More than
previous studio outings, Holy Moly! comes closest to resembling Blues Pills'
live attack. It is greasy, loose, and immediate; it's fiery and tuneful,
blazing with searing guitar solos, thudding kick drums, and filthy bass throb.
There is a profoundly musical finesse offered here that comes from working
stages large and small. "Low Road" is a furious exercise in
blues-rock, with Anderson's potent riff delivered by an overdriven wah-wah
pedal. Larsson soars above the low-end power of the rhythm section. After an
irritating intro of radio-dial static, Schander and Anderson power the molten
flow surrounding Larsson in "Rhythm of the Blood." Its hooky refrain
re-centers the riff as the tempo rages. "Kiss My Past Goodbye" weds
sludgy blues-rock atop a funky refrain, with Larsson delivering her most
soulful wail on the set as Schander's rolling snare channels the attack of
Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos. "Wishin I’d Known" is a sensual yet sad
power ballad that intersects the best moments from Peter Green's
"Albatross," Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," and Etta
James' "I'd Rather Go Blind." Anderson's bluesy picking fills, flows,
and curls alongside Larsson's sweet, multi-tracked chorale refrain. "Bye
Bye Birdie" commences as a slow-simmering electric blues. It cracks wide
open after the bridge, roaring with crunchy power riffs and Larsson's high-pitched
wail that rises above the maelstrom as Schander lays out his best John Bonham
on the kit. The sense of abjection in "Song from a Mourning Dove"
commences with fingerpicked guitars and brushed cymbals. But Anderson ups the
ante by channeling Pink Floyd in the bridge and Robin Trower in his
labyrinthine solo; in the aftermath, the band swells and it becomes a
swaggering soul-blues with Larsson committing herself totally. Holy Moly! isn’t
perfect; its meld of songs could have been sequenced better -- the second half
is far too weighted to favor ballads. So much so, in fact, that the poignant
closer, "Longest Lasting Friend," is almost lost in the shuffle
despite its arresting quality. That's a small complaint, however, Holy Moly! is
strong, relentlessly creative, and restlessly self-assured in its aspirations.
- Thom
Jurek. AllMusic.com
