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Sweet Apple - Love & Desperation

Four-guys-jamming-in-a-garage vibe...

Rating: 7

J Mascis spent his most creative years working with a man, Lou Barlow, for whom he’s rarely found a good word. It must be weird then to be in such a chummy band as Sweet Apple. They formed, apparently, to cheer vocalist John Petkovic up after his mum died and you can hear the just-four-guys-jamming-in-a-garage vibe even at their most emotional. There are moments, like the echoey, spacious ‘Dead Moon’, when things get eerie and alienated but more often they’re down-to-earth and bluesy, like they’ll stop playing when the beers arrive. Petkovic’s vocals have a raw, rough edge and, on the drums, J Mascis sounds like he’s enjoying himself at last.

Trevor Baker