"THE KISSING ROCKS does indeed rock and still is catchy as hell...it's bright, well crafted, and great sounding... if you are looking for catchy, Beatles inspired rock, then Bob Parins is your man."

BOB PARINS AND TRUE LOVE ALWAYS

THE KISSING ROCKS

Self-Released

Normally, I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. You know, that sweet super-catchy pop rock. But due to the demise of my marriage my heart is darker and I'm no longer a pushover for someone whose harmonies resemble McCartney's or Wilson's. Bob Parins, along with his backing band True Love Always, have crafted a sort of celebration of sunny hooks throughout their album Kissing the Rocks. But, does his pop mastery, and meaty guitar work, brighten my heart? That is the ultimate question.

A grand piano interlude introduces "Mr. Face" and then the twinkling piano enters like a lullaby. Then it builds up and falls into the sweet little pop ditty that it is. Incredibly catchy, complete with "bah bah bah baaaah" backing vocals, the song is a good thermometer of the rest of the album. A T. Rex groove intros "I'm Dancing", which is a nonsensical song with lyrical content summed up in the title. Still, for being a little ditty, it is filled out well with a spiky guitar and a roaming bassline. "OOOOOOO la la la" greets us in "Polly", which is not the Nirvana tune, but a slow paced, falsetto song about a parakeet. Still tuneful and full of great sounds, but not much else. "This Might Be the Coffee Talking" is an acoustic song and features a mouth harp. Hilarious, yes, but it still is an effective song with cynical lyrical imagery. "This might be the coffee talking/but I'd say everything can be alright" seems a fine sentiment for this dark tale.

"The Kissing Rocks" does indeed rock and still is catchy as hell. Bob fills out his voice with a little grit that hasn't been heard before and the band rocks out. There really isn't anything cute about this track. "Spave Explores the Gian Microchip" is a noisy instrumental and up next we get a whistle - another near instrumental - in "How?". It's followed closely by the third track in this mini opera, "Like This" - another instrumental which stems from the other two, but is slightly more strong. "I'll Be There" picks up the pace again with Bob wailing his head off, a driving piano, and the band packing in a nice little punch with the addition of a gospel choir near the end. Class. "What it is" has a nice little buzzy riff and it meanders on for a while, but then the big chorus comes in and Bob screams like Macca in "Helter Sketler". An epic track that features some jammy guitar work and ends with a near whisper. We finish with "I Know, I Know" which has a jive organ riff and another catchy as hell chorus.

Now, for a self released album, the sound of this one is incredible. It is stuffed to the gills with sonic tweaks and twitches, which in no way detract from the tunes. That's what its ultimately about, ain't it? I mean if you are looking for catchy, Beatles inspired rock, then Bob Parins is your man.

- Diggsy

09/27/07