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The fundaMentals Mourning Wood Review by Gary Hill To a large degree you know what you are going to get with The fundaMentals. If you are looking for effective hard rock that has a punky edge to it and often sounds like it's the same neighborhood as DOA, you will probably fulfill your quest with these guys. This new set doesn't break any molds, but it does give us some new music that lives up to the group's catalog. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023 Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review

Welcome to the S***show Acoustic guitar and piano get us going. The cut works forward with the addition of other instruments. This an indie rocking version of garage rock. It's meaty and rather punky, Obviously it earns a parental advisory for itself.

Mystery Train There really is a sense of drama and mystery as this track gets going. It's slow moving. It also has some serious helpings of Americana in the mix. I just love this song. It has some real charm and emotion in the mix.

Wherever You Go (There You Are) Indie rock built around a folk rocking concept is the order of business here. This is tastefully left of center. Yet it still has a classic rock feeling to it in a lot of ways.

Sadness Another slower moving cut, this gets electrified in a power ballad way later. Female backing vocals lend another layer of texture to this track.

Hard Times in Wonderland A classic rock sound is in display here. The tune has a lot of garage band vibes. It's a meaty, no-frills rocker.

Heartbreak, Inc. A rocking grind is in control here. This stomper is a lot of fun. It has some punky angles, but overall is just good old hard rock. The guitar solo brings some classic blues rocking to the number.

Bongos and Bayonets Edgy, rocking and effective, this has a lot of DIY and punky angles.

And An Idol Falls I dig the classy rock meets punk and indie angle of this. The cut has a meaty, dramatic tone to it. The guitar fills are classy. This one makes me think of DOA to a large degree, but the more mainstream rock side of that band.

Life Is Good I dig the keyboards on this song. The extended guitar solo later is classy, too. This is another indie sounding mainstream rocker beyond that.

A Little Taste of the Poison I love this line of the song so much "I'd like to agree, but then we'd both be wrong." This is a mean sounding rocker that really works well.

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