By: John Mabery
Rating: 9/11

I’m of the belief that people who listen to garage rock aren’t looking for technicality but rather something that makes them get up and move.  The Fieros are a group that will definitely move you.  Probably not emotionally, but they are sure to get your ass up out of the chair on which you sit.

With The Fieros EP (2010), the band tends to keep everything on the short side.  This six-song cycle clocks in at 16 minutes, with the longest track (“Songbird”) topping off at 3:07.  It’s like a flash of lighting; brief while still managing to cause as much of a ruckus as possible.  I tend to judge my rock-and-roll by how tempted I am to make a sex face while listening to it.  If I can't control this urge no matter how hard I try, then it’s some damn good music. I caught myself making such faces while listening to “One Woman,” the second glorious track on this rockin’ good album.

The Fieros EP showcases the range of this brilliant young band.  It is more or less split in half between heavy-hitters and laid back rockers.  It’s easy to identify which are which because the latter tend to be longer, though not much longer, in length (they’re also sandwiched consecutively in the middle of the album).  That doesn’t mean that songs “Get Back,” “In My Veins,” and “Songbird” don’t rock, they certainly do, but it’s the same difference between a heavier song and a softer song by the Arctic Monkeys – it all rocks, but some rock harder than others.

The main ingredient missing from garage rock over the past decade has been honesty.  It’s become too commercial and that’s not what garage rock is about.  It doesn’t come from a band with thousands of dollars in major studio backing.  Simply put, without the garage, there can be no garage rock.  It’s been missing since The Strokes and The White Stripes broke into the limelight with the classics Is This It (2001) and White Blood Cells (2002), respectively.  While The Fieros are probably several years (supported by a couple of strong LPs and endless touring) from taking the reins from those now household names, The Fieros EP is evidence that the seeds have been planted.

The Fieros EP is available through iTune’s Indie Spotlight for $5.94.  Do something worthwhile with your money and give it to this band.