So I just borrowed a title from an old Three Dog Night (remember them?) song. Actually, that is easy. What is really hard is keeping up a certain music style and being good at it. Really hard. Something Edmonton Canada band Betrayers were confronted with on this, their second album “12 Songs To Haunt You”.
I constantly keep on repeating a story, which I don’t even know if it's true, and if you’ve heard it before, just skip this sentence or two (or this whole damn thing) and involves that late grandmaster of the blues guitar BB King. Supposedly, a young reporter came to interview him and at one moment, instead of asking a question, commented: “But Mr. King, your guitar solos sound so simple!” And the King retorted: “Son, that’s why they are so hard to play!”
The same applies to anybody trying to at least truly replicate a certain sound or style - you have to really know practically all there is about it, get all the tips and tricks it involves and then, become really good at it. In the end, it does not only have to sound faithful, it has to sound good. The Betrayers have gone down exactly that route. They decided to be a true Sixties garage rock band. And they have done well. Really good.
First of all, they abided by the key rule previously not mentioned - they obviously love garage rock. If you really love something, then it is no problem to learn everything about it and get to know it inside out. And that is what they have done on “12 Songs To Haunt You”. Everything is down to the pat - driving rhythm section, paced echo guitars, “Farfisa” organ, joint male/female vocals. And in true Canadian tradition, a few songs are sung in French. And the album doesn’t even reach 30 minutes in length. But the elements are all where they should be, they are played to pat, and will sound great at any party. Or otherwise. The band doesn't overstay their welcome. It is all there, and is very hard to do, but done the way it should be.
Just one little fault - with the title like “12 Songs To Haunt You”, maybe they should have waited until Halloween time to come out with it. But the way they assault “the garage”, they should be forgiven.
