The Giraffes

Today's rock n' roll might not be crying out for a savior as it was at the height of the disco era, but when the genre's most hyped release is (let's be honest here) an overrated and outdated fizzle that has spent more time in the vault than this generation's fans have spent out of diapers; there isn't much to brush the rejuvenated hands of Britney Spears away from the crotches of impressionable, young records buyers.

Enter The Giraffes.

The missing link between Queens Of The Stone Age and Led Zeppelin, these Brooklyn-based animals drunkenly drive the way-back machine to 1975 and pull liberally from that era's stony flavor and fury. The rhythm section of Andrew Totolos (skins) and Jens Carstensen (four-string thumpery) lock together like Led Zep's Johns—Bonham and Paul Jones—allowing singer Aaron Lazar and guitarist Damien Paris to run wild over everything, from the arena-rock title track to the devilishly twisted polka of "Diskowarts." Lazar’s sleazy confidence propels "Medicaid Benefit Applique" and the bluesy Hawkwind meets Black Sabbath "Honest Men" into classic territory. A guitar guru in his own right, Paris steals the show with the Middle-Eastern flavored licks that fill "Crazy Girl" and his ability to intertwine surf and stoner rock effortlessly. Eagles Of Death Metal's Jesse "The Devil" Hughes and Melissa Auf der Maur each lend their own unique voices to round out the album.

There's not much on Prime Motivator that hasn't been done a dozen times since the mid-70s, but nobody has been able to throw it all together quite like this, while still putting the credo of "sex, drugs & rock n' roll" before all else. Boy bands and farmer's daughters beware, The Giraffes are loose.

—Ryan Ogle
01.07.09

You can tell you're not in store for some homogenized, predictable mainstream rock just by looking at the band picture inside the CD booklet of the third full-length release by New York's the Giraffes. Few have the chutzpah to cultivate a Rollie Fingers-esque handlebar mustache in this day and age, but the Giraffes singer, Aaron Lazar, is seen as clear as day modeling one. Additionally, few rock bands nowadays can be described as sounding like they'd fit snuggly in the guitar-heavy grunge/alt rock scene of the early '90s, without coming off like a third rate Nirvana or Pearl Jam rip-off, but the Giraffes manage to somehow pull it off. Add to it whacked-out lyrics and unpredictable musical detours, and you have a hard-to-pinpoint style that morphs from Black Sabbath ("Having Fun"), to the Reverend Horton Heat ("Million $ Man") in the blink of an eye, before recalling such art rockers as Alice Donut ("Wage Earner"). With rock becoming easier and easier to neatly categorize in the early 21st century, it warms the old heart when a band like the Giraffes comes along. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide