Mirrors High All the Time LP
This record caught my attention immediately and is bound to turn some heads. MIRRORS are Cleveland proto-punk legends who were active from ’73–’75, and whose members went on to spawn bands like the ELECTRIC EELS and ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS. This is the “final” recording from the band, as frontman Jamie Klimek passed away in late 2024. The music sounds like a Midwesternized amalgamation of the SAINTS meets the FLAMING GROOVIES—there’s lots of swagger and attitude, but it stays clear of any real aggression. It’s kind of psychedelic, kind of power pop, and there’s some great guitar playing going down. The vocals remind me of WEEN or the DWARVES; funny, serious, and undoubtedly offensive. Klimek delivers some lascivious lyrics that are sure to piss off half the people who listen to what he’s saying. I heard no less than three uses of the “R” slur before I had made it through four songs! I’m a believer that rock’n’roll should be confrontational and should piss people off, but I’m not sure I want to hear a 73-year-old man getting horned up about teenage sex or waxing philosophical about his boner. Aside from some cool guitar parts and the haunting but dreadfully long “A Kiss Before Dying,” there isn’t anything to keep me coming back to this one.