The Fresh & Onlys

The Fresh & Onlys (Castle Face)

By Aiden Landman
Published: August 1st, 2009 | 1:11pm

If beloved Seattle proto-punk monsters the Sonics went on an LSD-fueled odyssey to the paisley underground of late-‘60s San Francisco, they may have emerged from the affair sounding a little like the Bay Area’s the Fresh & Onlys.

The band’s self-titled debut marks a near-perfect example of what can happen when skill and reverence meet. Taking a minimalistic approach to revivalist psych-rock, voices scatter about on top of busy, yet somehow simplistic, musical beds. Songs like “Endless Love” are filled with passionate aggression and sweet licks, while tunes like the lead-off, “Feelings In My Heart,” are pure freak-out fun. If you miss the days when rock was raw, sitting on the cusp of the Summer Of Love, then this record is for you.

—