The Sonics/Ma Holos/DJ Alright

When the guys in the Sonics, the proto-garage rock band that formed in Tacoma, Wash. in 1960, first got together, they weren’t particularly good. And yet, the band’s unique approach meant that its music sounded drastically different from everything else that existed. The vocals were harsher, the drums were louder, the electric guitars were more distorted. Even without the ability to play their instruments as well as they would have liked, the guys still wanted to put forth their best effort. So when it came time to record 1967’s Introducing the Sonics, they knew they should have had an arsenal of songs ready to go. But they didn’t. The group would dissolve in 1969. Since reuniting a few years ago, the band has continued to tour and record and some 50 years since the release of their debut, issued This Is the Sonics, their first proper studio album in decades. Recorded in mono by Jim Diamond (White Stripes), the album still retains that raw power for which the band is known. (Niesel)