Part old-school rock and roll groove, part nineties indie-rock, and part its own sonic entity, “Strip Mall Jesus” is one of those songs that you can’t quite put your finger on. But then, if you could easily tag and bag it, it would mean that you have heard it all before. Who needs that? not the current music scene, that’s for sure.
John Deering is happy to admit that this is a DIY recording (hey, even Deep Purple recorded vocals in hotel bathrooms, so you are in good company), and the result is a vibe that makes the most of the sparser surroundings he utilized and yet which still sounds purposefully precise, at least within the context of the sort of music that he is making.
Punky gang vocals, rock and roll beats, guitars firing shots from the hip…in every sense of the word, a lead vocal that seems to fizzle with New Wave fractious intensity, and a fist-in-the-air, foot-on-the-monitor, scuzzy-grooved, glam-anthem (glamthem?), it’s a strange and marvelous sonic beast – one that doesn’t sit comfortably in one genre or style but still ticks all the boxes.
It is a celebration of Minneapolis musicality, too, thanks to Soul Asylum guitarist Ryan Smith helping to guide the process along and Peter Anderson, of local legends Run Westy Run on the drumkit. But mainly, it’s a great song, and it reminds us that rock and roll is best served with the rough edges still on it and the surface suitably frayed and abrasive.
Handle with care!
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