliciously vicious guitar thrumming take over the middle of "We Need Starpower." How can I possibly choose a favourite song? This is incredible! "Thursday's Radiation" is somehow inspiring-sounding. And then "Evil Eyes Again" is back to the 50's ballads. What a cute dichotomy. Great sounding tunes, crunchy guitars and sweet vocals. There's something honest and touching about this CD. I can't completely put my finger on it, but it's really bare, and I suppose that charming underlying tone brought on by the 50's sound has a lot to do with it. Awesome. "Suicide Note" is sooo the end-of-the-night song. The bar lights are coming up. Grab your lover and go home. There's a hidden track where everything is a bit syrupy... slow.... mellow. Song of choice : I probably dig "Come Save Us" or "Just Like Surgery" best... actually scrap that - that fat guitar in "We Need Starpower" kills everything else. A bit like Low? A bit like Perry Farrell?? -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere The Warlocks website Published : November, 2005.