Mike Saunders on Thundermug

Thundermug -Thundermug Strikes Lp
Epic Records
By MIKE SAUNDERS
Phonograph Record Magazine

"Orbit" is the title of the opening cut here, and it's a beaut! What it really reminds me of is "Johnny Thunder" on the Kinks' Village Green LP. Ray Davies once said he wrote that song as a 1967 Who move, and "Orbit" seems to be Thundermug's premier success in the same vein: a poised effete melody backed up by hard rock riffing, made even more effective by the extra bonus riffs that keep popping up. Flawless power pop, it sounds like a perfect 45. And it was. If it wasn't a hit in Canada (Thundermug's homeland), there's no justice across the border.

For the real point of reference here, though, you have to forget about "Orbit" and move to the end of Side one for "Africa." As a 45 on Big Tree last year, this tune won Thundermug a bit of notoriety here in the U.S. No wonder you'd have to be deaf to ignore a record that opens with a half dozen jungle madmen pounding like War playing meth-rock, shifts into a short power pop chorus a la "Orbit," only to shift back to the jungle until the next chorus. Interesting, and compelling as well, but kind of confusing if you know what I mean.

Most of Thundermug Strikes derives strongly from "Africa," with "Orbit's" influence intermittently straining to break through. Although a stylistically confused album, there are many flashes of genuine promise. A few points are in order:

(1) Why give more fat Canadians the time of day? Because Thundermug are from Montreal, a burg boasting groups like the Wackers, Pagliaro, April Wine, Fludd, Mahogany Rush, and Moran. None of 'em great, but all are respectable pop groups on one level or another.

(2) The Kinks are supposedly Thundermug's favorite group and major influence. This doesn't connect at first, because Thundermug's sound is far removed from the Kinks then or now. But there are song titles like "Victoria Muse" and "Garden Green," and if you'll sift through the frequently overbearing instrumental sludge to dig out the melodies, Thundermug's Bill Durst has written some very catchy Kinks-ish effete melodies: Like "Garden Green." Or "We'll Never Forget," which done properly might sound like Sparks filtered through the 1968 Move. Or "Mickey Mouse Club," another fine song that should've sounded a lot better than it does.

(3) Which leads to the next point: this album is full of good to excellent material weakened by ill-fitting arrangements, mediocre vocals, and some serious excess. First, lead singer Joe DeAngelis has a voice that, I dunno, it just doesn't fit this kind of music. He's gruff like David Clayton-Thomas, at his worst sounding like a combination of Ian Gillan and Bob Hite. Too much excess vibrato and too much sweaty screaming.
Second, look guys: I love fuzzbox, tasteless wah-wah, arid deluges of metal rain-if it's done right. Done poorly it just sounds like sludge. Except for "Where Am I," it doesn't sound like you'll ever be much of a heavy metal group, and that song's an anomaly anyway because the rhythm section is mixed down with the rhythm guitar way up in a frentic (sic) fuzzbox style not heard elsewhere on the LP. Cool it with the War meets James Gang outbursts and listen to some more Kinks records, OK?

(4) For the time being, Thundermug would seem to be a singles group. This LP was compiled from the best of their two Canadian albums, which I'm told are pretty bad in comparison. Another unfavorable comparison is that of their 45 of "You Really Got Me" (included here) to the Kinks' original. It's great that Thundermug did it with an intended faithfulness to the original, but they blew it anyway, dragging the tempo and adding almost twenty seconds to the song's time! Nice try, but no dice.

Ultimately, there's only so much you can say about a young group with a couple outstanding singles. Thundermug shows a lot of promise, but they also have a lot of rough edges that need ironing out - they've got a lot of work cut out for themselves. They might make a good album given time. They might not. They might achieve one-month stardom just like Edward Bear and then devote their lives to scientology. Or they might be dropped by Epic five weeks from now when this album doesn't sell. Whatever the case, make a point to hear "Orbit" for sure, "Africa" maybe, and decide from there for yourself.