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Every now and then I really dig ’70s rock. It was a singular time in America. Everyone was strapped for cash. The country was starting to divide into the people that stubbornly bought American-made automobiles and the folks that succumbed to the better gas-mileage offerings from overseas. Club Med was still a brothel. The hangover from the ‘60s had settled into a fine haze of continuing, languid rebellion. Amidst this setting, rock and roll was flourishing. Bands were popping up like dandelions in an untreated yard, and radio’s role as king had solidified.
Local H would have thrived in this environment. This odd Chicago two-piece has been offering a crunching brand of rock reminiscent of that period for years, and they continue this trend on their latest EP. No Fun is six tracks of blistering classic rock. Each song is an anthem to the auto-worker, the weekend warrior, the guy cruising in his Camaro to the local 7-11 where he can pick up a couple of 40’s and cruise the strip.
Three of the songs on No Fun are covers. They reproduce the Godfathers’ "Birth, School, Work, Death" with consummate classic-rock flare. The Ramone’s "I Just Want Something To Do" comes through nicely sans accent, guitars ringing in Kiss-like simplicity under Scott Lucas’s direction, his vocals echoing perfectly. Then there’s the strange choice of Primal Scream’s "Fuck Yeah, That Wide," which extends across the last 10 minutes of the EP. The guitars, drums and vocals mix into a strange, disheveled mass that recalls the Butthole Surfers. After three minutes of organization under Lucas repeating "You’ve got the money / we’ve got the soul," the song degenerates into stops and starts along with random noises and hollers. It’s a little fun and a little long at the same time. Close to the end, we’re even treated to a little Zeppelin riff, which fits perfectly with the sound.
The real treasures on this EP are the three originals. The title track is straight-up rock, starting out with lonely drums joined by a no-frills power chord riff. Lucas repeatedly yells "It’s no fuckin’ fun" in a classic, broken-throated voice. "President Forever" is a humorous and poignant track (and the best on the EP) written ironically from our beloved president’s point of view. "I’m gonna laugh in the face of the national debt / I wanna bill the free world and make ‘em pay back-rent / I’m gonna take the statue back from the fuckin’ French." "Cooler Heads" takes a turn toward garage-grunge, with a riff that sounds like it’s straight off of Nirvana’s Bleach.
He’s bounced around labels and changed drummers, but Scott Lucas keeps producing a sound that, though it’s right out of our past, is a refreshing feature on our modern musical landscape. I’m hoping that he’s found a home with Thick Records and continues producing. It’s good to have a break now and then, and the simplicity of Local H works nicely.