Jim Fusco
What About Today?
Fusco-Moore Productions
Singer/songwriter Jim Fusco takes the garage rock revival to its roots. No, this isn’t some Iggy & the Stooges imitation; rather, Fusco stretches the hands of the clock back further into the past. There’s nothing remotely “hip” about what Fusco is doing here, which is flashing back to the underground psychedelic rock of the ’60s. “Sometimes” captures the hippie drug vibe quite well, with its brittle guitars and floating harmonies, and while the low-fi production may seem seriously cheap compared to much of today’s digitized recordings, it is an honest reflection of the era.
Fusco played every instrument himself, except for harmonica, which is credited to Chris Moore. People thought the Do-It-Yourself method of punk rock was new in the late ’70s, but in the ’60s many cities had long-forgotten regional acts that cut platters on tiny labels. Those were usually artists who were too rough or amateurish for the majors at the time, yet ended up creating music that still sounds fresh today. Fusco could easily be mistaken for one of them.
Anybody searching for a modern makeover of ’60s psychedelia will be disappointed; Fusco is completely faithful to his inspirations. The closest he gets to anything contemporary is probably “Where Are We Now,” which is somewhat reminiscent of the Meat Puppets in its vocal style.
Fusco’s voice is often in front of the mix. He doesn’t have the most commanding vocals; however, it suits the material fine.
Jim Fusco: http://www.jimfusco.com
