Atomic 7 "…En Hillbilly Caliente" (Mint)
By Abel Folgar
Tuesday. Oct 05, 11:20 PM
Erotic space-age bachelor pad music.
TransformOnline - Music Review
Fans of Kids in the Hall will recognize guitar slinger Brian Connelly from the band responsible for that show's theme music. Yup, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet. Connelly's new instrumental trio, Atomic 7, continues in that fine vein of erotic space-age bachelor pad music.
Equal parts soundtrack for a western, spy, and beach/surf flick, Atomic 7 offer 17 cuts of pure go-go dancing bliss. The tracks are sexy as all hell and the explosive titles are on par with the concoctions. "So Long Happy Days," "Celebrity Cocktails," and "Riding the Sorry Train to Dumpsville," to name a few.
Connelly's guitar work offers crackly-clean qualities, enhanced at times with chirpy surf moments and hillbilly twang. Mandi Bird's bass is deep and well maintained when it finds itself at the front of a track, evocative of "Peter Gunn" and slick lounge acts of yesteryear. Mike Andrioso's drumming duties creates a reverb-snare metronome that grounds the trio (all aforementioned styles in tow) in the jazz soundscape.
The only disappointment was the last track, "What I Liked About Lord of the Rings." Five seconds' worth of silence: I guess the joke was on me since I was expecting a Middle Earth-inspired tune. Canadian humor I guess. Fans of The Ventures, Link Wray, and The Reverend Horton Heat will dig this.