Those Far Out Arrows at Reverb Lounge, April 14, 2017.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The last time I saw Those Far Out Arrows they were a trio, with the brothers switching off on drums. The new four-piece version that played last Friday night at Reverb Lounge, with full-time drummer, was a different band — over-the-top energy crushing psychedelic garage rock that was dense, brutal and trippy. I heard someone in the crowd compare them to the Flaming Groovies, a more colorful comparison than the usual Brian Jonestown Massacre nod.

Though there’s a retro tinge to their music, TFOA are thoroughly modern, like the best of today’s Goner-style garage acts, though cleaner and more prof. In fact, less raw. It’s that rawness that defines Goner/In the Red, etc., brittle low-fi garage noise. This is not that. TFOA’s is more refined, which could be seen as a minus in the eyes of some purists.

For me, a lot of those low-fi garage/noise acts have substituted rawness for creativity; booming bridled fuzz for a lack of an original sound (or song). By contrast, you can enjoy the Arrows’ music without wondering if you’re missing the gimmick.

Like I said, this version sounds nothing like what you might have heard in the past or on their previous recordings, which could be rather droney/dour sailing. All the more reason why they need to get their new 7-inch pressed and out for the world to hear.

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Speaking of new garage rock, The Lupines yesterday dropped their latest track on Bandcamp, and its ferocious as ever. Check it out below. One assumes (hopes) there’s more to come…

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Classic ’90s indie band Redd Kross (who remembers the single “Annie’s Gone”?) is back and playing tonight at Slowdown Jr.. The band disappeared for a long time, then reemerged in 2006 and put out LP Researching the Blues in 2012 on Merge Records. Vegetable Deluxe opens this 8 p.m. show. $15.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved,