Rewind (Rude Element, 2007)

*GUEST REVIEW*
As their name suggests, this band (a foursome out of Austin, Texas) isn't in it to make music that sounds polished or pretty. And that's fine with me. At their most rootsy, Grimy Styles can sound like prime King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, or a no-vocals version of Dub Syndicate. Even when they're in more of a reggae/rock mode, the degree to which they've been bitten by the Jamaican dub bug is obvious. Plus it doesn't hurt that they're highly skilled and attuned players who lock it up with a turn-on-a-dime tightness and big, cavernous sound that will have you nodding your head in approval as well as entrancement. They're good at taking unexpected turns, too: give a hard listen to how the concluding "Spectre" goes from a kind of spacey klezmer-ska into pensive skank mode. Extremely nice. There's moments that go over the top sonically and at least one track (the thankfully brief "Intermission") is a bland throwaway. In the end, it's the band's unflappable expertise, adventurousness and dashes of humor (How can you go wrong with titles like "Duct Tape and Pancakes" and "Smokin' on the Deck"?) that carry the CD through one impressive head-sizzle after another. I'd love to experience these guys live and will certainly be on the lookout for more of their records. In the meantime, their way of doing dub is pure grimy greatness on this explosive release.

-Tom Orr