Pitchfork

Calling something "derivative" isn't necessarily a knock. Lots of bands are derivative in ways that expand the sound they're copping. For me there's a simple test to decide if an album is inspired homage or weak imitation: How many listens does it take to stop hearing their influences? Five is great, 10 or 15 is still pretty good. Get up over 20, and there's trouble.

I'm way past that number with Awesome Color, and I still keep hearing the Stooges. I still hear a pale "Down on the Street" in the lax guitar and straining vox of "Grown", a less catchy "Loose" in the labored rhythms of "Free Man", even a thin mix of "Dirt" and "Fun House" in the slow burn (and Steve MacKay-like sax) of the album's best track, "Animal". (I also hear the MC5 in "Ridin'" and Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath in "Unknown", but those aren't exactly big leaps from the Stooges rips.)

The fact that Awesome Color can evoke such strong influences is a decent feat, and there's nothing wrong with using the Stooges (or MC5 or Black Sabbath) as launching points. Fifteen years ago, Mudhoney's unearthing of extra grime from that sound was a revelation, and more recently Comets on Fire struck gold by fusing Stooges-like energy to magnetic Sabbath riffs.

But in light of those shining examples, Awesome Color sounds like a retread. Recall how Mudhoney's Mark Arm tweaked Iggy's addled desperation over a spilling Big Muff backdrop with lines like "I'm full of rot" and "Spill my seed, suck my waste." Compared to that, Awesome Color's generic riffs and lyrical clichés-- "On the dance floor/ All over this town", "Take what you want/ Take what you need", "It's your time" used as a chorus in two songs-- feel even flatter.

Still, Awesome Color is often enjoyable, mostly due to singer/guitarist Derek Stanton's ability to occasionally hit overdrive. His melodic fuzz and throaty howl catch fire during the frantic "Ridin'", and his clanging solos in the churning "Hat Energy" and the aforementioned "Animal" hit distorted peaks. None of it rises above mimicry, but it's still kinda fun, like a basement show of tribute bands featuring moonlighting musicians from better groups.

Given those flashes, it would be unfair to say Awesome Color won't eventually grow into something more unique. These three seem to have enough playing ability to stretch into less-worn territory if their songwriting can manage to lead them there. But their current style has been around for almost 40 years, and many groups have needed no warm up time to carry the ball much farther. Just measuring by the history the band is trying to join, Awesome Color are already behind.