Electric Parlor - Electric Parlor

Electric Parlor

Electric Parlor
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

When you listen to the recent self-titled album Electric Parlor by the four-piece band Electric Parlor it doesn’t take a whole lot of guesswork to figure out what ten to fifteen year span their music was influenced from. The big, crunchy grooves this group chooses to play bring to mind bands such as T. Rex, Cream and Deep Purple to name a few. Electric Parlor’s music would work quite well in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. That being said, their music is also fitting for the vast landscape we have today.

There has been a steady resurgence of bands in 2015 that mirror the aesthetics of music from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. I mean how can you really blame them when that period of music brought us some of the most prolific albums we still hail with reverence. 

Monique Alvarez is the lead singer and front woman for the band. It’s probably didn’t take the band long to arrive at this conclusion because when you hear her sing she has the powerful, dynamic voice that you heard back in the late ‘60s. There is a bit of Janis Joplin and Ann Wilson in her voice. There are many shades of grey when it comes to female singers. Alvarez is anything but the quaint and cute type. 

The band sticks to the simple yet classic guitar, bass and drums.  They stick to a limited palette of distortion and crunchy guitars, which really sums up most of their arsenal. The band's focus is on the songwriting to keep you engaged and they do a pretty good job.

The first song “Reckless” is indicative of the kind of vibe you will be treated to for the remainder of the album. Alvarez sings about being a “whiskey mama” and “wanted to get wrecked with you.” Sounds like fun to me. “Biter” is another good song. The bluesy vibe works especially well here and gives Alvarez plenty of space to show off her pipes.

Electric Parlor is a solid band that is tipping their hats to bands that have come before. They know what they are doing and are quite good at it. Recommended.

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