Music Review: The Safes - Well, Well, Well

Coming out of Chicago are The Safes, a trio comprised of brothers Frankie, Michael, and Patrick O'Malley.  Their second full-length CD, Well, Well, Well, was recently released to widespread acclaim, and it's not hard to understand why.  The Safes are from the garage side of pop, with power chords replacing jangling guitars, and the songwriting and harmonies are strong.

Kicking off with the one-two punch of "Since Trust Went Bust" and "Phone Book Full Of Phonies," Well, Well, Well begins with a rush and barely lets up for the rest of its 30 minutes.  Like The Makes Nice, whose CD I reviewed several months ago, The Safes are heavily inspired by the heavier British Invasion bands.  "Deception: has the swagger of an early Stones original, and "Bless This Instance," which closes the album, clearly takes its inspiration from The Kinks' classic, "Dead End Street." 

But The Safes differ from them by adding a touch of psychedelia into the mix.  "Only In Your Mind" and " Cool Sounds Are Here Again" wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Nuggets compilation.  

Because the CD is so short (two songs don't break the two-minute mark, and only one song is over four minutes), Well, Well, Well might take a few listens for all of its charms to properly sink in, but it is worth it.  

You can stream the entire album, and check out the videos for "Since Trust Went Bust" and "Deception" below.

"Since Trust Went Bust"

"Deception"

Article Author: Dave Lifton

Dave Lifton is a writer whose take on pop culture can be found at Wings For Wheels. He also blogs about soccer at Booked For Dissent.

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