The 16 Eyes
Look

THE REVIEW

I remember that in the '80s I literally went crazy for what was called garage-punk: in reality, not all the bands then glorified by music magazines were valid; often they were technically lacking amateurs. However, some names were valid: I especially think of Lyres, Chesterfield Kings, and Miracle Workers. The glorious Fuzztones of Rudi Protrudi, who were from New York, must also be remembered. Directly from New York now come The 16 Eyes, a band formed by garage scene veterans. The bassist and singer Orin Portnoy also played with the legendary The Outta Place! Now Area Pirata releases their debut - in vinyl format - titled Look. It is classic garage-punk: Look is a record that could have easily been released in the mid-'80s. If you're nostalgic for an album like Lysergic Emanations by The Fuzztones, this album is definitely for you. You'll find tight rhythms, fuzz guitar, and explosive energy. Even the cover art directly harks back to the '60s: as often happens with operations of this type, it feels like taking a journey back in time. Obviously, you need to immerse yourself in the spirit of these kinds of operations. So if you don't love derivative music, probably The 16 Eyes won't be your "cup of tea." But if, on the other hand, you have no problems immersing yourself in a temporal dimension that takes you back in time, you won't have any issues. In essence, nothing innovative but just good old garage-punk as you can hear in the explosive "Bad Old Days," the anthem "Brand New Girl," in "Leaving Hear' and in all the other tracks of this appreciated "vintage record." Available on Bandcamp: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/look.