Play it Strange, In the Red ***

2010 was a very good year for scruffy garage rock from the US west coast, with such standout janglers as Thee Oh Sees, Sonny The Sets and The Fresh Onlys reprising old lines with new vigour. The latter’s third album sees them taking their heads out of the Nuggets box-set long enough to embrace a much more intriguing set of sounds. Scrappy, psychedelic guitar wig-outs are still the fuel of choice in the engine-room, but brighter ideas, deeper moods and more flamboyant intentions are also now in play. What this means for their wide-eyed pop is that there are now stronger songlines coming into focus as producer Tim Green helps them pinpoint and embellish melodic buttons. But what makes Play It Strange such a wow is the relish with which the band mess with the songs and pull at threads. It’s a wild ride, but one you’d be sort of nuts to pass up. See myspace.com/thefreshonlys

Download tracks:Who Needs A Man, Tropical Island Suite