THE MAGNIFICENT BROTHERHOOD
Dope Idiots CD
World in Sound 2010
You could probably make the argument that the world doesn’t really need yet another garage/acid punk revival band, and in this context The Magnificent Brotherhood isn’t doing anything on Dope Idiots that would set them apart from The Cynics or Yesterday’s Thoughts. (Cue a landslide of irate 1500-word essays on exactly how The Brotherhood is different from The Cynics…) Not surprisingly, the band appears to be more than a little familiar with that L.A. ‘66 sound, walking a direct line between The Seeds and The Music Machine. But that sounds like exactly the kind of music which appeals to you, then Dope Idiots is a fine album indeed; the fuzztone goes to 11 where required, the organs have that requisite Farfisa/Vox/AceTone sound, and the songwriting is particularly good. There are occasional dips into the realm of camp, but moments like the breakdown sections in the middle of “Surrender” and the end of “Psychosis”, the semi-intelligible lyrics of the title track, or Kiryk Drewinski’s guitar work throughout the album reward repeated listening. I get the impression this is a band that would really kick ass in a live setting. (Darren Gawle)
