Getaway Car

Last Charge of the Light Horse, a basic trio led by veteran singer-guitarist Jean-Paul Vest and rounded out by drummer Artie Riegger and bassist A.J Riegger (his son). The Coram-based band may have a highfalutin name, but it isn't trying to do anything fancy. Instead, it just creates and plays good music. NEWSDAY, February 9, 2006, Rafer Guzman Straight-ahead rock doesn't find its way into this column very often, and there are a couple of reasons. Most of it just rehashes the sounds of bygone decades, and it's easy to overlook when so many young bands are experimenting with more up-to-date genres such as punk and emo. That doesn't leave much room for all the singer-songwriters and traditional-minded rock groups out there. But here's room for one: Last Charge of the Light Horse, a basic trio led by veteran singer-guitarist Jean-Paul Vest and rounded out by drummer Artie Riegger and bassist A.J Riegger (his son). The Coram-based band may have a highfalutin name, but it isn't trying to do anything fancy. Instead, it just creates and plays good music. A warning: Last Charge's latest disc, "Getaway Car," isn't upbeat. It starts out angry, with the rolling drums and powerful bass of "Cartwheeling." Vest sings bitterly: "Maybe it's coincidence/My boy fell down the stairs/The same day they dropped our jobs to boost the market share." The mood lifts on "Here We Go Again," but the downbeat lyrics contradict the jaunty melody. A few tracks in, the clouds really begin to gather. "Miracle" has an ominous drone beneath the chords; "Getaway Car" feels wind-blown and dusty. The five-minute "Au Clair" ends with a long, wordless reverie: Vest lets his guitar do the pondering while the rhythm section rustles quietly behind him. Vest's somewhat fragile voice can't quite conquer every song; he has the reedy tone of a folkie, rather than a rocker. But at other times (as on "Au Clair") this fragility serves him well. Overall, "Getaway Car" is a rare disc that creates something original out of the traditional. Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

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