(Independent/Saved By Vinyl, Sept. 4, 2007)

Holy crap. Seriously—holy crap.

Forgive the inarticulate beginning, but Bottled Lightning of an All Time High, the latest riff-tastic release from C’mon, rocks so damn hard that I just can’t help myself. Holy Crap.

The more I listen to this album the more pumped I get. It’s like being back in high school and hearing Tricky Woo for the first time—better yet, like the first time I heard the Stooges or the New York Dolls—screw that, it’s like all of those rolled into one mega-rock explosion. Veteran indie axeman/producer extraordinaire, Ian Blurton, is back and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t care what decade it is. Frankly, with fellow former Blurtonia member, Dean Dallas Bentley, hammering out the drums and ex-Nashville Pussy bassist, Katie Lynn Campbell, in tow, I don’t care either, as boy does this power trio deliver the goods.

Intense riffage and high energy are at the forefront, as the tracks come and go quickly with most extinguishing around the two-minute mark. Only the stellar opener, “All Time High,” makes it past three minutes and that is wholly due to the string intro that serves as the catalyst between cushy, mundane everyday life and the pure rock slugfest on the other side of the headphones. What comes immediately after sounds like Blurton blurting out from behind a megaphone in a dialogue with his disciples—a rallying cry for the rest of the album—and by God does it follow suit with ferocious intensity.

However, the biggest feat accomplished by this album isn’t necessarily the inherent palpable energy, but more so its ability to avoid tripping over itself. It flirts with self-indulgence but never becomes repetitive or boring—an achievement that my fabled Tricky Woo albums of old never managed all the way through. Something could also be said for the fact that there is no attempt whatsoever at a slow ballad—the type that often kill the momentum simply for the sake of forced variety. The most downtime on the whole album comes on “nom’C,” an interlude that crescendos into raucous grinding—like a swarm of bees in a vacuum cleaner. That’s not to say that the riff-heavy output presented on Bottled Lightning isn’t varied—it’s just subtle. For instance, “We Own the Sun” is a rollicking and bouncy outing that rejuvenates the album’s second half with a sense of buoyancy, while the short, but infectious “Unh” sees the established dynamic altered, as Campbell is tagged in for the vocal duties.

Sure, there’s merit to an introspective collection of delicate meanderings, but every now and then there comes an album like this to remind me that fist-pumpers and face-melting are just as necessary. Basically, if you’re looking for an energy boost without having to pay the $3 for a Red Bull, look no further as Bottled Lightning of an All Time High will rock your God-damned socks off.

“We own the sun and we will teach it to burn you down” –indeed.

Listen to a few tracks for the album below or download them to rock out at your leisure (right-click, “save as”):

C’mon - All Time High

C’mon - Waste My Time

Catch C’mon live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on Sept. 21 and buy their album here.