The New Gun (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Robert Mardo (vocals, guitar, drums, percussion); Sonny Sly (vocals, piano, Wurlitzer organ, percussion); Aron Mardo (vocals, organ, bass guitar, Theremin); Basil Fung (guitar); Les Pierce (saxophone, trumpet); Rafael Padilla (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Les Pierce; Tom Lord-Alge.

Perhaps the complete antithesis of the ProTools obsessed early 21st century would be Bon Scott era AC/DC -- a boogie metal band whose albums rocked ferociously, with a gloriously "live in the studio" sound. Just when it appeared as though you had to align yourself to either one camp or the other, along comes a group like Mardo who manage to combine both approaches, as evidenced by their 2006 sophomore effort, New Gun. For instance, take the album opener, "Lolita Live and Learn," which sounds comparable to Bon Scott fronting a more metallic version of Jet. But then just when you think you have Mardo (whose name comes from the last name of the group's sibling duo, Aron and Robert) all figured out, they veer off into a glossy yet funky cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," while a track like "Thin White Line" doesn't sound too far removed from the Warped Tour faction. For fans of retro-rock with a modern edge, Mardo's New Gun is aimed to please. It's not quite American Idol AC/DC, but the rough edges have certainly been smoothed over. ~ Greg Prato minimize