THE LOVE ME NOTS

The Demon and the Devotee

Atomic a Go Go

It’s fantastic to think that somewhere out by Phoenix the sounds of a haunting organ laid over a heavy guitar riffs are spilling out of a garage across the torrid heat of the Arizona desert into the vast night. In reality, this likely isn’t true, as the people behind this neo-sixties, Dead Kennedys inspired music, the Love Me Nots, now play to much larger audiences than a few cacti and rock dwelling reptiles. Band members Nicole Laurenne, Michael Johnny Walker, Sophie O and Jay Lien this year offer up their fourth release, The Demon and the Devotee. At its core the album’s pointy-toed shoes toe the garage rock line, like on the track “The End of the Line,” which starts with Walker laying down some particularly stellar guitar work over a rhythmic intro, and the aptly named party tune “Let’s Get Wrecked.” On other tracks however, the quartet creates a sound distinctly their own—and it’s all about Laurenne playing those amazing tones on the Farfisa organ. The opening of “Make Up Your Mind” is reminiscent of a horror movie sound track stuck on fast forward, but escapes the trap of cheesiness to instead reveal one of the album’s most memorable songs. Again, on “Demons,” it is Laurenne’s organ adding the element that adds the unexpected depth. The Love Me Nots have successfully put together an outstanding album that explores the exciting diversity within the garage rock genre, even if they don’t play there anymore.

-Tim McLaughlin